Five tips to help you build leaders in your company
It is vital to develop leadership skills in your employees, particularly among senior and middle-level employees.Leadership skills are crucial for managers. They help them to support their employees, make key decisions and delegate tasks. This helps to increase organizational growth.This improves employee satisfaction as well as productivity. By fostering leadership skills within your employees, they can take on more responsibility and grow in their career.
Here are five ways to make your mid-level managers better leaders.
1.Encourage independence and self-determination
Preventing employee micromanagement will be the first step in enhancing your leadership skills.Employees should be able to assume responsibility and make their own decisions.It’s crucial to encourage managers to clearly define their expectations and goals for their employees prior to starting a new project, or entering a new performance period.Managers should encourage their employees to think for themselves and not just give orders.This allows employees to create a plan of actions and use the guidance of their managers.
It is also important to encourage a feedback culture where mistakes are seen as an opportunity for growth.Managers should give constructive feedback to employees that helps them understand the issues and avoid them in the future.This culture can be nurtured by creating a system for performance reviews that rewards employees who come up with new ideas.
2.Organize regular soft-skill trainings
Soft Skills allow employees to see the world from other perspectives and collaborate with peers. They also help them communicate effectively, solve problems, and build resilience.For example, team building skills allow leaders to motivate and hold their team members accountable, guide them towards their goals, foster trust, and keep them on the right track.Leaders can use their emotional intelligence skills to connect with and support their colleagues, even during difficult times.Managers and their team members can also benefit from decision-making skills that help them produce positive outcomes that are beneficial to the company.Regular training in soft skills can help to promote a positive workplace for mindful leaders.
3.Develop effective mentorship opportunities
Mentoring is a way for experienced employees to teach newbies how to succeed. It can also help to build leadership skills.Mentoring is much more cost-effective and time-saving than other methods.You simply need to identify senior employees who have leadership qualities that are compatible with your organization values and pair them with less experienced coworkers.Mentors can help their mentees to identify what they need to succeed, set clear goals and teach them how to overcome obstacles.
4.Effectively delegate tasks
Your employees’ work experience plays a significant role in their leadership abilities.Your employees will be able to understand the nuances and importance of their work if they are given high-impact tasks.They will be able to take on greater responsibility and make better decisions.Managers should assign high-impact tasks to team members, rather than trying to complete all of the tasks.This gives all employees equal opportunities to learn problem-solving skills and project management skills.
5.Encourage C-level executives to be an example
The behavior of your organization’s Clevel leaders can make a big difference in the success of your project.C-level leaders need to inspire employees.Your organization’s culture should be reflected in your management strategies. They must empower employees to reach strategic goals and connect them with a common purpose.Employee development should be at the forefront.They should be compassionate and have a strong sense for responsibility.
Leadership development
Your work environment could be transformed by encouraging leadership skills in your employees.Your employees will feel more motivated and capable of achieving their goals.This blog post should have given you an idea of how to encourage leadership skills in your employees.
These are the four ways you can track time off for employees, whether you’re new to HR or have a small business looking to streamline your time management.
Tracking software can be paused for a time
Many organizations either use a standalone time-off tracking software or the time-off module that is part of their HR software.This software can be used to manage your workforce’s time.In just a few simple steps, employees can request leave. Once approved by their reporting managers and HR teams, they will be sent their request for approval.Employees don’t have to contact their HR department every time they want to check their leave balances or plan for holidays.These systems can be set up in accordance with your labor laws and organizational policies.Many systems provide a range of reports to give insight into the employee’s leave status, payroll processing information, employee leave encashment and other details.
Zoho People is our software for human resource management. It includes a time off tracker that allows organizations manage their time in a way that is compatible with their labor laws and organizational practices.See what the Zoho People time off tracker has to offer.
HR spreadsheets
Many organizations use HR spreadsheets for managing their employees’ time off.The spreadsheets used for tracking employee time off usually follow a particular template. This template includes the names of all employees, leave types, holidays, weekends, and any other pertinent fields.Every employee is given a single spreadsheet that contains all the information so they can mark off their time in the document.This manual method of managing time can be tedious.There is more room for error when data is entered manually.Data can be altered, deleted or misplaced if it is shared with others.
Emails
Emails have been used to manage employee time off for many years.Employees will need to send an email explaining the reason they are taking time off to their HR or reporting manager.The reporting manager then sends an email to approve or deny the time off.Although this method of managing employee time off seems simpler for some, it can prove to be very inefficient for many reasons.The manual data tracking makes it difficult for both the employees and the HR department.These time off requests can become buried when there is a lot of email traffic. HR managers and team members may not be able to reply, which could lead to employees being kept in the dark.It can be difficult to track leave data for payroll processing. HR teams must go through each email individually and collect the data manually.
Paper-based processes
Some companies still use paper-based methods to track time off.Employees may have to submit leave applications in person for approval by the HR team and their managers.This method of tracking time off can end up doing more harm than good.Your HR team as well as your employees may be burdened by paper-based processes.It is possible that you may not have access to the time off information required for reporting purposes. This can lead to a loss of visibility into your workforce’s absence patterns.Also, paper-based documents can be lost or altered more easily than digital processes.
Wrapping up
Your organization will be more compliant if you have a well-designed process for tracking time off. This will also help to keep your employees happy, productive, and engaged.We hope you found this blog helpful in understanding the various ways that employees can track time off.
Five essential factors that influence employee performance
Employee performance is an indicator of organizational and employee success.If your employees don’t perform to their potential, then their motivation or satisfaction levels will drop.This can cause a negative working environment, where employees spend more time worrying about unimportant issues than they do focusing on their productive tasks.This can lead to a decrease in product quality, customer satisfaction, or sales.
These are five ways to increase employee performance.
A positive and transparent work environment
The work environment of your organization plays an important role in enabling employees to bring their best self to work.If the work environment is not positive, it makes sense that employees’ morale will suffer .Employees may be less motivated to participate in productive discussions and collaborate on projects that can lead to innovation.Some employees might experience more stress which can affect their mental health and reduce their ability to work effectively.It is essential to create a positive, dynamic, and transparent work environment for employees that encourages them to do more.This infographic will help you understand how to create a work environment that fosters employees.
Continuous performance reviews
Employees can improve their performance by having regular performance reviews. These reviews can help employees gain a better understanding about their strengths and weaknesses.Employees will feel more in control and know where to focus their efforts if they are held regularly, such as once per month or three times per year.
Managers should encourage employees to examine every aspect of their performance and give insight into how it contributes to organizational growth.Employees should be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and how they can overcome them.Managers should be able to give prompt feedback even outside of performance reviews.Encourage employees to give feedback during performance reviews.Employees will see that you value them and are there to support them in their journey of improvement.
Recognizing excellence through regular recognition
Recognition will ensure a happy workforce.Recognizing your employees efforts is a great way for them to feel valued and to motivate them to do more.
Encourage managers to pay attention to their team members’ work and to make it a habit of celebrating even the smallest victories.Create a rewards program to recognize employees who reach certain milestones.You might have them add a feature to your product or bring an innovative idea to it. Or, they could help you resolve a customer problem or increase your product reach.To understand the most impactful rewards for your employees , you can conduct surveys.
Initiatives for learning and development
It is possible to make your employees more productive by organizing programs that allow them to learn new skills.To have the greatest impact on your employees’ performance, these programs must be meaningful, consistent, relevant, and relevant to their line of work.Your organization can win the training game by conducting a training needs analysis, and setting clear learning goals.This infographic is from the HR Knowledge Hive and provides a step-by–step guide to helping organizations create successful training programs.
Supportive services
Without the right support, your employees will not perform at their best in a workplace that forces them to work longer hours and harder.Employees today want to work in organizations that promote a healthy work-life balance and offer support for workplace problems.It is a good idea to encourage managers to listen to employees.It’s also possible to take steps to improve employees’ physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Performance improvement
These five factors can help you improve the performance of your workforce.Your interest in your employees’ performance will motivate them and make them feel valued.We hope you found this blog helpful in gaining an understanding of the many ways that employees can perform better.
The challenges faced by the HR industry in predicting people’s behavior continue to impact employee engagement over time.Flexible HR service delivery platforms are a good step in the right direction. They can ensure that HR services are consistent and timely while still providing a positive experience for employees.
What’s an HR chatbot?
Chatbots are computer programs that respond to users’ queries in real-time.Chatbots are computer programs that assist employees in completing routine tasks and serve as an assistant for the HR department.
Chatbots can be deployed on multiple platforms using a conversational interface.
What are the benefits of a chatbot for HR?
According to Juniper Research, chatbots for HR will reduce business expenses by more than $8 billion by 2022.
Here are the top reasons why HR chatbots are preferred by businesses:
1.Instant responses
Chatbots are quick to respond so employees can concentrate on their work and still complete urgent tasks.
2.Accessibility is easy
When resources are readily available, employees feel less stressed.Chatbots for HR are more attractive because they can be reached 24/7 via omnichannel.
3.Employee engagement is improved
Chatbots process queries from users to provide relevant answers. AI generates personalized recommendations based upon user interactions. This creates an engaging experience for employees.
ZIA is our AI-enabled chatbot for HR
Zia, an intelligent AI assistant from Zoho, is a powerful tool in every department.Zia can answer common questions, automate routine tasks, generate reports and identify anomalies.
Zia is the best person to ask for assistance when you next need it from your HR department.
Zia is available to answer all your HR questions promptly and assist you in completing your tasks on time.
Zia can help you increase employee engagement
We at Zoho believe that a positive employee experience is the key to any business’ success.Zoho People & Zia make it easy for your employees to complete their daily HR tasks.Here’s a complete list on what Zia can do to help your employees.
1.You can check in and out by simply clicking a button.
2.Zia will help you complete your leave application.
3.Zia can provide information about your availability and upcoming holidays.
4.Get a list of pending tasks: Make your day more productive by reviewing all your pending tasks.
5.Rapid HR service delivery: Ask Zia any question and it will bring you answers from its FAQ page.Zia will politely ask you to open an account and direct you to the correct expert if your question is not covered by the FAQ database.
Last Thoughts
HR departments constantly develop strategies to address changing organizational needs and increase employee engagement.Chatbots are still relevant, despite changing demands. They are often considered essential to daily operations.Because they can handle many business functions with ease, they play an important role in reducing HR professionals’ workload.
This post will discuss preauth and how it relates with your POS system. We’ll also talk about its benefits for bars and nightclubs.
You understand the importance of a successful business if you own a restaurant or bar.
Preauthorization is a technology advancement that has become increasingly important for bar businesses.They are not the same as those in healthcare, but they share some similarities.
Customers are more likely to order multiple drinks when they visit your establishment.Preauthorization is also known as preauth, or preauthorized transactions. It involves using a customer’s card to open a bar tab.This ensures that a customer has sufficient funds on his credit card before they receive service. It’s also a convenient way for customers to verify that their order is attributed correctly to their card.Many POS preauthorization systems securely store customer information and prevent you from being held responsible for a customer’s insufficient funds.
We will be reviewing the following to help you understand the importance and necessity of preauthorization in order for bars businesses to succeed:
What is a bar tab?
How does POS preauthorization work?
Preauthorization can be a boon for bar businesses in five ways
Common preauthorization myths debunked
What is a bar tab?
Let’s talk briefly about bar tabs before we get into preauthorization.They were briefly mentioned above. But let’s start by explaining what a bar tab is for newcomers to the business.
A bar tab, which is simply a running bill, allows customers to pay one bill for all of their drinks, rather than paying separate bills for each drink.Customers can order drinks with bar tabs without worrying about losing their cards.Incentives to spend more and stay longer at the bar tabs encourage guests to spend more.
Customers receive one bill instead of multiple bills, and you don’t have to calculate gratuity every time. This often leads to more revenue and a larger gratuity for your bar staff.
How does preauthorization work?
Preauthorization of credit and debit cards, also known as preauth, allows bartenders:
You can swipe a customer’s debit or credit card
Securely save your credit card and debit card information in a bar tab
Check that your card has enough funds by placing a temporary hold
Bartenders often ask customers “What are your drinks?”The most common question bartenders ask is “Does this mean you’d like to open a tab?”. Without preauthorization, the customer’s credit card may be invalid or not able to pay the bill.
Preauth allows you to specify a minimum amount that will be authorized to ensure payment processing is successful.The preauthorization of a credit card places a hold on the customer’s funds. However, the preauthorized amount will be voided after the final total charge has been processed.
Preauthorization is not a guarantee against all chargebacks, just like any transaction.
What does preauth do for my bar?
Preauthorization can streamline your operations and enhance the guest experience.
These are five reasons preauth is crucial for your restaurant business or bar:
1) Preauth prevents fraud from stolen or fake cards
Bars and nightclubs need to be vigilant for stolen or fake credit cards.A customer who has a fraudulent or stolen credit card can rack up huge debts.
There are many consumer protections when it comes to credit card theft.A victim of fraud can be assured that the issuing bank will not take funds out of their account.Merchants do not have the same protections.The “hot” card can result in significant losses for the restaurant where it was used.
Preauthorization is enabled so that when you swipe the card, it checks to make sure that the card is valid and linked to a bank account. It also confirms that the card has not been reported stolen or lost.
2) It stops “insufficient funds”.
The conversation of “I can’t afford my bill” is embarrassing, awkward, and uncomfortably uncomfortable for everyone involved.
Preauthorization can avoid this unfortunate scenario.Preauth checks the card to make sure it has a set amount of funds. This is usually the average price of a drink at your bar. It also limits the possibility that someone with a real credit card but no funds will end up paying a large bill at the bar.
Preauth speeds up workflow
Bartenders have a difficult job.Customers expect perfectly prepared drinks and they want them delivered on time.It is crucial that bar technology empowers a bartender, not hinders their job.
Preauthorization helps bartenders move faster.Preauthorization of credit cards can be done in one swipe.This saves time and reduces wait times by not having to go through stacks of cards.
4) It organizes everything
The bartender can save the card of the customer as an open tab by using a single preauthorized swipe.The bartender can add drinks to the customer’s saved credit card and close the check without the card being returned.
Ezra Star is the General Manager at high-volume bar drink in Boston. He attributes the ability of opening a tab and returning the credit card immediately to the guest to being a key factor in creating a better customer experience.
Ezra says that any of the bartenders could find the tab and close it without the guest having to search for their credit card.
5) Preauthorization keeps your establishment competitive
Preauth is a new type of payment that will outperform traditional methods.Preauth allows bars to move more efficiently and patrons don’t need to wait in line for their drink, receipt, or card.
Preauthorization myths debunked
Are you new to the concept POS preauthorizationLet’s discuss some of the most frequent concerns.
Myth #1: “Stopping customer credit card information can be dangerous and a security threat!”
When the card is swiped, all data and credit card details are encrypted immediately in the cloud.No sensitive information is stored on any device or terminal.
Anyone who has ever used online banking has unknowingly or knowingly relied on encryption to protect their data.
Myth #2: Customers will believe they have been charged twice!
The cardholder’s bank will determine how credit card preauthorization appears on online bank statements.
Preauthorization can cause multiple charges to appear on an account. However, only one charge will remain for the final amount after credit card batching.Usually, authorization requests hold disappear from customers’ accounts within one to two business days of the transaction.
Consumers may be surprised and confused by how a preauthorization hold looks on their bank statements.As preauthorization becomes more common in the restaurant industry, customers will soon accept it as the norm.
Myth #3: Preauth will complicate me in my day to-to-day operations
Preauthorization won’t radically alter your operation.Preauth, for example, allows you to:
To close a check, you can use payment in other forms (cash, gift cards, or a different credit card).
Split checks after payment
Run sales reports
End-of-the-day close out checks
Preauthorization will only make a difference for owners/operators in that it increases staff efficiency and guest satisfaction.
How do I add a free gift to my Magento 2 cart automatically?
As a common activity of human-being, gifts have been around for many years.It shows the recipient that you care about them and comes from your heart.
Gifts can be given for many reasons.They give gifts to show their love, appreciation, and keep in touch.
Every store owner wants to communicate with customers by using gifts.Online stores that use Magento 2 platforms can automatically add a gift to their clients’ shopping carts, which can increase customer satisfaction.Merchants can also use this method to say thank you for their customers.
This blog will discuss the benefits of free gifts, and how to automatically add them to your customers’ carts.
What are the benefits to offering customers free gifts?
Shops can offer their customers free products as part of various promotions strategies.This seems like a great deal for customers.But, gifting customers gifts can bring benefits to store owners.
Increase brand awareness and advertise
Gifts are a great way to advertise.E-commerce shops invest heavily in advertising to promote their brand to customers.But, even simple gifts like a gift can have a big impact as an advertisement.
In other words, when a shopping cart has reached a certain amount, the customer will receive a pen with your logo on it.This pen can be borrowed by others and will display the name of your company.This could lead to a conversation about the website and they will be able to visit it.
A small gesture of kindness, such as a bag or mug for a travel buddy, can have a huge impact on your business. It’s better than advertising through the media.
Customer satisfaction can be improved
Customers can add gifts to their shopping carts and create a memorable user experience.This will surprise customers and increase their satisfaction while shopping.
Customers can feel satisfied even with small gifts. It shows appreciation and gratitude for their valued customers.
Customers can be introduced to new products
You can give your customers new products as gifts if you have them.Customers will be happy to try the new products and leave meaningful comments to help you improve.
They will not only be interested in but they will also be looking for these new products.
You can save time by selecting free gifts to add into your cart
When clients select specific products, they can add the appropriate gifts to their shopping cart automatically.The gift is already in the customer’s shopping cart so they don’t have to choose it.This allows you to choose your gift quickly.
Based on stock, a free gift will be chosen.If you have multiple gifts, the stock that has more stock will determine which item to add to your cart.Customers don’t know what the free gifts are.
Administrators can give gifts to certain products free of charge if they meet two conditions: the product attributes rule and the cart rule.Gifts will be added automatically if the product meets these conditions.
Store owners have the power to set different conditions with the cart rule.Customers who order more than $200 in total and ship to the United States will receive a free T-shirt.
Administrators can choose the condition’s attributes if they wish to apply the product attribute rules.Customers who purchase items in the laptop category will get a keyboard for free.
Magento 2: How do I add a gift to my cart automatically?
Magento 2 does not have the ability to automatically add gifts to your cart.This function requires an extension or tool that allows store owners to do it.Mageplaza’s Free Gifts Extension allows merchants to manage gifts and automatically add them to their customers’ carts.
Let’s see the configuration below for Mageplaza’s Magento 2 Free gifts.
General configuration
You can access the admin panel by clicking on the following link: Marketing-> Free Gifts-> Configuration.
Administrators can easily enable the module by selecting Yes under the Enable subsection.
Gift list Layout allows administrators to display the front-end’s gift list in one of three ways: Grid, , or Slider.You don’t need to create the Gift List Layout if the gift is automatically added to the shopping cart.
Notice for gift: Customers will see a notice with the present to distinguish it from other products.
Administrators can disable the gift notification section by selecting Yes in the Allow customers section. Customers can also turn off the notice from the View Cart Page.
Administrators have the option to upload any gift icon they like.The Gift icon won’t be displayed if there isn’t an uploaded file.
Use the Rule
Administrators can make rules that allow them to give away gifts under certain conditions.They can visit Marketing-> Free Gifts-> Rule Management.
You can enter the name of your rule in the Name section.It will then be displayed in the backend to differentiate it from other rules.
Status – Choose To Turn On
Description – Fill in a brief description of the rule
Website: A specific rule will apply to websites
Customer group – Select the customer group you wish to apply the rule.
Administrators have the option to choose the date and complete the rule in both the Active From or Active To fields.
Priority – The lower the number, the more important.Zero is the highest.
There are two options for store managers to choose from when applying the rule in the Condition tab.The first is for the cart and the second is for the item.
Condition for cart
Condition for item
Administrators have the option to select different conditions for which they wish to apply the rule.The rule will be applied if the shopping cart or product meets these conditions.
Shop admins must choose Auto to have gifts added to the shopping cart automatically in the Activity tab.
Field support was limited in the number of gifts that clients could receive by applying the rule.
Managers can manage the Gift List section’s list of free gifts.They can select specific items to be gifts by clicking the Add Gift button.Other They can choose the Delete option in the Actions to remove.
So that they can effectively manage the list, the free gifts will be listed.
Display at the frontend
Display on mini cart
Display on view cart page
Conclusion
The Magento2 Free Gifts Module is an e-commerce tool that allows merchants to surprise customers with free gifts to make them more happy during their shopping experience.It helps increase customer retention and boost sales for online stores.
Consumers have changed their shopping habits due to the pandemic, and are now more inclined to shop online.
According to Statista business data platform, retail eCommerce sales in 2021 reached an estimated 4.9 trillion U.S. Dollars worldwide, compared with 3.3 trillion U.S. dollar in 2019.It is expected to reach 7.4 trillion dollars in 2025.
Statistics show that the industry is expected to continue growing at an accelerated pace.You need to know how to get the best out of your online shop.
This article will show you how to increase eCommerce sales by 2022.To help you develop an effective strategy, we have covered the following:
Common eCommerce conversion rates
The best ways to increase your eCommerce conversion rates
Let’s look at some effective strategies that can increase eCommerce conversion rates.
Average eCommerce Conversion Rates
You first need to determine the average conversion rates in order to measure your online business’ conversion rate.
According to Littledata research, the average eCommerce conversion rate was 1.3% as of April 2022.A good conversion rate is thought to be higher than 3.1%.
These numbers are not enough to assess your business’s performance.We also have data about eCommerce conversion rates per industry that we find to be more relevant.
Statista’s 2021 benchmark study shows that food and beverage have the highest conversion rate at 5.5%. Luxury bags and home furnishings are less than 1%.High eCommerce conversion rates are also seen in beauty, haircare and health categories.
How to increase eCommerce sales
Although your website is modern and user-friendly, it doesn’t seem to be selling as many visitors as you would like.We can help you increase your eCommerce sales rates.
Optimize the checkout process
While some website visitors may find your ad online and decide to purchase your product, others might be skeptical.If they find the checkout process tedious and time-consuming, they might abandon their cart at any moment.Optimizing the checkout process is key.
According to Baymard Institute’s recent research, 24% of US online shoppers abandoned their carts after the website requested that they create an account.17% of respondents didn’t complete the shopping process due to a lengthy or complex checkout process.
How to use it
Customers can choose whether they wish to create an account, or continue as guests.
Be sure to remove all distractions, unneeded information, and additional navigations that could overload the checkout page
As many payment options as possible
The checkout process should be transparent. Customers should know what they will need to do to complete their purchase.
Cart abandonment can have a significant impact on eCommerce conversion rates.Baymard Institute calculated the average cart abandonment rates at 69.82%.This is a huge number.There are options to catch up cart abandoners and bring them to your site.
Retargeting can be a powerful tool for eCommerce growth.According to numerous studies, visitors who are retargeted are 40-70% more likely to convert.
You remind potential customers of your products by posting ads on social media and other websites if they leave your website.Connecting your online store with Google Analytics and Facebook pixel gives these platforms the ability to track your visitors’ journeys and suggest relevant deals in your ads.
Retargeting does not end at Facebook and Google.To increase eCommerce sales, you might also consider SMS and email retargeting campaigns.
How to use it
Retargeting Facebook Ads and/or Google Ads campaigns can be used to identify cart abandoners and re-engage them
For email retargeting campaigns that work, build an email list
To follow up on cart abandoners by SMS, collect phone numbers
To stimulate sales, offer free shipping, gift or discount on your retargeting campaigns
Instill a sense urgency and exclusivity
Marketing with urgency and exclusivity is an old-fashioned, but still effective tactic.Limited-time deals, exclusive items, and scarcity attract customers and increase eCommerce sales.Let’s face it, statistics are hard to ignore.
People love feeling special.According to Y Pulse research 34% of the 13-39-year olds surveyed decided to purchase a limited-edition product because they felt special.
People fear missing out.They are less likely to delay purchasing if they find out that the item they want is not available soon.
How to use it
Use urgency and scarcity words such as “Today only”, “Last chance”, or “Today only” to indicate scarcity.
Countdown timers can be added to indicate how long it is until the special deal expires
Get free shipping for limited edition products
Pop-ups can be used to inform customers about special offers
Show the product’s limited stock availability.
Provide multiple discount options
Blippr survey shows that 29% of online shoppers will buy something they don’t intend to purchase if there is a substantial discount.Discounts are a great way to increase eCommerce sales.However, you need to be careful with your discounts as a poorly thought-out discount strategy could lead to a decrease in sales.Customers may perceive your products as low-quality if you offer discounts too often.You can also project a low-quality image.
You must first determine your goals in order to ensure that the discount strategy works for your business.This could be getting rid old products, attracting new clients, following up cart abandonment or increasing sales.
To reach your goals, consider multiple discounts.A bundle discount, which is when you lower the price for a group of products, allows you to increase your order quantity, increase revenue, and allow customers to try new products.Volume discounts allow your customers to pay less per item, while clearing inventory allows you to increase eCommerce sales.
How to Apply
Set your goals first
Free shippingIt’s as good as a coupon
Combining different discounts can help you reach different goals
Offer discounts to customers who expect it (holidays or Black Friday, for example).
Shop via social media platforms
It is not necessary to explain why businesses need to communicate with their customers via social media.Social media platforms are more than just a place to advertise and communicate.Meta has worked hard to make both Facebook and Instagram more eCommerce-focused in recent years.You can inform prospects about your products, drive traffic to your store and even sell directly within Instagram Shopping and Facebook Shops.
Social eCommerce allows customers to make their purchase journey faster by making it easy for them to check out via social media.This is a great way to impulsively shop.Customers can click on the tag of an item in your Instagram post to buy it instantly.You don’t need to search the company website in your bio. All they have to do is search for the item you want in a catalog and then checkout.Easy and quick checkout can increase eCommerce conversion rates.
Businesses have social eCommerce options through TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram.TikTok is a well-known platform for driving traffic to businesses through organically viral videos in which mostly non-influencer users share experiences and opinions about different products.
How to Apply
As many social media platforms and as many digital shops as you can
To attract prospects, create engaging and eye-catching content
Ads and influence marketing can help you support your social eCommerce efforts
Encourage your audience members to create user-generated content
Great customer service via social media accounts
Social proof is a plus
Showing buyers’ reviews is one of the best ways to increase eCommerce sales.93% of consumers believe that online reviews have influenced their purchasing decisions.A Canvas8/ Trustpilot study found that 9 out 10 consumers worldwide read online reviews before purchasing online.
Reviews are read by people.Your business will benefit from customers’ feedback.Negative testimonials can have a positive effect on your business. They prove that customers are genuine and honest about the quality of your products.They can also help you fix errors and find better solutions.
Satisfied buyers will leave reviews.Customers rarely share positive experiences with the products and services they love.Negative reviews are more common.In return for positive reviews, you can offer a gift or small discount on your next order.
How to Apply
Ask your customers to leave feedback in order confirmation emails or follow-up emails.
Customers can leave reviews on your Facebook or Google pages
Don’t hide negative reviews.Answer them and then analyze them.Find the solution
Give active feedback receivers a gift, discount or free shipping
Encourage your customers to voice their opinion on your products via social media
Show star ratings for products
Chat support via live chat
Customers may need clarifications before purchasing your product.It’s crucial to answer customers as quickly as possible in today’s busy world.You can also create a F.A.Q.You can also create a F.A.Q. page for them to find the information they are looking for.It takes a lot of time.Customers will be less likely to buy your product if they are forced to do so.Live chat support is crucial for any business.
38% of consumers are more likely buy from a company with live chat support. 51% will purchase again from a business that has live chat support.If the customer service is excellent, buyers will stay loyal.Support managers can help you sell more by suggesting a substitute product or adding additional items to your order.Support managers may suggest a hair balm to enhance the effectiveness of shampoos for oily hair.
How to Apply
Install a live chat widget to your website
You must have live chat available on your storefront
Chatbots can be used for primary communication.It shouldn’t be used to replace human beings.
Multiple payment and delivery options available
Let prospects know if they want to pay you money.You can make checkout easier and more efficient by offering as many payment options possible.Customers often abandon checkout if they can’t find the right payment option.
This is not what you want if your goal is to increase eCommerce conversion rates.
There are many shipping options available, both nationally and internationally.You should try to send as many as possible.Some services offer fast delivery and high payments, while others are slow but cheap.Your customer can choose what service they prefer.
Shipping free of charge is a great way for you to increase conversion rates.Many businesses offer free shipping if customers spend a certain amount.Customers prefer to spend more money on products than shipping.
How to Apply
As many delivery and payment options as possible.
Free shipping on exclusive products or orders over a certain amount
Check that your payment method clearly identifies the order amount and the item you are purchasing.
Analyze and segment traffic
Segmentation and traffic analysis are essential if you want eCommerce conversion rates to rise.You won’t be able to succeed if you don’t understand your customers and their expectations.Traffic analysis allows you to understand the behavior of your website visitors and identify weak spots in your online store.Segmenting your audience is a great way to better understand your audience and offer a personalized customer journey.
You can segment customers using the following key criteria.
Customer segmentation
How do you segment?
Demographic
Age, gender, language, education, income, marital status
Identify your traffic analysis goals and segmentation goals.
Segment your audience by segmenting it.
Create a personalized customer experience.
Analyze the segmentation results.
What can be done to improve eCommerce conversion rates?
We have already covered 9 effective strategies to improve eCommerce conversion rates. However, there are many other ways to increase eCommerce sales.
Highlight the return and guarantee policy. People hate to lose money.Your guarantee and return policy should be made known to your customers so that they don’t have to worry about losing a penny.
High-quality visuals will make your product more appealing and trustworthy.People can’t touch, feel, or try the product online.You need to take high-quality photos and videos so that they can at least see the product.Particularly when it comes clothing and footwear.
Use persuasive design and compelling content to influence prospects’ decisions.With psychological principles in mind, persuasive eCommerce website designs provide a pleasant customer experience which positively impacts eCommerce conversion rates.
Enhance your CTAs. Increase the impact of your CTAs with clear sopy and noticeable size and placement.
Speed up your eCommerce conversions by 7%.If you don’t want your sales to drop, optimize the speed.
Are you still looking for more tips to increase eCommerce conversion rates?Check out this video!
Increase eCommerce Conversion Rates
No matter if your eCommerce website conversion rates are higher than the industry average, it is still important to make improvements that will improve online sales.
The Ecommerce Industry and Brexit: What UK Retailers Should Know
If you are a citizen of Earth with internet access, you will have probably heard about “Brexit”. This referendum was held in 2016, and would see the United Kingdom withdraw from the European Union.The UK government has not been able to agree on a withdrawal strategy since then. This has created a lot of uncertainty for both the UK and European economies.There are many questions for UK ecommerce retailers about the impact of Brexit on their businesses and what tools they should use to prepare.
If you’re an ecommerce retailer in the UK this brief overview will explain how Brexit could impact your business. It also explains the tools Nosto has created to help you prepare for the changes and protect client data.
1.What does Brexit mean to online retailers in the UK
Initial sales growth from overseas customers was driven by Brexit. This was due to the decline in the British Pound (GBP) value.This was especially noticeable for heritage brands “Made in England”.
A Brexit deal is likely to lead to changes, many of which are still unknown. However, the UK government has indicated that they intend to incorporate the GDPR directives in UK law.Additionally, the import and export rules/tariffs are likely to shift, forcing retailers and other businesses to adapt to changes in margins and suppliers.Uncertainty is the killer. We don’t know what we are doing yet.
2.How is Nosto prepared for the effects of Brexit on UK retailers
Nosto-powered retailers will be affected by key changes such as data privacy and data transfer between the UK and EEA.The introduction of GDPR was a significant milestone for us. We have fine-tuned processes, platforms, and how we process data in preparation for GDPR.Nosto clients will not have to make significant changes in the UK law after Brexit.
Nosto clients will receive information once the Brexit deal is in place and more details are available about the changes that are required.
Nosto is currently updating existing client VAT codes in order to reflect client’s location outside the EU.
The Nosto Service can collect the following types of data: first, last, email address, browser, IP address, events and order events.The functionality of Nosto will be affected if data types are disabled.Nosto will not send triggered emails if email capture is disabled.
How to Increase Your Brand’s Engagement On Instagram
Instagram is third in popularity with more than one million active monthly users.In terms of number of users, Instagram is only surpassed by YouTube and Facebook.A staggering 50% of these one billion users use Instagram daily, giving businesses the opportunity to increase their brand visibility, drive traffic, and drive sales.
Now the question is, how do you make use of Instagram’s marketing potential?How to get more engagement on Instagram
The platform is full of competition.You risk losing your audience to competition if you don’t use the right strategies.
In fact, 8 of 10 Instagram users are business followers on the platform.A business account can be viewed by up to 200 million Instagrammers every day.This will give you an idea of how much competition you face.
You can stay ahead of your competitors by capturing the attention of users and increasing brand engagement.
This article will discuss strategies that can help you increase your brand’s engagement on Instagram.
Let’s get started!
Use Hashtags
Hashtags can be a useful tool to help grow your brand’s reach and increase visibility on the platform.You make it easy for people to find your content by using hashtags.
Use hashtags that are related to your brand, product, or industry.If people search for a particular hashtag, they will see your content.This will increase engagement for your content.
If you sell cameras, for example, your hashtags should relate to photography or art.You might not get much engagement if you use a hashtag that is related to food recipes.People looking for recipes don’t want to buy cameras, but they are more interested in photos and art than people who are using hashtags.
The Instagram post above is about weddings, and if you look at the hashtags used, 90 percent of them are related to weddings. Whenever a user searches for #weddingideas or #weddingphotography that day, this post would come up.
The right hashtags will help you reach the right audience organically, and increase engagement with your videos or photos.
Pro Tip – Use longer hashtags.One-word hashtags are highly competitive.You would find over 86,000,000 posts if you searched for #Architecture.
It would be very difficult for you to appear at the top of search results unless your brand is well-known.If you used the hashtag #postmodernarchitecture instead, there are only 8,739 associated posts.
Long-tail hashtags increase your chances of appearing in search results consistently.
How do you find the right hashtags for your brand? You can use a tool like HashtagsForLikes to help you find the trending and most relevant hashtags for your brand or industry.
Longer Captions
How long users spend on your content on Instagram will determine how successful it is.High engagement rates are preferred by Instagram.
Writing long-form, captivating captions is one of the best ways to get Instagrammers more time to your posts.
Instagram gives you plenty of space for creating captions.Instagram captions can have up to 2,200 characters.
Spend some time writing sentences and paragraphs instead of using emojis and one-word captions.This will increase your engagement rate.
These are the questions you must ask to create better captions:
What is the purpose of this post?
What purpose would this post serve for anyone but me or my brand?
What’s the story behind this post?
Do I do the story justice?
This post will inspire you to feel the same emotion.
Your caption should elicit an emotional response from the reader.People are easily distracted so don’t expect to grab their attention within the first few sentences.
Jenna Kutcher’s image is an example of captivating captions.The caption began with the words “This photo almost didn’t happen ..”.”.This would encourage the reader to find out why it almost didn’t happen.
When you get it right with your caption, you can significantly increase your engagement rate.
Use Instagram Stories
Instagram stories have become a popular feature of the platform.A report from Instagram shows that Instagram stories are viewed by 500,000,000 people per day and that one-third of all Instagram stories viewed are by businesses.
Stories are a great way for your fans to engage.Stories are a great way to show your fans behind-the scenes action and funny brand bloopers.Stories can be used to increase engagement and draw attention to new posts on your feed.
Pro Tip Instagram’s algorithm places a lot emphasis on timelines because it wants to ensure that the most recent photos appear in the feed.You can increase your chances of your stories appearing at the top of users’ feeds by posting more Instagram stories.
Stories Stickers Get people talking with stories
Stickers are a great way to get people to interact with your content.
Insta story stickers allow viewers to share their stories and chat with you.You can increase engagement and build a following by inviting your users to participate in content creation.
There are several ways you can use stickers in increasing your brand’s engagement on Instagram. These are some examples:
THE QUESTION STICKERS
Stickers are becoming more popular for asking questions on Instagram.This is how brands are using it to host AMA (Ask Me Anything).
These stickers can be used to spark conversations and allow your fans to learn more about you or your product.This type of sticker will increase your engagement and provide valuable customer insights.
POLLS AND VOTES STICKERS
Your followers will be more likely to take part in polls and vote for your content.Your audience will be more inclined to interact with your content if they feel that your opinions are important.
This helps you to understand your audience and provides insight into the type of content they are most interested in.
Great Content
Instagram rewards content creators who produce high-quality content because they get more engagement.
You will get more engagement if you upload more high-quality content (photos, videos) than your audience is looking for.
Instagram will recognize great content when it sees it and increase its visibility across the platform.
Pro Tip To make your content stand out ensure that every image and video you upload is compelling and of the highest quality.
You should aim to get people to stop scrolling when you upload content to Instagram.It is possible to get people’s attention by using a relevant, high-quality image that tells a compelling story.
Good news: With the advent of smartphones, you (and customers), don’t need to spend a lot of money on a camera to capture quality images.
Photo editing apps can be used to enhance contrast and make photos pop.
When you post only quality content, you increase the chances of your content showing up on the “Explore” page. Featuring on the explore page would help increase your brand’s Instagram discoverability .
Take a Look at Instagram Analytics
It doesn’t matter if you use an app from a third party or Instagram’s analytics tool. You need to analyze your Instagram numbers.
You can use Instagram analytics to get a better idea of what content is most popular with your followers.This knowledge will allow you to identify the best content for maximum engagement and increase brand engagement on Instagram.
While you might be more comfortable uploading photos, your audience may prefer videos. This means that you need to spend more time creating high-quality videos.
Tip: It’s a smart idea to promote a post that is doing well organically.This is a great way increase your engagement.
You can boost a post to reach thousands of people and help you achieve your brand’s goals faster.These goals could include increasing engagement, website traffic or profile visits, among other things.
Be sure to monitor the analytics of your boosted post.This will allow you to determine which types of content work best when boosted.
It is all about trial and error.The key to success is to keep analyzing the numbers until your brand finds the best solution.
Add Location tags
You can also use hashtags and geotags to make your content more discoverable.
This is particularly useful for local businesses.Location tags can be used to alert people in your area to your content and encourage them to interact with it.
Schedule At The Right Times
You can increase engagement with your brand on Instagram by posting when your followers are online most.
You can increase your chances of users engaging with your content if you upload it during their scrolling through the feed.
Instagram’s native analytics tool can help you get a sense of when your users are online most.This tool shows you when your content receives the most shares, likes and comments.You’ll get more engagement if you post within the timeframe.
To schedule your Instagram content, you can use a tool such as Buffer and Social Pilot.This allows you to publish content faster, especially if your audience is from another time zone.
Conclusion
Your engagement rates on Instagram can increase dramatically if you use the right strategies.These tips will help you increase your brand’s visibility on Instagram.
These strategies will help you improve your content’s performance on Instagram.
7 eCommerce Marketing Problems (and How to Solve Them).
Did you know that there are 24,000,000 eCommerce websites around the world ?This makes it very competitive.We’ve identified seven major eCommerce problems brands are facing and provided tips for how to fix them.
eCommerce is expected to play an even greater role in the lives of consumers, given its nature in 2020.Online shopping has increased by 28 percent since the coronavirus epidemic.Furthermore, 58 per cent of respondents said that they expected to shop more online after the pandemic.
The eCommerce marketing challenges that retailers have faced in the past are even more severe.We’ll help you identify the pain points and point you to solutions.Perhaps even a few hacks.
1.There is a constant need for new content
There have been days, weeks, or even months when it felt like there was not enough content.
Marketers have more options than ever to reach their consumers.With every consumer touchpoint, comes an additional channel that you must create and publish content to reach your target audience.
You need to have a lot of content for your website, blog, emails and ads.It must be relevant and engaging enough to cut through the digital noise, especially on busy social media feeds.
It’s not just about writing content.Visuals are essential in today’s digital landscape.The chances of your content being seen decrease if it isn’t paired alongside compelling imagery.Articles with images receive 94 percent more views than articles without visuals.
This is a lot of content to produce for eCommerce brands, even those with large budgets and teams.However, it can have huge benefits to keep the content flowing at a steady pace.
Sites that regularly publish new content are favored by search engines
New content is more visible and engages online, especially on social media channels.
A wide range of content can be published, including blogs, images, infographics and videos. This helps to grab and keep consumers’ attention.
Content that is well-placed and timed can increase discoverability and give people a reason for coming back to your brand.
However, creating and acquiring content requires time, money and effort from digital marketing teams.This is a major problem for eCommerce marketing professionals, who try their best to keep up with the rapid-paced Internet.
Solution:
eCommerce companies should not create all visual elements from scratch. Instead, they should curate the content that their customers need.
User-generated content (UGC) is the content that people have already posted about your brand on social media.UGC can provide a cost-effective and continuous source of visual content to support your marketing channels.
You think there is too much UGC on social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for you to be able ever to find the best?You can find the right UGC solutions to help you:
Find the most relevant content quickly and easily
Automate curation
Ask content creators for permission to use their visuals
Social media can be fun for marketers and offer many opportunities. However, it can also feel like a constant struggle to get attention.
If your brand’s social accounts are not engaging with you, do you really need to post?The answer is often yes.However, low social media engagement is a sign that you need to ask tough questions.
This channel is the best way to reach my target audience.
Do I need to strike a different tone?
Are the contents I share of interest to my target audience?
Are I clear about what I want to convey?
What actions should I be trying to incite?
What conversation am I trying start?
Social media was created to connect people and not be a marketing tool for businesses.Social media engagement can be increased by engaging with your audience.
There are many creative ways that eCommerce brands can communicate with their online communities.
Solution:
You can start running social contests or hashtag campaigns that encourage people to upload photos of themselves wearing or using your product(s).Respond directly to submissions with likes, shares, comments, and other personal messages.To foster an interactive community, you might even ask your wider audiences to vote for a winner.
After the competition has ended, you can take advantage of all the authentic UGC ( without permission, of course) and share it on your social media channels. You could also use it across your website, ads, emails, and other digital content.This will inspire your followers and give them a voice in your brand.
Start focusing your social media efforts on your customers. Watch your engagement numbers rise.
3.Increase brand awareness and discoverability
Most eCommerce marketers will tell you that they want to increase brand awareness.It can be difficult to get more customers in an online sea of eCommerce shops.
It doesn’t matter if you have the best products and services in the world.
Brand awareness can be difficult to pinpoint.Google does not currently provide a report on brand awareness.
Every brand should understand the meaning of brand awareness.Here are some examples:
Impressions
Reach out to others
Shares
Mentions and backlinks
Website traffic and the percent increase in traffic over time – mainly direct and new users
Solution:
Calculate what success in brand awareness looks like for your eCommerce store.Decide the metrics that you wish to measure, and then start tracking them in every strategy or campaign.
You don’t have to make your brand known to everyone. Only the most likely customers will buy from your store.You can do this by using micro-influencers, or as we like to refer to them, organic influentialrs, people who already advocate for your brand to their small but engaged followings.This strategy can be read more here.
4.Increase eCommerce conversion rates
You’re not alone if you aren’t promoting your brand online and growing your awareness on social media, but you don’t convert people on your product pages.
Every eCommerce marketer strives to move people through the marketing funnel, all the way to conversion.If your conversion rates aren’t working, this can be a problem.A user may not convert on a page for a variety of reasons.These are some of the most common reasons:
Users will leave your site if you have a slow page speed
Poor mobile usability and responsive design
Poor quality copy and insufficient product information
Navigating websites can be confusing
Security concerns
Pricing
Uncertain shipping and return policies
Some of these issues may require assistance from other departments such as design and IT. However, marketers should concentrate on what they control: the messaging and visuals that educate and entice consumers to buy your product.The way that a product is presented can have a major impact on whether or not a customer converts.
Solution:
Sometimes it is better to show than to tell when it comes to online shopping.Your eCommerce pages should contain clear and complete information about the products.If shoppers are unable to touch or feel your products while browsing, unvarnished visual Social Proof is the best alternative.
Visuals of happy customers wearing or using a product can help people get a better understanding of the product’s appearance in the real world.Social proof such as user-generated content can be displayed on your eCommerce store ( ) and made shoppable! to help convert people from browsers into buyers.
5.Reducing shopping cart abandonment rates
It can be painful when customers pick out the product they want, then go to checkout and leave your site.This is known as shopping cart abandonment.
Unexpected costs were incurred (e.g.tax, shipping, etc.)
Long and confusing checkout process
You will need to create a brand new account.
Return policies that are confusing or difficult to understand
Slow time to delivery
Performance issues on the web
Other sites offer better prices
It’s almost impossible to have a zero percent abandonment rate for shopping carts, but there are steps eCommerce marketers can do to reduce those numbers and increase sales.
Solution:
These are some of the most common ways to reduce abandonment rates in your store’s shopping cart.
During checkout, progress indicators are displayed
Customers can use the instant chat box to ask questions
Here’s a glimpse of the cost for shipping, tax and other fees.
Include thumbnail images of the products during the purchase process
Offering seamless payment options (Apple Pay and Google Wallet, Paypal, etc.
Customers can save their shopping cart to come back later
To remind them that they have abandoned their virtual shopping cart, send trigger emails
Retargeting ads can be set up to remind users of items they’ve viewed while they’re browsing other websites.
Pro tip: Use authentic UGC from abandoned shopping cart items to your retargeting campaigns or trigger emails to entice customers to return.
It’s all too familiar to us how frustrating it can be to order something online and then receive it only to find that the product is not what we expected.This is part of online shopping, unless you use a trusted fulfillment shipping company.
You lose the sale of an item if it is returned to you. However, shipping costs are usually incurred from the original offer of free shipping or free returns.You may also have to pay additional fees if the item is damaged.
This can lead to major headaches for both you and your customers.
Solution:
We mentioned social proof in an earlier article.Visual social proof is a secret weapon eCommerce brands have to fight shopping cart abandonment.
You don’t want just one-time customers if you are an eCommerce company.Customers who return to your site often and are loyal, enthusiastic customers are what you want.Loyalty is hard to find with so many brands.It’s worth the effort when brands make it possible.Increase customer retention rates by 5 % can boost profits by 25-95 %
Your brand should be more than an online shop.Customers should be able to share their experiences with the brand and learn from other customers who use your products.
Solution:
There are many ways to increase customer loyalty.
Prioritizing good customer service
Loyalty programs are a way to reward and encourage customers.
Customers are encouraged to give feedback
Not only can you offer products, but also a larger community that customers can be a part of
Customers can help you achieve a mission beyond your company, such as sustainability, diversity, and inclusion.
Encourage customers to share their stories and create customer loyalty programs.Invite customers to join exclusive online clubs or create groups where they can interact and receive the latest information about your brand and products.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter if you feel the same way about all or one of these eCommerce marketing problems, it is important to get to know your customers. This will allow you to constantly evaluate whether your marketing messages, campaigns, and strategies are effective or not.No matter what number of common problems you are facing, hopefully you have some concrete tips to help you improve.
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