Handelskraft - The E-Commerce and Online Marketing Blog

Jena, Berlin, the world: dotSource tries out online work station for overseas staff [internal matters]

9. April 20151. July 2016 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

When the parallel callings of job and an international family started to clash, our company translator asked for permission work online from Japan for a few months. As digital is our trade, dotSource was happy to try out flexible digital working options. This comes at a time when we have already started looking at new options to meet our increasing staff requirements, like our new co-working space in Berlin.

With our advanced ticketing system, the change of view from the Jena tower to sakura has posed no great challenge. There been a few technological surprises though. For instance, the ATMs close when the banks do and people still tend to get paid in cash with a personal thank you from the boss, but touch payment with your mobile has been standard for years, while the phones themselves had the same functionalities as smartphones and whatsApp long before the hype reached Europe. With stationary stores opening online shops, and digital companies opening up show rooms, could this contradictory world be a more realistic combination of human nature, habit and the digital transformation in Europe as well?

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(4 vote(s), average: 4.75 out of 5)

E-Commerce

Will your website crash in two weeks? On the Google Test

8. April 2015 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

handelskraft mobil — We’re already up to date :)

It’s happening on the 21st of April: mobile usability will become one of the most important ranking factors. Considering perfectionism which reigns in Google’s house, they actually took their time here. If you remember – the iPhone was introduced in 2007, and there were already the first smartphones in the 1990s.

Now that Google is getting serious with mobile, it is high time to get your page up to date. Otherwise there will be an apocalypse like you haven’t seen since Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird. If everything works, your page will be labeled with the phrase “mobile friendly” from the 21st of April. But what criteria will play a role here?

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

E-Commerce

#ShopTechTalks: Shopware, Spryker and more, with Jochen

8. April 2015 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

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Things could not be more exciting in the area of shop systems right now. Shopware is touring Germany with Shopware 5 and so indirectly raises the question, what’s happening with Magento at the moment?, even more urgently. Hybris now does marketing as well, and on top of these (still) rather traditionally structured shop systems, there are new approaches around the corner, like Sphere and Spryker.

It is no coincidence that Jochen Krisch and Marcel Weiß recently did a podcast on shop systems, in which they exchange ideas (“Exchanges #90: Shopsysteme gestern, heute und morgen”) on the technical side of e-commerce. (German language version only)

Easter 2015 was completely dedicated to discussion on shop systems. Those who want to keep up in this area should put on their listening caps (and can look forward to the new updated English version of our shop system whitepaper ).

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E-Commerce

Problem solved: friendly people save stationary trade

7. April 2015 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

Jena Einkaufsstrasse — Photo: Torsten Maue

To summarise a trader comparison done in 141 cities: the ten most friendly traders are in Jena. Jena, the “the centre of digital commerce” took the lead among the middle German cities. In the categories: friendliness, quality of consultation, and value for money, owner-operated businesses got best ratings.

» The upward trend is continuing with an increase of 0.4 percentage points. This is a really positive result for Jena when you think that not all cities can expect a positive trend in a repeat examination.

Marc Loibl, MF Consulting, head of the study «

The fathers of the city and the local press (“Friendly traders work in Jena”) are celebrating, and the traders should also give themselves a pat on the back. So customers enjoy going into shops. Possible problems and development trends just have to be pushed aside here.

But from an e-commerce perspective, all this feel-good journalism makes me quite queazy:

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

Net Find of the Week

German banks in the digital transformation: challenging PayPal – could it work?

3. April 201521. January 2022 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

Grafik:Carsten Frenzl — Graphic: Carsten Frenzl

It seems to be trend as the moment, that old, well-established companies banding together in order to finally be able to challenge the large tech conglomerates. So the Pangea network, consisting of CNN, The Guardian, The Economist, The Financial Times and Reuters, is supposed to be standing against Facebook and Google.”United we stand” – that’s what the German banks are also thinking as they plan a conference on PayPal at the end (!) of the year.

Although the general mood is anything but positive. There has already been talk of a flop before it had even got started, which the banks could also do without. It isn’t even the late start of the proposed service which at fault in all this misery, but the banks’ lack of flexibility in these times of digitalisation. Could an online payment services from the German credit institutions become more successful than PayPal?

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

E-Commerce

The digital point of sale leaves some open questions

2. April 2015 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

The Inspiration Store — eBay’s »Inspiration Store«: It this what the future of trade looks like? (Photo: eBay press department)

What will the store of the future look like? This question occupies classic retailers and now evermore pure players. Amazon is just the most famous example of a company with digital DNA that has dared to step into stationary trade.

The reasons for this should not be dismissed out of hand: in the longterm, pure players are missing direct customer contact and touchpoints at which customers come into contact with the brand. It takes a much bigger marketing budget to stay present. This is still easier to gain the trust of customers in the carbon world than in the digital sphere. There is a good reason why even digital savvy Rocket Internet is filling-up Berlin with billboards at the moment:

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

E-Commerce

5 ways to activate the consciencious customer

1. April 2015 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

More and more people feel motivated to purchase sustainably. The modern consumer wants to do the right thing and buy conscientiously. The price pays less of a role than the circumstance of production, quality, image, origin, working conditions, fair-trade-, and organic labels. Some, like »Generation Y«, want to consume less over all. Those growing up in the shareconomy are interested in re-commerce, sharing, and conscientious consumerism.

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

E-Commerce

Looking back: our fantastic first client day in pictures and tweets [dotSource internal]

1. April 2015 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

dotSource clients' day 2015 — Great cars and exciting conversations: The dotSource Client Day

dotSource is entering its tenth year and those who know us know that enough happens in one year to last for two. That is why it was high time for our first client day, and, without being wanting to be too smug, it went really well.

Together with our clients and speakers Dr. Lea Sonderegger (Swarovski), Oliver Arp (hagebau) and Jochen Krisch (excitingcommerce.de) – Martin Groß-Albenhausen sadly had to cancel at the last minute – we had an interesting, but relaxing day. Personally, I thought that the atmosphere was comparable to that of our always familial e-commerce breakfasts.

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

E-Commerce

Just have it done – service in e-commerce

1. April 2015 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

On site service is one of the last true advantages of stationary trade. Not for much longer, if the founders of Einfach-machen-lassen.de have anything to do with it. The young German company from Rostock have made it their aim to close the service gap in online trade by allowing services to be booked with the product in the online store for a fixed price.

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E-Commerce

Berlin, Berlin, now we’re in Berlin!

31. March 201521. January 2022 | by Christian Otto Grötsch

“The sky’s the limit” was already our motto when we emplyed our 100th staff member. New, larger projects, like Grohe, Joyou or Lensbest are raising our staff requirements, which is why we have now opened an office in the capital, which even Kraftclub would think was awesome if they visited.

Unser neues Büro liegt zentral in Berlin! — Our new office in the centre of Berlin!

Our clients won’t just find us in the centre of Jena, but also at Pappelalle 78/79 in East Prenzlauer Berg. Berlin is not only the start-up Mecca of Europe, but also an important location in the e-commerce branch. That’s why we are happy to be part of this vibrant city. We will also be better able to reach our north German clients from our new location.

#gmap_canvas img{max-width:none!important;background:none!important}www.pureblack.de

At the next event in Berlin on the 24th of April, Martin Groß-Albenhausen from the federal e-commerce and online trade association (bevh) will speak on winning customers in the digital age: understanding optimising cross-channel journeys. Free registation here!

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