blog
Ideas for your ecommerce front office,
from the ebusiness pros.
Our hypothesis why the third order is the tipping point between a VIP customer and a short-term repeat buyer
Different calibers of brand loyalty It’s a select group of products that create the kind of tipping point moment where a loyal, enthusiastic customer with a high lifetime value is born. A true leather jacket that gets softer with time. A trusty bag that’s taken on...
A customer service retrospective on the Covid ecommerce flood
Spotlight on Gorgias & Acme Shop If you're flailing amid a flood of ecommerce orders, software tools promise a solution. You hope they'll make it more manageable, efficient. That's good. But be careful. If your business prides itself on customer service,...
Cross the ‘gray line’ from marketing to customer service for emails that sell
There's a curious gray line between what's marketing and what's customer service after an online purchase. Some might say that there's no line: EVERYTHING'S MARKETING! I'm inclined to agree, but the distinction is important in how our messages can be received by the...
Emails to send after they order: an automation strategy founded on relationship
Imagine this: a dream prospect goes to your ecommerce website and makes their first purchase. After they receive the expected email with their receipt and order confirmation, another email shows up in their inbox. The timing and tone is just right. Upon reading the...
Partner dancing tip to get emails to the inbox
Seth Godin describes a problem familiar to any email marketer: getting into the inbox. A problem solver like any good entrepreneur, he created a solution specific to Gmail. But Google blocked it. Here's an excerpt from the attempted solution's website 98 Voices:...
Brands versus Ads: it’s more than an SEO dilemma
This essay originally appeared in our ebusiness coach newsletter. Authored by SEO Book founder Aaron Wall, this important piece titled Brands versus Ads describes the contortions businesses endure when Google grows ad revenues at 20% per year in an economy that grows...
An alternative to blasting a promo email on a big holiday
A few of the topics we discuss include: The benefits of a hybrid holiday flowWhy it may be better NOT to send emails on Black FridayCustomer's expectations exceeding beyond just the best deal When it comes to preparing your business for the holidays there can be a...
Video: Prioritize email automations for ecommerce
Where is the effort I put into marketing going to be most effective? How can I maximize the impact those efforts will have on my business?
Case Study: How automated ‘flows’ replaced email newsletters
Watch as Gabrielle and Patrick break down the reasons to make 'flows' the foundation of your email marketing strategy. If you're unfamiliar with this term; flows are an automated sequence of emails, triggered by an action, or inaction from one of your subscribers or...
Grow your customer service team beyond scripts and SOP’s
Want to provide a world-class customer experience? Move beyond scripts and ‘best practices.’ Learn why relying on these crutches prevent you from providing the kind of customer service that turns people into loyal, repeat buyers.
How to Deal with Difficult Customers (They’re Not Crazy)
We’ve all been there, trying to figure out how to deal with difficult customers, sometimes saying things like “they’re just a crazy customer” Actually, that’s a myth. Learn why there’s no such thing as a “crazy customer.”
Fast delivery myth: why ecommerce customers will wait, and wait, and wait…
https://youtu.be/CvOp8x9QpwQ When your customers become invested in the story behind your product, they are more willing to be flexible with their expectations for delivery. Amazon has groomed us into expecting nothing less than 2-day delivery, in most cases. But if...