Handelskraft - The E-Commerce and Online Marketing Blog

Fashion, summer, sales! – What a dilemma! [5 Lesetipps]

4. July 2016 | by Sara Herrera

It is summertime and the long-awaited holidays are around the corner. The new season hits the thermometers and shakes not only consumers’ bodies but also brands’ foundations. Every year the sales actions start earlier in order to catch unaware shoppers. However, that’s not enough for current demanding customers. A flexible but lasting price strategy, a clear positioning online and offline as well as the optimization of key processes such as accessibility, delivery and returns make the difference among the fierce competition during the hottest and most festive time of sales of the year.

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(2 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

E-Commerce Reading Tips of the Week

International E-Commerce: The 10 Biggest Markets Compared [Infographic]

1. July 2016 | by Theresa Hempel

Customers don’t only shop across all channels but also increasingly across country borders. According to a Forrester survey on behalf of logistics provider FedEx 82 percent of users worldwide have already shopped online outside their home country. So it’s about time for online retailers to approach international e-commerce realms.

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(1 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

E-Commerce

IoT enhancing customer experience and sustainability [5 Reading Tips]

27. June 20161. July 2016 | by Sara Herrera

Internet of Things – short IoT – not only connects smart devices, it can help you optimizing your processes and improving resource utilization, as well. Providing a connected customer experience can also reduce costs, increase efficiency and promote collaboration. The use of physical assets equipped with sensors that transmit, process, and exchange data in real time is rapidly growing across all industries. IoT, as the central paradigm of digital transformation, has potential to redefine both, businesses and human lives.

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(2 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

E-Commerce

6 Tips to rank higher in Amazon search

23. June 201614. October 2016 | by Sara Herrera

Quelle: PHOTOMORPHIC PTE. LTD. / Fotolia.com (edited also by dotSource)

Amazon is more than a marketplace. It keeps crossing borders in its constant pursuit of innovation and enhancement of the customer experience making the most out of technology. The last burden to break has been the art of product search until now, in Google’s hands. According to an ECC Köln und hybris software study, Amazon is the most used product search engine by far among Germans. But why?

The expansive growth of Amazon has made users utilizing Amazon’s search function as normal and convenient as they use WhatsApp. In order to search products, users are taking the rooted habit of using Amazon as a shorter and more accurate way. Actually, 1/3 of German Internet users preferred Amazon, what is more than double than those who prefer Google.

The fact that consumers use Amazon as the first touch point of their customer buying cycle has not gone unnoticed by sellers that also have seen an attractive channel to canalize their traffic and increase their conversion rates. What has Amazon that Google is lacking of?

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(4 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

E-Commerce

Digitalising the insurance landscape [5 Reading Tips]

20. June 20161. July 2016 | by Sara Herrera

Insurance is one of the most old-fashioned, analog consumer services in existence. Insurance companies spend a lot of money in advertisement; however, customer satisfaction often is low. Digital is the future, being the customer experience at the center of the digital transformation pace. Connected devices, big data and intelligent automation are shaping the change towards more profitable business models; giving investors and entrepreneurs more reasons to get into the insurance space.

The digitalization of the consumers’ daily lives has a big impact on all industries, forcing them to rethink their business models, like it is happening currently with the automotive industry or the education landscape. Constant innovation and the rapid evolution of technology enable people to adapt and learn, drive changes and even revolutionize the current status quo.

In the digital age, consumers want to be able to get educated, receive some feedback and buy a policy from the comfort of their home (or smartphone) in less than 15 minutes. They expect good service for good value. However, the usual customer experience with traditional insurance operators still is time-consuming, combined with high fees and dubious processes that lead to customer frustration.

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(2 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

Reading Tips of the Week

Sustainability trend: Smartphone re-use market taking off [5 Reading Tips]

13. June 20161. July 2016 | by Sara Herrera

The smartphone market has grown exponentially over the past decade. People have been buying them since they have been around. However smartphone sales are slowing down since the mature Western markets and also China are becoming saturated. The demand has topped out. People are not attracted by flagship models anymore, but by second-hand cheaper devices. This sustainable trend is gaining momentum. And it has a lot of potential. Who will win the battle?

Analyst Gartner is expecting a big drop in smartphone sales growth, projecting the market will shrink from 14.4 percent growth in 2015 to just 7 per cent in 2016 — with only 1.5 billion smartphone units being shipped globally this year.

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(2 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

Reading Tips of the Week

Euro 2016: E-Commerce, football and emotions, the attacking trident to succeed

9. June 2016 | by Sara Herrera

Quelle: Fotowerk / Fotolia — Source: Fotowerk / Fotolia

Tomorrow, the first starting whistle of the UEFA EURO 2016 is going to be heard by thousands of privileged fans gathered in Saint Denis. Millions more around the globe will turn on their TVs or watch it in mobile using their internet connection to follow the passing of this “likely” exciting tournament. 24 countries will be battling for the top spot while brands will play a parallel game to know who gets the fame and revenue.

In the last month, campaigns of all kinds are intensifying the brands’ presence everywhere; unsurprisingly in the net as well. Will eCommerce be the Iniesta or Müller of the brands’ marketing strategy who decided to invest smartly in this channel?

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(3 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

E-Commerce

Beep beep automotive Industry, the digital disruption has arrived to stay! [5 Reading Tips]

6. June 20161. July 2016 | by Sara Herrera

Since cars became an intrinsic utility, the humanity has speculated with how the car of the future might look like. The K.I.T.T. prototype driven by Michael Knight in the famous 80s series Knight Rider already reflected that future cars would be above all very smart. 30 years later, the emergence of Uber, the socialization of mobile devices and the development of high technology such as cloud computing, big data and Internet of Things (IoT) are making the present cars increasingly intelligent, and in a very near future more autonomous, hyper connected and social.

This new scenario addresses big changes that threat to disrupt the whole automotive industry and even dependent markets. All participants across the automotive industry value chain need to be mindful of the speed and dramatic transformation experienced in other industries. The old-school engineering excellence focusing on car handling, safety and data-sheet figures will be not enough this time to overcome the new challenges posed by the digital age. Therefore, it is important for all participants to step on the accelerator towards digital transformation if they don’t want to lag behind.

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(3 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

Reading Tips of the Week

Towards trust: EU reinforces security and data protection laws [5 Reading Tips]

30. May 20161. July 2016 | by Sara Herrera

While our world is becoming digital and e-commerce grows, the security and privacy awareness is increasingly more relevant and creating a fierce public debate. Consumers make payments online, have private conversations and access to services via social media apps. They are exposed and expressed their concern at possible data breaches and leaks as well as the lack of information they are subjected by certain companies. Adblockers are gaining momentum. International regulations are putting data protection on the center of their reforms. Against this, companies must respond. And no, blocking adblockers is not the best way!

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(2 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

Reading Tips of the Week

Towards a Digital Economy by enhancing digital competitiveness [5 Reading Tips]

23. May 20161. July 2016 | by Sara Herrera

New data, connectivity, automation and innovative and user-friendly customer interfaces are challenging existing value chains. The perception of time is more important than never. The public demands for a constant immediacy requires a powerful communication infrastructure at B2B and B2C level. Companies must improve their digital maturity in order to recognize new opportunities, develop suitable offerings and get them to market quickly. Digital transformation is indispensable to be competitive and face the challenges of the digital age.

The transformation occurs at implementing gradually more efficient production methods, updating existing business models and applying digital tools and software at the expense of manual processes.

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(1 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)

Reading Tips of the Week