visions of success: ecommerce predictions for 2015
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Visions of Success:
Ecommerce Predictions for 2015
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Your Host
Matt WinnSenior Marketing Communications Manager
1. Certified ecommerce geek
2. Marketer by trade, home cook by hobby
3. Created 500+ articles/videos on ecommerce
4. Here to help you succeed all year long!
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Today’s Agenda
Countdown: Top 5 Ecommerce Headlines of 2014
Actionable Ecommerce Predictions for 2015
Exclusive Contest: Win a $25,000 Suite of Volusion Services!
Q&A
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Countdown: Top 5
Ecommerce Headlines of 2014
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Headline #5: Facebook Organic Reach Virtually Disappears
Organic reach on Facebook drops
to new lows, 1-6%
Facebook: Due to increased content
and more sophisticated algorithm
Everyone Else: Due to Facebook
going public
Impacts viability of channel for
SMBs, increases advertising costs
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Headline #4: Gap Widens Between Large and Small
RetailersEcommerce growth for all, but mega-
retailers make highest gains
US online retail sales up 15.7% in Q2,
Amazon’s sales up 29.1%
Comparison shopping, resources,
brand awareness lead to divide
Required small retailers to be savvier,
adjust pricing, look to value-adds
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Headline #3: Ecommerce Surges, Especially During the Holidays
2014 holiday desktop sales reach
$53.3B, up 15% vs 2013 (comScore)
US retail store sales, however, fell 8%
during holiday season (Reuters)
Cyber Monday hit $2B+, Thanksgiving
and Black Friday sales grow 26% each
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Headline #2: Security Becomes a Major Concern for Online Shoppers
Security concerns became much more
prevalent issue in 2014 for shoppers
Security breaches big news item this
year: think Target, Heartbleed, Sony
The number of detected cyberattacks
skyrocketed 48% from 2013 (PWC)
Worst passwords of 2014 (SplashData):
123456
password
qwerty
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Headline #1: Mobile, Mobile, Mobile (Did I Mention “Mobile?”)
Holiday mobile sales jumped 27% in
2014 compared to 2013 (IBM)
Introduced new wave of mobile
expectations for online retailers
Overall mobile site traffic ranges
between 40-50% of all traffic
Mobile sales accounted for 23% of all
holiday shopping (IBM)
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Actionable Ecommerce
Predictions for 2015
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Prediction #1:Social Media Continues Shift to Pay-to-Play
Organic reach will continue to
decrease
Predictions: organic reach will be <1%
Ad prices on Facebook will
continue to climb
Q1 2014 Facebook Ads pricing was
10% higher than Q1 2013
Google+ continues its decline to
obsolescence
Smaller businesses will rethink
their social strategies accordingly
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Making the Most of Social in 2015
Take a hard look at your past and present social strategy
What is your primary objective? Who is your audience?
What type of content performed best? Not the best?
Are the channels you’re participating in contributing to your goals?
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em
Set aside an ad budget so you can have some sort of visibility, specifically on Facebook
Leverage targeting tools to reach specific audiences with specific messages, reduce waste
Focus on sharing content others want to share
Content that educates, entertains or adds value to users’ lives can still reach people organically
Focus on uploading direct videos, images, sharing links
Think about what your audience wants to engage with, then create the content behind it
Consider moving to less mainstream social outlets
Instagram is a great place to share images without a ton of advertising clutter
Pinterest still serves a purpose in terms of showcasing products and driving traffic
Try submitting content on Reddit and participating in various forums
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Prediction #2:Mobile Continues Its Steamrolling of the Industry
Mobile will no longer be a
squeezed down desktop or a
“destination”
Mobile traffic will continue to
increase
Mobile-specific email marketing
efforts grow in importance
Streamlining the mobile experience
becomes key in 2015
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Maximizing Mobile in 2015
Analyze your current mobile situation
What percentage of traffic is coming from mobile devices? Tablets vs. smartphones?
What are your current conversion rates and bounce rates from mobile devices? Compared to desktop?
Make your site mobile-friendly
Adopt a responsive template/design (mobile-optimized at a minimum)
Streamline the mobile experience, reduce number of clicks needed to add to cart and purchase
Ensure your mobile site is friendly to search engines as well
Apply best practices to mobile email marketing
53% of total email opens in Q3 2014 occurred on a smartphone or tablet (Experian)
Find a solution to help implement responsive or mobile-friendly email design
Segment audiences based on previous purchases to send them to specific product or category pages
Don’t forget the bigger picture
Your desktop site is still very important and will remain the base for your sales
Consistency is key across sites and devices, including design, messaging and promotions
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Prediction #3:SEO Becomes Less Technical, More Experience-Based
Search engines will focus less on
links, keywords, etc.
Instead, rankings will benefit sites
that provide interesting, sharable
content
With demise of Google+, more
emphasis on social signals coming
from Facebook and Twitter
“Black Hat” SEO will be
catastrophic to your rankings
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Climbing the Search Engine Ranks in 2015
Take a PR mindset when it comes to SEO
Promoting links, products or information just for the sake of SEO is no longer valuable
Instead, promote content that interests customers (educate, entertain, inform) instead of just sales and specials
Building brand awareness is important, as Google is incorporating brand signals
Try image display ads, remarketing, social media
But don’t forget the technical aspects
Laying a solid SEO foundation with proper site structure and keyword optimization is critical for newer sites
User experience matters: Google can ascertain user behavior on your site based on key metrics to determine
whether your page is a good search match or not
Mobile SEO matters too – focus on the basics for your main site and implement a good mobile UX
Leave any black hat strategies at the curb
Low-quality guest blogging for the purposes of link exchanges has been axed as of 2014
Submitting your sites to link directories or serving as a link farmer? Cut it out.
Google continues to update its algorithm (think Penguin, Panda), penalties become more severe
Look for help if you need it
SEO is a complicated area, look for a trusted partner to shape up your site
Learn the SEO basics if you haven’t already – knowledge is power!
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Prediction #4:Customer Expectations Become Most Demanding Yet
Customers demand real-time,
convenient, 24x7 service
Brick-and-clicks must learn to
embrace the word “omni-channel”
Personalization becomes key to
increasing conversions, building
brand loyalty
Expectations increase for faster,
cheaper shipping options
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Providing White-Glove Service in 2015
Make yourself available to customers as often and in as many places as possible
Clearly communicate hours and email response times on your website
Extend customer service to social media channels
Offer real-time customer support options, including phone and live chat
Proactively offer customer support information in the form of FAQs
Brick-and-clicks: Ensure a consistent experience online and in-store
Customers no longer see a difference between your physical and digital properties
Ensure customers receive the same prices, products and discounts online and in-store
Offer in-store pickup as a shipping option for your online store
Explore ways to ensure that inventory levels are consistent between your website and retail store
Personalize and tailor the customer experience via targeted segmentation
Segment customers based on purchase behavior, including frequency, products purchased and demographics
Prioritize your segments based on size and potential value
Tailor your messages accordingly, including design, text and discounts
Take a look at potential shipping efficiencies
Amazon, other major retailers expanding same-day shipping options
Offer various levels of shipping, limit your carriers to the most affordable options
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Key Takeaways
1. Focus on the mobile experience
2. Shift your mindset on SEO
3. Rethink your social strategy
4. Improve the customer experience
5. Look at design and user experience
6. Aim for the sky in 2015
2015 will be the biggest year yet!
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