I enjoyed today's lesson thoroughly because it was about one of my favourite pastimes. There is no denying that E-Commerce consists of many digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals. One aspect that has seen rapid growth over the past few years would be online shopping. I am personally a huge fan of online shopping. I like that it is convenient - you get to shop for whatever you like in the comfort of your home with just a simple click of a button, interactive - E-commerce technologies allow two way communication between the merchant and the consumer and I love the feeling that you get when receiving a huge parcel at your doorstep. I like the transition from being surprised -> feeling loved -> curiosity of what's beneath the wrapping paper -> anxiety -> discovery -> elation. The whole process is enjoyable. However, have you ever wondered why some E-commerce sites enjoy success while others not as much?
1. Strategy
Some E-Commerce sites find themselves in a better position with many more orders in their inbox because they have a clear strategy. These companies have done proper research, website optimization, proper coding, ongoing search engine optimization, conversion testing and promotion before anything else.
2. A professional & reputable image
The saying, “it is what’s inside that counts” simply doesn’t apply for most e-commerce sites. Majority of the time, a site that looks great will go a long way in making that all important first impression and instilling confidence to consumers who are still leery about giving out credit card information online.
3. Be unique
Most E-Commerce sites succeed because they have a clear line of action or what's better known as “up-front value proposition”. They are either offering the lowest prices in the industry, have positive testimonials/product reviews or largest supply of product options.
4. Make it a stress & fuss-free experience
Everyone has to start from the basics. The basic navigation of an E-Commerce site should not be confusing. The search options should provide ways to search in different ways and return relevant results. Succesful E-Commerce sites also offer flexible options for searching and sorting and navigation like some of the following: “Did you mean?” spelling corrections when searching.
5. Keep it simple
Successful eCommerce sites simplify the checkout process and display clear pricing and shipping information and then they make it quick and easy to pay and finalize the order. Provide an easy and clear way to add multiple items to a shopping cart. Provide a one-page checkout system. Give them shipping quote estimates.
6. Make your products the star attraction
A good E-Commerce site is designed in such a way that makes the information easy to digest on a page. Headlines are 8 words or less, sentences are short (15-20 words) and summaries are under 30 words. This helps customers easily scan information and digest whether they want to purchase or not.
7. Good quality pictures
Focus on photos, keep text to a minimum unless it’s secondary. Photo galleries are made available so the customer can see many views of the product from different angles. The photo zooming is also available to see detail and embedded videos into product descriptions are a great way to allow customers to view the product on an E-Commerce site.
8. Offer many payment options
A good E-Commerce site caters to the special needs and preferences of all it's customers. Some customers will use a Visa, some will want to use Mastercard. Paypal and other services are becoming extremely popular as are secondary credit card companies like Discover. Allow customers to pay over the phone. E-commerce sites should also allow payments in multiple currencies to cater to customers world-wide.
9. Trust is key
A good E-Commerce site makes their customers feel comfortable by prominently stating the following throughout your site and during the checkout process: Online security information, privacy policies, guarantees, additional charges, return policies, shipping policies, order status updates, contact information, the handling of store credits, provide comments and reviews from past customers. Past studies suggest that consumers feel more confident knowing that they're just a phone call away if they have a question or if there’s a problem with their order.
10. Sell your customers more than what they came for
Simply recommending options and/or additions to a purchase, customers will see what’s possible and available and increase their purchase. Integrated recommendations, up sells, internal promotions, popular products, customers who bought also bought, customers who viewed also viewed, list new products, display top/most popular products, provide free shipping when they spend a certain amount of money (just a little more than the average cost of your products). Find ways to let them know about everything that an E-Commerce site should have and what might be a good addition to the purchase they came to make.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Monday, 21 January 2013
002 x THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Social media is a bad idea - The rise of social media has caused more and more problems like Internet addiction, social isolation and invasion of privacy - especially with the young generation,- Annonymous
I agree fully with this statement - How many times have we seen 2 people out on a date and not on their mobile devices? I am not sure about you, but I find this a rarity. It is such a luxury nowadays to be able to have a decent conversation with someone without them stopping halfway to have a look at their smartphones. Social networking sites can be very addictive - with people giving out information freely to those they may not know. They also limit face-to-face interaction as people feel this strong urge to keep checking messages and refreshing social applications. The tendency to remain online while waiting for a specific person to appear can be considered an illness that has overtaken many. That was why it was such a rare sight to not see someone staring into their mobile devices, checking what the latest happenings were in the online world.
Having said that, I would like to share a new social networking site that I've recently discovered. It's called Keek. Keek started in early 2002 but only started gaining popularity late last year in August 2012 after popular reality television starlet, Kim Kardashian, tweeted to her millions of followers that she has joined the Keek bandwagon along with her sisters.
"Since then, Keek has seen 250 million pageviews and 21 million visits. There has been a total of 6.4 million keeks created as of August, 2012, with 2 million being created in August alone. That equates to roughly 66,000 keeks being created per day. 31 million total social actions (sharing to Facebook, Twitter and/or Tumblr) have been recorded so far with 9 million social actions happening in August, 2012, alone.
In 2013 Keek increased its user base by adding 6 million new users from December, 2012 through January, 2013. Keek is now seeing traffic at a rate of 1 billion monthly pageviews, 75 million monthly visits, 15 million monthly unique visitors, 4 million monthly user-generated videos, 30 million monthly "follows" and "subscribes", and 8 million monthly comments and "likes". There are 200,000 new users are joining the platform on a daily basis," (Keek Raises $7 Million; Adds 2 Million Users In Last 30 Days)
Keek has been described as the "twitter for video,", "Instagram for video," and a "micro version of Youtube," Keek is more like a combination of Youtube, Facebook and Twitter than it's direct competitors. Keek basically allows users to upload 30 second videos of their daily musings. Just like any other social networking site, Keeks allows people to follow and even subscribe to your page.
I have always thought social networking sites boasted slight egocentrism in people. The sole purpose of social networking sites was to provide a platform for people to catch up with each other. If you thought about it, apart from families and friends - why would anyone spend a portion of their day wondering what you're up to? Why would anyone care? To think that it might actually kill people not to know what other people are up to... social networks have truly engulfed our lives.
Sources : http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keek-raises-7-million-adds-2-million-users-in-last-30-days-170153256.html
Monday, 14 January 2013
001 x THOUGHT CATALOG
When I first found out that I would be taking this module, you could say that I was not the least bit excited to be studying such a dry and technical module. Having taken something similar in Spring '12 (CSE 111), I clearly knew what I was in for and it was not something I was looking forward to.
There is definitely no denying that the Internet is phenomenal and it has been both a boon and a bane to humans all over the globe. With the exception of social networking sites, my fascination for the internet stops there. I was not interested in finding out how the internet functioned, the features of the Internet or made the Internet how it was today. My ignorance seem to have astounded even myself.
However, when I stepped into my first class on a Monday afternoon, as clichéd as this may sound, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. For starters, my lecturer had a laid back and warm personality. We all knew lecturers with personalities like this were the best! Perhaps he knew how fast-paced youths lives were and how quickly their information shifted that they almost forgot how to relax, that he took it into his stride to play relaxing music before the start of every class.
The first lesson consisted of a mix of powerpoint slides and videos. The powerpoint slides which he created - though technical, was simple to read and explained in great detail. The videos he played were above all - hilarious, creative and inspiring.
It might be too early to say - but I think I might enjoy this class after all.
There is definitely no denying that the Internet is phenomenal and it has been both a boon and a bane to humans all over the globe. With the exception of social networking sites, my fascination for the internet stops there. I was not interested in finding out how the internet functioned, the features of the Internet or made the Internet how it was today. My ignorance seem to have astounded even myself.
However, when I stepped into my first class on a Monday afternoon, as clichéd as this may sound, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. For starters, my lecturer had a laid back and warm personality. We all knew lecturers with personalities like this were the best! Perhaps he knew how fast-paced youths lives were and how quickly their information shifted that they almost forgot how to relax, that he took it into his stride to play relaxing music before the start of every class.
The first lesson consisted of a mix of powerpoint slides and videos. The powerpoint slides which he created - though technical, was simple to read and explained in great detail. The videos he played were above all - hilarious, creative and inspiring.
It might be too early to say - but I think I might enjoy this class after all.
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