The Shotfarm Monthly
by Andrea Roble. As I’ve said time and time again, I’ve learned a lot about the eCommerce industry since I started working at shotfarm. I used to think it was relatively straightforward to design a website, but I now realize there’s a lot to consider. To say implementing an eCommerce website can be complicated would Continue Reading…
by Rob Cardenas. With eCommerce platforms becoming more user friendly for retailers you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to customize your site with plugins. Plugins can help your site in many ways, including conversion rate, connecting with visitors, customer management, and overall efficiency. No two business are the same so it is important Continue Reading…
by Meg Robinson. You can’t have a conversation about retail these days without someone mentioning Pinterest. At eTail West 2012, it was on every presenter’s slides and every attendee’s lips – to the point of complete oversaturation. But this fad can back up the hype: from December to March, Pinterest increased its unique visitors from Continue Reading…
by Lee Syrjanen. Product images and image management has been the majority of what I’ve dealt with on a daily basis at shotfarm thus far, but with the impending launch of our new Digital Asset Management tools I’ve begun to focus increasingly on another tool that is becoming essential for both retailers and manufacturers: video. Continue Reading…
by Andrea Roble. Working at shotfarm has exposed me to many trends in the eCommerce industry. I can readily talk about rich media hosting, 360 spin technology, and digital asset management with any of my customers. This newfound passion for technology has really made me start to appreciate the time and work that goes into Continue Reading…
by Meg Robinson. We spent most of this month’s eTail West conference manning our booth and talking to retailers and brands about the challenges they face in gathering and delivering quality product content, but on the last morning, we were able to slip away to watch Guy Kawasaki deliver his keynote speech. For those of Continue Reading…
by Rob Cardenas. I’m pretty sure Amazon knows what they’re doing. There’s no one who comes close to competing, so we think it’s a good idea to always keep an eye on their strategies and standards to see how they might apply to the rest of the eCommerce world. Just take a look at the Continue Reading…
by Andrea Roble. It’s amazing how many different ways there are to sell a product. It used to be the traditional brick and mortar store was pretty much the only way a person could buy something. Then came telephone orders. Next, eCommerce sites started to become popular. Now, there are even more options. I’ve become Continue Reading…
by Rob Cardenas. U.S. eCommerce sales grew 14% from 2010 to 2011 hitting over 200 billion for the first time. This growth doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon according the technology and market research firm Forrester. They are forecasting the U.S. eCommerce sales to reach $327 billion by the year 2016. It was reported last Continue Reading…
by Meg Robinson. In our line of work, we see a lot of websites. Some are pretty amazing and some are…well, decidedly less so. But what’s really interesting is the disparity between the websites of retailers and manufacturers. To make a blatant generalization, it seems that across the board retailers are putting more effort into Continue Reading…
by Andrea Roble. The eCommerce industry is growing rapidly, and competition is fierce. Therefore, I think it’s extremely important to keep on eCommerce trends to ensure your business is at the leading edge of technology and marketing techniques. I recently did some research regarding up-and-coming eCommerce trends in 2012, and I found many experts are Continue Reading…
By Rob Cardenas. We have touched a lot on how important centralizing rich media is, but what good is it if you have an outdated eCommerce site or no site at all? In the past it was very difficult and expensive to get an eCommerce site together but now there are plenty of eCommerce platforms Continue Reading…
by Lee Syrjanen. Last week Andrea wrote a great blog regarding her inner struggle between shopping online and in-store. It’s a great read and if you haven’t checked it out yet you can take a look here, but Andrea briefly touched on a topic that I wanted to expand on a bit more: rich media. Continue Reading…
The shotfarm team is excited to announce the rollout of our new Rich Media Hosting 2.0 platform, a robust update of the Rich Media Hosting offering we launched in 2011. Now all of shotfarm’s hosting customers are able to add the benefits of a world class Content Delivery Network to ensure that their eCommerce sites Continue Reading…
It’s been proven time and again that Rich Product Content leads to greater conversions, higher sales and fewer returns. Sure, it’s a no brainer, but it can take time to evaluate and implement rich media technologies and create new content to maximize their impact. So where are you in your plans to employ Rich Product Continue Reading…
Have you taken a good look at 360 spin photography lately? It’s a pretty compelling case. In a digital world where the holy grail is replicating the tactile in-store experience, spin photography arguably provides the most detailed visual product information possible. By giving consumers the ability to investigate every angle and feature of a product Continue Reading…
by Sally Mjoseth. It’s that time of year again! Cheer is in the air and the holidays are around the corner. Despite the cold Midwest temperatures, this has always been my favorite season. I love preparing for festivities, decorating my house with lights and garland until it’s nearly unrecognizable, and putting thought and effort into Continue Reading…
by Sagar Chowdhury. In the old days of brick and mortar, a good location near heavy foot traffic might’ve been all you needed to get shoppers into your store. Perhaps some eye-catching signage, a solid reputation in the neighborhood, and maybe an ad in the local paper were all you needed to get—and keep—business humming along Continue Reading…
Last week shotfarm officially announced a really exciting partnership with supply chain management company SPS Commerce. SPS will be using shotfarm’s product images and information to populate its Retail Universe community. The Retail Universe is a free platform that connects members of the retail supply chain with new partners. One of the exciting feature is Continue Reading…
by Lee Syrjanen. The other day, in between my research sessions of theoretical physics and Dr. Michio Kaku, I was taking a look at some different retail websites. I’m in the market for some new ski equipment and wanted to get some different ideas online before I went out to the store to try some Continue Reading…
by Sagar Chowdhury. Last week, I caught a little blurb in Mashable about Google Analytics adding a window into real-time web traffic with Google Analytics Real-Time. Essentially, GA’s new version provides real-time user statistics and reports. In fine Google fashion, they turned it on for a select few users last week, clearly beta-testing to make Continue Reading…
by Morgan Funke. The topic of color came up at the office the other day, and it reminded me of a time when I bought a jacket online but what came in the mail was a totally different shade from what I expected. I was only slightly irritated considering the jacket was heavily discounted (probably Continue Reading…
By Sagar Chowdhury. After publishing Part 3 of this series, “The Product Page,” in August, I knew that it was nearly time to start talking about customer service. Customer service is a huuuuuuge factor in building an excellent reputation and retaining customers by the thousands. But, having personally written about customer service in this blog Continue Reading…
by Lee Syrjanen. I stumbled across an interesting article this morning. The article was an E-Commerce Times piece titled “Pre-CRM: Relating Before There’s a Relationship”. The article goes on to outline the challenges of interacting with potential customers in an increasingly online world. Growing up my father owned a business in our little town, he Continue Reading…
by Morgan Funke. I read Seth Godin’s Sunday blog post this morning and couldn’t help but chuckle at myself for being the very “believer” he writes about. Godin talks about marketing with the placebo effect and how effective it can be, allowing varied perceptions of reality. From a young age we’re taught to respect others’ Continue Reading…
by Lee Syrjanen. The other day I came across an article about shopping cart abandonment and the contributing factors that really, for some reason, stuck with me. Over the course of my online shopping history I know that I’ve certainly been guilty of loading up an online cart only to leave it. I’m sure many Continue Reading…
by Shag Chowdhury. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been plugging away at a small series of pieces dealing with how to improve eCommerce conversions. The very first installment of said series was dedicated to building trust with the consumer. This month, Inc. Magazine published an article that nicely reinforces some of the points Continue Reading…
by Shag Chowdhury. Pretend you’re blind. And deaf. And as it happens, an accident has left you with a strange nerve condition, which slightly numbs your sense of touch, taste and smell. In other words, you can’t see and hear, and your other senses can’t help you much. But you’re a consumer. We all are. Continue Reading…
by Lee Syrjanen. The other day I was walking through the Patagonia store with a friend of mine that I would call “behind the technology curve” when I saw a jacket I liked. All of the store clerks were busy with other customers and I couldn’t seem to find a price tag on the jacket. Continue Reading…
by Alisha O’Loughlin I found this article on word-of-mouth marketing extremely eye opening. I love to see good ol’ traditional advertising infuse itself in today’s tech world. Prior to reading this article, I truly thought the internet was squashing traditional advertising altogether. It turns out the Internet is now the leading source of information for Continue Reading…
by Lee Syrjanen Recently, I’ve been reading more and more about tablets. I must admit when tablets first came out I didn’t know how long they’d last, but as my research has continued it’s become pretty apparent that I was wrong. Very wrong. A recent Forrester poll indicates that many online retailers report seeing as Continue Reading…
by Shag Chowdhury Many of you beloved Shotfarm partners are retailers, with brick and mortar stores in which customers roam through the aisles to browse and buy. Now, imagine that, in one of your physical stores, one hundred people push their carts to the checkout section and get in their various checkout aisle of choice. Continue Reading…
by Morgan Funke I forgot my cell phone at home today, and I feel naked without it. How am I supposed to know what day it is, what time it is, what my friends are doing, how to get home or what to have for dinner? Okay, I’m being dramatic, but really it’s a lesson Continue Reading…
by Shag Chowdhury After a long weekend (and week) of celebrating our country’s independence, I thought I’d shine a bit of light on our country’s “independents,” the mom & pop, brick and mortar stores that I seem to frequent less and less these days, me being an internet shopper and/or plain lazy. According to the Continue Reading…
