Katie-Jay Simmons

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…

Shippo is a multicarrier shipping software platform geared toward small ecommerce businesses. It streamlines order fulfillment and shipping through order management tools, integrated shipping services, and direct connectivity with popular ecommerce apps, platforms, and marketplaces. In our evaluation of the best shipping software for small businesses, Shippo scored 3.59 out of 5. We found that…

ShippingEasy is a cloud-based shipping solution that streamlines order fulfillment for ecommerce retailers and online businesses. It integrates with major ecommerce platforms and shopping carts, allowing users to compare shipping rates and manage orders efficiently. In our evaluation of the best shipping software for small businesses, ShippingEasy ranked #1 with a score of 4.2 out…

Pricing strategies are the methods and formulas that businesses use to determine the cost of their products. A good pricing strategy finds the sweet spot between what customers are happy to pay and what makes your business money. It should also adapt to changes in the market or economy. Here’s a list of 19 effective…

Ecommerce SEO, or search engine optimization, is a set of practices for increasing your website’s performance in search engine results pages (SERPs). The goal of SEO for ecommerce is to improve your site’s visibility and gain more clicks while boosting conversions—ultimately leading to greater revenue. It’s important for online sellers, considering nearly 9 in 10…