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If you are working in the ecommerce business, you know that it is experiencing growth that has never been seen before. As sales ramp up, technology advances and people become savvier with their online shopping, those in the industry need to keep on top of the digital marketing trends and ecommerce news. Reading what an ecommerce expert has to say is always helpful.

Here’s my personal reading list with the best recent ecommerce articles and summaries of what you can get out of them:

1. What Is Relationship Marketing by Tariehk Geter

Tariehk writes about something that has been present for a long time but was not actually named: the priority of the customer/business relationship.  Relationship marketing is effective and needs to happen in all sizes of ecommerce businesses. Without making a customer connection and creating long term and repeat users, you are losing potential sales and brand recognition.

Key Takeaway:

Relationships with customers are key to business success so make it a priority.

This comprehensive article is lengthy but full of helpful information and suggestions. While it is centered on the business trends of online fashion it is really all about making a shopping trip user-friendly and profitable for the seller. It puts technology at the forefront in making sure the product is accessible and the buyers are comfortable in their purchases. Orendorff makes the importance of customer comfort a priority.

Key Takeaway:

Keep the customer happy and confident in their selections and you will have fewer abandoned carts and more completed purchases.

3. Johns Crazy Socks by Jason Buckland

While it looks like simply a good news story, this article is also saying something about intent and belief. Good communication and PR for online sales offers are critical. This isn’t a charity but a business that took off with the desired product and some luck. They combined a good product, a social mission and now employ 18 people and have over $4+ million in sales.

Key Takeaway:

‘You Can’t Fake It. Your Core Principles Have to Infuse Everything You Do’ ~ Mark Cronin 

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4. What Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know About Visual Search by Jennifer Spencer

This article looks at the up and coming visual search options that are helping companies like Amazon. Visual searches will help people find the items they want faster leading to increased sales. Deep tagging images offers availability to the online buyer quickly. A new innovation that will have ripple effects across the market.

Key Takeaway:

“Visual search helps customers find exactly what they’re looking for five times faster.” 

5. How To Make Your E-commerce Site More Trustworthy by Syed Balkhi

Your company can have the best product in the world but it is not sellable if the online marketplace doesn’t trust you. This article outlines things you can do for a company of any size to make sure it’s considered trustworthy by online shoppers. People want to feel secure knowing they can get what they want and return it if needed. Trust is everything online.

Key Takeaway:

“95 percent of customers are more likely to be loyal to a company they trust while 92 percent are more likely to purchase additional products and services from trusted businesses.”

6. Amazon Versus Walmart Is A Blueprint For Competitive Advantage by Thomas Smale

The battle of the mega ecommerce is increasing but offers lessons that all entrepreneurs can use in their own ecommerce companies. The trends show that business needs to be on top of innovation and keeping customers happy. The author offers insight into how this needs to happen.

Key Takeaway:

“... Competitiveness is breeding both innovation and lower prices, to the great benefit of consumers.” 

7. Ecommerce Loyalty Programs: 25 Strategies Backed By 36 Examples and Over 100 Results & Stats by Aaron Orendorff

Ecommerce sales can be increased with loyalty programs. No matter how big or small a company is, keeping customers coming back is the key. Loyalty rewards can do this. A great article when looking at the future of ecomm.

Key Takeaway:

“Loyalty programs provide powerful motivation for buyers to create accounts, come back, and spend more. Even better, they create meaningful connections.”

8. How To Cheat At Ecommerce by Richard Lazazzera

This great blog offers insight into the best tools, apps, and strategies for a good ecommerce outcome. Building a business better, quicker, with less cost and with greater efficiency. A good article with the bonus of a great site.

Key Takeaway:

Leveraging the best tools and strategy lets you get the outcome you want with much less work.

9. The Role Heart And Science Play Into Your Ecommerce Success by Jason Jeyanayagam

An article about having a mission while also using your data. It is important to have all the facts about who your customers are and what makes shopping good for them. Data can be the answer to any ecommerce marketing quandary. The mission is important, too, with giving back and community input.

Key Takeaway:

Know your customer. The more info you have, the better your marketing will be.

10. Customer Service 101 by Gregory Ciotti

No matter the size of the business, if you don’t have quality customer service, people will not return. This article highlights what customer needs should be addressed to get return customers and sales.

Key Takeaway:

“33% of customers say they’d look to switch to a competitor after a single bad service experience.” 

11. Tips To Create Pop-Ups Your Visitors Will Actually Read by Weebly

There is nothing more annoying than a pop up that appears while you are trying to complete a process. And so many sites do it. Repeatedly. This article helps readers use pop-ups strategically so as not to turn users off or have them ignored.

Key Takeaway:

If you don’t like something such as a pop-up, why would your visitors?

12. How To Streamline Your Ecommerce Supply Chain by Nathan Resnick

This article reminds us that ecommerce isn’t just about online presence. It's also about sourcing as a company grows. It's about working behind the scenes to keep products moving and help with costs. A great article for ecommerce merchandisers and manufacturers.

Key Takeaway:

Behind the scenes is important as well. Sourcing and quality need to be a priority.

Final Thoughts

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By Finn Bartram

Finn is Editor-in-chief of The Ecomm Manager. He's passionate about ecommerce and the positive impact it can have on organizations, people, and the planet.