Tom Jeffrey

I'm hoping I can get some feedback from those of you who work client side in eCommerce. My view is that we are emerging from the bottom of a cycle in eCommerce in the UK, largely driven by the economy. We are likely to have a new government in place early July. What is going to be important to you as an eCommerce leader? Deploying new tech you might have been wanting to use? Keeping spend tight? Putting more into marketing? Understanding attribution? New marketing channels? Something else? If I can get some ideas I'll turn it into a poll Tagging the mighty: Lesley Gregory David Thompson-Jones Laura Keir Dan Beckles

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If you want to get the jump on home and garden sales growth, there are some great ideas in this report from BigCommerce. Link to report is in the comments.

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We are highly driven House of Performance (hop) (as you hopefully know...) as Kat Sale mentioned we have luckily been on a bit of a winning spree recently. However, even though, we are rammed, I am still SO SO SO keen to win more ecommerce clients. We are smashing lead generation (in all verticals) but I want our team to have broad experiences and to work with different data sets. It feels like a challenge/vicious circle. No one "big" will sign you without a vast array of other brands that are already in that sector (1/2/3 ecom doesn't seem enough). Any advice how to get in front of more ecommerce brands / any ecommerce leaders that want to work with a truly amazing* agency? We have worked with Tesco, Estee Lauder, Ted Baker, Office Shoes, Toys R Us, Marks & Spencer etc etc etc in past lives, so we do know what we are doing 😋 (PS. I am one minute away from creating "I want a brand in ecom" to the theme of "I want a man in finance"....) *I may be bias. #ppc #paidsocial #performance

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This week's updates in eCommerce 🛍 ▪ ASOS.com rejected SHEIN's £215m offer for TOPSHOP TOPMAN in favour of a lower bid with Heartland. ASOS considered the agreement with Heartland to be in the “best interest of shareholders". ▪ Shopify is partnering with Roblox to allow brands to sell physical items directly within the game. A Roblox user will see a “Buy Now” prompt next to a virtual product and the purchase process will then resemble any other eCommerce site. ▪ WHSmith has recorded a rise in revenue, mainly driven by travel sales during the peak summer period and new ranges, with travel revenue rising 10%. ▪ Footwear retailer schuh has launched a single shoe initiative for shoppers with limb differences and disabilities. Customers will be able to make single shoe purchases, with 50% off single shoes taken from a brand-new pair. ▪ Primark is looking to expand in to the Middle East with leading international retail franchise operator Alshaya Group. ▪ The German government is working on an eCommerce action plan to create a level playing field between European online retailers and the growth of platforms like SHEIN and Temu. ▪ Zalando is refreshing its brand identity and launching an autumn-winter campaign featuring celebrities and influencers. Actor Willem Dafoe, actress Brigitte Nielsen, model and actor Luka Sabbat and content creator and model Sabrina Bahsoon, better known as #TubeGirl, star in Zalando’s autumn-winter campaign. ▪ MediaMarktSaturn opened Europe’s largest electronics shop, with seven experience zones where customers can test products, and a gaming experience with 130 professionally equipped gaming stations and an event arena with almost 200 seats. ▪ H&M is introducing second-hand and modernising its stores in France and Belgium. Customers will be able to find a selection of second-hand pieces in the flagship H&M shop at the Meir in Antwerp and in two shops in Paris. ▪ Inditex has reported a +7.2% year-on-year increase in revenue to £15.3bn in the first half of 2024, as a result of strong spring/summer 24 sales from brands such as Zara. ▪ German luxury etailer Mytheresa reported a +9.8% rise in net sales to £710m for the full year to 30 June, driven by a +25% growth in the US market. However a decline in profit margin has led to an increase in net loss. ▪ Carhartt has appointed Norma Delaney as the company’s Vice President of Brand Marketing and Creative. Norma has previous experience at multiple footwear companies, including Hoka, New Balance and Adidas. ▪ John Lewis Partnership has revealed sharply narrowed half-year losses and said annual profits would be "significantly" higher as its overhaul starts to bear fruit. ▪ Depop is rolling out a new AI-powered description generation feature, using image recognition and generative AI technology to accelerate the resale listing process. ▪ Ocado Retail has launched Ocado Ads, offering advertisers what it calls a “unique” set of retail media solutions. #eCommerce #news

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Quick question - Is anyone on here using Shopify as their selling platform? We do and we have recently been selected "at random" for a review. Sounds benign, right? Well, this review wants details reconfirmed, which they have been, but now Shopify is holding our scheduled payments. No reason why. A quick online search shows that this is happening to MANY small businesses worldwide. Shopify is holding their money. Businesses have closed, Shopify has closed accounts, people are struggling to pay staff, no cash flow. Businesses still have to fulfil orders or they are in breach of terms, so shipping fees, etc are still getting paid by the business. How long can the deficit continue? Shopify is doing this as I write. So why isn't this getting talked about? We are one of the lucky ones. Although they are holding over £1k in funds from us (for an unknown amount of time) we run two platforms and the other one (courses) is not impacted. The suggestion is that Shopify is in trouble. I believe they have sunk too much into Shopify Capital and are now grabbing back what they can for their own cash flow. So what can you do? We removed ALL payment options EXCEPT PayPal. That way Shopify cannot hold your money hostage. Don't be the victim. If this resonates with you, I'm glad. I hope it helps.

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Brands / agencies - the most amazing email for me to open would read "We've got £1k / £5k / £20k and really want you involved, can we talk about what you could deliver for that within this project?". Recently I'm finding that brands are approaching me with loads of lovely & elaborate ideas with a detailed scope before they've worked out how much they want to spend on delivering them. On three occasions this year it's ended up being a big waste of time, and with one in particular it was pretty hard to pick myself up afterwards. When you quote for a detailed job and the client finally tells you they think actually you are worth 20% of this amount - well it's hard. For that one it was quick turnaround, I'd cancelled personal plans, I'd even batch cooked as it was going to take so many hours for so many days to make the deadline. Eventually I was ghosted. All professional illustrators / artists / photographers / designers I know are not in this to get rich. We want to do brilliant work that is really successful for clients, and we want to be paid an amount that is appropriate to the value of the work. We are always happy to negotiate and sometimes the fee can be met by making license shorter. https://lnkd.in/ex3GNdqq I hope that with the change of government (fingers crossed) that it will release budgets, I'd love to get some fantastic new projects. Please see my website for more examples of my work. (Please note that my live illustration fee at events is a fixed price) https://lnkd.in/eGpV2m73

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Friday Announcement! 📣 With over 15+ rewarding years in the marketing and eCommerce industry, I am looking to share my expertise and transition into offering consultancy services to SMEs. I want to support businesses in achieving their goals and overcoming challenges by providing strategic advice along with tailored, realistic and practical solutions. To kickstart this new chapter, I am prepared to offer some time free of charge to businesses looking to work through their objectives and would benefit from a sounding board before taking actions. If you are an SME or know somebody who is looking to elevate their marketing strategies and eCommerce operations, let's connect! Please feel free to reach out to me directly. Together, let's unlock your business's full potential! #Consultancy #Marketing #eCommerce #SMEs #BusinessGrowth #FreeConsultation #MarketingStrategy

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Pre-Loved Trainers on eBay: A Growing eCommerce Opportunity Did you know that a pair of trainers is sold every 5 seconds on eBay? With the rise of pre-loved trainers, there are big opportunities for those looking to resell on the platform. eBay UK's head of sneakers, Wahaaj Shabbir, shares insights on the growing market. With the right strategy, you can tap into this lucrative space and make a profit. Want to learn more about reselling pre-loved trainers on eBay? Get in touch with us to discuss how we can help you grow your eCommerce business. Website: www.purplecowservices.com eMail ID: [email protected] Mobile: +1 (914) 977 5459 #MUB #PCIS #PurpleCowServices #PurpleCow #eCommerce #Reselling #Trainers #eBay #Sneakers #MarketOpportunity #DigitalMarketing #OnlineBusiness #ResellingTips #eBaySellers #Sneakerheads #eCommerceGrowth #DigitalMarketingServices

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🎁🎉 Q4 Ecommerce Growth 🎉🎁 We are already ranking position 2 for a transactional 201K peak trading UK search volume term for a gifting brand we started working with 90 days ago. Beating high authority retail giants Marks and Spencer and Fortnum & Mason. **This is not the first time we have done this postion 1 for this term is a brand we worked with two years ago.** Before working with us, the company an established e-commerce gifting brand had been working with an SEO for the past 2 years and was not getting much movement - for this term back in June the brand was Page 2, and July growth into 9 during the first month of engagement and now we are position 2. NB: As you will see from the image accompanying the post we have moved from 43-13 and 13-6 for two terms with a current volume of 50K per month (outside peak). Massive gains are being made. This growth in such a short time frame is a testament to the head of ecommerce putting faith in us, with a small internal resource massive shift from the POLARIS | SEO & Content Agency team to work on not just optimisation, content creation, new wireframes and addressing legacy technical issues holding the site back. We are bold, and we do sometimes suggest hard-to-swallow changes - but everything is data-backed (or based on years of e-commerce experience) we back ourselves, put the hard yards in and this is why we get these results so quickly. SEO campaigns are underpinned by passion, proactivity and clear strategic direction working on impactful areas to maximise exposure. This is how we get these results, time and time again. Big thanks to Sam Marlow working dilligently to deliver the campaign strategy with the client to get this traction. Safe to say, we have only scratched the surface, the peak index can be volatile and fluxes daily. We have briefed the team with a whole new Q4 strategy still to deploy to ensure we "stay sticky" during this peak for these queries - plus move further on a 300K term we are currently position 4. Data reference: SE Ranking - 2024 compare by dates 09 July - 07 October

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Is it any surprise that Shopify is the commerce platform of choice? The constant rollout of updates is impressive, and the latest Shopify Edition is their slickest yet in my opinion. We're currently sifting through the 150+ updates, but three stand out for our clients on Plus: 🌎 Markets: Market Pro is now Managed Markets with unified inventory and a centralised command center. One dashboard and a single data sync streamline management. 🛍️ Checkout Extensibility: Features like easier upsells, the autocomplete API, checkout branding API, customisable order status pages and split shipping option. 🤝 B2B: Create multiple B2B markets with unique catalogs and storefront customisations. Configure percentage-based deposits at checkout or use manual payment options. Not to mention custom price lists! What did I miss?

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Huge Sales Potential for Home Furnishing Brands & The Power of SEO ️ How do the top home furnishing brands magically appear at potential customers' fingertips? The answer is simple: they've taken charge of their online visibility with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), putting their brand in front of the right audience at the right time. Imagine your website as a virtual storefront strategically positioned to attract your target audience. By implementing and refining your SEO tactics, you can proactively increase your online visibility, attract qualified customers, and convert those clicks into sales. Here's a sneak peek at the power of SEO for home furnishing brands: 1. Targeted Traffic: Attract potential customers actively searching for the kind of furniture and décor you offer. 2. Enhanced Brand Credibility: High search ranking positions you as an industry authority. 3. Measurable Results: Track website traffic and conversions to gauge your SEO success. Ready to tap into the true potential of your online presence? Comment below with your biggest challenge in attracting customers online! #homefurnishings #SEO #onlinemarketing #digitalmarketing #interiordesign #furniture #homedecor #growyourbusiness #businesssupport

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Check out our latest article on how to maximise the usefulness of your existing databases. #b2bdata

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Trying to reach the top? Secret Service is powered by BookMyGarage.Com. BookMyGarage has been attracting consumers to its page since 2016 with over 13 million visits since then. It’s a brand that is well known amongst consumers because of its prominent Google ranking in the majority of UK towns and cities when consumers enter generic search terms like. * MOT near me * Car Service …..(Town/City) * MOT deals * Car Service tomorrow If you’re not a partner of Secret Service you’re missing potential customers that you can win with little to no effort. Ready to take the next step in redefining your service booking process? Contact Secret Service today, and let us introduce you to how we can support and enhance your business. 🚀 #SecretService #CarRetailers #Convenience #Efficiency #UKDealerships #ElevateYourService

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Trying to reach the top? Secret Service is powered by BookMyGarage.Com. BookMyGarage has been attracting consumers to its page since 2016 with over 13 million visits since then. It’s a brand that is well known amongst consumers because of its prominent Google ranking in the majority of UK towns and cities when consumers enter generic search terms like. * MOT near me * Car Service …..(Town/City) * MOT deals * Car Service tomorrow If you’re not a partner of Secret Service you’re missing potential customers that you can win with little to no effort. Ready to take the next step in redefining your service booking process? Contact Secret Service today, and let us introduce you to how we can support and enhance your business. 🚀 #SecretService #CarRetailers #Convenience #Efficiency #UKDealerships #ElevateYourService

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👏 What is Next doing?? Gotta bloody hand it to Next—a UK brand that really seems to have its head screwed on from those days of heavy catalogues to this day... While Asos and Boohoo are wrestling with slipping sales we hear, Next is out here smashing it online, especially overseas. Their focus on full-price sales abroad shows just how crucial a solid digital game is right now. Next says the increase of full-price sales, with a 4.4 percent increase over the past half year, without specifying exact amounts. Basically shows that full-price sales in Next stores have declined, but they have grown online. I’ve always followed them since their days of massive huge heavy 🏋️‍♂️catalogues, but this is smart, they’ve been expanding their digital reach well beyond the UK, with huge success in international markets with full price sales via online platforms. It’s a real reminder that if you’re not adapting and pushing those boundaries in ecommerce, you’re gonna get left behind. They are seemingly innovating the way they grow. Article: https://lnkd.in/eNSkiPyY #UKRetail #EcommerceWins #DigitalGrowth #RetailTrends #OnlineStrategy

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