3 timeless ecommerce trends

In MARKETING
1 December 2022
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If there’s one thing you need to know about ecommerce in 2020, it’s the number 4.206. Trillion. $4.206 trillion is the total volume of retail sales projected to take place online next year worldwide. That’s nearly double since just 2017 and just three years from now, ecommerce will represent one-fifth of the global retail market.

In other words, online sales are huge—and only getting more important for modern business. But the explosion of ecommerce has led to big changes in the ways that customers and companies interact. Not limited to the aisles of a store, shoppers invest significant time in learning about brands and products online before making a purchase. Connecting with customers now means standing out among the infinite options available on the internet.

Sound like a challenge? Luckily, a smart approach to online sales can bring great opportunities for your business to grow. Keep reading for three essential ecommerce trends to watch as well as our look at the best ways to adapt in 2022 and beyond. 

Shopping without borders

Thanks to the internet, people all over the world are able to connect. 67% of the global population is now online and users everywhere log on to chat, share and shop. It’s easier than ever for today’s customers to discover products from faraway places and order in just a few clicks.

More important, they don’t hesitate to buy internationally. According to Shopify, 57% of online shoppers make purchases from overseas sellers. An ecommerce presence can allow businesses to access a new, global base of potential customers. But first you’ll need to analyze your audience. If you have a digital catalog, for example, who is already browsing it? Do your international visitors signal interest in your products by clicking Shopping links? Are there sales to match or is there a disconnect between your overseas audience and your customers?

The answers to these questions will help you determine where to start optimizing your ecommerce activity for international buyers. This might be as simple as providing sales and marketing content in a polished translation. Or it could involve adjusting the payment and delivery options that you offer. No matter what you do to develop global sales, don’t overlook the B2B category. Worldwide B2B online revenue has reached $10.6 trillion, compared to just $2.8 trillion for the B2C market.

Hybrid customer journeys

Although ecommerce has been growing fast, there is strong evidence that it is most effective when combined with other channels. For example, Google has found that 61% of shoppers prefer to buy from brands that have an offline retail outlet in addition to an online store. Even more mix online and offline to shop: over 80% cross between digital and physical channels as they research and purchase products. B2B research includes an online search 90% of the time and outreach often happens only once the buyer’s decision-making process is halfway finished.

Since customers who interact with a company in these different ways also spend more, maximizing your business’s assets for online and offline use is key. The online discoverability of your products should be a priority, but traditional marketing material still has serious value. While 35% of online product searches begin with Google, 82% of all shoppers have started a purchase with a catalog.

In fact, catalogs rank alongside store visits and browsing online as favorite way for people of all ages to interact with brands. Digitizing your catalog allows you to make this offline channel searchable and shoppable online. By being a part of both experiences, your catalog can meet the needs of today’s customers and become a point where ecommerce and traditional shopping intersect.

The experience factor

As shoppers spend more time deciding what to purchase, businesses are increasingly attentive to the complete customer experience. Instead of beginning when a potential buyer walks into your store, that experience now might start online with your company’s name appearing in search results. It can span online and offline research, orders and service, touching everything from reading your blog to navigating a product exchange.

Because there are so many different elements to take into account, customer experience can be difficult to manage. One area that brands are focusing improvements on is the creating a consistent experience for customers, digitally and in stores. Over half of retailers worldwide called it their top priority in 2019. The stakes are high: up to 75% of US shoppers say that customer experience matters to them when considering a purchase.

To make the most out of ecommerce, look for innovative ways to connect the online and offline experience. You can start small with a simple step, like adding your company branding to digital assets, or think bigger by optimizing how customers shop your site. There are dozens of UX changes you can test to produce a better experience for your clients—and hopefully boost your sales, too.

Add to basket

All three of these trends are well worth incorporating into your business’s digital sales strategy for 2020. Taking advantage of international shoppers, customers’ varied paths to purchase and the customer experience opportunity can help you move forward in market that is still developing fast. Trends that will shape the future of ecommerce are already starting to emerge, like omnichannel personalization and frictionless payment. Embrace the challenge of modern ecommerce and get ready to shop for the next big thing.

Read this article in our 4th issue of Calaméo Magazine, as well as many others on the theme of shopping:

And if you haven’t read all the other issues of Calaméo Magazine yet, you can find them right here.

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Content marketing: 5 mistakes to avoid

In MARKETING
2 February 2023

At Calameo, we know content marketing well. Indeed, we work with it every day, because we help you host and share all your content. We also create a lot of content ourselves and of all kinds, like our Calameo Magazine, for example. And it is thanks to this, that we can present you today the 5 mistakes to avoid in your content marketing strategies.

These 5 mistakes are very common, and can, unfortunately, be a real brake on the effectiveness of your content. It is therefore important to avoid them.

1st mistake: you don’t have a clear strategy

The first mistake many make when starting out with content marketing is not having a strategy.

Indeed, a solid strategy is the foundation of all content creation. If you haven’t thought through and tailored your strategy to your brand and goals, you’ll burn out creating content for nothing.

Without defined goals, without a guideline, you will get nowhere, because it is impossible to achieve undefined goals. And that’s a shame, because content marketing can be a very powerful tool when you know how to use it to your advantage.

So you’ll need to work well on both your digital and marketing strategies, and then make sure your content marketing strategy respects and amplifies them as much as possible. In reality, content creation is part of the strategic marketing realm, and it’s important that all of your strategies are aligned and working towards the same goal and direction.

Some elements to define in your content marketing strategy:

  • Your objectives: improve your brand image, boost your traffic, increase your visibility, etc.
  • Your targets: who do you want to reach with your content?
  • Your budget: how much money do you want to invest?
  • Your metrics (KPIs): You will have to decide on the metrics to follow to measure the success (or not) of your strategy and to be able to refine it at any time.
  • Your channels: social networks, website, magazine, e-mailing, blog, YouTube, etc.
  • Your types of content: articles, podcasts, videos, photos, MOOCs, livestreams, infographics, newsletter, etc.
  • Your editorial calendar: when do you publish? How often do you publish?

🔎 To sum up: only when all these elements are well defined and in line with your brand, can you create and distribute your content effectively.

2nd mistake: you are copying your rivals

The second mistake, which is all too often made, is to copy the content and/or the digital strategy of your rivals.

While it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your competition, it’s not a good idea to copy their content. Your brand and theirs necessarily have differences, and that’s what you need to emphasize to consumers to convince them to buy from you, rather than others.

Get inspired, but don’t copy. If you spot a blog post offered by a competitor that is interesting and works well, take the basic idea and make it your own, branded version. Bring something extra to the topic, and make your content unique to stand out.

Copying your rival’s entire digital strategy is also to be avoided. If it works for them, it’s because it was designed to fit their brand and goals, not yours. Again, it’s essential to work your own strategy well, as discussed in the first point of this article.

🔎 To sum up: get inspired and adapt the content to meet your brand-specific goals.

3rd mistake: you don’t use a content calendar

The third big mistake not to make is not keeping a content calendar.

The content calendar is an important document in any content marketing strategy. With it, you can track everything that has gone live and everything that will go live in the future.

Without this guide, it’s very easy to get lost and spend weeks creating content to catch up, or have nothing to post for a long period of time.

Now, for your strategy to work, you need to be consistent and post at regular intervals. So it’s essential to keep your content calendar up to date. Think ahead of time about the type of content you’d like to offer your audience and adjust the creative chain accordingly. Everything should be set like clockwork: starting with deciding when what content should be created and published.

🔎 To get started: your content schedule should include such things as the publication date, publication channels, content type, general idea, associated text, and links to add.

4th mistake: you are not creating your content in advance

Combined with mistake number 3, this is surely the mistake that all content creators make when they start out: not creating their content in advance.

Indeed, if you haven’t created a content calendar and you don’t keep it updated, it will be very hard to create your content in advance. Yet, creating content ahead of time is crucial because you need to be able to publish continuously. This allows you to keep the attention of consumers and create a loyal audience for your brand.

Creating your content ahead of time is key to keeping you on track and always having something to publish. Also, since it’s a very time-consuming activity, it’s easier to create multiple pieces of content at once, setting aside specific times for content creation, and others for posting.

So again, strategy is crucial as it will allow you to set up workflows that are efficient and allow you to create the ideal amount for your brand and its ambitions.

🔎 To sum up: set up dedicated moments for content creation. The most comfortable is to always be 1 month ahead of time.

5th mistake: You are not using Calaméo (yet)

And here is one last mistake you can easily correct: not using Calaméo (yet).

This is indeed a mistake, because Calaméo is a real asset for your content strategies. Not only can you easily publish your documents online, but you can also enrich, share and integrate them onto your website.

Calaméo also accompanies you long after the creation and publication of your content, because it allows you to follow the metrics of your contents published on the platform.

So, take advantage of the many features offered by Calaméo, thought for you specifically, the content creators, and boost your strategy in just a few clicks.

🔎 It’s easy: create your free Calaméo account now by clicking here.

MARKETING

Launching a podcast in 2024: good or bad idea?

In MARKETING
19 October 2023

Podcasts have become increasingly popular in recent years. Many people launch their own podcasts to share their passion or expertise with the world. However, with so many podcasts available, it’s legitimate to wonder whether it’s still a good idea to launch your own in 2024.

In this blog post, we’ll look at the pros and cons of launching a podcast in 2024 to help you decide whether it’s a good idea or not.

High costs

One of the main disadvantages of launching a podcast in 2024 is the high cost. If you want your podcast to be of professional quality, you’ll need to invest in quality equipment, such as microphones, digital recorders, audio editing software and so on.

In addition, you may have to pay for a hosting service, which can be expensive. If you don’t have the budget to invest in quality equipment, or if you can’t afford to pay for a hosting service, starting a podcast may not be a good idea for you.

Limited visibility

Another disadvantage of launching a podcast in 2024 is limited visibility. As we’ve already mentioned, there are a huge number of podcasts available, which means it can be difficult to get noticed. If you don’t already have a fan base or a large online community, it can be difficult to find an audience for your new content.

What’s more, podcasting platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify have algorithms that favor popular podcasts, meaning that new ones will struggle to be found by listeners.

An opportunity to connect with a global audience

Despite these drawbacks, launching a podcast in 2024 may still be a good idea for several reasons. First of all, podcasts offer incredible opportunities to connect with a global audience. Listeners all over the world can find and listen to your podcast, which means you can reach a much wider audience than if you had a local radio show.

What’s more, podcasts are often listened to by people who are passionate about a specific subject, which means you can establish a community of dedicated fans who share your passion.

Great flexibility

Another advantage of launching a podcast in 2024 is flexibility. You can record your podcast anytime, from anywhere, which means you can work your podcast around your busy schedule. You can also choose the length of your podcast, which means you can create short, easy-to-digest content for listeners who don’t have a lot of time on their hands.

Conclusion

Launching a podcast in 2024 can be a good or bad idea. If you have the budget to invest in quality equipment and are willing to work hard to get noticed, launching a podcast can be a great opportunity to connect with a global audience and share your passion with the world. However, if you don’t have the means or can’t afford to take the risk, it may be best to look for other ways to share your content online.

In any case, we obviously recommend using Calaméo to upload and share all your content, transforming it into superb, enriched, shareable publications.