Hyvä Themes

Hyvä Themes

Alternative to Luma?

First released in 2021 and with more than 1,500 Magento sites now using it, Hyvä Themes is often positioned as an alternative to the default Luma theme. We think this is an oversimplification.

For one, Luma is still very much a viable option, mostly since Hyvä doesn’t yet have the wide range of module and plugin compatibility Luma offers.

The default Luma Magento theme has helped InteractOne solve a lot of problems for our clients over the years. When developed with discipline and expertise, Magento and Luma provide a migration path away from buggy, crippled customized themes. Luma also provides a viable performance path for small and new Magento merchants who can live with the standard design theme and want to minimize or eliminate developer involvement. Luma starts out acceptably light/fast, but it is not immune to bloat and compatibility issues that accumulate along with customizations, modifications, bug fixes and the layered technologies that accompany these actions. Ironically, given the wide scope of its use for many years, Luma is best when mostly left alone. It is this conundrum that motivated the Hyvä Themes’ creators. 

OK, The PWA Alternative?

Hyva is touted as an alternative to the PWA approach. PWA stands for Progressive Web Apps, which are web applications optimized to work on mobile and desktop devices. PWA for eCommerce helps you generate a more user-friendly site by allowing customers to access information regardless of their location or device. However, realizing the benefits of PWA can be fussy and expensive – involving lots of setup, testing, tweaking, monitoring and more tweaking. Hyvä employs Alpine JS to allow a flexible presentation on all platforms while clocking super fast page load, right out of the box.

Thinking About Going Headless?

Headless commerce detaches the front-end architecture and interface from the back-end commerce functionality and database. A key benefit of headless should be that changes can be made to the user experience without fear of introducing bugs to the core functionality. In reality, it’s not so much like a CMS, since most changes still require developer involvement. Because of this headless tends to be rather expensive, sometimes buggy and often difficult to maintain, leaving many marketing departments to regret going headless. 

Less is More

While they are powerful technologies, the limitations of PWA and Headless make the case for a solution like Hyvä. The vastly simpler structure of the Hyvä theme means it is an alternative to Headless and PWA – approaches that merchants adopt to solve problems around speed, flexibility and compatibility. The big difference is that both headless and PWA involve adding technology to make good things happen, whereas Hyvä Themes opts for subtraction.

Much lighter than a standard Magento theme

Hyvä Themes is based on a blank Magento 2 theme, not using the Luma code.  Most Magento theme developers start with the Luma code, so the finished product is – in most cases – slower than Luma.

The developers of Hyvä left out all layout.xml, .phtml files and JavaScript files. While Hyvä uses the PHP-templating system that is built into Magento, it departs from standard theme architecture, using newer lighter-weight components, such as a Javascript framework that is only ⅓ of the weight of Jquery.

Does it Cost More?

As of this writing, Hyvä charges 1,000 Euro for a one-time license. No limits are placed on the number of domains or storeviews.

While the simpler architecture of Hyvä themes should ultimately reduce programming costs, customizations and demand for favorite modules and plug-ins will impact initial build cost. Already though, Hyvä has incorporated compatibility with more than 100 popular modules and plugins and we expect 3rd party module compatibility  to grow.

One key affordability benefit of Hyvä Themes is that templates can be implemented one at a time – start with the product page and category pages, leave the checkout for later. This is where Hyvä excels.

What’s the catch?

If omnichannel drives your volume, a headless commerce approach might still be the way to go. You’ll have to balance those benefit calculations with the cost of development and ongoing maintenance.

Further, Hyvä’s checkout is still pretty young, lacking documentation at this writing. Hyvä Themes  offer the Magento One-Step checkout (based on Luma) as the preferred path for most.

So, despite a fast-growing pace of adoption, Hyvä still carries a whiff of the bleeding edge.

What does this all mean for you? 

For most of InteractOne’s clients, and most midsize e-Commerce retailers, chasing cutting edge technology can be a risky bet. Most retailers don’t have large IT teams that can research, manage and maintain the most fussy tools to keep you at full optimization. You already know that improving page load speed is beneficial, but you also have your eye on diminishing returns. Granted, twelve second page-loads were killing you. Getting to six seconds made a big improvement and dropping that to three seconds was excellent for conversion. Is your traffic and volume big enough to make the needed investment to get to 1.5 or .75 seconds justifiable?

The point is, a lot of Magento retailers haven’t made the leap to headless or PWA either because of cost or because they didn’t feel confident in managing it. Hyvä changes that decision in that it cures the speed problem with simplicity, not with another layer of technology. Hyvä Themes  isn’t a cure-all, but it sure looks like a start.

Contact us to learn more about how to optimize your eCommerce site.

    Get expert help today!

    An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

    Drop Us a Line At:

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    Or, if you prefer an old-fashioned phone call: Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

    4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255 Cincinnati, OH 45241

    Meta’s new Advantage+ AI-driven ad tool is a lesson in letting go

    Meta’s new Advantage+ AI-driven ad tool is a lesson in letting go

    Spend is Performance

    Meta (Facebook) just unveiled at their latest media buyers conference that they are going all-in with machine learning (Advantage+) and merchants who stick to manually controlling ads will likely see lower performance versus those who get out of the way and allow Facebook to spend toward a goal. That doesn’t mean you can relax. You still have a job. Advantage+ just means your job is a little different. Have you ever owned a dog? They love to please you by doing their job. If they think you want them to fetch the ball, they will fetch until they collapse in a heap. AI in general, and Facebook/Meta’s Advantage+ is a lot like that. Be careful what you ask for; it’s a big world and if your ask is vague, your results will be messy and vague. However, if your ecommerce business has a proven online sales process, quality content and ads, Advantage+ shopping campaigns are worth a try. Advantage+ is the purest realization yet of Meta’s push for ODAX – outcome-driven advertising experiences. If your goal is being met while Facebook is spending, then great, all you need to then do is review how and to whom they are serving ads for the sake of protecting your brand. In the simplest terms, Advantage+ shopping campaigns maximize performance and find new customers. Settings are streamlined, to say the least. You do get to choose in which country your ads will be seen, but that’s about it. Automatic placements and lowest cost bid strategy are baked in as part of this “best practices” approach. Frankly, calling them “settings” at all may be misleading. Essentially, your budget, your ads and your site (and/or shop) content are the settings for an Advantage+ campaign. The more focused, engaging, clear and market-specific your content and ads are, the better your results will be.  Does that mean your targeting will be off? Will you get a bunch of junk results? Here is where the leap of faith comes into play. You need to be able to trust that Facebook is smart enough to recognize that you sell commercial kitchen equipment, for instance, not ice maker parts. You also need to be willing to let Facebook trial and error all over itself while it strums for the perfect chord. You won’t see (or pay for) the stumbles, however, and the AI doesn’t get upset by failure; it’s relentless and endlessly enthusiastic about its mission – again, kind of like that dog. The core strength of Facebook’s Advantage+, the endless ad iterations and testing, can make the branding team a little nervous. When using Advantage+ placements, you might see some strange cropping or branding with your ads. It can add a banner (it picks one of your colors) and may insert a headline or other element – again based on your content. This sets up a tough choice between traditional thoughts about the inviolability of branding vs maximizing results. Given that the demonstrated benefits of adherence to rigid branding are long term, we are curious and open to the idea that there could be unintended longer-term negative consequences (audience loss, diminishing recognizability?) when you allow Meta to mess with your look. The jury is out. It would be easy to dismiss Advantage+ as merely an amateur’s tool. Indeed, a search for the term nets a lot of pundits downplaying Advantage+ because of the lack of granular control over demographics, creative, test elements and spend apportionment. Marketers have always based their careers on being at the helm – tweaking campaigns and closely monitoring results. Facebook’s Advantage+ doesn’t even want interference from diligent and informed human decision-making. Granted, this can (currently) only be true when we’re talking about millions or billions of data points, such as are at Meta’s disposal.  Further, Advantage+ requires KPI history on creative and targeting, so you can’t run it on a brand-new ad account. Someone needs to do testing before deploying Advantage+ to ensure that it’s optimized for success. You can upload customer lists as demographic “seed beds” to help train the AI on proven successful profiles. You also control the existing customer budget cap – well, sort of. Some have found that Facebook always exceeds this setting (usually doubling it) – don’t set any higher than 10-15% if you want to end up with 70-80% new customers vs retargeting. The bottom line is, Advantage+ might look simple, but we would advise marketers to not quit their day jobs! If you find yourself choosing the manual experience, check your reasoning. Is it fear? Is it because the manual process offers more granular control? It’s a bit like investing. Many people want to choose the stocks they buy, convinced they can outperform professional mutual fund corporations – or just enjoy the control. On average and over time, It’s an illusion. Just as, most of the time, and with much less effort, allowing Facebook’s Advantage+ to just do its job will net you greater gains over the long term. Contact us to learn more about how to optimize your eCommerce site.

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      An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

      Drop Us a Line At:

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      Or, if you prefer an old-fashioned phone call: Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

      4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255 Cincinnati, OH 45241

      AI Development in eCommerce: Nightmare or Dream-Come-True?

      AI Development in eCommerce: Nightmare or Dream-Come-True?

      As an eCommerce merchant, you need to always have a critical eye on the future. You might not want to be first in line for every new technology  – some might call that being on the “bleeding edge.” But, you also don’t want to be the last to jump into a maturing technology – a.k.a “missing the boat!” This conundrum can lead to paralysis – especially as we consider the effects artificial intelligence (AI) will have … and is already having …  on eCommerce development. Should you greenlight your IT team to use AI? Or should you block AI apps until they can be further vetted for risks and security? These are real questions merchants are wrestling with and we see both approaches (aggressive and conservative) currently being employed.

      AI Developer Tools Today

      AI-Based Programming Assistants are already in wide use among software developers for code compilation, code debugging, and code-driven testing. Already, a few dozen tools like this exist and are being used by developers everywhere. Programming assistants can solve relatively simple but often time-consuming problems, making developers more productive and decreasing the fatigue that comes from executing repetitive tasks.  For example, Codex is an AI tool (in Beta) from the creators of the Chat GPT system (which is itself frequently used for coding tasks) that translates natural language to code. Codex powers another similar tool, GitHub Copilot. Developers must be skilled in asking either of these AI assistants well-defined questions in order to produce helpful results. Left unchecked, AI assistants are also known to leave vulnerabilities or even create new ones. So choosing a developer whose expertise allows prudent and well-monitored use of the tools is of prime importance.  A newer tool called AlphaCode shows amazing promise in solving more complex programming tasks, but still requires extensive problem definition, testing guidelines and outcome descriptions. Another class of tools resembles the “auto-complete” function you frequently see in text programs and search fields. As a developer types a line of code, the AI program (Tabnine, as an example) will suggest completed code lines. The more these tools are used, the better they will become at anticipating what the developer is doing. Wherever you have a defined outcome or set of outcomes, plus inputs for the AI to track against pattern recognition, then you have a feedback loop. AI thrives on feedback loops and is already making great use of them to provide new features and functionality for on-site search, product recommendations for personalized shopping experiences and personalization (see https://www.adobe.com/sensei.html). 

      Looking Ahead

      In the next 1-3 years, we believe we will see significant portions of simple development tasks nearly overtaken by AI. For example:
      • The development of more “code-less” themes. These are themes for platforms like Shopify, Adobe Commerce (aka Magento) and BigCommerce that permit speedy modification and customization of the content, design and layout while no longer allowing users to edit the code. Instead, all CSS/design code changes are managed by AI. This should allow for cleaner, less bloated and more stable code because the AI will be able to quickly handle debugging and testing and won’t be relying on patching or shoehorn approaches that human developers often use to effect a change.
      • Development of easier-to-use and faster design tools. Drag and drop has been around for a while, but imagine that the software will be able to anticipate and implement consistent-looking changes across the theme elements. Then, you can clean up any changes that AI didn’t get quite right on its first pass.

      The Likely Path 

      Software development, like many other skilled trades and professions, consists of a high percentage of tasks that follow a pattern or rely on standardized solutions. The skill and experience come into play on the details. AI adoption will most likely line up with those truths; without a doubt, AI use will be (and already is) widespread within eCommerce development but will not replace skilled programmers. That may sound naive, so we’ll put a finer point on it. Programming as a profession will definitely change as AI assistance becomes more powerful and reliable, but as long as the system needs to know exactly what problem to solve, there will be a need for highly-skilled developers and solution architects. In the near term, AI will have much less effect on the more complex elements of website development like software architecture, database management, new feature development and advanced security.

      If You Want a Job Done…

      In general, like most technology-driven changes, AI integration into eCommerce programming will follow the Pareto Principle (aka 80/20 rule). Developers will get most of the benefit available from AI by using it for limited tasks. Other tasks involving more subjective inputs: (opinions, experience, preferences) would be very difficult to ask the AI to accomplish while fairly easy for a skilled human programmer to grasp. Like the use of robots in industry – AI will be used where it has a clear benefit and where it is economically feasible based on the scale of the activity. Human developers use their native intelligence to translate expressed specifications (sometimes vague – and always contextual) into iteration attempts that must be checked by other humans (the project managers, the clients). This can be an unpredictable and sometimes arbitrary process when it comes to the details. 

      What should eCommerce managers do in order to use AI to their advantage?

      It is important to be on an eCommerce platform that is aggressively working to take advantage of the trending AI technologies. For instance, developers are already experimenting with codeless themes for Shopify (ie. nyla.app) that rely on AI for fast and simple design changes. Still, in an atmosphere of disruption there is potential for bad decision-making when it comes to choosing a platform. Software that relies too heavily on AI at this point may carry a load of unintended consequences – levels of maintenance and setup that would currently be highly specialized (and thus cost prohibitive) in the medium term. More than ever, excellent and experienced guidance are your best ally. Pick an agency partner you can trust, with a track record of objectivity when it comes to platforms and tools. InteractOne doesn’t claim to be unaffiliated, but we’ve also never been shy about the strong and weak points of Magento, Adobe, Shopify, BigCommerce and all of the underpinning technology. Our role is to provide unvarnished advice, based on what we see happening in the ecosystem. Don’t just take our word for it. Stay informed, by following industry leaders, experimenting with AI yourself, attending trade shows and seminars, etc. Carefully review and vet new AI features before choosing to implement them on your site… don’t just use it because it has an “AI” label on it.  Do your homework to ensure the AI feature will provide a positive impact on your website. Contact us to learn more about how to optimize your eCommerce site.

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        An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

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        Or, if you prefer an old-fashioned phone call: Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

        4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255 Cincinnati, OH 45241

        Boost Engagement with 5 UI Improvements

        Boost Engagement with 5 UI Improvements

        Looking to boost your website’s conversion rate? A few tweaks to the user interface (UI) of a site can make or break user experience (UX) and engagement.  UI design and graphic design are not synonymous. Fashionable fonts, color schemes and interesting effects are great but they don’t create a good UI by themselves. Truly successful web design includes factors like intuitive navigation, high-quality images, mobile compatibility and more. If you are looking to enhance your site, here are five common UI improvements you can implement to help increase conversion rates:

        How Mobile is Your Site? 

        Your site is probably already responsive, right? Maybe it has been mobile-friendly for years at this point. Too often, though, clients come to InteractOne because buggy responsive code, mobile browser problems or device-specific glitches are putting obstacles in the shopper’s path, or preventing transactions altogether. In 2022, mobile ecommerce sales in the US made up nearly 42% of the total ecommerce market. This year, it’s projected that mobile commerce sales will surpass 43% of total sales, and by 2025, they are expected to reach 44%, gradually closing the gap between mobile commerce and ecommerce sales ratios. In brief, having a site that has “ok” mobile friendliness is costing you lots of money. . To ensure efficient content loading on mobile devices, it’s crucial to develop catalog and product content with a mobile-first approach. In other words, when you build products and content, assume the viewer will be on a phone. Site elements should also load in order. For instance, to accommodate the shorter attention span of mobile users, consider displaying a static banner instead of a rotating one on mobile devices. This can help improve performance and overall user experience.

        Streamline Checkout

        Improving a site’s checkout design and functionality is key to customer satisfaction. Complicated checkout processes and website errors contribute to high rates of cart abandonment, with studies showing as many as 17% of customers will abandon their carts due to checkout issues. The best way to prevent this is to use your tools. Observe customers using your site and your checkout – you’ll be surprised at the insights you can gain! Watching real-time transactions helps you think like a customer so you can remove clutter and sticking points in the checkout process. Verify your observations by setting up the checkout funnel in Google Analytics and paying attention to the Abandoned Carts report in Magento. Use Google Analytics to track your checkout funnel and monitor the “Abandoned Carts” report in Magento. Overall, when looking to increase conversions, keep the checkout process short and straightforward, with properly functioning autofill fields and guest checkout (ask us how often we see these broken!)

        Maintain Consistent Navigation

        Right off the bat, here’s a caveat for the owners, directors and VPs out there: Take care how you wield your influence! One of the most common problems we see in navigation is the inclusion of “pet” categories – prominent menu items that are either redundant or simply out of place. For instance, maybe you sell office supplies. For your main categories, you have electronics, furniture, equipment and one or two other main categories. But, for some reason, you are very focused on selling ergonomic keyboards. “Ergonomic keyboards” shouldn’t be a main category for you. But because your marketing person isn’t going to fight every battle, up it goes. Don’t do it!  A disciplined approach to your menu structure is vitally important. As the first point of contact for visitors, your menu should guide them to their destination seamlessly. However, many websites fall victim to common design mistakes such as overcrowding, vague or dated labels, and lack of organization. These can quickly drive visitors away from your site and towards your competitors (especially when ¼ of site visitor’s attention goes to the main navigation of the website). To create a successful navigation, start by putting yourself in your customers’ shoes. Consider the customer journey and personalize the menu accordingly. Avoid overwhelming users with too many choices; limit the primary navigation to just a few options. Utilize attributes and faceted navigation within larger categories to make filtering easier. Remember to regularly review and update your navigation to accommodate new product lines or brands, while keeping the category structure simple and relevant to your customers’ search queries. Again, most ongoing updates should take place in the sub-categories, attributes and filters since you rarely add or shed a whole top-level category of products. Optimize your high-level categories for both browsing and search engine rankings by using terms familiar to your customers. By providing quick and relevant answers, you’ll increase engagement and retention on your site.

        Establish Trust Through Images

        Establishing credibility in your site can motivate shoppers to make a purchase. Easier said than done, right?! Professional photos of real people using your actual products sounds like a heavy lift, but is usually worth it. People are looking for a reason to say yes (they’re shopping, remember?) and personably relatable photography allows them to believe. Highlight product details. Display high quality images users can enlarge on desktop or mobile. Studies show that larger images are more effective in boosting conversions, so definitely talk to your developer before deciding to use smaller image files; there are ways to preserve large images and not sacrifice performance. Many times, a CDN can ensure fast load times. 

        Product Descriptions

        Revamp your product pages by crafting unique, valuable and clear descriptions that highlight the product’s benefits for the buyer. Applying this across your whole catalog is another potentially huge task that many merchants choose not to tackle, but depending on your market it can make or break your strategy. Avoid common eCommerce mistakes like leaving out relevant visuals or failing to explain how to use the product. Make sure your descriptions are credible, concise, and engaging. Adding a touch of humor or storytelling can help capture the customer’s attention and make your product stand out.

        Building a Better eCommerce Website

        By focusing on user experience and prioritizing user-centered functionality, these five UI enhancements can increase conversions on your Magento website. Adopting a customer-centric approach can lead to a positive user experience and ultimately drive more conversions. Contact us to learn more about how to optimize your eCommerce site.

          Get expert help today!

          An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

          Drop Us a Line At:

          Our Contact Form

          Or, if you prefer an old-fashioned phone call: Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

          4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255 Cincinnati, OH 45241

          AI Fraud Detection Will Save eCommerce Brands Billions

          AI Fraud Detection Will Save eCommerce Brands Billions

          Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing almost all sectors, including e-commerce. One such area where astute e-commerce businesses are utilizing AI is fraud detection. With the advancement of data analysis, algorithms can analyze millions of data points to detect new potential instances of fraud, earlier and with greater accuracy. To execute a successful fraud detection system, merchants need to maintain a delicate balance of precision. They must deny fraudulent transactions, which are extremely costly, while also avoiding the denial of legitimate transactions to prevent churn and maintain their reputation. Complicating matters; there isn’t a reliable method to differentiate between the desirable and the undesirable; approximately $600 billion of global e-commerce revenue was forfeited due to payment declines in 2020, complicating matters. How is A.I. fighting the good fight against fraud? Read on to find out.

          Fighting Fraud with Fire

            According to Juniper Research, cumulative merchant losses due to online payment fraud are projected to exceed $343 billion globally by 2027, highlighting the ever-increasing threat of fraud. AI-based fraud detection is increasingly replacing traditional methods that use rules created by humans to decide whether a transaction should decline. Such methods were often inefficient, unlike AI-based fraud detection processes. Rule-based fraud detection depends on policies that predict improper customer behavior ahead of time, which can be painfully inaccurate. Fraud detection AI is primarily based on unsupervised learning models. Machine algorithms analyze large data pools from multiple vendors and millions of transactions to detect patterns based on behavioral patterns in the data. The algorithm is not trained on specific data points; instead, it autonomously identifies patterns in the data. Artificial intelligence offers flexibility to fraud prevention by identifying anomalies and suspicious activities without relying on pre-established rules. Additionally, AI can provide instant decisions to enhance the system’s security. Fraud detection technologies from third-party providers help even the playing field for merchants to compete against massive marketplaces like Amazon or Alibaba. These technologies aggregate data from thousands of merchants and millions of transactions, providing a reliable way to detect fraud and compete with the behemoth brands.

            Recognizing A Broken Pattern

            AI-based fraud detection systems can adapt, making increasingly nuanced decisions as new behavior patterns emerge. Let’s take a look at the recent pandemic, for example. During the early stages of the lockdown, buyers who previously were never large purchasers of home improvement items and tools were now making substantial purchases in these categories. To avoid mistakenly rejecting purchases, which may have formerly appeared deceptive, eCommerce merchants had to adjust how they monitor and flag accounts. This is precisely the kind of near real-time adjustments that A.I. can make autonomously. Expedited shipping is another example of real-time A.I. advancements. According to Riskified data, orders placed with expedited shipping increased by 140% from January to December of 2020, while fraud levels decreased by 45% over the same period. In addition, expedited shipping reduces a merchant’s time to cancel an order and is perceived as a red flag for fraud detection. However, the pandemic has made this shipping method prevalent, becoming a safer practice over time.  

            Emerging Threats

            Identifying suspicious payment activity committed by previously genuine customers can be particularly challenging. A common example is known as “friendly fraud,” where a customer disputes a charge with their credit card company to evade payment for a previously purchased product from a physical goods retailer. Fraudsters can claim that an item was not received by filing an “item not received” chargeback with their bank or credit card company. In fact, some engage in large-scale chargebacks and sell the items on the black market, causing retailers to lose millions of dollars each year. If this were to occur in a physical store, it would fall under the category of shoplifting. A rapidly growing fraud trend known as policy abuse involves regular, paying customers breaking a retailer’s terms and conditions, usually to save or make money. Although policy abuse differs from traditional fraud, retailers can still suffer financial losses which can go unnoticed. As a result, businesses are now turning to AI to address these situations. The A.I. will collect data, including IP addresses, device fingerprinting, and behavioral analytics. This data is then cross-referenced against past orders in various merchant networks. For example, suppose a customer is disputing a fraudulent order not placed by them. In that case, the system can verify if the order was placed using the same IP address and/or device the customer has previously placed orders. This empowers merchants to prioritize disputes and address policy abuse from the most frequent offenders, automating the dispute resolution process for enhanced scalability and efficiency. With the increasing sophistication of fraud tactics, fraud detection methods have also evolved. Soon, analysis of biometric aspects of e-commerce, such as “voiceprint” and the angle at which a mobile phone is held, will go beyond monitoring purchasing patterns.

            Bringing It All Together

            With an AI-powered fraud prevention system, businesses can be flexible and tailor their approach to new threats and opportunities as regulators, customers, and criminals continue to evolve. By leveraging AI-based techniques, e-commerce businesses can significantly reduce the risk of costly losses from fraudulent transactions while also providing a smoother shopping experience for their customers. It is clear that AI is playing a vital role in fraud prevention strategies for e-commerce businesses today, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

              Get expert help today!

              An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

              Drop Us a Line At:

              Our Contact Form

              Or, if you prefer an old-fashioned phone call:
              Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

              4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255
              Cincinnati, OH 45241

              Customer Retention Strategies That Actually Work

              Customer Retention Strategies That Actually Work

              As a business owner, what better feeling is there than winning a new customer? This might sound like a trick question, but the answer isn’t, ‘acquiring two customers!’ On the flip, it’s actually retaining one existing customer. While a certain allure comes with capturing new customers, keeping customers coming back, again and again, will continually result in a greater ROI.  If you’ve yet to market to current customers after the sale, now is an excellent time to build a cohesive strategy to keep them returning for more. But how do you create a customer retention strategy that keeps your customers engaged and happy?  In this blog post, we’ll define customer retention, how to calculate it, and uncover the strategies that inspire long-term customer loyalty. 

              How Do You Calculate Customer Retention?

                To improve your customer retention strategies, you must first calculate how successful you’re currently doing in this department. You might have a feeling about how you’re doing, but you need an objective measurement to take the emotions out of it. Measuring your customer retention rate goes something like this: Let’s break the formula down: You start January with 500 customers Over the next three months, you acquire 400 customers, totaling 900 By the end of the quarter, you have 800 In total, you’ve retained 300 new customers Using the above formula, subtract 400 new customers from your total of 800, and divide that by the 500 customers you started with. Then, finally, multiply by 100. This gives a customer retention rate of 80%. Is 80% a good retention rate? That depends. In some industries, 80% is incredible; in others, it could indicate something is seriously wrong. So at this point, you have to bring context into the matter and evaluate this number against your long-term goals. Nobody wants to lose a customer, but just how important is having a high customer retention rate? According to Harvard Business Review, onboarding a new customer is 5x to 25x more expensive than retaining a customer you already have. With just a 5% increase in retention rates, you can grow profits by 25 to 95%. Customers who stick around tend to be happy with your product or service, making them a walking billboard for referrals (and excellent opportunities for positive reviews & being online champions). Recurring customers don’t need to be ‘won over’ by a marketing campaign. You already won them, and having that collection of satisfied customers can make your entire business cost-effective and efficient.

                Customer Retention Strategies

                Ask for feedback- FREQUENTLY!: When you understand customer sentiment and what they like/dislike, you can take action on their feedback, refine your approach, and meet their needs. Rather than being reduced to a number on a spreadsheet, when pressed for feedback, your customers will feel appreciated and heard and hopefully more loyal.The important thing to remember here is to be sure you close the loop. For example, sending out a customer survey is the first level of requesting feedback, but don’t stop there. Be sure to send a customized thank you message that includes purchase links to related items/services to those who responded to the survey. Now your customers are feeling satisfied and heard, plus there’s brand new products delivered right to their fingertips.  Start a referral or loyalty program: Brand loyalty programs are an effective way to increase purchase frequency because they motivate customers to purchase more often in order to earn valuable rewards. Whereas a referral program attempts to do the same thing, just in a different way. A referral program uses your existing customers to refer new customers to check out your company. Usually, that includes some sort of incentive, like a discount code or value match deal, but it will keep them coming back.  Build your target audience through shared values: Is your company eco-friendly? Do you donate a portion of your earnings to a specific charity? Is your brand associated with wealth and affluence?  Or is it more linked to youth and TikTok trends? Not only should your company have its own easily identifiable values, but you should also aim to share them with your customer base. When customers understand and relate to your values, it helps them identify with you and feel connected. The key here is simple – humanize your brand!  Make the return process smooth: While mistakes happen, one way to assure a customer never buys from you again is to make returns even remotely difficult. . The returns and refunds process is the most significant branch of customer service and retention. Therefore, making the process pain-free and reasonable is crucial. If customers know they can count on you to treat them fairly beyond the sale, rather than disregarding them after receiving their money, they will trust you with future purchases. Deliver unexpected surprises: Emotions are the most significant driver of loyalty. That’s why 60% of customers use emotional language when describing their connection to their favorite brands, so this is a great approach for increasing customer retention. Your business can generate positive emotions by surprising buyers with exclusive gifts and special offers that enhance the customer experience. Consider these ideas:
                • Customer service doesn’t get more personal than a handwritten note written specifically for each customer, creating a good unpacking experience.
                • Be the brand that makes your customer feel loved and appreciated on their special day by sending them a birthday gift or discount code to purchase one themselves.
                • Treat loyal customers to special features or upgrades that others need to pay for. 
                • Share their social media posts. When you unexpectedly repost their photos and stories on your brand accounts, your customers feel recognized and appreciated.
                • Invite them to exclusive events.
                Offer stellar customer support: Support systems help you effectively communicate with your customers and provide them with the right level of support. Having a live chat or help desk tool available can turn a customer question into a sale or a customer complaint into a resolution, whether they come in on-site, through email, or via social media. Whether you build a profile, lean into gamification, or vastly overhaul your customer service, these steps are essential for improving customer experience. Why? Satisfied customers come back; dissatisfied customers do not. It truly is that simple. The other important thing to note here is that these are just a few examples of items you can include in your strategy, as the opportunities are endless – some that haven’t even been brought to life yet!

                Bringing it All Together

                Without retention, your product is a leaky bucket; you can pour in as many dollars as you like into marketing, advertising, and other means of customer acquisition and still wind up with a failing business because you failed to capture and retain customers. . And we get it: competition is high, regardless of your industry, and companies that know how to keep their existing customers happy are at the forefront of success. Not sure where to start when creating a retention strategy that gets you to the front of the line? Contact one of our experts today – we can discuss your needs and customize a plan that supports your acquisition and retention needs.

                  Get expert help today!

                  An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

                  Drop Us a Line At:

                  Our Contact Form

                  Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

                  4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255
                  Cincinnati, OH 45241

                  Adobe Announcements: Firefly AI & much much more!

                  Adobe Announcements: Firefly AI & much much more!

                  The world has been abuzz recently with news of generative AI. Even though artificial intelligence has existed in some form for decades, marketers and eCommerce pros need to pay attention to the ongoing seismic shifts in this growing segment. This is important, especially if you are an Adobe customer. Because Shantanu Narayen, Chairman and CEO of Adobe, stole the show at their company’s annual Adobe Summit by announcing they’re entering the AI race, joining Microsoft, Google, and others by introducing a new family of generative AI models called Firefly. Firefly is a new group of generative AI models focused on creating images, video, and text effects. Firefly uses generative AI with graphics tools like brushes, color gradients, and video tools to speed up production and make it easier for creators to produce high-quality content. “Our belief is that generative AI will enhance human ingenuity, not replace it,” said Narayen; he also added, “Over time, AI will help us reimagine every aspect of marketing.” At launch, Adobe refers to Firefly as a Beta and will only be available through a website. But eventually, Adobe plans to tightly integrate generative AI tools within its suite of creative apps, like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere, for your team to take advantage of. This addition to their suite of offerings is a big deal for Adobe. The company sits at the center of the creative app ecosystem, and over much of the past year, it’s stayed on the sidelines while newcomers to the creative space began to offer powerful tools for creating images, videos, and sound for next to nothing. The Adobe Summit also saw the launch of Sensei GenAI, natively embedded into the Adobe Experience Platform. However, it was not immediately clear how this would enhance the platform’s existing Sensei AI capabilities. Again, the aim seems to allow users to work with generative AI capabilities within Adobe Experience Cloud. In addition, Adobe also announced Adobe Mix Modeler, a new dashboard giving a cross-channel view of campaign performance, allowing real-time optimization of channel spend. Let’s take a look at the bigger picture of this announcement from Adobe and what it means for you, its customer base, and what other Adobe Commerce features are currently available to help you optimize performance.

                  AI-optimized Live Search Results

                    Almost two years ago, Adobe Commerce launched Live Search to provide lightning-fast search results, intelligent faceting, and search merchandising capabilities without investing in an expensive third-party solution. The latest release expands the use of Adobe Sensei in Live Search to deliver personalized results that boost relevance and conversion rates. For example, customers can optimize search results for specific queries by selecting from a set of five AI algorithms that include:
                    • Recommended for You
                    • Trending
                    • Most Purchased
                    Your team members can preview the impact of each algorithm in a test window before pushing anything live. Once a rule is set, Adobe Sensei automatically adjusts search results based on textual relevance and the selected algorithm to create a highly personalized product discovery experience. For example, the ‘Recommended for You’ algorithm surfaces products based on the shopper’s current and previous on-site behavior, and ‘Trending’ boosts products based on recent sales momentum. To learn more about Live Search capabilities, check out the release notes and documentation.

                    Faster Live Search Setup and Performance

                    Thanks to a new storefront widget, customers can now configure and launch a complete search interface and product listing page that will load not one, not two, not three, but five times faster. These increased load times are possible since all queries will be routed to Adobe’s search service for processing. In addition, the widget improves overall performance by removing the search traffic load from the site. Learn more about the Live Search widget here.

                    Advanced Segmentation and Targeting

                    Another new extension, Audience Activation, is changing the game! If you are looking to deliver real-time, one-to-one personalized experiences to your customers, you’ll want to take a mental note. With this update, your team can now use audiences created in Real-Time CDP to target content (dynamic blocks) and promotions (cart price rules) in Adobe Commerce. For example, a merchant can highlight a 20% off promotion on high-margin accessories to customers with a high propensity to purchase discounted add-ons. This deep integration enables more sophisticated personalization strategies that leverage data from the commerce site and other sources — like ERP and CRM systems — and AI-powered segmentation tools unique to Real-Time CDP. Learn more about the Audience Activation here.

                    High-intent Data Sharing

                    The surge in online interactions since the start of the pandemic has raised buyers’ expectations. Most expect businesses to tailor every interaction to their needs and preferences. To meet these demands, Adobe released a new update to the Experience Platform connected for Adobe Commerce, better known as Data Connection. This release will empower businesses to build rich customer profiles, including back-office order status information, and help to deliver personalized commerce journeys. This powerful native integration goes above and beyond the traditional storefront behavior monitoring and gives marketers access to the data they need to fuel more personalized, relevant, and timely messages, as well as power in-context promotions or content to each prospect or customer. For example, an order canceled due to a supply chain issue can trigger a customer notification with a substitution offer and special discount. The same data can also be used to understand the impact of cancellations on customer lifetime value. For B2B customers, Data Connection also shares information when requisition lists are created, and products are added or removed from lists. Learn more about Adobe Commerce data sharing capabilities here.

                    Payment Services for UK and France

                    Payment services for Adobe Commerce give merchants the simplicity of a unified platform, making it easier to securely manage transactions and order data from every storefront in one place – your eCommerce dashboard. Now available in the UK and France, Payment Services provides payment options, easy onboarding, and comprehensive customer reporting in multiple markets. Offering this level of payment options is another important way to make your customer’s shopping experience more seamless for better results. Learn more about payment services here.

                    New Catalog Service Capabilities

                    Enhancements to Catalog Service for Adobe Commerce now allow customers to retrieve category data and individual product details, which speeds up the time required to render category menus and trees on any page. Merchants can also request specific layers of the category tree to show only relevant data to the shopper.

                    Bringing it All Together

                    If this announcement proves anything, it’s that the Adobe Commerce platform is not only continuously growing in its offering and abilities, but it’s also increasing in complexity, which can feel overwhelming for eCommerce managers and teams. That’s where we come in. If you want to learn more about these new features or simply want to make the most of your current site, schedule a call with one of our Dev team members today. Stay tuned for more information on Firefly release notes and how Adobe Commerce can continue helping you and your brand succeed.

                      Get expert help today!

                      An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

                      Drop Us a Line At:

                      Our Contact Form

                      Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

                      4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255
                      Cincinnati, OH 45241

                      UPDATED for 2023 Shipping Rate Changes: how to prep & what to expect

                      UPDATED for 2023 Shipping Rate Changes: how to prep & what to expect

                      When it comes to shipping, staying informed about current rates and shipping rate changes is crucial for ensuring that your customers are always aware of the latest costs and delivery times, and this year is certainly no exception. With inflation rates higher than ever, carriers such as UPS, UPS, DHL, and FedEx are definitely looking at an increase in costs which they will no doubt be passing along to you, the shipper.

                      In this blog is everything you need to know about these price changes and what’s to come, but more importantly, what you can do to stay ahead.

                      Read on for a full breakdown of the 2023 shipping price rates.

                      USPS

                      The following fee changes took effect on January 22, 2023:

                      • Priority Mail commercial rates increased by 3.6%
                      • Priority Mail Express service prices increased by 6.6%
                      • Priority Mail Flat rates increased by 3$
                      • First-Class Package Service prices increased by 7.8% 
                      • Parcel Select service prices increased by approximately 5.5%
                      • There is no price increase for Parcel Select Ground

                      It is important to note that these rate changes will vary between service levels and depend on where you print USPS labels. For a complete guide to USPS’s shipping rate changes, click here. 

                      UPS

                      The 2023 UPS shipping rates that went into effect on December 22, 2022, have seen an average increase of about 6.9% across the board, matching FedEx.

                      DHL Express

                      DHL Express wasted no time enacting their 2023 shipping rate increases by an average of 7.9% on January 1, 2023. 

                      FedEx

                      The 2023 FedEx shipping rates that went into effect on January 2, 2023, have seen an average increase of about 6.9% across the board. The exact increase percentage from last year to this year varies depending on the package’s size, weight, shipping destination, and shipping origin. 

                      It’s also worth noting that a delivery area surcharge of $13.25 will be applied per package for shipments traveling to specific ZIP codes within the contiguous 48 states. The exact amount of fuel surcharge will depend on market conditions and will be updated once more later this year on April 4, 2023.

                      A complete list of FedEx’s shipping rate changes can be found on their website.

                      Canada Post

                      The 2023 Canada Post shipping rates increased by an average of 4.0% domestically and 1.4% US and internationally on January 9, 2023. For a full guide on Canada Post’s shipping rate changes, visit their guide.

                      How You Can Save on Shipping in 2023

                      This year, shipping rate increases didn’t entirely roll back from the higher prices during the peak holiday season. However, shipment services will continue growing in price year after year. If you don’t want to fall behind, use these tips to stay ahead:

                      Free Shipping

                      If you offer Free Shipping here are some options available to you:

                      An Increase in product prices – If you’re still dead-set on maintaining your ‘free shipping’ options then an increase in product prices may be where you make up the loss incurred from the increased shipping costs. If you increase your products’ prices by the same percentage as these shipping increases you will maintain your magins. Although, your repeat and loyal customers may notice an increase in price, which could lead to an impact in their purchase frequency and shopping habits. This may be something worth A/B testing. 

                      You could just do nothing – If you choose this route then you’ll need to absorb the increased cost of shipping yourself. Confirm your margins and your profitability before taking this route. 

                      Consider a switch to ‘Free Shipping Minimums” – There is a compromise to be found between increasing your product prices and doing nothing. And that compromise is to add a free shipping minimum. This tactic has been shown to increase the average order value, which will help to offset the increased cost in shipping. This strategy will also pass along the cost of shipping directly to your customers if their order fails to reach the minimum threshold.

                      Flat Rate

                      If you offer Flat Rate Shipping here are some options available to you:

                      You could just do nothing – Same as with Free Shipping, if you choose to do nothing then you’ll have to eat the cost yourself. Confirm this plan’s sustainability and long term functionality. 

                      Adjust or introduce Order Value Ranges – There’s no rule that says your flat rates need to be the same for every order. Consider offering a higher flat rate on smaller orders and lower flat rates as orders and cart sizes increase. This will help off-set the increase in shipping costs. 

                      Increase product prices – If you increase your products’ prices by the same percentage as these shipping increases you will maintain your magins. Although, your repeat and loyal customers may notice an increase in price, which could lead to an impact in their purchase frequency. 

                      Increase Flat Rate Shipping – This increase may lead to similar results as an increase in product prices and it may impact your abandoned cart rates as customers will see this charge later on in the sales process. Consider altering the messaging and frequency of your Cart Abandonment emails if this is the path you choose.

                      Calculated Shipping Rate

                      If you offer Calculated Shipping here are some options available to you:

                      You could just do nothing – If you use a calculated rates provider or app and you choose to do nothing then these new charges will be automatically updated as soon as they are implemented. 

                      Decrease Product Price – Since your shipping rates are going to be automatically updated via your carrier extensions and applications a decrease in product price is an option. Once again, ensure that your margins are sustainable and pricing remains consistent and strategically in-line with the rest of your product line and your competitors.

                      Adjust for 2023 and beyond

                      While your current 2023 budget may need to be adjusted to account for some of these new charges, this might be a blessing in disguise. You could use this opportunity to rethink your entire shipping strategy from the ground up. If none of your calculations hit on your target margin, pricing strategy or shipping rate then it is time to go back to the drawing board. The team here at InteractOne is experienced and knowledgeable and ready to help craft a shipping strategy that works for you and your plans.

                        Get expert help today!

                        An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

                        Drop Us a Line At:

                        Our Contact Form

                        Or, if you prefer an old-fashioned phone call:
                        Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

                        4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255
                        Cincinnati, OH 45241

                        Get in on the Digital Coupon Revolution

                        Get in on the Digital Coupon Revolution

                        There is nothing new about offering coupons and discounts to your customers. Coupons are as old as advertising itself. But creating a marketing strategy around digital coupons is completely different than one built around traditional mailers. This is a whole new arena, and getting started can seem intimidating.

                        Simple question: is your current digital coupon strategy increasing revenue? If you’re limiting your coupons with traditional methods, such as listing them on coupon directories, then your team needs to take a more proactive approach.

                        A well planned, effective digital coupon strategy can create an immediate impact on your revenue, average order value, and customer retention. In this blog, you’ll learn why we recommend your business to work with an experienced partner on a digital coupon strategy

                        Let’s dive in.

                        The Right Partner Goes a Long Way

                        While discounts are proven to drive sales and make consumers feel even better about their purchase, not all brands, products, and customers are ideal for discounts. Coupons can harm your brand’s customer perceived value or public image. For example, coupons can be both ineffective and counterproductive when it comes to luxury items. Vogue Business found that when luxury items were discounted, they were seen as inferior, out-of-season, or less popular, immediately making the luxury brand less desirable.

                        For instance, if you’re selling Lamborghinis, this guide may not be for you because your target audience isn’t spending time hunting for coupons. For other retailers, however, it’s essential to incorporate the right pricing strategies, at the right time, for the right customers… but how do you know? Work with a partner who has a proven track record with coupon strategy.

                        To optimize new ways to reach consumers and to manage the risks and costs associated with the settlement of all types of coupons — paper, digital, and universal digital coupons — brands and retailers should seek to partner with an experienced, true one-stop shop. Outsourcing your coupon campaign to a proven partner comes with many benefits:

                        Financial Expertise

                        • Fast, accurate, simplified payment and reconciliation of valid discounts paid to consumers
                        • Efficient, automated, and accurate invoicing and settlement of all promotion types, consolidated into a fully transparent, consistent data set
                        • Powerful point-of-sale (POS) audit that quickly identifies and helps resolve exceptions

                        Robust Data & Analytics

                        • Store-level data targeting consumers and oversight of store controls
                        • 24/7 access to redemption analytics through a self-service portal
                        • Expert representatives supporting powerful portals, dashboards and scorecards
                        • Granular offer intelligence to uncover opportunities and identify risks

                        Advanced Risk Management

                        • POS offer validation data set to aid retailers in stopping counterfeits before they’re accepted
                        • A proprietary, enhanced audit that combines with POS data to support loss prevention

                        Coupon Revolution: Herein Lies A Universal Opportunity

                        Research shows that approximately half of shoppers are cautiously optimistic about the year ahead. They plan to spend — they’ll just be more prudent about what they purchase. And they’ll be looking for deals. With inflation rates higher than ever, customers are looking to cut down on costs, often leading them to purchase cheaper alternatives. This is where an effective and strategic digital coupon strategy comes into play. Implementing an effective digital coupon strategy can keep your deal-hunting customers purchasing the items they want most rather than searching for a cheaper alternative.

                        Digital coupons can be a great marketing feature for any sized business, as it helps draw in new customers and reward existing ones.

                        Can companies without the knowledge, experience, and processes of coupon settlement and reimbursement seamlessly handle the strain of innovation and complexity of coupon redemption? Yes, we have seen it done successfully. But those success stories are rare. More often than not, the coupon campaign falls short and pulls too much time, with too few results and too many resources from other vital business operations.

                        A reliable, streamlined, and visible coupon redemption process is a core value — and primary business function — of successful brands and retailers. This is why finding the right balance and right partner to create and maintain a coupon strategy is essential to helping you elevate your business, bring in new customers, and entice existing ones.

                        Bringing it all together

                        You can employ many strategies when setting up a coupon strategy, but you might have to test several methods before finding one that works for you. No matter what coupon marketing strategy you decide on, our team of experts can help you gain visibility into market and customer data and effectively mine it to develop targeted offers that spark action and increases revenue. Speak with one of our team members today!

                          Get expert help today!

                          An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

                          Drop Us a Line At:

                          Our Contact Form

                          Or, if you prefer an old-fashioned phone call:
                          Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

                          4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255
                          Cincinnati, OH 45241

                          Successfully Manage Communications & Expectations with an eCommerce Agency

                          Successfully Manage Communications & Expectations with an eCommerce Agency

                          Managing communications and expectations between an eCommerce agency and your internal stakeholders can be a daunting task. It’s your job to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding objectives and expectations – while still retaining control of the workflow. Whether you have just partnered with an outside agency or are overseeing in-house teams, successful communication management will maximize productivity, minimize the unknown and produce greater quality work. We should know we’ve been in the eCommerce business for 25 years.  In this blog post, we’ll delve into practical techniques you can utilize for managing communications and setting realistic expectations with your eCommerce partners.

                          Start with a specific, limited scope

                          There’s nothing wrong with being a little nervous about handing over the keys. After all, working with a new eCommerce partner can be intimidating – you both want to make sure it’s a proper fit, and the work is good. However, we recommend that you ease into a partnership rather than jumping straight into the deep end. Start by establishing a very specific, and perhaps limited, scope of work. This would allow both of you to understand the team dynamics and address communication styles and cadence. In addition, it’ll allow both teams to get used to providing and receiving feedback and updates. Setting these sorts of expectations early on in the journey will set both parties up for success throughout the course of the partnership. And if things go well early on, you’ll both trust each other more and expand your scope and projects. 

                          Provide Support

                          Be prepared to provide some level of support, especially early on in your partnership. Your ability to provide the necessary resources and guidance at the outset of a project will have an invaluable impact on your relationship. Supporting your partner with comprehensive brand guides, market research, and other critical intelligence can mean the difference between the success and failure of any project. Rather than leaving them to ’figure it out,’ proactively show your commitment by filling out their questionnaires or offering sound advice and direction when needed. Simply put: give your partner the elements they need to succeed – because in the end, if they succeed, you succeed. All of this may sound overly simplistic and obvious, but often, partnerships and projects die on the vine due to a lack of support.

                          Put Experienced Employees in Charge

                          Establishing an eCommerce partnership should not be taken lightly. Suppose you don’t put the right people in charge of managing your creative business partnerships who have a firm grasp of handling the process. In that case, the partnership is at risk of failure, and productivity could drop off quickly, which is why you should never assign a new hire to any new eCommerce partnership. Investing in the partnership from the start by having experienced, knowledgeable professionals oversee it will save time, money, and hassle down the road. If you have a new employee with whom you want to gain experience, that’s perfectly normal and, in many ways, to be expected. But we recommend making them a #2. Let them learn from your more veteran team members on what to do and, perhaps most importantly, what not to do.

                          Be Aware of Human Limitations

                          As experienced professionals, we must also recognize our partners are people too and remember that compassion and understanding are essential components of any partnership, which is why both sides must remain aware of each other’s limitations and establish parameters upfront. Of course, we all have to work within the parameters of time, resources, and capabilities. Still, when working with partners, meeting established deadlines is essential to any project, and it’s important to understand that sometimes it really is ‘too late’ to make last-minute changes. And if your new partner consistently misses deadlines or delivers nothing but excuses, you should address it immediately to protect yourself and your company. It is also essential to be aware that we are in a global workspace. So, if your eCommerce partner is in a different timezone or even on another continent, we recommend giving them time to receive your correspondence and reply. And as with all aspects of modern life, think twice before you fire off an angry email or text message.

                          Be willing to take risks! 

                          We list this recommendation last because this step naturally comes after trust is established and rapport has been built. Although client trust and rapport are invaluable business foundations, both sides should be open to capitalizing on their collective experience and introducing fresh ideas that may take both parties outside their comfort zones. For instance, you may be a worldwide leader in Widgets, but your eCommerce partner understands how to make digital strategies successful. Whether it be leveraging the latest marketing strategy or tweaking the design of your Widget, have confidence that both parties’ diverse skill sets will help lead the endeavor to success. After all, two heads are better than one – and you may even create something revolutionary together!

                          Bringing it all together

                          We have certainly learned a thing or two about eCommerce partnerships. Achieving the right balance between internal deadlines, having a top-notch communication process, and implementing a comprehensive marketing strategy are the keys to a successful eCommerce business. In addition, as we have learned over 25 years of business, innovations come at a rapid pace, so staying nimble, open, and willing to adapt is critical. If you’d like to poke our brains a little more about eCommerce, please reach out to us below.

                            Get expert help today!

                            An InteractOne Senior Team Member will get back to you within a day.

                            Drop Us a Line At:

                            Our Contact Form

                            Phone (USA): (513) 469-3362

                            4665 Cornell Rd. Suite 255
                            Cincinnati, OH 45241