In our new post series called Players, we’ll be interviewing players from the eCommerce world. It’s basically people who make a difference in the industry, the ones who help web store owners and the ones who shape the eCommerce world as a whole.
As our first Player, we’ve chosen Seller’s Choice, who is a full-service digital marketing agency for eCommerce sellers.
Background
In the market: 3 and a half years
Operating from: Fort Lee, NJ, USA
Below we’re talking to Andrew Maff, Director of Marketing & Operations.
Dive in to learn the answers to questions such as what is the most urgent thing web store owners need to focus on right now and much more.
unravelled zone: What is your role in Seller’s Choice and what is your background in eCommerce?
Andrew: I am the Director of Marketing & Operations at Seller’s Choice. I’ve been in marketing for a little over a decade now. A majority of my experience has come in the e-commerce sector but I’ve helped many different sellers in many different categories. I started first and foremost in the automotive industry.
unravelled zone: What is it that your company does for web store owners that is special?
Andrew: We focus on building a scalable, cohesive branding approach. We actually help sellers grow their businesses across multiple platforms and marketplaces, such as Amazon, eBay, WalMart, Jet, their own website, and more! Our passion is helping business reach their most interconnected and optimized potential.
unravelled zone: What, according to you, are web store owners’ biggest challenges?
Andrew: I think now the biggest challenge is building a brand. Unless your product is wildly differentiated (such as a new invention), you have to build a brand and cater to a certain lifestyle that your customer may have.
unravelled zone: Which eCommerce platform do you think is currently the best in the market and why?
Andrew: Shopify. It’s much easier for sellers to start small and scale with Shopify than any other platform. In fact, we know a lot of sellers who either could no longer afford their original platform or had to leave their platform because they ended up being limited with features. Shopify solves both of those problems by offering a wide variety of features that are easier to use at a reasonable price.
unravelled zone: When you’re talking to a new client, what is the biggest misunderstanding when it comes to eCommerce?
Andrew: E-commerce used to be as easy as uploading your product to Amazon or your website and sitting back and watching the sales roll in. It’s nowhere near as easy as it once was. There is so much traffic and so many sellers on the market now that it requires awareness and ongoing optimization just to stay competitive.
unravelled zone: What is the most urgent thing that web shop owners need to focus on right now?
Andrew: Diversifying. Sellers need to be everywhere they can be to make their customers more comfortable with shopping with them. If your customer isn’t comfortable shopping on your website, you should give them other options before they go to a competitor who will.
unravelled zone: What is the most promising new trend that you have seen lately in eCommerce?
Andrew: Augmented Reality seems like a very cool, slow-moving trend that I think will be common in 5 years. Having the ability to look at your phone but see the product as if it’s sitting next to you is an amazing way to build trust about the product and an amazing way to reduce negative reviews. If a customer can see the product in the space they intend to put it, the probability of post-purchase cognitive dissonance drops significantly.
unravelled zone: What do you think is the future of eCommerce?
Andrew: I think the consumer is going to continue to have more and more power. Consumers are aware that a company trying to make money, so they turn to reviews and social proof to determine whether to purchase or not. Building a brand and building a community will help solidify sales. You have to build your company into an asset; the days of simply transacting are over.
This is Andrew’s thoughts on these matters. What are yours? Tell us in the comments below.
Link to Seller’s Choice website and more on what they do, you can find here:
3 Comments
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