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It's 2010. Do You Know Where Your E-Commerce Strategy Is? 7 Signs You Need to Find It.

Happy New Year, a few weeks in.  Despite one of the most challenging years for retail in recent memory, those of us in e-commerce had, by most reports a positive 2009.   Cash strapped consumers turned to our channel for research, relevance and convenience like never before, using new devices and tools to access our brands. Most of the colleagues I speak to are teetering on that pivot point between energized and exhausted. 

Even if (or perhaps especially if) your 2009 was successful, chances are your business has changed, and the role of e-commerce in your organization has changed.  When you were in the heat of the moment reacting to the recession, the sand was shifting beneath your feet.  You were doing what needed to be done, hardly coming up for air.  Now that it's January and you can actually take a breath, you're probably finding that some of the reactionary activity of last year has become commonplace, and it 's probably time to hit "refresh" on your strategic plan (oh, and if you never HAD  a strategic plan to begin with, chances are you need one now more than ever). 

If you find your e-commerce business facing two or more of the following, it's time for a strategy check in:

1) Your competitive landscape has shifted. The recession has brought exciting innovations to e-commerce (see social and mobile points below), but it's also brought the demise and consolidation of many retailers. Some that were big (think Amazon) have gotten even bigger and expanded into new categories. Do you have an updated, clear picture of  what you're up against, where you stand and who you're trying to beat?

2) You reduced the size of your team.  A lot of pruning took place in 2009, through attrition and layoffs.  Many times, the team gets smaller but the amount of work stays the same (or even grows).  If you haven't re-examined priorities, roles and processes in light of your new resource structure, chances are you're not operating as efficiently as you could be.

3) You delayed or initiated a site redesign or re-platforming effort (or think you need to).  With demands on e-commerce sites increasing at a rapid rate, record numbers of retailers are looking to upgrade or replace their site experience and infrastructure.  As a result, the e-commerce platform landscape is more crowded, confusing and complex than ever before.  Do you have a solid understanding of what you need to innovate at the pace your company and customer expect?  Have you re-calibrated what your site experience needs to deliver to more savvy, discriminating consumer?

4) The multi-channel initiatives in your company are increasing in number and importance.  If 2009 found you shifting gears to drive in-store sales in addition to online transactions, it's time to re-evaluate and clearly re-state the purpose of the online channel in your organization.  Is it about driving direct sales? Building integrated experiences across channels? Somewhere in between?  Does everyone know and agree to the success measures for the e-commerce?

5) Mobile is moving from R&D to bread and butter.  If you launched a mobile commerce site, app, or mobile marketing initiative in 2009, it's probably time to determine mobile's strategic role in your business and how you'll fund and resource this exciting new digital touch point.  Likewise, if your company yet to make a mobile move, it's time to plan when that needs to happen and what that should look like (hint: sooner would be good).

6) Social marketing and social commerce are moving to the center of the marketing plate.  Ok, you've experimented and hopefully had enough success to say this is no longer a novelty.  The conversation with your customer is only going to continue to ramp up from here. Do you have the resources to listen, converse, measure and maximize the power of the dialogue?

7) You're going (or thinking about going) global.  With U.S. e-commerce maturing, many reatilers are looking for growth in new places and finding that it really is a whole new world out there, with plenty of challenges.  Do you have a roadmap (when, how)  for entering new markets or better serving those that you cover?

Chances are your e-commerce business has become more sophisticated and complicated than it used to be.  That's to be expected given what it needs to deliver. 

Creating (or updating) a strategic plan for the online channel doesn't have to be (and really shouldn't be) a monumental effort.  After all, you have REAL work  to do, and things in e-commerce change rapidly.   But, taking some dedicated time to get everyone informed and on the same page on what's important in the new reality, where your resources will go, and how you'll measure success will allow you to execute better, have more focus, and, yes, react more nimbly to new challenges (even recessions) when they occur.

Attention E-commerce Marketers: Your Brand is Showing (everywhere)

With more than 14 years worth of spending a lot of time on e-commerce sites under my belt, online store surprises can be hard to come by.  Rare as it is, I love it when I see something so well done that I smile at the screen, remember the moment and want to tell people about it.

The delicate balance between appropriately conveying the emotive aspect of the brand and efficiently driving transactions is one that e-commerce teams have struggled with since the early days of the channel. (see my previous poston this topic) With robust features and functionality now commonplace in most online stores and best practices in transactional ease will known, online brand differentiation in e-commerce is as challenging as ever.

But sometimes, the essence and personality of your brand can come through in the most unexpected of places on your site.  When that happens, it's not only a pleasant surprise for your customer; you leave an indelible, emotional mark on their site experience.  Just what a brand is supposed to do.   It's not just about the imagery on your home page, the tone and language of your product descriptions or the helpful tone of your service information.  Yes, you need all of that.  But how about some of the hidden or forgotten corners of your site? It's really these places where you can take an otherwise ho-hum (or even frustrating) experience and turn it into a positive emotional connection.   A few of my recent favorites are below.

On the new Columbia Sportswear e-commerce site (launched in the Fall of '09), the company's beloved spokeswoman, Ma Boyle is with you all the way.  Even when you get a 404 error (I love this).

 

When I bought holiday cards from JibJab (everyone's favorite site for elfing yourself into all kinds of humorous situations), I got this thank-you screen after signing up.  I now not only know the people behind the company, but I feel like I have a cheering section behind me, celebrating my new membership and sharing an inside joke.

 

We all love Woot! not just for the screaming deal of the day, but sometimes just as much for the irreverent humor that goes into the site's content.  Woot! leaves no page unturned (or shall I say un-clicked?)... Take a look at the customer service FAQ page.  This page is either dry as dirt or excruciatingly courteous on most e-commerce sites.  Woot! actually makes theirs fun to read and uses the page to hammer home their personality, which is good considering the brutally bare bones service policies.

And then there's Moosejaw, long a leader in cutting edge, youth oriented marketing.  Note the clever language enticing me to create an account -everyone will like me more!  Now there's a reason!

The moral of the story: leave no page un-clicked. Some of those necessary, straightforward pages outside of the ever precious purchase path can be hidden gems of opportunity where your brand personality can shine through.