learning from shopkeepers: content strategy for ecommerce

Learning from the ShopkeeperContent Strategy for Ecommerce

Learning From The Shopkeeper

• Technology continues to evolve and expand the scope of Ecommerce

• We can learn a lot from the fundamentals of sales

• Translate their wisdom to the world of content and user experience in Ecommerce

• 8 learning lessons

1. Start With A Purpose

Shopkeepers have a clearly defined mission and understand how to deliver on it.

Case Study: Mjolk

1. Start With A Purpose

• Define a clear vision that can guide content and design decisions • Core Strategy (coming up…)

• Focus on users and define yourself in their terms

• Use your content to demonstrate this vision to customers

1. Start With A Purpose

• Core Strategy• Central idea for using content to fulfill

user goals and achieve business objectives

• Guide content creation and governance • Focused audience, approach and niche

• Examples• Curating and promoting high quality

Japanese and Scandinavian housewares for young professionals settling down in Toronto

2. Be More Than Just A StoreShopkeepers understand that successful shops become more than a place to buy things.

Case Study: Threadless

2. Be More Than Just A Store

• What separates you from the rest?

• Think about ways to add value to user’s beyond being a retailer• Editorial strategy

• Engage customers with relevant, educational, and entertaining content across channels

2. Be More Than Just A Store

• Editorial strategy• Creating relevant content for your

audience that retains their attention and enriches your brand

• Let’s your voice shine through• Supports business goals

3. Talk With Customers

Shopkeepers understand that making conversation builds relationships and gives you deep insight into your customers.

Case Study: Zappos

3. Talk With Customers

• Engage your customers and learn from them• Find out their interests, lifestyle and

opinion• User research

• Evolve: put insight into action• Never underestimate the

power of asking “how are you doing?”• Personalize and connect

3. Talk With Customers

• User Research• Online retailers can’t talk directly to

every customer, but pick a few and begin

• Surveys, one-on-one interviews, metrics, usability tests all provide tremendous insights

• Examples• What are their interests and how can

you support these?• How do they use your store and how

can you improve the experience?

4. Have A Passionate PersonalityShopkeepers are passionate about what they do and aren’t afraid to let their big personalities shine through.

Case Study: Mailchimp

4. Have A Passionate Personality

• Content is your voice online• Images, text, communications,

messaging

• Use content to communicate a consistent and unique voice • Think back to your core strategy!

• Let your customers know how passionate you are

5. Be A Part Of The Community

Shopkeepers weave themselves into the fabric of their neighbourhood, learning from competitors and also making friends

Case Study: Tattly

5. Be A Part Of The Community

• Leverage knowledge of your users• “Be” where they “live” (where it makes

sense)

• Learn from competitors• Analyze what they’re doing right and

wrong• Learn how to improve and differentiate

• Partner up to build strength• Curate content from others• Share resources

6. Have A Good Memory

Shopkeepers never forget a face and utilize their memory to deliver personalized and relevant service

Case Study: Etsy

6. Have A Good Memory

• Demonstrate your understanding of customer goals, interests and attributes• Build the experience around them• Tailor content to them

• Reach out when it matters to them• Pull vs. push• Tailor messaging and communications

to match the customer

7. Know Your Products

Shopkeepers build trust by believing in and being knowledgeable about the products they sell and showing them off to customers.

Case Study: Toyls of Labur

7. Know Your Products

• Choose products you believe in and fulfill your vision

• Do inventory to be sure everything is up to date and on point• Content Audit (more to come)

• Evolve your stock over time to ensure your offering is meeting user needs

7. Know Your Products

• Content Audit• Inventory and assessment tool to help

manage and maintain content, ensuring it meets stakeholder and user goals

• Assess each piece of content against a series of criteria, determine if it’s acceptable, needs improvement or no longer necessary and take action

• Repeat on schedule to ensure content is current, effective and properly maintained

8. Structure Your Environment

Shopkeepers know how to set the stage to show off their products, from window displays and merchandising to tagging and packaging.

Case Study: Amazon

8. Structure Your Environment

• Graphic design and interactive elements are key, but so is structure

• Arrange shop furniture to fulfill user behaviours and business needs• Information Architecture

• Group products together artfully to paint the picture for customers• Content Modeling

8. Structure Your Environment

• Information Architecture• The art and science of organizing

information, merging content, context and users into a cohesive structure

• Content Modeling• Information Architecture for a single

type of content, what goes where and why.

• Well structured content can be easily adjusted to suit changing contexts, and re-used for other purposes

8. Structure Your Environment

• Don’t forget to label and tag items• Taxonomy

• Build relationships between products to provide relevant referrals

• Example• If you liked that, you might like this

Learning From The Shopkeeper

1. Start With A Purpose

2. Be More Than Just A Store

3. Talk With Customers

4. Have A Passionate Personality

5. Be A Part Of The Community

6. Have A Good Memory

7. Know Your Products

8. Structure Your Environment

Thanks!