E-Commerce

Andy Dunn of Bonobos on Building the Armani of the E-Commerce Era
July 22, 2013

"The risk not taken is more dangerous than the risk taken," wrote Bonobos Co-Founder and CEO Andy Dunn, explaining his decision to turn down a secure job at a Silicon Valley venture capital firm and team up with Stanford business school classmate Brian Spaly to launch a new kind of men's apparel brand, focused on selling well-fitting pants online. After "creative differences," Spaly left the business in 2009, in what was a mutual though difficult split. But under Dunn's stewardship the company has not only survived, but flourished.

H&M E-Commerce Rumors Were False
July 18, 2013

Welp, rumors that H&M's long-awaited U.S. e-commerce launch was finally going to happen in June appear to have been false, considering here we are, smack in the middle of July, and we got nothing. To briefly recap: after multiple delays, the brand announced that e-commerce would probably be ready by "the middle of 2013." Hope was bolstered last February, when an employee in a New York retail store leaked the news that a launch date of June 2013 was announced internally at a staff meeting. 

10 E-Commerce Design Tips That Will Increase Sales
July 17, 2013

Designing your e-commerce store isn't only about making it look good; it's also about making sure that it generates sales. Your goal is to make visitors not only trust your site, but have confidence in the product they're buying as well. Your second goal is to make sure visitors are able to navigate properly and quickly through the site. Not only do you want them to get to the item they're looking for quickly, but customers want their purchase to be quick and painless as well. 

Sephora to Launch New Beauty Site
July 12, 2013

Specialty beauty retailer Sephora is turning to Duncan/Channon to design the website for its new Marc Jacobs Beauty collection. The site goes live Aug. 9, following the launch of a teaser site, likewise designed by Duncan/Channon. "The Duncan/Channon team came to us with the most inspiring site concepts and demonstrated a deep understanding of what we want to accomplish," said Connie Young, senior marketing director for Sephora. "I truly feel that they are an extension of our team."

How Did Macy's Beat Net-a-Porter in L2's Latest Digital Ranking?
July 11, 2013

L2, a New York University think tank that specializes in retail economics, has released their first-ever ranking of department stores based on digital prowess, and here's a shocker: Macy's has beat out pace-setting digital darling Net-a-Porter. Macy's comes in second on this list, topped only by Nordstrom, while Net-a-Porter is way down the ladder at seventh. Saks, UK-based Marks & Spencer, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale's also rank ahead of of the luxury e-tailer. So, er, how is that possible?

Compete With Amazon by Creating Community
July 10, 2013

Competing with an e-commerce Goliath like Amazon.com can be a daunting task, but specialty merchants have some distinct advantages, including the capacity to forge strong ties with shoppers through a brand community. Amazon's online warehouse of products offers little to unite customers around a common lifestyle or passion. By focusing on a particular product category, value proposition or audience, you can provide meaningful interaction and a shopping experience to connect your customers with other like-minded consumers.

6 Ways to Improve Customer Service for Online Retailers
July 9, 2013

With the paradigm shift from brick-and-mortar to online retail, too many business owners think that great customer service has lost its importance. A customer, however, is always a customer, and whether the purchase process takes place in a store or on a laptop, in order to get repeat business, you want to give your buyer the easiest, most enjoyable experience possible. If you're unsure how to improve customer service online, follow these helpful pointers:

Newegg Launches Flash-Sales Site
July 2, 2013

Newegg, a leading electronics-focused e-retailer in the U.S., has launched a flash-sale site, NeweggFlash.com. The site offers consumers daily bargains in a variety of product categories, from technology and consumer electronics to housewares, fashion, jewelry, skincare and makeup. Flash sales or "deals of the day" allow consumers to shop for items at deeply discounted prices — always, of course, "for a limited time only." NeweggFlash is a members-only site, but membership is free.

eBay Brings Daily Deals to Canada
June 28, 2013

eBay launched its eBay Deals program in Canada, replacing its former program there called The Big Deal. eBay's Deals program is a takeoff on daily-deals sites like Woot that offer a limited number of items at a significant discount available for a short time or until supplies run out. The eBay Canada Big Deal launched as a weekly feature — eBay worked with sellers and listed new items "at a significant discount, including free shipping within Canada" in fixed-price format each Wednesday.

Welcome to the New Era of ‘Emotional Commerce’
June 26, 2013

The rapidly expanding online design shop Fab.com has just secured another $150 million from investors, which means, of course, more expansion. The e-tailer has announced ambitious plans to become one the top five e-commerce businesses in the world. "There are currently only four e-commerce companies in the world that are valued at more than $10 billion: Amazon.com, Alibaba, eBay and Rakuten," Fab Founder and CEO Jason Goldberg wrote on his blog. "We believe that Fab has a legitimate chance to be the fifth."