1. eCommerce Websites:
Excelling in the Online
Marketplace
by Sharon A. Dawson
Project Manager at TheeDesign Studio
919-341-8901
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

2. What is eCommerce?
• “Activities that relate to the buying and selling of goods and
services over the Internet” – Merriam-Webster
• B2C – Business to Consumer (retail)
• B2B – Business to Business (wholesale, business services)
• 3PL – Third Party Logistics (your company receives
order, another company ships orders for you)
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

3. eCommerce
“By 2022, brick and mortar
retail spaces will be little
more than showrooms”
– Eddie Machaalani & Mitchell Harper, Co-CEOs of Bigcommerce
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

4. The Customer is Always…
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5. The Customer is Always
Cheap!
• Shipping Costs
• Promotion Codes
• Stacking promotions
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6. A Picture is Worth…
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7. A Picture is Worth
Nothing if it’s Wrong
• Picture matches description and title
• Correct flavor/color
• Size
• Special packaging
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8. What Customers Saw
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9. What Customers Got
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10. The eCommerce
Golden Rule Is…
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11. The eCommerce
Golden Rule Is
Do Unto Others As Amazon
Has Done Unto Others
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12. Cyber Monday is the new
Black Friday
2012 Black Friday sales:
• $11.2 billion
• 1.8% decrease over 2011
What do you think
Cyber Monday’s sales were?
Black Friday 2012 Source: http://business.time.com article from 11/26/2012
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

13. Cyber Monday is the new
Black Friday
2012 Cyber Monday
2012 Black Friday
• $1.465 billion
$11.2 billion
• 30% increase over 2011
1.8% decrease over 2011
“increased foot traffic and lower Black Friday sales, it seems
as if many shoppers were at the stores just to showroom —
scoping out merchandise in person before ultimately
purchasing the goods online on Cyber Monday”
Cyber Monday 2012 Source: http://www.business2community.com article 10/28/2013
Quote: http://business.time.com article from 11/26/2012
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

14. Easy to Navigate Categories
http://tinroofteas.com/blackteas
versus
http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/black-teas
• Categories at top of page
• If sub categories, jump from top of page
• Appealing Images to represent category
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

15. Product Pages
• Appealing Images
• If multiple colors/flavors/size, drop down or separate options
on the page that carries over to the payment engine
• Size or quantity in container clearly listed
• Image matches name, description, size/quantity
• Quantity field limited to how many can order (5, 10, 100)
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

16. Product Pages
http://tinroofteas.com/black-aroma-teas/962/
What would you fix on this product page?
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17. Product Pages
Multiple options styling from www.adagio.com
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

18. Additional Content Pages
needed
• Return Policy
• Shipping Policy
• Customer Service Information
• FAQs – specify whether you do backorders or not
• Privacy Policy
• Secure Payments
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

19. Online Customer Pain Points
we need to be aware of
• (They have a login now for newsletter subscription) Why do
I need to make a new account [for buying online] when I
already have one [for my newsletter]?
• Close out my account – remove me from the database. Need
to clarify if they mean newsletter or eCommerce side or both
• (Backorders) I ordered 5 oolong teas, you only shipped me 3.
When are my other ones coming? - Why would I have to
place another order for the other two?
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

20. Other Tips
• Homepage that’s obvious it’s eCommerce
• Best to charge a customer’s credit card when item ships (back
order)
• 301 redirects when product no longer for sale – add in to the
Agreement that we’ll train them how to manage themselves
for discontinued items during WP training
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

21. Remember
• The Customer is Always…
• A Picture is Worth…
• eCommerce Golden Rule…
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

22. Omni Commerce
“People don’t call it eCommerce
anymore. It’s called omnicommerce, and it’s the idea the
digital permeates every step of the
purchase chain from product
discovery to trial to pricing to actual
purchase”
– Tolman Geffs, Co-President of the Jordan Edmiston Group (JEGI)
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign

23. Want to learn more?
Contact TheeDesign Studio at 919-341-8901 to
build your eCommerce website so YOU can
excel in the online marketplace
www.theedesign.com
TheeDesign.com | @TheeDesign | facebook.com/TheeDesign