Blog vs Newsletter: Content is King

Basically, it's not about having one or the other, both a newsletter and a blog will keep your customer within "your environment", which will eventually translate into more sales. You do both. Take advantage of multiple ways to reach your audience the way they want to interact. Newsletters and blogs share a common objective: to build credibility and an ongoing relationship with your customers and prospects so that your product or service is top of mind when they're ready to buy. Content is always a great online marketing strategy

A NEWSLETTER IS GOOD FOR:

Building a base of loyal customers.
People who opt in for your newsletter are highly interested in listening from you.

Share quick news with your customers.
Present your customers with product news (product arrivals, exclusive opportunities). You would write a few lines and point the customer to the product page or to further info on your blog/site). Tip: including photos in your newsletter turns into high click through rates (i.e. customers clicking to learn more).

Share "exclusives" with your customers.
Those who opted in for your newsletter should be given special treatment. Reward them with special news/opportunities/service previews/product previews/discounts/invites, etc, that will (or not) be released to the rest of the public a few days later (on your blog).

Newsletter = content. Search engines love content.
It's about re-purposing your content. Your newsletter can have both an email and an online version. (note: if your newsletter features "exclusives" only targeted at subscribers, it makes sense to take it online a few days/weeks later)

Increase traffic to your site.
Once you have built a good fan base, any time your release a newsletter you'll see spikes in your site's traffic. That traffic may not be interested in what you're offering through your newsletter but may be interested in other products, may bookmark a page for future reference, or may consume (and share) content from your blog. Again, you keep them within your "environment".

Followup marketing.
Of course it depends on the market, but research proves that it takes 7 followups to convert a prospect into a customer. Basically what this means is that you may not be able to have your customer buy on the first try, he/she may have to be exposed to several newsletters before buying from you.

Regular contact.
Your newsletter is something your subscribers expect to get on a regular basis, maybe once a week/month. Regular contact strengthens the relationship between two parties.

Immediate sales.
This applies to one-of-a-kind products. You would release your newsletter to your subscribers with an "exclusive opportunity". Include complete contact details (even the name of a person customers should call/email) in order to close the sale asap.

A BLOG IS GOOD FOR:

Show you're the authority.
Become an authority in your niche by providing how-tos, product reviews, informative articles. Shoppers will look to you for answers, and will eventually buy from you.

E-commerce + information.
Search engines give more weight to informative sites with fresh/quality/useful content. Show Google your eCommerce store is not here just for the money, you also want to share your knowledge.

Please Google.
Google is now able to identify and favor "engaging" websites. The more interesting your content is, the more it'll be shared on social networks and the more time users will spend on your site.

Companies are run by humans.
Show your human side. Blog about personal/company stories, anecdotes, and other topics that show there's human beings behind your site. Putting a face to your company will help you connect with your customers and strengthen the relationship.

Make announcements.
Get the word out about events, new products, site improvements, etc.

Site structure.
Improve your site's internal link structure. Each post is an opportunity to point links at your product pages. Search engines favor sites with a good internal link structure that helps them crawl and index your site easily. Improve your sites usability with in-content links that allow users to navigate your site in a natural way.

Showcase your content.
Show other bloggers/site owners the kind of content you're able to produce. This will open the door for future guest blogging opportunities (i.e you posting your content on their blog, it's a win-win proposition: they get authoritative content while you spread the word about your site)

Universal Watch Co Releases Custom Jewelry Creator Developed by Gproxy

UWC was founded in 1994 supplying both retailers and customers with a variety of high end watches and jewelry. Currently, the company has 4 leading brands in the market; Boccia Titanium Watch line, TeNo Stainless Steel Jewelry, The TitanFactory Collection and Steel Blaze.

They came to Gproxy looking for an eCommerce solutions partner, who could help them in creating their new NetSuite eCommerce store, encompassing all their brands and their particular messaging.


Along with these requirements, one the most prominent areas of this project was bringing to life within the NetSuite platform their YuKoN Creator; a configurator under which customers are able to create and customize their own bracelets and necklaces in an interactive format.


The end result is a dynamic, interactive feature that will undoubtedly be a crowd pleaser for all TeNo shoppers. You can head on over to TeNo's Website to check it out.

To find out more about how we can contribute with your eCommerce project, CONTACT US HERE!

MOBILE COMMERCE, CAPTURING SALES ON THE GO.

Today we came across an article from Shop.org in regards of the importance that Mobile Commerce is having these days and specifically in the fashion industry. I have to say we agree. M-Commerce is what e-Commerce was 10 years ago, the hottest and fastest growing commerce vertical in the world. Take a look at the article below.

Just when everyone thought e-commerce was the next great selling tool, along comes m-commerce, capturing sales on the go. It’s quickly becoming a digital priority for the fashion industry, and accessories are rising as a hot category.
Flash sale site Rue La La has had a mobile app since April 2010. M-commerce has grown to become on average 18 percent of its business on weekdays and 30 percent on weekends, according to president Steve Davis. Accessories perform about 20 percent better than any other sector on the site. “Accessories are easier to make a quick decision on,” he says, adding that handbags are especially strong mobile sellers.

Net-a-Porter’s accessories buying manager, Sasha Sarokin, reports that with m-commerce, more “everyday” and “wear-now” accessories, like friendship bracelets or small pendant necklaces, are big sellers. Higher-ticket items sell as well, particularly those that pack a strong photographic punch. Even smaller brands sell quite well if they are visual, through either e- or m-commerce. CLICK HERE TO FULL ARTICLE

Contact one of our Consultants to receive more information about Gproxy Mobile Commerce Services.

POWER UP YOUR NETSUITE ECOMMERCE!

With our help, your NetSuite eCommerce store will be invincible!

eCommerce Add-Ons Module
Feature reach bundle that includes: wish list, gift registry, quick order, recently viewed items, quick view, mini-cart, advanced zoom, image browser, product reviews and ratings, back in stock notification.

CHECK OUT THIS MODULE HERE: SKINTREATMENT - KASK HELMETS - TENO

NetSuite M-Commerce by Gproxy
Gproxy's mCommerce for NetSuite gives you the possibility of having your eCommerce and mCommerce website running under the same backend you run your website; take advantage of all the features that the NetSuite Cloud Platform offers to your business also at the mobile channel!

VISIT THESE STORES FROM YOUR MOBILE AND EXPERIENCE MCOMMERCE: SKINTREATMENT -TREADMILL DOCTOR

Facebook Commerce
For online merchants it's no longer good enough to just have a Facebook fan page. Now it's a matter of how well you support these channels - do you have deep functions to drive conversion? With Gproxy's F-Commerce for NetSuite, you can expand your sales channels beyond traditional web stores to other places where your customers are.

EXPLORE FACEBOOK COMMERCE BY VISITING LIONEL NASCAR'S FACEBOOK STORE

CONTACT US and don't miss this great opportunity to leverage your NetSuite eCommerce with our premium features at a discounted rate!

New Magento eCommerce Website by Gproxy: SupplyBuy.com

SupplyBuy.com was founded in 2009 with the goal of becoming an online supply superstore. Today they offer over 100,000 of the latest and highest quality auto, home, industrial, and office supplies, representing all the popular and trusted brands.

They came to Gproxy looking for an eCommerce solutions partner, who could help them creating their new Magento eCommerce store. The main objective of the project was to design a user interface that was clean, look great and at the same time offers a pleasant user experience.



SupplyBuy’s new website counts with a unique design that counts with a simple navigation and integrates today’s eCommerce best practices, together with Magento Professional’s functionalities. They provided great product pictures and our team of professional designers made a great selections of bright colors to match the company's brand image.

One of our partners, SearchSpring, contributed in this project by implementing their site search solution.

The final result of this project is very good and we are sure this online store will be a total success! Congratulations to our team and SupplyBuy!

If you want to learn how we can contribute with your eCommerce project, CONTACT US HERE!

E-commerce Design Tips: When call to action buttons matter

When we say “call to action buttons”, we refer to any elements of a page that prompt any kind of action of the user. Of course, there are some actions that are more desirable than others, for example you will prefer your visitors to click on the “ADD TO CART” button, rather than clicking on “follow us on Twitter”. That’s what we (user interface designers) have to pay attention to: not all call to action buttons are the same. As your buttons could significantly impact your customers’ behavior it is imperative to get it right!

Here’s a list of pointers to take into consideration if you are planning to improve your click-through rate:

- Try wth different button shapes. Sometimes breaking the norm can get the users attention.
- Contrast buttons colors against it’s backdrop.
- Use bold, clear text and great typography.
- Humor is good. Also informative taglines or references.
- Make your button clickable and irresistible!
- Introduce design elements like highlights, drop shadows, borders, indents, textures, patterns... these can make your button stand out.

Contrast of colors
Make the button stand out by using a color that makes a real contrast with the background. Make it brighter than the background, use colors that are attractive and that look good on top of the color used for the background.

Simple works
Specially in the e-commerce world, simple messages always work. There’s no need to get to creative when working on a “Add to Cart” button. Just place it in the correct place, make it stand out and give a clear instruction.

Try new shapes
When there are “too many things going on” a page, try using shapes different to the norm. The shape you use, together with the tools (highlights, shadows, etc) you choose, will make your button stand out from a busy background.

Hope you found these e-commerce design tips helpful. If you need help with your website or you are interested in getting some advise from the experts, contact us HERE!

Pilot Pen Launches New Online Store Designed by Gproxy

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gproxy Design Inc., an interactive agency leader in Commerce Solutions, announces the launch of Pilot Pen’s re-designed e-Commerce store. The new web store, was developed to reinforce Pilot Pen’s spirit of innovation and quality

PilotPen.us online store offers a great user experience while browsing and attractive user interface, created for a recognized brand such as Pilot Pen. Gproxy’s Design and Usability team defined layouts according to today’s e-commerce best practices, always keeping in mind the importance of generating brand awareness. The good use of fonts, an engaging color pallet, high quality images and ROI oriented site navigation are key factors in the success of this project.

“The success of the web site has been beyond our expectations. We receive complements daily from people who use our site. We could not have asked for a better design” – Pilot Pen.

Pilot’s new e-commerce store comes with several functionalities that are integrated to this new modern user interface. All these were aimed to help users to instinctively navigate Pilot’s store, which will result in higher conversion, leveraging the user experience while browsing their extensive catalogue.

“We are very happy to be the eCommerce design firm chosen by Pilot Pen,” says Mario Colla, CEO of Gproxy Design. “It is always exciting to work for worldwide recognized brands such as Pilot Pen; it is very motivating for our team to participate in projects of such dimension. The blend of good communication, appropriate tools and experience, together with the professionalism of Pilot’s team, resulted in a great new site and plans for many future projects to come.”

Visit www.pilotpen.us to see the result of this e-commerce project.

Follow Gproxy’s E-commerce Blog and Gproxy’s Twitter for more updates about upcoming e-commerce projects.

About Gproxy Design

Gproxy Design Inc. is a leading Interactive Agency specialized in Online eCommerce design solutions that integrate quality design with targeted user interfaces that ultimately provides optimized user experiences (UX/UI). Gproxy offers "Best of Breed" services such as web site design and development, enterprise search engine optimization, UX/UI consultancy, M-Commerce development, Facebook Commerce, online business strategies and social network strategies. Gproxy's 11 years of professional Interactive Agency experience and reliability, together with an extensive portfolio of over 300 clients that run across the 5 continents helped Gproxy Design become one of the market leaders in the eCommerce world. For more information about Gproxy Design Inc., please visit www.gproxy.com

About Pilot Pen US

Pilot Pen is the third largest writing instrument company in the United States. Established in the U.S. in 1972, Pilot is the fastest-growing writing instrument company in the country. The parent company, Pilot Corporation in Tokyo, was founded in 1918. It is the oldest and largest writing instrument manufacturer in Japan. Pilot Corporation of America prides itself on being a leading manufacturer and marketer of quality writing instruments in the United States. Our sales continue to grow year after year because of the quality of our products, and the innovation of our Research and Development teams. Our spirit of innovation has always focused on serving consumer’s writing needs and making writing a pleasure. www.pilorpen.us