Big Ecommerce Priorities for 2014

January 2, 2014

Here’s the write-up from the #EcomChat on Big Ecommerce Priorities in 2014 on Monday 6th January.

Q1) What are the key activities ecommerce teams should be doing in January?

@aattias: Clean/replan your dev queue. Parked low priority work may need removing for example (sorry Im late btw) #ecomchat

@eCommera: @JamesGurd @danbarker although online was a winner over Xmas, would be interesting to understand impact of returns in Jan #ecomchat:

@danbarker: Lots of businesses are reporting what worked for them over Christmas. Figure out how you can test those tactics. #ecomchat  Eg. Jigsaw said holding off sale until after Christmas & ramping up stock helped them. Can those be tested before next peak? #ecomchat:

‏@Metakinetic: A1: @ecomchat #EcomChat its all about analysing the vast data. For most, xmas brings most traffic in the year. Analyse the data and improve.

@Magique83: A1) Check post Xmas traffic for mobile/tablet usage jumps. I’m seeing a 20% increase in tablet usage thus far #ecomchat

@dkoblintz: @ecomchat #EcomChat priority 3 – conduct style research into whether SEO is or is not dead. Not enough attention paid to this #hotsportstake

@Magique83: A1) Liaise with Cus Serv dept to gauge any common problems that can be avoided next year (last del date issues, size problems etc) #ecomchat

‏@mcmillanstu: @ecomchat A1: have a retrospective about Christmas training and make notes about what problems you had #EcomChat

General Points:

  • @Magique83: A1) Full 2013 reports compiled to see what lessons can be learnt and what trends can be tracked. #ecomchat
  • @mcmillanstu: review project plans to see what will be getting released out of code freeze, you may not have seen it for weeks #EcomChat
  • @haydens30: #EcomChat A1: getting rid of any seasonal stock asap, especially returned goods
  • @JamesGurd: #EcomChat 1) 2013 lessons 2) comms/content calendar for Q1 3) Site health check 4) Plan Valentines’ campaigns (if relevant)

 

Q2) What are the key ecommerce trends to watch out for 2014?

@mocwoods: A2 – Agreed @danbarker I see this year being much more about customers and what we can do to add value to a visit #EcomChat:

@GeoffreyB: Maybe I was stretching a point… but business buyers need content and B2C marketers hate content. Want to talk brand, brand, brand. #ecomchat

‏@GingerWarriorX: manufacturers selling more direct to consumers, and the repositioning that involves #EcomChat

‏@dkoblintz: #EcomChat oh! and actual proper trend, free next day delivery will become the norm

@danbarker: A few commonish b2b functions that could be used in b2c sites: simple regular orders, paid product placement, volume pricing #ecomchat:

‏@willdymott: #ecomchat A2: Still mobile, still multi-channel integration, still service, still marketing automation using big data (hate that term):

@GeoffreyB: Agreed. B2B will ape B2C digital techniques and….fail. Business buying behaviour is fundamentally different. Not impulse driven. #ecomchat.

‏@Magique83: A2) Universal Analytics was largely ignored last year, probably due to complexity but we will see more making use of it in 2014 #ecomchat

@so_on: #EcomChat A2: Personalization – “who sees what”, segmentation – “how my customers differ” and targeting (3W) – “when, where and what”.

  • @JamesGurd: @so_on Hey Ernest hope you’re well. What tools do you think people will use beyond core web analytics? #EcomChat
  • ‏@so_on: @JamesGurd #EcomChat I think UA will not gain popularity – more data != more insights. I think we will see growth in niche analytical tools

‏@danbarker: #EcomChat A2: Ecommerce trend: Facebook & twitter trying to grab advertising money from AdWords.

‏@JamesGurd: Is anyone currently using UA and learning anything practical from it, or is it ‘coming soon’ for everyone? #EcomChat

@aattias: More will jump on content marketing bandwagon, some will do it well. https://bit.ly/1gbspKl  #ecomchat

  • ‏@MontseCano: @aattias I was just typing this. I predict lots of internal processes interfering with relevant content. #EcomChat
  • ‏@aattias: @MontseCano yes, tricky in bigger orgs. Did you see the excellent content strategy checklist by Velocity? https://bit.ly/1dIGVJU

@eCommera: A2: 2014 could be the year the high street is re-imagined as retailers leverage existing store estate thru ship from store etc #ecomchat

@mocwoods: Sadly RT @dergal: @MontseCano @aattias @ReferralCandy @KevinWaugh ha – SEO seems to have an unfair bad name! #EcomChat

General Points:

  • @aattias: I think we’ll see a rise in B2B companies providing commerce aiming to replicate B2C successes #ecomchat
  • @eCommera: A2: International expansion continues apace, especially for brands transacting directly with new audiences #ecomchat
  • @haydens30: A2) possibly universal analytics – although I’m not yet convinced there’s enough market understanding there yet #EcomChat
  • @mocwoods: A2. I would also watch out for some more special arrangements with the high-street & online channels – like eBay & Argos #EcomChat
  • @danbarker: #EcomChat A2: Ecommerce trend: ‘.uk’ domains coming up in the UK, which will no doubt peak in interest as it approaches.

 

Q3) How will ecommerce budgets be used this year?

@GingerWarriorX: @JamesGurd a3 if you are not fully responsive, to aim to be – obvious but still true #EcomChat (edit)

@aattias: a3: Ours will be 30% dev, 15% SEM, 43% SEO/Content for next 6 months #ecomchat

‏@danbarker: 3 themes so far in where people should spend budget: 1. Content. 2. Mobile. 3. Data-driven testing/improvement. #EcomChat

Thanks to everyone for tuning in and contributing.

James & Dan

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