A Success All Around – Amazon’s Biggest Prime Day Ever
The numbers were crunched, and it’s official – Prime Day 2019 is Amazon’s biggest shopping event in history.
According to Amazon, the ecommerce giant sold over 175 million items with sales from third party marketplace sellers surpassing $2 billion. Not to mention, the event outdid sales from Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.
Though the official numbers are yet to be released, Internet Retailer estimates that Amazon racked up over $6 billion in sales on the various products marked down for Prime Day. Of these items, the most popular purchased goods were Amazon’s Echo Dot and versions of the Fire TV Stick.
Unlike years past, there were no huge technical difficulties or site crashes. Instead, there were a few minor issues with no great impact on sales. Additionally, both small and large retailers benefited from Prime Day and saw substantial increases in sales over the 48-hour shopping extravaganza.
So Prime Day was a win-win-win, for Amazon, retailers, and (most importantly) customers. Read up on the details and check out some shocking statistics in this article by Internet Retailer.
Tune into the Future of Podcast Advertising
Advertising sounds a little different now.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC found that while businesses and advertisers spent $479 million on podcast ads in 2018, they’re expected to spend over $1 billion on ads by 2021. Podcasts are gradually growing into a powerhouse advertising platform in digital audio.
Podcast listeners are still in the minority, though, but experts believe that they are a truly listening minority. Podcast listeners tune into several podcasts a week, presenting various opportunities for businesses to increase their visibility. Spotify and Pandora Radio are hopping on the bandwagon currently, supporting more podcasts and inevitably more advertising opportunities.
The most popular podcasts for advertising include those in the genres of news/politics/current events, business, comedy, education, and arts & entertainment. Studies also show that listeners respond best to ads read by podcast hosts.
Podcast listeners – be ready to hear a few more ads than you’re used to on that morning commute. Business owners – listen to the stats and tune into podcast advertising. Read more about advertising for digital audio platforms with this article from eMarketer.
Google’s At It Again – Stay Informed on Changes in Search
Yes – they’ve done it again. Google is changing the world of search.
In the past year alone, Google implemented a whopping 3,200 changes to its search engine with many still in the works now.
Not all changes are the same, though. Alterations include both new features and normal updates to maintain relevance in the search engine. In other words, some of these changes we’ll be able to see, but others are we won’t because they’re more internal. Among these, Google is fixing some issues with its ranking algorithms.
These changes will take time, especially the important ones Google warns. Despite this, marketers and ecommerce businesses alike should still stay up-to-date on the state of the alterations.
Read the full article on Search Engine Land and stay ahead of the changes.
Perfect Your Ecommerce Website
A user-friendly site is integral to an ecommerce business’s success.
Analysis from HubSpot reveals that 76% of buyers value this factor as the most important feature of a website. Additionally, this ease of use should be adapted to mobile platforms; research from Criteo shows that 50% of online transactions take place on mobile sites. Keep this in mind when perfecting your website for easier navigation.
If customers can’t figure out your website, then they definitely can’t buy your products either. A couple of ways to polish the user-friendliness of your site include adding in autocomplete options or implementing visual navigation.
Including user reviews is another excellent way to give your website the best opportunity to generate conversions. Genuine, thoughtful reviews let customers feel better connected to and more knowledgeable of your company and its products. Reviews paired with realistic pictures make for a picture-perfect display on your website, too.
These are just a few ways to craft your ecommerce website. Read the article by Search Engine Journal to find out thirteen more ways to perfect your craft.
