This is my journey as an E-commerce Consultant
Social Shopping
Why NOT to copy your competitors as an on-line retailer!
822 days
On-line retailing is competitive. New start up businesses or bricks and mortar businesses will look at competitors in their field and see what they are up too. It is only natural.
Many retailers (eBayers are the most prolific for this) think that simply copying their competitors will achieve results. So here is a list of considerations before you become a carbon copy of your favourite competitor:
- The element you are copying – does your competitor publish results on its effectiveness?
- Has your competitor analysed the behaviour of your customer base and applied it to that element?
- Is your competitor just ‘guessing’?
- Does your competitor monitor their data and evolve overtime? Or are you copying an archaic element that they keep meaning to change?
Most retailers like to keep this kind of information close to their chest, so in reality you will probably not be able to make decisions based on accurate, tried and tested methods. You are just hoping that what you competitor does, is correct.
But lets turn it on its head a little – why do you have to look at your competitors? Retailers outside your category would have exhibited great ideas too and methods that could be changed/modified to apply to your category.
Let pull this to some examples – Sainsbury’s *feed your family for a fiver* campaign – sales went through the roof and Sainsbury’s did very well out of it. Marks and Spencer’s *Two dine in for* promotions – still compete with Sainsbury’s but this promotion suits the M&S food buyers. Same rough idea – two applications – two different markets.
Now, Somerfield/Co-op are trying to feed four for £4 – which on checking out this deal it is in fact a poor copy of the Sainsbury’s idea – trying to coat tail off the campaign success but just no banana!
So before you just become that carbon copy, remember that on the net we are striving for personalisation in many aspects – so don’t just be content to imitate!
Competitors will always be inspiration, but be that one on-line store that really speaks to its customers, because you have strived to collect the data and listened. You might end up with the same results as a competitor, but at least you will know why they do what they do!
Social Media – Facebook and Twitter
827 days
OK, so I have decided to add a few shops to my twitter feeds and become a fan on facebook too. Mostly to monitor their tactics, do I like them? Do they tweet too much?
This is a blog post of what I hate:
- 7 tweets all in one go instead of nice regular ‘daily updates’ I only end up reading one of them anyway so it is best to deliver my content in chunks so you are always on my mind.
- Same goes for facebook, especially with the new format. I want to know about deals and things, but I don’t want it to get in the way of my social networking.
- Too many links – specially for an iphone user like myself – fat fingers make it hard to distinguish between links! One link per tweet/update please!
- Full links and not compressed links please, this should be essential – tinyurl exists for a reason!
For me facebook and twitter is very iphone based but I imagine this is the same for most smart phone users. I like to add shops and companies for updates, but when I get flooded I tend to switch off completely.
If I see one tweet or update per day the company stays in my conciousness and I think I of them when I carry out related tasks (mostly shopping….)
So keep your company/brand in your customers conciousness, but be gentle – don’t overwhelm or you will have a switch off effect.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
871 days
Well, next year involves quite a big change for me – real office space and a design partner so I hope 2010 is as eventful for everyone. I will pimp my case studies here as well as keeping it real with my musings on eBay, e-commerce and e-life in general.
In fact next year I will have more time to devote to my crafty projects and this blog so you will be hearing more from me next year than the one just past.
Hairfreax – new site and restricting handmade hairpiece catalogue. Adding handmade rockabilly Yukata and Kanzashi, as well as funky obi and Japanese/Anime inspired fashion.
Hairfreax eBay – just a few pre-made hairpeices
Keirotech will be partnering with Createyourtemplate and be absorbed into CYT UK – eBay Design, Web Design inc ASPDNSF design, Flash programming, brick to bytes – on-line business integration and business consultancy. New site/info to come.
See you in 2010!
Open Source Consulting Reviews and Support
1047 days
OK, well this idea might not work, but I am opening the floor for such a thing. The web is all about user generated content and interactivity so lets see if we can make this blog responsive to your needs and questions.
So I am adding two new ‘sides’ to the blog as such.
Reviews:
Just so you know what I am harking on about, this is where you can email me your reviews of any web related shop, service, software and it will be posted on this blog un-edited for all to see. People read this blog and sometimes the people who are responsible for said services. So they can sit back and smile to themselves for a job well done or jump too if they haven’t.
The only catch is your eBay shop/website will have to be included in the review. This is so said companies can address any issues with you and to avoid anonymous rants.
Reviews are so important to readers as it helps with customer confidence and also to avoid pitfalls in their own e-commerce adventures.
Support:
Have a question or quandary? Not quite sure what decision to make? We have done this on and off since the inception of the blog, but if you are stuck or confuzzled about something e-commerce, drop me a line and support will be blogged.
Ask about anything e-commerce related. Humour/comedy is permitted.
*Please note this is not a invitation for free consultancy, you can try your luck but as I am in charge I will select the questions and reviews (probably group the reviews) that appear.
Please email me:
and lets start sorting out the e-commerce world and make it accessible to all.
eBay DESIGN WARS!
1220 days
Ok, it is a dramatic title but it seems that eBay is at war with its store designers. It’s new store experience will put the wind up most.
The CSS on the Hairfreax shop from the blog series seems not too affected by the design, maybe those who have used it as a base for their own store design care to fill me in with how they are coping? (and any compliance issues?) I hope to have time to experiment with the new stores soon, but I am locked down developing a new joomla site.
I have 3 clients all with Frooition design, and I am not making judgements till I have had the pudding but this is what they have said on this issue “Phillip Molloy, President said, “We have a solution that is ready to go, easy to preview and easy to install. You will be able to install and uninstall at any time”
Deb from ASWAS has also been keeping us all informed of this issue and my main client was thankful for the info in his inbox this morning! She asks ‘Are you one of thousands of eBay sellers who paid an “eBay Store design specialist” for an eBay Store that now has to be replaced?‘
A good question, one that all ebayers with store design will need to ask themselves.
But I detract from the positive sides of the changes? The gallery display sure seems sweeter, and it has a Web 2.0 feel to the experience….not that the rest of us are looking towards Web 3.0 and eBay took its time to catch up!
Totally un-related but tomorrow is paper payments removal deadline for ebay listings. Its an ebay.com thing, but if you have visibilty on dotcom and you are a UK seller? I imagine it will still apply. Paper sucks anyway.
I will have lots of things to blog on this year, setting up a Channeladvisor premium store, designing it, then tendering for a better design, growing a retail arm of a sports retailer (Kooga anyone?) and doing some multi market magic….
I will be in eBay up to my ears, but its great!
Watch this space as the battle unfolds….
Edited to add: Update from the CA forums on Frooition design….
Thanks for your questions concerning the charge for the new upgrade.
As outlined in the FAQ area
Quote: Yes, this is an upgrade not a solution to a problem. We are providing many new features as well as reworking some graphics to fit in with the new storefront layout. The pricing will depend on your current layout and levels of custom work. Contact customer services at info@frooition.com Without repeating the above, we DO have a process in place for calculating whether there will be a charge, and what this quote would be. If you would like to find out more, please email info@frooition.com with your client reference number (if applicable), or your company name.
Opening this post up for comments if anyone needs any assistance or has any views!
Edit 2:
Ahhh…lots of emails…please see here for information on the Froo Store Upgrade FAQ’s
Truly I will get back onto this but on speaking to Frooition it is a case by case basis thing and I will report in full the cost to upgrade the stores I deal with but can not vouch for any others!
