Tips And Tricks | Digital Vantage Point Blog

Why You Should Embrace Minimalism in Your eCommerce Business

by DVP on April 15, 2018 0 Comments

“Less is more” is one of the mantras for minimalism, a trend that’s being currently being embraced by many. Being minimal doesn’t mean having the bare bones, however; it’s about having the right amount, whatever that amount is – it’s dependent on the person, or in this case, business!

So much of achieving e-Commerce success relies on the right message about the right product delivered at the right time to the right customer. When talking about e-Commerce solutions and minimalism, it’s really about a streamlined approach to business and making use of what you have. Elegant is a word that is used with minimalism because it’s simple but not bare or basic. It’s not clunky. In e-Commerce, it can mean an all-in-one integrated approach to the solution and in-NAV management of all website components. The result is a fresh feel and improved business agility that flows while providing an engaging experience for customers. For a business, it leaves more time and a better foundation for growing the business.

Here are some ways your business can achieve and benefit from a minimalistic approach to e-Commerce:

Does “Out of Stock” mean Out of Luck for Customers?

by DVP on March 5, 2018 0 Comments

It doesn’t have to be! This is a very frustrating situation for e-Commerce merchants or retailers of any kind. You managed to get the customer all the way through the hoops, they want the product, but alas, it’s out of stock. You may have lost another customer. Sometimes the “out of stock” situation is dealt with taking the customer’s order regardless. However, as not all e-Commerce solutions have reliable integration, it’s not immediately seen that the item is out of stock. This ends up disappointing the customer when orders are ultimately left unfulfilled. If you do nothing and send it to them when it comes back in stock with no communications whatsoever, you can still end up with unhappy customers because deliveries are incredibly delayed. What are ways to salvage this sale when you have “out of stock” items on your website?

This or That? – Product Comparison in e-Commerce

by DVP on January 8, 2018 0 Comments

Customers want to be sure they’re getting the right item, the best deal. How do they achieve this? By comparing their options! Part of a good shopping experience is aiding the decision making process for customers. Great content, enticing coupons, and user ratings and reviews can influence a customer to buy. But if they have to only choose one instead of the many you offer, we need to continue the efforts of improving the decision making process. Read More

Help Me Help You – “Self-Service” Features in e-Commerce

by DVP on March 23, 2017 0 Comments

If you want it done right, do it yourself. Some of us feel duty bound to that philosophy as it gives us a sense of control; we know exactly what is needed, our own personal preferences and motivations, and how to get to where we want. Before the days of e-Commerce websites, having the customer do things themselves was generally considered to be bad. Why? With their lack of resources, knowledge, and tools, there are things customers can’t readily manage; there are so many roadblocks in the overall process. It’s also probably implies you’re not doing a good job in anticipating the needs of customers to help them. It is always in the company’s best interest to help customers.

Now with technology and e-Commerce changing how things are bought, sold, and managed, there is so much that can be done. There is now a large amount of information at the customer’s fingertips. In order to do “self-service” successfully, there needs to be an element of control. From the small details that a customer wants to manage in the front end to the boundaries that the company set ups by managing the roles and permissions and guidelines in the back end. Read More

Managing Look and Feel with Configurator

by DVP on March 2, 2017 0 Comments

There is huge value to adding an integrated product configurator to your webshop. From guiding customers to informed decisions, streamlining complex “build your own” type products, and incorporating upsell and cross sell seamlessly, Configurator has features that mesh this unique selling process with the rest of your website. This includes integration with your NAV items and attributes and showing the details of the configured item in the shopping cart. But what how does it fit with your design? Branding is important in creating recognition and cohesiveness with your company’s values. In Nav-to-Net™, this can be done with design customizations or even customer-managed stylesheets. With our Configurator add-on, there are different ways of customizing look and feel to create just the right look and feel. Read More

Versatility of Samples in e-Commerce

by DVP on February 22, 2017 0 Comments

“Try before you buy” is an extremely common tactic that’s been around for ages. Customers can see if they like it, whether it’s to their taste and their standards first before committing to the purchase and investment. It can help build trust and convey confidence in your product and services. It’s low commitment before diving in with a large purchase that works with both B2B and B2C shops, though it’s usually seen in brick and mortar stores. As more businesses see the benefits of being online, it can be challenge taking all elements into a digital space, but with the right solution and some open mindedness, it can be done! Read More

Easy Wins for the New Year in e-Commerce

by DVP on January 19, 2017 0 Comments

With the new year, we feel renewed energy, vigour, and ready to tackle new and exciting projects head on and do all the things we didn’t end up doing last year. But this feeling is short-lived, as we can tell from the already dwindling numbers at the gym. We get it – it’s hard to maintain that level of enthusiasm. Getting back to work after the holidays means getting back into a routine – catching up on emails, customers, partners, dealers, updating processes, and more. But January doesn’t have to be the month of big things but of simplifying instead. Completing lots of little things can be more satisfying and more impactful overall in your e-Commerce business. Read More

Does Your B2B e-Commerce Solution Measure Up?

by DVP on November 22, 2016 0 Comments

Rate your current B2B web portal against this 10 point checklist.

1. Can account customers view customer specific pricing and access their own online dashboard which can be customized with quick links, message board and recommended products?

2. Does my website facilitate the creation of multiple catalogs which can be tailored to individual customer needs and buying requirements?

3. Can my customers adapt their own ordering processes with specific roles and permissions for staff which includes an order approval level?

4. Can account balances be viewed online by account customers and can they make direct payments online using a secure card payment option?

5. Can my customers use devices such as smartphones and tablets and still experience a consistent and streamlined ordering process?

Turning Search Results into Selling Opportunities

by DVP on August 23, 2016 0 Comments

How can we make good webshop search great? Good search functions on your e-Commerce website means that customers find what they are looking for quickly and easily. It is efficient in interpreting keywords into relevant search results, and can include auto-complete options or search for item number, name, and description. For example if a customer wanted to find a specific product but couldn’t remember the exact name, they could put in descriptor words to find the item they want. Search functions can also be used to bypass categories if a shopper didn’t feel like they had the time to go that route or just prefer the search bar as their primary approach to online shopping. Having good search alone really improves user experience and it’s become one of the expected features of any e-Commerce website. In today’s business environment, good needs to become great. Read More

Multi-Dimensional Product Variants in e-Commerce

by DVP on June 6, 2016 0 Comments

Effective organization and proper product presentation in e-Commerce yields many benefits for your business and customers. Imagine you are looking for a particular shirt in a very messy room with clothes littered everywhere; clothes are hiding in drawers, hanging in closets, strewn haphazardly across the floor. There is no discernible organizational scheme. You would have to look in every spot and check to see if it is the item you want; that takes times and effort just to find the one item.

Excessive clicking makes for a poor e-Commerce experience with many clicks back and forth to find something. To help alleviate this annoyance for your customers, your webshop needs organization through effective categorization, powerful search functions, and clear presentation of your items. This is especially true when your products have multiple variants and they are displayed on separate item pages. Multi-dimensional product variant item pages are a way to mitigate this and help you create cohesive and easy to use pages. Read More

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