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INDEPENDENT RETAILER magazine is now the official news outlet for Wholesale Central visitors.
Each monthly issue is packed with new product ideas, supplier profiles, retailing news, and
business strategies to help you succeed.
See new articles daily online at IndependentRetailer.com.
Your Search for "traffic" yielded 175 matches
04/01/2013 - Guide to Product Listing Ads
Google Product Listing Ads are a type of advertising that follows the pay-per-click (PPC) model. This kind of promotion, however, presents a greater opportunity than a typical text-only ad, which was long the cornerstone of PPC advertising. With Product Listing Ads, businesses can include rich product details, including merchant name, product images, product name, price and message
04/01/2013 - U.S. eCommerce Sales to Hit $370B by 2017
Driven by the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, ecommerce sales in the U.S. are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of ten percent in the next five years, according to a new report, "U.S. Online Retail Forecast, 2012 To 2017," from Forrester Research. Forrester predicts U.S. online retail sales will reach $262 billion in 2013
03/01/2013 - Increasing Sales with CRM
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a top priority for many e-tailers this year, as customer expectations regarding the online experience are at an all time high. In order to contend in the ecommerce arena, some e-tailers are turning to service providers to gain an edge on the competition. Below is an overview of four providers and the products and services they offer to support online sellers.
03/01/2013 - SEO: Make Your Website Work
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important, and elusive, elements of an ecommerce website. It is important because of the impact organic search TRAFFIC can have on ROI, and it is elusive because search engines are always changing the rules. Still, there are a few core SEO principles that Google and other search engines recommend which should play an integral part in your online strategy.
03/01/2013 - Google Feeds Your Appetite for Success
When it comes to the recipe for Internet sales success, brand and product exposure are key ingredients, and organic search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) are just two ways of gaining publicity. A third, often overlooked, option for product awareness is the use of shopping comparison sites, such as Google Shopping, which is fed through the Google Merchant Center.
02/01/2013 - mCommerce: Adapt or Die
Shoppers are quickly moving to mobile commerce, or mcommerce, with more than 50 percent of U.S. consumers saying they plan to use smartphones or tablets to make purchases over the Internet, according to research giant Nielsen. In addition, research firm Canalys notes that, in 2011, for the first time ever, shipments of smartphones (487.7 million) exceeded shipments of personal computers (414.6 million).
01/01/2013 - Facebook Offers Viral Advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, using text ads and banners to engage social media fans on Facebook, has been losing its luster in recent years. Advertising to these fans may be great for building brand awareness, but it is not doing much for the immediate bottom line. The low returns businesses see from PPC methods may be because people that typically use social media sites, like Facebook, do not necessarily want to be sold to directly.
12/01/2012 - eCommerce Musts for SEO Success
Online merchants who are serious about success must have a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. In order for any ecommerce strategy to have SEO legs, there are important points to consider when picking your shopping cart platform. Optimizing your ecommerce site will help improve your search rankings on Google, Yahoo and Bing. Below are some features that your ecommerce software must provide for you to effectively sell your products online.
12/01/2012 - Free Shipping Builds Profits
With 2012 winding down it is time to finalize plans for next year, and online sellers must not overlook the vital role that shipping plays in driving sales online. At some point during the buying cycle all shoppers ask, "How much does shipping cost?" and "How fast is the item shipped?" The answers to these questions play an important role in buying decisions, especially when all other comparison factors are consistent.
11/01/2012 - Engage Customers with Email
Chances are good that you have wondered about your communications strategy as an online wholesaler or retailer, and you may question whether you are communicating enough or too much. Think about how many times during the year, quarter or month a customer needs you, or your products or services, and let that be your guide to how often to reach out and touch your audience.
11/01/2012 - Six Design Tips to Generate Sales
To be successful, ecommerce businesses need to build sites that are able to sell products. Sounds simple enough, yet, too often sites are designed based on improper knowledge of customers' wants and needs. In some cases, companies even let technology drive design efforts, and that is one of the worst things that can happen.
10/01/2012 - The Best Apps for Your Business
The slew of promises that comes with many mobile apps approaches productivity from every angle. As business owners find themselves becoming more and more mobile, the curiosity surrounding these collectible tools makes a visit to an iTunes or Android store feel like the grown up version of a trip to the candy shop. Hundreds of thousands of apps are available for iPhone, iPad and Android, with more being added by the minute.
10/01/2012 - Ecommerce Holiday Checklist
The holidays are quickly approaching and your business promos should have already begun. Keeping everything in check and making sure you leave no stone unturned can be a difficult task. To help you in that effort, here is a checklist of items you should consider while preparing for the holidays.
09/01/2012 - Ecommerce Essentials to Grow Your Business
Efficient ecommerce platforms are a vital part of Internet wholesalers' and retailers' businesses. They provide a variety of tools that automate web based sales, such as creation and maintenance of product catalogs, shopping cart services, payment processing and order tracking.
09/01/2012 - Kheops-Meaningful-Business
How can a business inspire harmony? How does making a purchase result in a deeper connection with nature? Most importantly, what in the world does the web have to do with it? Kheops International has answers, all of which come in the form of meaningful gifts. As a leading wholesaler and drop shipper of candles, treasure boxes, figurines and other spiritual items, Kheops shares its appreciation for harmony and nature via its selection of gifts and jewelry.
09/01/2012 - 9 Lessons For Running an Ecommerce Business
If I have learned anything over the years while running ecommerce businesses, it is to plan for everything, and expect the unexpected. Growth requires adaptation, constant attention and change. "You reap what you sow," "garbage in, garbage out," and the list goes on.
08/01/2012 - Nine Tips for Mastering Google Remarketing
Nine Tips for Mastering Google Remarketing - If you are running any Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns, and you should be, you cannot overlook what remarketing can do for your efforts
08/01/2012 - Consumers Demand Simple Site Navigation and Reviews
A report from A.T. Kearney suggests that ecommerce vendors are seeing increased interest from consumers with the web becoming an avenue for
08/01/2012 - Tablets Trump Smartphones
Retailers tend to lump tablets and smartphones into the same category called "mobile," but that might not be wise, according to the results of a new study by online marketing technology company Monetate.
08/01/2012 - Google Search Goes Shopping
Starting this fall, just when the retail holiday shopping season is in full swing, Google will do away with its free Product Search platform in a move to a paid format called Google Shopping.
07/01/2012 - Using Social Media to Grow Business
Most small business owners know that social media is an important part of their online strategy, but may not know where to start or have the time to learn. Others may not believe that social media is important at all. The truth is that social media is critical to the success of any business.
07/01/2012 - Innovative Toys Create Sales
Toys are always big sellers for independent retailers, whether for stocking shelves for the holidays or for year-round gifting occasions like birthdays. Marketers tend to agree that the more innovative the product, the greater the sales.
07/01/2012 - Peer-to-Peer Reviews
When it comes to making a buying decision, nothing can be more important in closing the sale than customer reviews. A form of social proof, non-biased peer-to-peer reviews are just as good as getting a referral for a product from a friend. "What online tool most influenced your purchase decision?" The number one answer was product ratings and reviews.
06/01/2012 - Email Marketing: 4 Success Factors
Email marketing is a critical component to building any business. Being at the forefront of your customers?, and potential customers? minds, and those of your potential customers, plays a vital role in generating sales.
06/01/2012 - Conversion Funnels for Web Profits
Conversion funnels help website owners understand the online behavior of visitors during a conversion process.
05/01/2012 - Western Express For Western Success
The story behind Western Express, the leading wholesale company for cowboy hats, western shirts, belt buckles, and other buckaroo-styled clothing items, starts with a touch of show business.
05/01/2012 - Data Segmentation for Ecommerce
If you only use the standard data gathering and reporting features present in Google Analytics, you are not getting a complete picture of how your business is performing.
04/01/2012 - Online Payment Trends
Online Payment Processing is an ever-changing industry.
04/01/2012 - Back-to-School Online
While kids are currently counting down to the first day of summer vacation, retailers are already merchandising for the new school year, filling their stockrooms with the essentials and the forecasted must-haves.
04/01/2012 - Google Analytics Custom Reporting
Sure, you can wade through standard reports to gather all the data needed to make a decision.
03/01/2012 - Analyzing Google Analytics
When selling merchandise online, it is not enough to simply track sales.
03/01/2012 - Your Guide to the New Google Analytics
In March 2011 Google released its new and improved version of Google Analytics.
02/01/2012 - Local Marketing With Google AdWords Express
In 2011, Google launched a new service, AdWords Express, aimed at providing the easiest way to advertise on Google.
02/01/2012 - Mobile Cyber Monday
Online spending reached a record $1.25 billion on Cyber Monday 2011, with an estimated 22 percent growth year over year, according to ComScore.
01/01/2012 - Making Your Website Mobile
Designing a website to sell your products used to be pretty simple, because you knew your audience.
01/01/2012 - Mobile Marketing Trends
On a planet with about seven billion people, 2011 saw an astonishing 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions, about 77 percent of the total population.
12/01/2011 - The Truth About TRAFFIC
In the last issue, I outlined some important thinking that makes up basic foundational elements of a successful ecommerce business.
12/01/2011 - Safeguard Against Holiday Outages
eMarketer is predicting a 12 percent increase in holiday shopping over last year, which is great news for retailers.
11/01/2011 - Best Approach for Online Sales
One of my primary jobs as an ecommerce consultant is to help businesses increase conversion and website sales.
10/01/2011 - Google Universe: Tools To Build Your Business
For any retailer seeking low cost tools to boost the bottom line, the first place to look is Google.
10/01/2011 - Mapping Multi-Channel Sales Funnels
You can not manage what you do not measure.
09/01/2011 - Optimizing Search Results for Ecommerce
For many ecommerce merchants, customer TRAFFIC arrives primarily through search engines, including Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
08/01/2011 - Good Videos Can Boost Web Business
Would you watch a video of two dull people talking in a studio for 30 minutes?
07/01/2011 - Footwear Suppliers Basic Styles And Tropical Sandals Are Hot
From sandals on the Fourth of July to toe socks at Christmas, footwear and hosiery are always in season.
07/01/2011 - Steal Deal Inc. Fully Optimized For Search Engines
Mix a successful wholesale clothing business with a savvy Internet strategy, and expect explosive growth.
07/01/2011 - SEO Tips for Electronic Retailers
Search engine optimization goes beyond landing a top keyword, says Danielle Sharpe of PromotionWorld.com.
06/01/2011 - Building Ecommerce Business With Blogs Means Both Challenges And Rewards
Many ecommerce merchants depend on search result TRAFFIC to bring new customers to their Internet storefronts.
06/01/2011 - Leading Holiday Suppliers Offer Trend Advice For Seasonal Success
Just about every retail business gets a vital boost in the final months of the year, but for merchants who specialize in seasonal goods, there's no season like the holiday season.
06/01/2011 - Myths Surrounding PPC
It should come as no surprise that in order to grow a business, you need to market that business.
05/01/2011 - eCommerce Social Media Marketing Done Right
Most people think of Facebook when they hear social media, and many retailers think Facebook is irrelevant to their business.