ecommerce | Internet Marketing Blog

Mobile discovery driving transactions among Australian consumers

Nine out of ten Australian consumers use online media to discover more about products and just over 50% have used a smartphone or tablet to price compare.

These findings come from Nielsen's latest research study, which was conducted in partnership with eBay and PayPal.

Over 3,000 adult Australians were surveyed as part of the study in an effort to better understand how Australians are using their mobile devices - something all the more pertinent, given the recent revelation that mobile is seeing rapid growth across the region.

by Claire Brinkley 18 December 2012 22:46pm 0 comments

Five reasons why the UK leads the world for ecommerce

In our new Ecommerce Platforms Buyer’s Guide, one of the highlighted trends was the continued growth of the ecommerce market in the United Kingdom.

This has been the driving factor for increased spend on the technology and services that facilitate online and multichannel commerce.

Figures from the IMRG CapGemini e-Retail Sales Index, summarised in a report published by Ofcom last week, show that the UK leads the world for online consumer spending per person.

by Andrew Warren-Payne 17 December 2012 10:15am 14 comments

Tapping into seasonal e-commerce trends around the globe

Cyber Monday broke records in the USA this year, and resulted in a surge in online sales around the world.

While December is still a key month for UK and US retailers, many e-commerce companies are also focusing on other global shopping trends.

by Christian Arno 03 December 2012 13:04pm 0 comments

Hosting videos: YouTube or third-party provider?

YouTube is a popular choice for hosting e-commerce videos, but it has its drawbacks. It’s hugely popular and it’s free – but sophisticated e-commerce capabilities are limited.

YouTube does offer some obvious pluses when it comes to video hosting, and the site provides a fast and easy way to get videos in front of the required eyeballs.

It’s free, it’s user-friendly, and being that it’s the second-largest search engine in the world, it attracts the necessary traffic you need for product videos.

by Melody King 15 October 2012 09:42am 5 comments

The power of where: using IP geolocation to create instant local connections online

Geography has always played a crucial role in marketing to consumers in the offline “real” world.

It shapes the way companies reach out to target audiences. It affects the way products are promoted and priced. It helps analyse consumers within a particular area, and it places restrictions on the way business is conducted due to laws and regulations in a given area.

The same holds true of course in the online world. Understanding user location can be a critical factor―and competitive differentiator―in customer outreach today.

And yet, many businesses continue to present online consumers with a single “one size fits all” approach in their online initiatives and thereby miss out on the opportunity to create instant connections with local audiences.

There is an alternative.

by Kate Owen 25 September 2012 09:33am 8 comments

Re-assessing the value of conversion rates

Whilst the e-commerce industry as a whole continues to grow at 20% per year, life for individual site owners doesn’t get any easier.

Whilst now levelling out, CPCs have seen heady growth over previous years, meaning that it’s more important than ever to secure a sale once you’ve enticed a user to your site.

However, at the same time there is a clear trend showing a decline in on-site conversion rates, meaning that more and more of your expensively-won traffic is simply visiting the site only to leave without purchasing.

by Ian McCaig 20 September 2012 10:48am 6 comments

Website investment still key for online retailers despite the rise of social and mobile

Want to know where you should be aiming your e-commerce investment to increase online sales?

We asked 100 senior decision makers from leading global retail brands, who were attending the latest Internet Retailer conference, about what they are planning to invest in over the next 12 months.

by Maria Wasing 03 September 2012 11:25am 4 comments

Reaching the CIVETS through digital marketing

The fast-growing CIVETS countries have attracted a lot of attention from investors in the first half of 2012.

As internet use continues to rise, they offer new opportunities for e-commerce companies.

As the Eurozone’s debt woes continue, more marketers are looking further afield for new customers. Many eyes are turning towards the so-called CIVETS nations - Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa.

by Christian Arno 28 August 2012 10:47am 1 comment

Buy with Facebook?

Given the increasing pressure on Facebook’s leadership to come up with strategies that not only boost revenue but restore confidence in investors, it seems like there is no shortage of advice on how the company can better monetize their user base.

One thing I haven’t seen, and I am going to adventure here, is developing a mechanism that allows Facebook users to make purchases on other websites, using their Facebook identity.

by Oscar Trelles 21 August 2012 17:28pm 8 comments

Multilingual e-commerce: US and UK trends

US internet retailers are more likely than their UK counterparts to target Brazilian and Chinese markets in the next year.

However, all agree that use of social media networks and website translations are fundamentally important tools for making progress into international e-commerce markets.

After attending two events, most recently the IRCE in Chicago, USA and the IRX in Birmingham, UK back in March, I found several crucial differences in the way that companies in the US and UK were approaching the various international retail markets.

by Patrick Eve 04 July 2012 16:42pm 10 comments