Katie-Jay Simmons

Customer retention rate measures how many of your customers keep coming back over a specific time frame, such as a week, month, or quarter. The customer retention rate formula uses just three values: the number of customers at the start, the number at the end of the period, and any new customers acquired during that…

Product photos might be the most important piece of any ecommerce listing. They convey everything from physical specs to emotional attributes. Plus, photo quality directly correlates to perceived value. High-quality product photography can be done on a budget using your iPhone or camera with equipment and materials you may already have around the house. Here’s…

Product videos demonstrate an item’s features, benefits, and uses in action—helping to inform, persuade, and bridge the gap between online and in-store experiences. Adding video to your ecommerce product pages can increase conversions, reduce return rates, improve buyer confidence, strengthen brand image, and even boost search engine rankings. Plus, many types of video content can…

Third-party order fulfillment companies help retailers handle their orders for a set of monthly fees. The primary costs include fees for receiving inventory, storing it, packing orders, and shipping them out. Other costs can come from processing returns, restocking, initial setup, account management, inbound shipping, packaging, custom labeling, and special requests, like kitting. The total…

Selling your products at Target is a lot different than selling on Amazon. While almost anyone can open up a merchant account with Amazon and start selling products online, Target has a more rigorous vetting process. You’ll need to prove your products are worth being in its stores—and that means you need high-quality items at…

Environmental and social responsibility is no longer a niche interest but a key factor in modern retail, shaping today’s retail sustainability trends. Driven by consumer awareness and the urgent need to address environmental challenges, retailers are taking actionable steps to become more sustainable. Some of the top sustainability trends in retail include: Shifting consumer demand…

Inventory carrying cost, also known as holding cost or carrying cost, is the total amount of expenses a business pays to hold and manage unsold merchandise. This includes direct costs such as warehouse leasing, employee wages, insurance, utilities, and taxes, along with indirect costs like depreciation and shrinkage. As a general rule of thumb, carrying…

Ecommerce sales tax (also called online sales tax) is a type of consumption tax that online merchants collect from customers and then pass on to the government. It’s calculated as a percentage of each item’s selling price, and it works much like the tax you’d collect from a customer in a traditional retail setting. In…

Ecommerce shipping is more than just sending packages; it’s a make-or-break aspect of your business strategy that can set you apart from competitors and build customer loyalty. Shoppers today expect quick, affordable, and hassle-free shipping options, which can be tricky to balance with operational costs. We’ll cover everything you need to know to build effective…

With the vast number of ecommerce terms—plus new terminology appearing regularly—it’s important to keep abreast of the vocabulary you’ll encounter as an online retailer. Here, we’ve compiled an ecommerce glossary of terms and definitions with more than 70 of the most common acronyms, words, and phrases in use today. 1. 301 Redirect This is an…

ShipBob and ShipStation both help retail and ecommerce businesses handle their logistics needs, but they are very different types of platforms offering unique solutions. ShipBob offers a comprehensive end-to-end fulfillment solution for businesses looking to completely outsource their logistics. It also offers a proprietary Warehouse Management System (WMS) ideal for US businesses that have their…

Nolan Transportation Group or NTG (formerly FreightPros) is a full-service freight brokerage firm that provides access to its database of recommended carriers with discounted rates. Its multimodal services include less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipping and strategic full truckload shipping, as well as refrigerated, expedited, drayage, and intermodal solutions. NTG’s pricing is customized, and it’s recommended for…