This is my journey as an E-commerce Consultant
Social Shopping
Did Loki need an army? Or just the power of social media?
08 days
Following Tom Hiddleston on twitter he has smashed the 100K follower record with the help of the hashtag #LokisArmy which begs the question, did he need to bother with bringing Aliens to earth at all?
Sometimes the e-commerce underdog (not quite so full of death and hate I hope) is royally smashed into the floor by those big ‘retailers’ whom your buyers seem to instantly revere as the ‘good guys’
Even though you have been around for a while, carefully understanding your customer base and what they need (not quite subjugation I hope)……along come the ‘Avengers’, or as some know them ‘the outletters’ who completely wade in and become the law in your category.
But don’t forget even the underdog has fans and social media is one way you can get this loyal following. Even if your not the one in the shiny red iron suit.
Twitter is a great way to get quick messages across and start trends. If you are unsure about twitter and how to play it take a look at one of my favourites:
http://twitter.com/#!/mclaren_eshop
Being in F1 they know about fans, what they want and how to get purchases made.
Facebook is great for brand development. Sometimes you have to play the same game as these big branded retailers and carve yourself in the the conciousness of the people. Don’t be afraid to become a brand.
One of my favourite clients is becoming just that: http://www.facebook.com/Passion4italianfashion
Great giveaways, showing who they are as a company because they are a group of dynamic women who source and provide great fashion and discounts unmatched by outlet retailers.
So use the power of social media to create your army and take over your category! You were MADE to RULE!
On the flip side if you are one of the Avengers or eBay outlets if you don’t ‘bring it’ you will be trounced by the younger brothers in your category who could ‘outfox’ you as your swinging around the hammer of power.
It doesn’t always work, being the biggest and strongest…especially if you are late to this party.
Some of the big retailers had the foresight to integrate themselves into online marketplaces from the beginning (thinking of Littlewoods and Schuh) and like Iron Man and the Hulk have had plenty of story lines and incarnations to work with. Already loved by the public before the outlet programme was assembled.
Take a good look at how THEY use social media to engage. Schuh retweet their followers comments on purchases. I’ve had two re-tweets myself so with over 8000 followers (remember e-commerce business don’t have scream-y fan bases like actors so don’t expect 100K from a retailer too often) they still manage to read and retweet.
Social media DOES take time and time is money but with patience and management can be a great way to communicate who you are to customers, as this is what they like.
Try not to become a megalomaniac though and take over the world. Because even though we love twiddleston as an actor of evil guys…in reality balls of hate trying to take over the world by force are not generally a good thing!
Which E-commerce Avenger are you?
613 days
This is a bit of fun 
Which E-commerce Avenger are you?
1. Captain America.
A good sort of chap, more weathered in experience and still loves to reminisce of the days before the scourge of facebook. I mean, you have only just warmed up to e-commerce and the hyper web….now you are being told you have to sell through social media? You just don’t get it. In fact, you don’t want to get it.
2. Hulk.
SMASH! Lets put ALL of our 20000000000 product catalogue on eBay and totally smash our way into being the best. We don’t need strategy because we are STRONGER and MADDER than YOU! RWOAAARRRRR!
3. Iron Man.
If your website is not optimised for the 2017 apple smartwatch that is currently in development you are not interested. The future is NOW, even the distant future.
4. Black Widow.
You know your strengths and weaknesses and play them to the full when it comes to your competition. Always flexible and always ahead of the game. You know how to get the best discounts, from the best suppliers and know the best avenue for online sales. You look fabulous while you are doing it as well.
5. Hawkeye.
A bit impressionable but good at what you do. Sometimes you get talked into changing your e-business mostly to your detriment. Fortunately the e-world works fast and you can quickly recover and learn from your mistakes. Shame about that adwords bill though…no absolution there!
6. Fury.
You know what you are doing and you are damn well going to speak about it at the next Internet Retailer and tell these FOOLs whats what. But first you need to gather your team as this is going to be BIG!
7. Thor.
You are in total control of every aspect of your business and online marketplaces. In fact you are a GOD in your category and you fight every day gladly to maintain your place. Fight on comrades!
but of course no good set of super hero’s is ANYTHING without a super villan…
8. Loki.
You can manipulate your trading environment to suit YOUR needs. You drive for influence at the highest level, speak to all the key players at eBay and know how to play third party providers off one another to get the best deal on your eBay design. You play a high risk game but you love it. You might make a loss on that 99p auction but you will slaughter a weakling competitor in your category by doing so. Glorious.
When you fail though, you fail big time. And we laugh at you.
Please note I have not based these on anyone I know I have based them on…ya know…The Avengers (Film)…
Feel free to own up to your Avengers personality, suggest different traits or another Avenger from the comics
Facebook community commerce…
13 days
A lot of my friends and even myself are not sold on the prospect of facebook e-commerce. Opens up too many privacy issues and I don’t need to ‘buy’ on facebook as we have eBay, Amazon and retail sites.
However recently I and a few others have sold items to our close knit kimono community THROUGH facebook. There is a lot of recycling going on!
We even have a group now which brings the wider kimono community together to trade by branching out from the self imposed limits of a friends list. We have in essence, created our own free eBay style trading platform.
Paypal and now Ping It are being used for payment.
It feels as though through facebook we are going back to clearing out the loft and trading personally with fellow enthusiasts like in the days of old and well…gumtree.
This method is not for the large retailer of course, and this community is about individual unique pieces which have historical/antique value.
However, a friend is organising to sell a very special item through facebook to the tune of $3000 at a near 90% profit. Nice huh?
When my band of shopoholic friends start using facebook e-commerce stores I will report that, but for now..nothing.
On how you can use facebook for other business activities give this a read:
Four practical ways to use Social Media to sell
WIDSHOP eBay design at Channeladvisor Catalyst 2012
070 days
Well…it’s that time of year again. Sandra (from the Berlin office) and I have been discussing hotels for Catalyst
This year though, we are introducing our Widshop eBay design service so we have a four strong team, 3 from Berlin and yours truly.
The reason we sponsor Catalyst and have done for 5 years is the very reason people GO to catalyst.
Relevancy.
The content reflects on the past success but mainly focuses on the future of e-commerce and what areas need investment for business expansion.
This year Catalyst will focus again on cross border trade as this is SUPER important and not just looking at Europe.
The east is where there is a massive amount of money and a love of UK goods. Check out http://import.buy.com – a site pushing American goods to the Japanese market.
And who owns Play.com – A Japanese company! Should you be selling to the East? Have you been watching the telly recently? Loads of programmes on the expansion of China and the east. Heck, we are asking China to bail out Europe!
I digress, where was I..oh CATALYST
This year are some great speakers talking about social commerce, search, female representation in business (you can tell I have started to go to Girl Geek stuff and networking with my fellow business women) and all kinds of things relating to being a successful e-business.
One of the great things about Catalyst is meeting like minded people with the same goals, needs and problems as you. There are a lot of opportunities to network, party and you are ALWAYS well fed at this event.
This event is about information, relevant to your on-line business and where the sector is heading.
The other great thing about Catalyst is you can speak to various third party service providers (which I am one) and discuss potential future partnerships. Having everything in house is expensive and hard to run, third party companies are essential in e-businesses.
Well, I hope to see you at Catalyst and I (Createyourtemplate) will be there with chocolates and sweets as always.
Fresh back from Japan..(ish) and ready for a great 2012
151 days
Well, hisashiburi desu! (it has been a while in Japanese)
I have had a very busy e-commerce 2011. The economy has taken a bashing but online things are still hotting up! The world is our oyster online with the expansion of social commerce and like many sellers looking out to Europe and beyond is the key to success.
This year as been the year for international expansion for my sellers and myself. Most of my eBay clients are moving into France, Germany and the USA as a minimum. Most are going much further.
To stay ahead of the game as always, I am looking into the Asian markets. Strong currency in these countries suddenly makes buying stuff from Europe side cheap and boy is it TRENDY!
While I was in Japan (business and volunteering) I saw that the union jack was EVERYWHERE on clothing, accessories in shops and on the people walking past. It was very surreal.
Language is no longer a barrier. Improvements in translation engines have made things easier.
For a year or two I have bought from Rakuten and Yahoo Auctions Japan (though a shopping service) and each time it gets a bit easier. For instance Japanese sellers are more interested in international trade, probably due to economic conditions in their own countries and better support networks.
So as my clients are expanding in to Europe, Australia and America in the next few years, I will get ready for the expansion east by building relationships, language skills, cultural/business skills and finding sensible solutions.
Oh yeah, and prepare for Widshops…oh yes….eBay design mark deux….
and a picture from my volunteering in Ishinomaki!
Fixing a shrine gate in Onasaki
Onasaki – Rebuilding houses, reflooring, clearing out garbage and putting a shrine gate back up.
Place was completely flooded – government is not restoring electricity and water.
On the way in we passed the shrine at Okawa Elementary School, the team had worked on the clearance of the area so stopped to pay resepect and see the progress – it was completely destroyed, killing 75 of 108 students and 10 of 13 teachers and staff. The teachers and students were evacuating from the school and were swept away by the tsunami while crossing a nearby river bridge.
You could see the part of the bridge ripped out by the tsunami still in the river.
