The Power of E-Commerce

Hi Hello! In my last blog, I wrote about paid social media and how it is more than a strategy for boosting awareness and measuring conversions. This week, I’m shifting to e-commerce and how the e-commerce space is growing every year. As the holidays roll in, it’s the perfect time to look at online shopping through a marketer’s lens, so the next time you decide to shop for those presents, you’ll think like a marketer, too.

If you haven’t checked out my last blog on paid social media, go check out “Level Up With Paid Social Media”.

Exploring Shopify

Shopify seems to be one of the most well-known platforms for getting started with an e-commerce site. Shopify is a CMS (content management system) that makes it easy for entrepreneurs to develop a website without coding. You heard it, drag, drop, and done! But more than just a site-building tool, they also have inventory management systems within and shipping. Other platforms that run similarly to Shopify can include Wix and Squarespace.      

I was curious to see who some of Shopify’s competitors are and if any of them outperform the other. Here is what I’ve learned from FOXECOM:

• Competitors of Shopify include BigCommerce, Wix, and WooCommerce. It seems that all of these e-commerce platforms work well, depending on where your business stands.
• Shopify and BigCommerce both seem not to have many differences, as choosing either platform depends on long-term cost control, flexibility, and what running a large business means for you and your business structure.
• With Wix, it seems that if you are a brand B2C, you might see more value in using Wix when starting. However, as you continue to grow your business, exploring larger platforms like Shopify can help you find what fits with your business and business goals.
• Shopify generally has much less of a learning curve, making it easier for entrepreneurs who are just getting started. However, if your business is already using WordPress, FOXECOM recommends WooCommerce as it can be a more natural fit with WordPress, allowing for customization.

Phygital Marketing

This term, founded in 2007 by Chris Weil, according to Amazon, is the combination of physical marketing and digital marketing elements within a strategy. The goal is to create a more engaging and cohesive shopping experience for all customers. Examples from Amazon include QR codes, shoppable livestreams, voice-based technology, chatbots, and even mobile payments.

After reading this article, the first thing I immediately thought of was how shopping online and in person are starting to merge. From scanning a QR code for rewards or points to paying online before picking up, phygital marketing is so fascinating to read and learn about, but it is so surprising to see how effective and smooth the experience feels when you are the one experiencing it.

So, using Shopify as a tool to execute phygital marketing, including QR codes for product information, mobile payments at checkout, or in-store pick-ups, are some ways you can increase conversions for your business, leaving your customers satisfied with the speedy and quick experience this holiday season.

My “Film Store”

Before I conclude, I was suggested to sign up for a Shopify account and to peek around and learn some things on the platform. Here are some things I learned:

After answering the introduction questions that Shopify had provided, “My Store” was created. I had created a mock-up, not a real film store where you can buy film from. The process was quite fun and easy as I got to choose a theme, change the fonts or colors to my liking, and import photos to design my “film store”.

After playing around with the aesthetics, I checked out the analytics section, where I found real-time data relating to visitors, conversions, sales, and other metrics. Something I thought was cool was that there was a section where I could see the percentage of returning customers and tracking sessions by device types or by location. Of course, because I had made my “film store” today, I didn’t have any real data, but it was so interesting to me to be able to view this end of a website because most of the time I am on the other end making those conversions to brands that I love.

Wrapping Up

Exploring Shopify, learning about phygital, and being an online shopper have really made me feel more aware of online shopping and how using these tactics and strategies is really focused on the consumers themselves to allow them to have that loop of convenience, engagement, and discovery that is all seamless. E-commerce will continue to grow, and it seems the blur between physical and digital will continue to get bigger, too. Honestly, I am starting to understand why my professor wants to call his Digital Marketing class, just marketing, because it’s always changing.

As always, thanks for reading!