MarketLive

In the fast-moving and ferociously competitive world of e-commerce, the pressure on small to midsized merchants to stay one step ahead of their often-larger rivals can be intense. However, much like the runner who loses momentum at a key moment by looking over his shoulder, worrying about what the other guy is up to isn’t always…

Hear how BuildDirect used growth hacking, specifically conversion optimization, to increase revenues by more than $1 Million per month.

For a while now, retailers have been bombarded from all sides to get their mobile sites in order to avoid getting overlooked by mobile shoppers. I'm sure you've searched for something on your smartphone and noticed the gray words "Mobile-friendly" after the URL in some of the top results. As of tomorrow, Google is upping the ante by prioritizing mobile-friendly sites in its new search algorithm. This means that the time for mobile in retail is now — and every other industry for that matter. Mobile optimization quickly went from a nice to have to a must have

If merchants needed any more evidence of the increasing importance of optimizing their sites for mobile commerce, Google is about to weigh in in a big way. Beginning April 21, Google is rolling out a "mobile friendly" update to its algorithm that the company says will have a "significant impact" on results for searches made on mobile devices. In an effort to give mobile users more useful search experiences, the new algorithm will give greater weight in its rankings to sites that are easy to navigate on mobile phones and tablets, such as those using responsive design principles.

For most online merchants, it's not a question of whether to sell internationally, but how to go about it. The potential that international markets represent for online merchants large and small is simply too big to pass up. The dramatic increase in potential customer base, the far higher growth rates for e-commerce in nations outside the U.S., and the value of geographic diversification cannot be understated.

This year, consumers’ expectations for simple online shopping experiences will be bolstered by the highly publicized battle over how people pay for just about anything offline. Technology allowing consumers to use their smartphones to pay for goods where credit cards are accepted has been around for several years. It's called Near Field Communication (NFC), but it's yet to gain anything approaching wide acceptance. That may begin to change in 2015.

One Kings Lane, a flash-sales site for high-end home goods, has taken a different approach to building a high-quality affiliate program. Its solution is to block coupon, loyalty or any other nonbrand relevant sites from its affiliate program. This puts all affiliates on a level playing field, making the program very attractive to those affiliates who

There was a time not that long ago when retailers exploring new ways to execute effective social engagement strategies would face a barrage of questions about return on investment. How do we know, CFOs and other company leaders would ask, if all that tweeting, liking, and pinning is doing anything for the bottom line? Where's the proof that the investments in maintaining, monitoring and updating an ever-expanding array of social media outposts are driving conversions and increasing profits? Fair questions to be sure.

A survey released today by MarketLive, a commerce technology platform provider, identifies key buying trends for the upcoming holiday shopping season as well as tactics retailers can employ to better engage consumers during this busy season. Here are some of the key findings from the report, which surveyed a random sample of 1,000 U.S. consumers who had shopped online at least four times within the past year, own a smartphone, and typically spend $250 or more online annually:

Responsive commerce has become one of this year's hottest buzzwords as retailers aim to optimize their online sites for mobile shoppers. However, understanding just what this design strategy is, knowing whether or when to implement it, and justifying the expense to key decision makers all remain key challenges for many companies. Here then is a crash course in responsive commerce and why it might be time to consider whether it can provide your customers with the seamless shopping experiences they've come to expect across devices.