Joyce Chou

Think about your most recent online purchase.

What was it that compelled you to click “buy”? Perhaps it was the product photos, a few raving customer testimonials, or maybe it was because of the product description.

Multiple elements factor into a customer’s buying decision, and the product description is no doubt among the most critical.

When it comes to sales and marketing, almost no topic is as discussed as much as the sales funnel. A quick online search of the term brings up over 48 million results, and for good reason.

The sales funnel is a visual concept that illustrates a user’s journey to purchasing something—in other words, the transformation from a lead into a paying customer.

Some entrepreneurs are quick to claim the easiness of making money on the internet, but take heed: 90% of new online stores fail within their first four months of launching—a dismal statistic that speaks to the difficulty of entering ecommerce.

So if you’re trying to open an online store on Shopify or another platform, it only makes sense to do your due diligence.

Interactive marketing is trending in ecommerce, and there’s no question why. Compared to static traditional content, interactive content tends to be more personalized and gets higher levels of engagement.

Combine interactive marketing with shoppability, and it goes even further.

According to the Nielsen Norman Group, users typically decide whether to explore a website or leave within their first 10 seconds of browsing. If your copy holds their attention for that long, you have another 20 seconds to convince them to want to learn more. And if they linger for more than 30 seconds, there’s a good chance that they’ll still be there after two more minutes—and two minutes is a big commitment for web users.

So how do you hold a reader’s attention?

Almost 7 billion email accounts exist as of 2020, 5.6 billion of which are active. Just like a physical mailbox, most people check their inboxes every day and rely on them for correspondence—so it only makes sense to reach out to ecommerce prospects via email.

But contacting someone who’s consented to give you their email is one thing; sending them a barrage of unsolicited spam is another. In this guide to ecommerce email marketing, you’ll learn the right way to contact leads, how to keep them engaged, and what tools you need to get started.

Branding and reputation matter more than ever in today’s world. From large corporations to small businesses, virtually every entity—even every individual—can benefit from cultivating their own brand.

If you haven’t already adopted today’s brand-driven mentality, then you’re missing out on a major opportunity to connect with your target market.

Truth is, there’s never been a better time to start an eCommerce business.

According to Statista, the number of online shoppers around the world will reach an estimated 2.14 billion by 2021 – a more than 25% increase from 1.66 billion in 2016. For eCommerce businesses, this figure is more than exciting. With so many platforms, software, and devices at your disposal, reaching and engaging with consumers has never been easier.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner—and for many, that can mean a spendy evening with your loved one. From boxed chocolates to roses to fine dining, social convention says that it should be, after all. In fact, the average American spent more than $161 on Valentine’s Day in 2019.

User engagement is a hot term in digital marketing, and for good reason—it drives impressive ROI. In a 2016 Marketing Week survey, 78% of respondents reported using engagement as a metric for marketing returns. At the same time, however, 39% believed that business leaders fail to take this concept seriously.

To the untrained writer, “copywriting” may sound more technical and intimidating than just plain old writing—but it’s a skill that anyone can master with consistent study and practice. The first step is understanding what it is and what it can do for your business, product, or brand.

The end of 2019 doesn’t just mean the start of a new year—even more momentously, it signals the beginning of a new decade.

And with a whole new era on the horizon, there’s no better time to reflect on your personal development. Though you may dread it, that includes thinking about your financial situation… Is it where you’d like it to be?

Email is a time-tested tool to drive sales and conversions. In fact, according to HubSpot, more than 59% of marketers say that email is their biggest source of ROI. Moreover, consumers across all industries prefer hearing from businesses via email.

Of course, the most effective newsletters take more than simply drafting something and clicking send. To successfully engage with your subscribers, your newsletter must entice readers and encourage them to interact with your content.

With the holiday season comes the most wonderful time of the year—a time that’s also unfortunately become synonymous with consumerism and overspending.

But you don’t need to sacrifice your savings to celebrate the holidays. By thinking ahead and spending carefully, it’s possible to stay on track with your big money goals and prevent end-of-year festivities from being a major financial drain.

Today's internet users demand more than ever from their browsing experience. Attention dominates as a kind of currency, and customers won't spend their time just anywhere. Any website worth browsing must be streamlined, cutting-edge, and personally relevant; anything less, and users will quickly move on to the next thing on their radar.