<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d66378ddbd7d9a9d93_651d3d3c5d5d9fe1d4a5b093_62e14e8da6f9c4e294c07c7d_Event%252520Headers%252520-%252520August%252520and%252520September%252520(8)%252520(1).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Intelligence</span> <h1 class="gn-title">eCommerce 101 : What Brands Need To Do Right Now For A Stronger 2023</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>7 October 2022</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>8 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">From saturated marketplaces to rapid changes to platforms, growing complexity and rising consumer expectations, the last two years have presented seismic shifts for the world of eCommerce.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Keeping ahead of the curve is harder than ever, so, this week, we asked 3 eCommerce experts to share <strong>the latest trends and changes impacting online retailers</strong>, and what marketing and eComm leaders alike can execute right now to prepare for a strong performance in 2023.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>In this article:</strong></p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">In this article</div> <h4>What we cover</h4> <ul> <li><strong>What's changed in eCommerce in 2022.</strong> Trends and challenges.</li> <li><strong>5 ways to boost your eComm in 2023.</strong> Actionable steps from three experts.</li> <li><strong>Where to start with prioritising your next steps.</strong> Closing advice on focus and testing.</li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>This article is a round-up of all the key learnings from our recent workshop, 'eCommerce 101: The Latest Trends, Platforms, and Opportunities for your Business'. To join an upcoming virtual session, </em><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/events"><strong><em>take a look at our upcoming events calendar</em></strong></a>.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>The run-down: What's changed in eCommerce in 2022?</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">There's no denying that there's a lot going on in eCommerce right now, so we asked our experts to share the 3 largest trends they've seen this year.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal"><strong>Declining customer loyalty, and the importance of retention</strong></h3> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="For Ian Hyde, Head of Digital Performance at Visualsoft, the last year has exposed growing challenges in building brand loyalty." src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d56378ddbd7d9a9d3a_633f3b50ffd425179abeaa90_Event%2520Round-up%2520-%2520Quotes.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Ian Hyde, Head of Digital Performance at Visualsoft, on the growing challenges of building brand loyalty.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">For <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-h-71292b68/" target="_blank"><strong>Ian Hyde</strong></a>, Head of Digital Performance at <a href="https://www.visualsoft.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>Visualsoft</strong></a>, the last year has exposed growing <em>challenges in </em><strong><em>building brand loyalty.</em></strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"One of the biggest shifts I've seen this year so far is towards that of brand loyalty. <strong>Merchants are now understanding the value of retaining a "high value customer"</strong>, but also reactivating lapsed customers, rather than acquiring necessarily a new customer."<cite>Ian Hyde · Head of Digital Performance, Visualsoft</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">The shift in focus here to customer retention isn't out of the blue though, for many, it's a necessity to maintain anything near to the levels of growth seen over the course of the last 2 years.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"The companies that have continued to thrive are those that have nurtured the new business they gained throughout that period. It's a focus on <strong>personalised retention strategies</strong>, rather than constantly chasing more and more new users."<cite>Ian Hyde · Head of Digital Performance, Visualsoft</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal"><strong>Saturation of choice in online marketplaces</strong></h3> <p class="gn-reveal">When it comes to the need for improved brand loyalty, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-makdessi-85230a1b/" target="_blank"><strong>Dan Makdessi</strong></a>, Commercial Director, <a href="https://www.toucanecommerce.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Toucan Ecommerce</strong></a> flags the growing saturation of online marketplaces.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"It's mainly <strong>due to a lot more competition on the platform.</strong> Part of this is because <strong>we've seen a lot of new entrants</strong>, niche brands launching, but we're also tracking the amount of product detail pages a consumer looks at before they make a choice, and that's actually increasing too."<cite>Dan Makdessi · Commercial Director, Toucan Ecommerce</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">However, this isn't <em>just</em> a challenge of being seen, it's also driving up costs.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"To keep up with this, brands are spending more on advertising, so, <strong>consumers are receiving more ads, the noise is louder, and the Cost-Per-Click is higher</strong>."<cite>Dan Makdessi · Commercial Director, Toucan Ecommerce</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal"><strong>Rapid updates to platforms</strong></h3> <p class="gn-reveal">The final major trend impacting eCommerce this year is flagged by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-walls-11559b46/" target="_blank"><strong>Amanda Walls</strong></a>, Strategy Director, <a href="https://cedarwood.digital/" target="_blank"><strong>Cedarwood Digital</strong></a>.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"There have been <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-announces-september-2022-core-algorithm-update/464195/"><strong>3 google updates in the last month alone</strong></a>, and they all impact eCommerce. One of the largest updates that came out of that was the way that Google perceives page quality, alongside redefining the way that it ranks websites in the 'money' or 'life' category, including eCommerce in particular."<cite>Amanda Walls · Strategy Director, Cedarwood Digital</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">This means a relatively large shift in how eCommerce sites are expected to present themselves to the algorithm in a short amount of time, from content to site structure, but also external brand reputation.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">To get an understanding of your reputation, <strong>Amanda</strong> recommends "conducting an external search for your own brand, but excluding your own website. This will allow you to see how your reputation is being displayed to Google and to other people. From a user experience perspective, that's really valuable."</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>5 moves you can make right now for a stronger eCommerce performance in the New Year</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">More competitive, less loyalty, and a host of technical updates to be kept abreast of. There's a lot to manage, so we asked our experts to share what can be done right now to prepare for a stronger 2023 performance.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Assess your existing eCommerce platforms</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Whilst this may seem easier said than done, there's no time like the present for making sure your platforms are future-proofed.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For <strong>Amanda</strong>, a non-optimised platform can have major implications for what you're able to achieve long-term with your eCommerce.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"From an SEO or even from a PPC perspective, one of the largest challenges is <strong>platforms that are complicated to update, or hard to access</strong>."<cite>Amanda Walls · Strategy Director, Cedarwood Digital</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">The knock-on effect of legacy systems can be wider than you might think. So, sense-checking your existing platforms sooner rather than later can save a lot of pain down the line.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">A few straightforward questions to ask to get a read on the viability of your current platform:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">Platform sense-check</div> <h4>Questions to ask about your current platform</h4> <ul> <li><strong><em>What level of usability do you need?</em></strong></li> <li><strong><em>What functionality do you require?</em></strong></li> <li><strong><em>How are you future-proofing what you currently have?</em></strong></li> <li><strong><em>What does your resource look like? Do you need to manage things yourself or are you able to outsource?</em></strong></li> </ul> </aside> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Get a read on the data you hold for your eCommerce audience</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">One of the key contributors to strong customer retention is a personalised experience. However, that personalisation is only as good as what you know about your audience.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">So, action #2? According to <strong>Ian</strong>, it's getting to grips with the quality of your existing data.</p> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>You need to be able to organise it in a way that can be easily segmented and utilised for your marketing efforts.</q><cite>Ian Hyde · Head of Digital Performance, Visualsoft</cite></aside> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"A lot of the time, the biggest challenge is having a good handle on the data that you have on your customers. <strong>You need to be able to organise it in a way that can be easily segmented and utilised for your marketing efforts.</strong>"<cite>Ian Hyde · Head of Digital Performance, Visualsoft</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">This opens the door for far more personalised experiences, and ultimately, stronger retention.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">When you have a handle on who is a <strong>lapsed customer</strong>, a <strong>high-value customer</strong>, a <strong>frequent purchaser</strong>, and a <strong>seasonal purchaser</strong>, you can tailor your communications and tailor your strategy to retain them, growing the value from that audience."</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt=""It's very important to have impactful content, because this is a great way to really communicate your brand story."" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d56378ddbd7d9a9d37_633f3f8893832c07754a5e64_Event%2520Round-up%2520-%2520Quotes%2520(2)%2520(1).png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Dan Makdessi on the importance of impactful content for communicating brand story on Amazon.</figcaption> </figure> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Review and upgrade your on-page content</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">"Content is a key pillar on Amazon," says <strong>Dan</strong>.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"It's very important to have impactful content, because this is a great way to really communicate your brand story. There's the ability to add custom creatives on different ads, but also the new rollout of <a href="https://www.ecomengine.com/blog/amazon-a-plus-premium-content" target="_blank">Premium A+</a> now means that content is <strong>literally one of the most important levers on the platform</strong>. Now, optimised content increases your relevancy, and is a great way to boost your organic rank on Amazon. This, in turn, decreases your CPC. So, it's really important to have impactful content, and we're seeing that become more and more important on the platform."<cite>Dan Makdessi · Commercial Director, Toucan Ecommerce</cite></blockquote> <h4 class="gn-reveal">A/B testing your eCommerce content</h4> <p class="gn-reveal">Staying with content, <strong>Ian</strong> explains that it's good to A/B test different elements of your content to compare the performance between the two and see where you're getting a strong conversion.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"One of the largest mistakes I see is the <strong>under-use of </strong><a href="https://www.sellerapp.com/blog/amazon-listing-a-b-testing/" target="_blank"><strong>A/B testing</strong></a> when it comes to making platform changes. We've seen merchants come to us where they've changed the colour of their baskets from black to white, and seen conversion rates drop by 15% overnight. No matter how small you think the changes, <strong>it's always worth testing it first</strong>."<cite>Ian Hyde · Head of Digital Performance, Visualsoft</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Audit your payments process</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Alongside your content, a quick action to take right now is to review your on-site payments experience.</p> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">81<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">of shopping carts were abandoned during purchase Q4 of 2021.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">15<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">drop in conversion rates seen overnight from a single basket colour change.</span></div> </div> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Obviously, some of that is just people adding them to the basket and not converting, but the primary reason was <strong>non-user friendly payments</strong>. Customers don't want to sit there and add their card details anymore, they'll walk away from the purchase."<cite>Ian Hyde · Head of Digital Performance, Visualsoft</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">If you're able to update your process, <strong>Ian</strong> advises the addition of instant pay options to your site as a major action.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Both <strong>Apple Pay</strong> and <strong>Google Pay</strong> have instant purchase capabilities, but there are also options like <strong>Klarna</strong> that can help ease that conversion to sale."<cite>Ian Hyde · Head of Digital Performance, Visualsoft</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Amanda flags a few of these new opportunities available when it comes to targeting your audience." src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11d56378ddbd7d9a9d32_633f3cc6b08f9b39eedf4999_Event%2520Round-up%2520-%2520Quotes%2520(1).png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Amanda Walls, Strategy Director at Cedarwood Digital, on new targeting opportunities for eCommerce.</figcaption> </figure> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Take time to explore new opportunities for your eCommerce strategy</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For marketers and eCommerce leaders alike, the pace of change in the industry requires a huge amount of agility, but it also brings opportunity.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Amanda</strong> flags a few of these new opportunities available when it comes to targeting your audience.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Google, on the PPC side, is launching a lot of new products that are available. <a href="https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/retail/solutions/performance-max/?&fmp=1&utm_id=gfr&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ha&utm_campaign=gb-en-bki&mcsubid=gb-en-ha-mc-bk-c-bki!o3&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-fmZBhDtARIsAH6H8qjSP78bZ_smK2TweoMzlJtsmAw4f-0up5g1U9ZdcziG9Fc6qfo5KdAaAlvaEALw_wcB" target="_blank"><strong>Performance Max</strong></a> is a really good example of that, they're changing a lot of the way that they're doing extended text ads. You've also got products like <strong>Google Shopping, putting a lot of different retailers out there and competing them by price</strong>. That's one way to destroy brand loyalty, utilising a lot of these new products that allow you to make a more complete funnel, both from an acquisition and retention perspective, is really important for eCommerce."<cite>Amanda Walls · Strategy Director, Cedarwood Digital</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Don't be afraid to test and continually iterate on these new opportunities to find what works for your business, too."</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>Where to start: prioritising actions for your eCommerce strategy</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">There's a wealth of opportunity out there for eCommerce in the coming year.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">However, you don't need to be blinded by choice. In fact, taking small steps right now can be enough to start moving the needle.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">With all of the above, <strong>Dan</strong> has two key pieces of closing advice. <strong>Give yourself space to test and learn, and don't try to do it all at once.</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Always test and learn. <strong>Try things with low budgets,</strong> for example, all new ad placements on Amazon are an opportunity to get lower CPC, it could work well for your brand. <strong>Start with low budgets, and then ramp up and optimise going forward.</strong> Alongside this, in terms of trying to keep the pace, don't think you need to back every single product across every single placement. <strong>Focus on your best products first, and do that well."</strong><cite>Dan Makdessi · Commercial Director, Toucan Ecommerce</cite></blockquote> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Prioritising your next eCommerce steps</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Assess your platforms.</strong> Platforms that are complicated to update, or hard to access, limit what you can achieve long-term.</li> <li><strong>Get a handle on your data.</strong> Organise it in a way that can be easily segmented and utilised for your marketing efforts.</li> <li><strong>Review your on-page content.</strong> Optimised content increases your relevancy and is a great way to boost your organic rank on Amazon.</li> <li><strong>Audit your payments process.</strong> Customers don't want to sit there and add their card details anymore, they'll walk away from the purchase.</li> <li><strong>Explore new opportunities.</strong> Don't be afraid to test and continually iterate on these new opportunities to find what works for your business.</li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>If you're investing in your eCommerce this year, make sure you're getting the most from your time. The GO Network offer cost-free agency recommendations, pitch management, and more, </em><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch" target="_blank"><em>get in touch</em></a><em> to get started.</em></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/google-optimized-getting-the-best-from-your-digital-analytics" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Google Optimized - Getting the Best from your Digital Analytics</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Experts cover GA4 migration gaps, personalisation options, and performance strategies to help agency marketers stay ahead after Google&#39;s pla</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/ecommerce-101-the-trends-platforms-and-opportunities-for-your-business" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">eCommerce 101 - The Latest Trends, Platforms, and Opportunities for Your Business</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Experts from Cedarwood Digital, Visualsoft, and Toucan share 2022 eCommerce platform updates, competitive shifts, and the strategies agencie</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/leaders-perspective-what-marketers-need-to-know-right-now-for-a-stronger-2024" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Leader’s Perspective: What Marketers need to know right now for a stronger 2024</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Five agency experts share what in-house teams must action today, from GA4 setup to AI, market research, and smarter resource allocation.</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/round-up-how-to-execute-a-strong-cross-channel-inbound-campaign" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Round-up: How to Execute a Strong Cross-Channel Inbound Campaign</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Experts from MC Saatchi, Skout PR, and Flaunt Digital share the exact checklist agencies need to align channels, fix funnel gaps, and lift c</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside>