• Reduce Cart Abandonment with Postcode Address Finder

    17th May, 2010

    With cart abandonment reduction becoming an ever more important consideration to online trading, etailers are ever more having to become more savvy to the do’s and don’ts with their ecommerce websites.

    The time it takes for a customer to complete the checkout process is an important factor; getting the balance right between collecting enough information to efficiently fulfill the order and further market to the customer versus making the whole process take as least time possible is a fine line. The more time a customer spends filling in personal information or credit card details provides more time for them to change their mind and abandon the sale.

    Tiger Commerce’s new Postcode Address Finder (PAF) tool is a great new addition for merchants looking to help reduce cart abandonment. The tool means customers only need to enter their postcode and then click on the ‘Find Address’ button, pick their address from the list and their address information is then populated into the other fields automatically.

    Tiger Commerce's Postcode Address Finder

    Tiger Commerce's Postcode Address Finder

    The PAF tool benefits include:

    - Reduce e-commerce cart abandonment - PAF reduces the check out time by over 30%

    - Save time and money - Saves over one minute of typing time during the checkout process

    - Increase data accuracy - The address going into your customer database will be correct

    - Avoid the cost of missed deliveries - Helps ensure online orders are delivered first time, every time

    - Improves customer service - Improves trust in your website by creating a more professional feel whilst also giving your customers a more personalised experience

    IMRG Logo

    "Inaccurate addressing cost the e-Retail industry £146 million in 2009."

    “A recent survey conducted by the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) in partnership with Postcode Anywhere revealed inaccurate addressing, through missing postcodes, cost the e-Retail industry £146 million in 2009″.

    For further information on enabling this tool within your Tiger Commerce ecommerce site, please call 0844 770 6877.

    Tiger Commerce sponsors World Record Breaker!

    28th April, 2010

    GForces’ very own Kevin Robins (Head of Client Services) beat the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon run in an animal costume at the Virgin London Marathon in 3 hours 30 minutes!

    Sponsored by Tiger Commerce (owned by GForces), Kevin was wearing a giant Tiger’s head on his shoulders and a tiger striped costume to match. As I’m sure you can appreciate from the photos, Kevin looked the part:

    Tiger Commerce

    Tiger Commerce sponsors World Record Breaker!

    With 3 hrs 42 min 27 sec and a competing lobster to beat, Kevin has set an amazing  new world record. We congratulate him on his victory and fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy and  look forward to seeing him break this record again in the next marathon.

    With the power of Tiger Commerce behind him, we aren’t surprised by Kevin’s achievement.

    Related Websites:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8641951.stm

    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=110478388980949

    http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_London-Marathon-preview/BLOG/2311387/7691.html

    The value of online customer service

    1st April, 2010

    As IMRG recently reported that there are now 150,000 online retail businesses in the UK employing some 600,000 people, it’s clear that the level of competition has reached an all time high. Many ecommerce businesses complain that their business is driven by price, but a recent report from StellaService in the US says that online shoppers will pay a premium of 10.7% for great service (and they put a monetary value on that service of $17.3billion in the US market).

    So if you are a small website shop, what are the best ways to grab a share of that added value available to online retailers?

    • Speed of Delivery The report says that the leading factor for great customer service is speed of delivery. Our experience shows that small ecommerce websites can often beat the larger online players with speed of delivery. Not to mention any names, but how often are you kept waiting 5-7 days by a major online retailer?. So if you know that you can deliver quickly, then make it clear on your website as it clearly matters to consumers and could be the difference between a sale or no sale.
    • Customer Interaction Another important element in customer service is the way you/your staff deal with customers over the phone or via email. Again this is an area where small website shops can provide a better experience. Would you prefer to talk to call centre or someone in a who really cares about and knows their products?

    Large ecommerce websites like Ocado in the UK and Zappos in the US know all about customer service, but as the StellaService report points out, a bigger share of online spend is also possible for small website shops who ‘improve basic service practices and policies that matter most to online consumers’.

    Ocado and Zappos know all about customer service

    Ocado and Zappos know all about customer service

    Tiger Commerce launches iPhone app for etailers on the move

    25th March, 2010

    We’re really delighted to announce the launch of our iPhone app - free to all Tiger Commerce software users. This new app - mCommerce - enables shop owners to access and respond to real-time data relating to their online retail operation - all through their iPhone.

    Tiger Commerce is the first UK ecommerce platform to launch an iPhone app to complement its browser based online shop software. mCommerce facilitates order tracking and on the move updates, allowing shop owners to stay in touch with new orders and new customer registrations, as well as  historical shop data - without needing to access a laptop or computer. Tiger Commerce clients can also use mCommerce to log into their shop’s Google Analytics account for up to date analysis on shop visitor data.

    Tiger Commerce Launch M-commerce

    Tiger Commerce Launch mCommerce

    A few quotes from a couple of Tiger clients who are already using the mCommerce app:

    “I run a couple of ecommerce websites. The new mCommerce app is perfect for me; it means I can easily stay in touch with orders coming into my shops at any time and wherever I happen to be. A brilliant and really useful add on to the Tiger Commerce service” Jamie Smith, www.squadronleader.co.uk

    “We love Tiger’s i-Phone app, my co-directors and I all have other work commitments in addition to our Begolden online shop, and this allows us to easily keep track of what is happening in our shop. We really like the fact that we can access all our order management data without having to be in the office or near a computer ” Bobby Adams, www.begolden.co.uk

    The new, free-to-download Tiger Commerce app, mCommerce is available now at the Apple Store for all Tiger Commerce website shop owners.

    How to Reduce Returns from your Online Customers

    19th March, 2010

    A survey by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has shown that over 60% of consumers are less likely to return goods they buy online compared to those they buy offline. It seems that many consumers may not be aware that they have the automatic right to a 7 day cooling off period for products brought online. Perhaps the most important factor is the inconvenience of returning items bought online, especially as it’s only really the larger ecommerce websites that make it easy to return items (with returns postage labels & packaging etc).

    However, as more and more of retail shifts away from offline to online, it is likely that more consumers will use the Returns option for online goods if they are not happy. With that in mind here are some tips to reduce Returns:

    - Make sure your product descriptions communicate effectively; any vagueness on colour, size, specification etc is likely to result in higher returns.

    - Use good photos (from different angles) and videos to demo the product, if appropriate.

    Use Good Photos from Different Angles

    Use Good Photos from Different Angles

    - For technical products, provide links to manufacturer’s brochures/websites for further information.

    - Enable the product comparison functionality, if your ecommerce website has this. Tiger Commerce provides this useful feature as standard in its ecommerce website software - allowing shoppers to compare a breakdown of the key features of  several products side by side on the page.  This way, they are able to make better selections.

    Product Comparison Functionality

    Product Comparison Functionality

    - Ensure that your packaging is up to scratch for items that could be damaged in the delivery process.

    - Make your Returns policy accessible and easy to use. More customers may return items, but having experienced great Returns service, they may also be more likely to come back and make further purchases that do meet their needs.

    The e-Retail opportunity in Europe

    11th March, 2010

    A new report just out from Forrester Research highlights the opportunity for growth for online retail in Europe over the next 5 years. They predict that sales will increase by 11% per annum in the largest EU Nations.

    Prediction - Sales Increase in Largest EU Nations

    Forrester Research - Sales Increase in Largest EU Nations

    There is however a strong divide between countries in Northern and Southern Europe. The latter (eg. Spain and Italy) are expected to experience higher growth rates because adoption is much lower than the  50% or so of UK residents who purchase regularly online.

    Forrester predicts that multichannel, mobile and social media will all play key roles in future development of online retail so all ecommerce websites should have a strategy to exploit these areas.

    On a more local level, there was positive data this week from the British Retail Consortium that reported that internet and mail order sales were up by 15% in February in contrast to the weaker growth reported for January by the IMRG (just 5% for online sales). It seems that the cold weather persuaded many people to shop at home/work rather than brave the Hight Street.

    Unexpected Online User Behaviour

    5th March, 2010

    A really interesting read is the Webcredible ‘10 Unexpected Onlne User Behaviours to Look out for’. Well worth taking a look at.

    Some highlights of this report are…..

    - Core messaging shouldn’t be wrapped up in complex graphics as people automatically see this as an advertising banner which they may ignore.

    - User testing is vital because Calls To Action/Links may not be as easily accessible on the page as we think they are.

    - People don’t actually mind scrolling down pages  (even though they say they don’t like doing this, in practice they’re not actually aware that they do it instinctively anyway).

    - As people read web pages differently to books or magazines - they scan rather than read content until they find what they need - so you should  reduce word count, highlight key words, use bullet points etc

    -  Webcredible’s research also reveals that people are actually prepared to click through more than 3 levels (contrary to what we’ve long been told) as long as they feel that they are making progress to their goal. It’s all about site flow…..

    Webcredible

    Webcredible

    Good & Bad News for Early eCommerce Sales

    5th March, 2010

    Let’s get the bad news out of the way…… According to IMRG, online shopping growth hit a low of just 5% in January compared to January 2009. That must be put in the context of a very strong December and Xmas online shopping period and one reason given for lower growth was that Jan 2009 evidenced heavy discounting following a weak Xmas trading season when the recession started to take hold.

    Now for the good news…..Coremetrics has estimated that the average online spend in the first half of February (the run up to Valentine’s Day) was 65% higher than in the same period in 2010. That’s an impressive leap - from £90 to £150. Coremetrics say this is evidence that consumers are willing to spend once again with ecommerce websites.

    Average Online Spend Higher

    Average Online Spend Higher

    Given the above, who knows how this year will turn out? Having said that, we remain convinced that online is the best space to be in for retail growth and most experts continue to predict a healthy year overall for ecommerce.  So take heart and stay positive.

    To tweet or not to tweet?

    12th February, 2010

    For online retailers thinking about whether to use Twitter or not, you will be interested to read an item on eConsultancy’s blog. It looks at a recent report by dotCommerce into Twitter and how it’s used by retailers and ecommerce websites.

    To tweet or not to tweet?

    To tweet or not to tweet?

    Apparently, just 26% of UK retailers use Twitter. Some of the best examples are ASOS, eSpares, Asda and Debenhams - so maybe these are Twitter accounts to follow if you’re thinking about leaping in yourselves.

    As we’ve said before, make sure you’re signed up for eConsultancy’s newsletters (free) in order to keep abreast on all things to do with ecommerce and digital marketing. Our other top recommendation is Internet Retailing who also have a free e-newsletter that tracks the ecommerce sector with specific comment on the leading ecommerce websites.

    eCommerce still has great growth potential

    15th January, 2010

    We’re into the Christmas ecommerce statistics/reporting season. And the news is good in spite of the ongoing difficulties in the broader economy. Furthermore, if Xmas sales are a growth indicator, then ecommerce looks set to continue to break new records in 2010.

    According to IMRG, Xmas day online sales rose by 29% to £132 million and Boxing Day (when many sales kick in) delivered  £281 million in online orders.

    M&S and Ocado reported strong Xmas trading and John Lewis’ ecommerce website had an order every 10 seconds on Christmas Day. House of Fraser’s ecommerce site recorded sales up 91% in the run up to Xmas and Tesco Direct +50%. So it’s quite clear from these massive growth rates that ecommerce is still nowhere near maturity.

    It’s interesting to reflect that almost 50% of books are now sold online and that is a factor of the longevity in the market of online book retailers led by  Amazon. Most other retail sectors still have massive opportunity for growth.

    If you’re thinking of taking your business online or setting up a new ecommerce website then now may be the time to take that plunge. And you need look no further than Tiger for the feature rich, easy to set up and cost effective solution to getting online. We now have an annual discounted package (£180 per annum) as well as our basic £17.99 deal. Don’t delay…go to www.tigercommerce.co.uk to access your 7 Day Free Trial.

    Annual Discounted Package

    Annual Discounted Package