This document provides 10 steps for e-commerce success: 1. Do thorough groundwork including business model, plan, and ensuring scalability. Find the right partners and prepare for growth or disappointment. 2. Watch margins closely by optimizing traffic, conversion, placement of high-margin products, and rewarding customers. Avoid excess costs from shipping or returns. 3. Develop a mobile strategy as customers now expect responsive solutions. Optimize for mobile search and determine if an app is needed. 4. Objectify products with detailed photos, video, and context to attract customers from search and comparison sites directly to product pages. Consider visual sharing options. 5. Experiment with marketing but maintain brand control and values. Lever

1. MAKE MORE
MONEY ONLINE ! !
!
10 STEPS TOWARD !
E-COMMERCE !
SUCCESS !
!
DAVID ALER, JUNE 2013

2. 1. DO YOUR
GROUNDWORK

3. 1. DO YOUR GROUNDWORK
A scaleable platform – both up and down!
Are you prepared for success? Or disappointment?
!
Business model and ROI + business plan!
You need to answer to your investors. Look at the
competition. How much will your customers spend on each
purchase? Is there really an opportunity to make money?
!
Logistics and customer support need to scale as well!
Find the right partners. But employ key staff (inventory,
marketing)
Are you passionate enough?!
Do you REALLY love selling books/shoes/cosmetics?

4. 2. WATCH YOUR
MARGINS

5. 2. WATCH YOUR MARGINS
Remember the formula!
Traffic x Conversion rate x Margin = Profit
!
Place high-margin products cleverly!
The Primacy Effect – top left corner placement sells best
!
Reward customers who raise your margins!
Can they wait for delivery? Will they pay up front? Lower their
price or offer them a special discount.
Unnecessary freight and returns cost money!
And are bad for the environment – so help your customers
buy right the first time!

6. Home food delivery at unpopular times cost less – for both
you and the customer.

7. 3. MOBILE:!
NOT IF, BUT WHEN

8. DID YOU KNOW?!
!
91% of mobile users keep "
their device within arm’s reach "
100% of the time"
!
IBM

9. 3. MOBILE MINDSET
Not if, but when!
Customers expect a responsive or mobile-friendly solution
!
Bridging online and store!
Support for both customer and staff! Barcode scanning?
Optimize for mobile search!
What are your customers looking for? Products? Directions?
Support?
Do you really need an app?!
Do your customers shop from your site more than three times
a year? Can you motivate the real estate on their phone?

10. 4. OBJECTIFY
YOUR PRODUCTS

11. 4. OBJECTIFY YOUR PRODUCTS
Don’t count on customers coming in the front door!!
A lot of traffic is coming from Google searches and price
comparison sites – straight onto a product page
!
You don’t know who will make your next sale!
Make it easy to spread a product. Write descriptive links!
!
Think visually!
Large hi-def photos. Products in context. Video demonstrations.
All very effective!
Don’t forget mobile!
Soon customers will be Airdropping products to each other.

12. Gamified and gorgeous – DODOcase is e-commerce
that is shareable in its own right.

13. 5. DON’T LOSE YOUR
BRAND IN THE MIX

14. ”Just do it”

15. 5. DON’T LOSE YOUR BRAND IN THE MIX
Experiment all you like with marketing channels…!
But don’t let Facebook or Pinterest take over your brand
!
What do your brand fans value in your brand?!
Use their passion to build your online brand WITH them
Keep creative control!
GAP’s logo is still the same, crowdsourcing didn’t help

16. Guess which brand?

17. 6. HELP YOUR
CUSTOMERS
SELL FOR YOU

18. DID YOU KNOW?!
!
67% of e-customers spend more
after a recommendation!
!
Gloople

19. 6. HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS SELL FOR YOU
Reviews sell!
Customers trust them, even if they do not know the reviewer
!
Use a plugin!
Bazaarvoice, Trustpilot and others offer simple integration
!
Google ranks reviewed products higher !
If tagged as ”user generated content”
Avoid price wars!
Reviews are more effective to drive sales

20. Lexus in Sweden publishes unfiltered interviews with owners

21. 7. OPTIMIZE
MORE

22. DID YOU KNOW?!
!
A typical e-tailer spends 55% of
budget on driving traffic and only
5% on conversion optimization!
!
ebay

23. 7. OPTIMIZE MORE
Make sure they buy right the first time!
Big savings in post-tail service and returns. 50% of bounces
are due to customers not finding what they expected to find!
!
Help them find it!!
Only 45% of editors have the tools to help their customers
find what they are looking for on their sites. (Web Service
Awards, Sweden)
!
Use several analytics tools - together!
Google Analytics shows WHERE the problems are,
eyetracking and user testing will answer WHY

24. Product page at Zappos – optimized & improving constantly

25. 8. DELIVER ON !
THEIR TERMS

26. DID YOU KNOW?!
!
42% of abandoned carts are "
due to bad delivery options"
"
ebay

27. 8. DELIVER ON THEIR TERMS
Next day delivery is expected!
by 30% of e-shoppers (ebay)
!
Don’t be late!
But more importantly, say when you’re coming
!
What’s included in the box?!
Customer satisfaction form, product guides, samples?
Returning to the store!
A pain or an opportunity for deeper engagement?

28. Exempel
Net-a-porter: Matching brand and packaging

29. 9. LISTEN AND
LEARN

30. DID YOU KNOW?!
!
1/6 of customers who are satisfied
with a shopping experience
broadcast this in social media.
Twice as many talk about their bad
experiences …

31. 9. LISTEN AND LEARN
DIY is not always best!
Only 20% of e-tailers use customers to check content for
readability and relevance (Web Service Awards, Sweden) –
reward those that do with a discount!
!
Use their own words!
Reviewers and fans can describe your products better than
you can.
!
What are they saying in social media about you?!
And what are they saying about your competitors?
What do your customers want?!
Ask them!

32. Customer service community (via Kundo – getsatisfaction
offers similar)

33. 10. SIMPLIFY,
SIMPLIFY,
SIMPLIFY

34. 10. SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY
What can you trim away?!
Tricky navigation, long forms, long descriptions …
!
Don’t force support upon your customers!
But be prepared to help whenever needed!
!
Do you need 10 payment options? !
Use A/B testing and analytics to make checkout simpler – too
much choice leads to inaction.
!
Be your own mystery shopper!
What can you simplify?

35. Simple and user
friendly payment
solution!
Email + postcode is
enough in most cases
(Klarna Checkout,
Sweden)
!

36. ”Make everything as simple as
possible, but not simpler”!
!
Einstein (?)

37. David Aler!
david.aler@cloudnine.se!
Twitter: @c9dave!
!
Cover image: epSOS.de!