Australian ecommerce trends to keep an eye on

Ecommerce is responsible for almost 10 percent of Australia’s total retail spend, and online businesses are forecast to see a 15 percent growth in revenue by the end of 2019. 
That looks like there’s pretty smooth sailing ahead for ecommerce retailers. 
However, competition is set to heat up as many online businesses choose to invest that revenue growth into the next suite of ecommerce innovations. 
Here are five key Australian ecommerce trends that you should keep an eye on. 

4 reasons why your ecommerce business should pick a carbon neutral freight company

There’s no getting around it – climate change is a clear and present danger. 
Over the last three decades, the earth’s temperature has increased 0.9 degrees – a man-made change which has triggered an increase in catastrophic weather events and a rising sea level. 
We’ve caused a massive increase in carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere – and if we don’t take immediate action, we’ll be forced to deal with the consequences of our actions.

Image: NASA
Because of these statistics and the ever-changing weather patterns,

Transdirect expands carbon neutral shipping in Australia and globally

We have been aware of the environmental impact of the freight and logistics industry for years now.
The environment is changing at a rapid pace and we are conscious of the impact that businesses like ours have.
Myself and fellow director Nigel Beale determined we had a personal responsibility to do something on behalf of our company and our customers – becoming Carbon Neutral certified is a huge step in the right direction for ensuring the protection of our environment.

Online reputation management: 4 bulletproof ways to respond to negative reviews online

So, you’ve received a sub-par review from one of your customers… let’s say it’s from Steve Stevenson.
He received one of your products in the mail and it was broken inside the box. Instead of contacting you for a replacement or solution, he’s decided to go on a rant via Facebook, Instagram and Google My Business, mouthing off about your “low-quality products”.
Thanks, Steve.
Real mature.
Customer reviews can make or break your ecommerce business. According to a recent survey from Duct Tape Marketing Consultants,

Ecommerce diet: 5 cost cutting strategies to help boost your business’ profitability

Is your expense sheet looking a little heavy? Perhaps it’s time to put your ecommerce business on a spending diet. Putting a cost reduction strategy in place can help to improve your profitability and keep more money in your pocket.
But first, a word of warning. Don’t go slashing expenses willy nilly. You only want to cut costs that are not going to negatively affect your product quality or customer service. Or growth

Here are five cost-cutting strategies you can use to trim costs in your ecommerce business… 
#1.

6 free stock image and image editing websites to improve your look

Whether you’re designing your ecommerce website, putting together some killer marketing materials, or getting your social media game on, a picture says a thousand words.
Good quality photography is vital for creating a professional look. Fortunately, there are several free stock image libraries and image editing software you can use to get impressive results. Here are six of our favourites…

Free high-resolution images

#1. Pixabay.com
Pixabay is an excellent free image library with a searchable database of high-quality photography.

6 elements you need in your new ecommerce website design

It’s time to face the facts. 
It doesn’t matter how low your prices are; it doesn’t matter how big your range of products are; if your website looks outdated, customers are going to assume your brand is untrustworthy.
A modern, successful ecommerce store should be up-to-date with current design and customer experience trends, from serif fonts and asymmetrical designs to personalised shopping experiences and live customer service.
So with this in mind… is it time to update your ecommerce website design?

6 ways to boost your store’s average order value

When it comes to increasing the profits of your e-commerce store, there are two strategies you can follow: 1. Attract more customers to your store, or 2. Boost how much your customers are spending with you. While both strategies will put more zeroes in your bank account, focusing on increasing your customers’ spend often comes with lower marketing costs. This is known as average order value, and here’s what you can do to increase yours…   

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3 ways free returns can boost your profits

Product returns are an inevitable part of running an e-commerce store. Every online retailer has to deal with customers wanting to return products, and whether or not to offer free shipping should be an important part of your returns policy. While you need to be careful here — offering too many free returns can eat away your profitability — there are some real benefits too. Here are the key benefits of free return shipping, and how it can make you money…    

#1.

Worldwide shipping: the essential pros & cons

In the digital age, business has gone truly global. Today, business is conducted freely across international borders, and whether you’re in the B2B or B2C game, you’ll likely need to get your products to an overseas buyer at some stage during the development of your business.

However, whether you think of worldwide shipping is an occasional necessity or embrace it as part of your business growth strategy, is a much larger question. Opening your business to international markets offers enormous potential to super-charge your revenue,