From eCommerce
In China, eCommerce is a Lifestyle
“In other countries eCommerce is a way to shop, in China it is a lifestyle.” – Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba
With the excitement building for Alibaba’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) tomorrow (it’s expected to be the largest IPO in US history), I thought it might be time to start developing a better understanding of the world’s fastest growing eCommerce market.
5 Bits of eCommerce News Worth Noting This Week
This has been a big week in tech news and analysis (hello Apple Watch), including for those of us who follow eCommerce.
So—at the risk of a backlash at publishing TWO listicles this week—I thought I’d summarise five bits of eCommerce news from the week that are worth noting.
Introductory Guide to Dropshipping with WooCommerce
Packing in your traditional 9-5 job to start an online business is less far-fetched than it sounds—people just like you are taking the leap every day.
Most people have a burning passion inside them, and running an eCommerce business is one of the most viable opportunities for turning a passion into a profitable business—whether it’s your passion for a certain hobby, or the desire to build something from the ground up that drives you.
Unfortunately for many, that great idea, dream or passion will never become a reality, for two simple reasons: risk and cost.
Even if we have an amazing blueprint in front of us, there’s no guarantee of success. With mouths to feed and mortgages to pay, do we have the spare cash and the appetite for risk to bring that idea to market?
However, not all eCommerce business models come steeped in risk.
Dropshipping is a business model that actually circumnavigates these major issues, making it one of the most accessible forms of online business opportunities.
2 Reports To Help You Understand International eCommerce
One of the great things about eCommerce is the opportunity to tap a much larger, potentially global, market.
But tapping the global market means contending with, and understanding, a diverse range of factors.
These factors influence the popularity and prevalence of eCommerce in particular markets. For example, some countries may have very favourable regulations, tax and customs practices, logistics and financial infrastructure and levels of income.
Others may have high levels of technology adoption and a preference for buying on mobile devices (mobile commerce).
Others still may rely heavily on the opinions and thoughts of family and friends, emphasising the importance of social commerce.
While we understand that considering all of these factors can be overwhelming, we found a couple of reports last week that might help you better understand at least some of the intricacies of the global eCommerce market.
Healthy Business With WooCommerce
If you are running—or thinking about running—a healthy eCommerce business, we’ve found a great study for you to check out.
We’ve also matched the study’s key findings up with a small selection of health-conscious WooCommerce businesses that are putting the research findings into practice.
Stellar: The Choice of a New Generation
Last week we “nerded out” over Stellar, a new financial protocol that we think has the potential to change the fabric of the global financial system.
Hence, the Prospress SF team (i.e. Brent and I) were excited to be able to attend the first ever Stellar Developer Meetup, at the Stripe offices in San Francisco.
If you’ll permit us some further nerding out, keep on reading.
Who is Shopping Online and on Mobile in the US? The Answers Might Surprise You.
Running a successful store means understanding your customers. Are they millennials, baby boomers, or people of all ages? Are you mostly selling to women? Do your customers buy things on their smartphones? How much money do they make?
BI Intelligence has released a handy report recently, reporting on the demographics of who shops online and on mobile.
Will Stellar Finally Fix International Payments?
Whenever you do an international currency transfer—be it an international purchase on your credit card, a purchase of foreign currency, or a transfer of money back to your family in your home country—you can pretty much assume that you’ll lose a fair chunk of cash.
What is The Last Mile for ECommerce?
If you keep up with tech news, especially stories relating to Amazon, you’ve probably seen reference to the term “the last mile.” But what does it mean?
The last mile is a metaphor used to describe the movement of goods from a fulfillment centre to their final destination. In other words, the last mile is the last leg of your product’s trip before it arrives on your customer’s doorstep.
The Future of Global Payments and ECommerce
Payments are the lifeblood of eCommerce. It’s no surprise then that there are a hundreds of startups, investors and innovators looking to disrupt payments.
With so many new and existing companies, it can be overwhelming to keep up. That’s why we were excited to find a fantastic slide deck from BI Intelligence on The Future of Payments.