BigCommerce partners with Microsoft Advertising

BigCommerce  have announced a collaboration with Microsoft Advertising with the release of Microsoft Ads and Listings in the BigCommerce Marketplace. BigCommerce merchants of all sizes in the US, UK and ANZ can now directly integrate their stores to reach Microsoft Advertising’s audience of more than a billion people who have greater purchasing power, engage more with ads and are more likely to make a purchase online. 

Eligible BigCommerce merchants in the US who are verified Bing Places for Business account holders that spend at least $250 on ads will receive $500 in free advertising credits by Microsoft.

BigCommerce strives to give our merchants the power to advertise and sell their products, wherever their customers are searching and shopping. As a result, seamless partner app integrations like Microsoft Ads and Listings uplevel the value and opportunities that we can deliver to our merchants all over the world. Furthermore, strategic relationships with global businesses like Microsoft Advertising also underscores the value that we can deliver to our agency and technology partners as part of the Omnichannel Certified Partner (OCP) Program.

– Sharon Gee, vice president of revenue growth and general manager of omnichannel, BigCommerce

With Microsoft Ads and Listings, merchants can synchronize product catalogs directly to the new Microsoft Merchant Center. They can then create shopping campaigns to promote product catalogs and track campaign performance, all without leaving the BigCommerce Control Panel. Furthermore, the Microsoft Ads and Listings app combined with the broader capabilities of Microsoft Advertising delivers solutions to better help navigate search, native, display and video ad campaigns to help merchants better achieve their marketing goals by:

Broadening audience reach through new channels. The Microsoft Advertising Network sees billions of searches each month, giving merchants the opportunity to showcase products to millions of potential customers on Microsoft Bing, MSN, Microsoft Edge and via syndicated partners such as Yahoo! and AOL, to name a few. 

Driving more traffic with enhanced shopping experiences. Through the new Microsoft Shopping Tab, merchants can filter product feeds with specific attributes that deliver richer ad content, and narrow search results that can increase click-through and conversion rates by simply making it easier for shoppers to find what they are looking for.

Monitoring and optimizing ad performance in real time. Without leaving the BigCommerce Control Panel, merchants can see campaign performance with a snapshot view or run detailed reporting on a wide or granular scope, with specific key elements or side-by-side comparisons across various ad campaigns. Changes can be made in real time to status, budgets and bids while having access to a personalized tips dashboard and customer support to get better results.

The Microsoft Advertising Network connects BigCommerce merchants with people who have greater purchasing power, engage more with ads and are more likely to make a purchase online. With Microsoft Ads and Listings, BigCommerce merchants can connect with customers in new ways, achieving a strong return on spend to drive long-term growth.” 

– Jason McKay, senior director, global partner sales, Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft Ads and Listings on BigCommerce is currently available in the US, UK and ANZ, and will expand into new markets through 2023. Get started with Microsoft Ads and Listings here to start showcasing product ad campaigns today.

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Sellerdeck now part of ClearCourse Retail

Just before Christmas, ClearCourse, a software and payments business, acquired SellerDeck, a UK based business that enables small and medium sized businesses to sell online. The company will form part of ClearCourse’s Retail Division and expands the latter’s established and growing footprint in the ecommerce space.

Sellerdeck’s solutions align with its clients’ commercial goals, catering to a wide range of businesses seeking to expand their online commerce operations by allowing them to focus on growth. Through its own proprietary SellerdeckDesktop platform and specialist partnerships with Magento and WooCommerce, the company helps businesses to speed up their sales and handle more orders, with thousands of businesses and organisations transacting over £11 billion in revenue. 

The company is based in Exeter, with team members throughout the UK and an international team based in Chennai, India. Sellerdeck shares a range of integration opportunities with ClearCourse’s existing software and payments offerings, creating significant extra value for customers.

Both Sellerdeck and ClearCourse’s EKM will benefit from the sharing of ideas, expertise and best practice with both brands serving different market segments. Sellerdeck will also be able to integrate ClearCourse’s own proprietary payments solution ClearAccept to complement its own Sellerdeck Payments, as well as industry-leading address lookup and data validation system Fetchify.

Following the deal, Sellerdeck CEO Josh Barling will continue to lead the company, overseeing Sellerdeck’s operations and benefitting from strategic guidance from ClearCourse.

I’m delighted to be able to announce the acquisition of Sellerdeck. It’s a fantastic company that was one of the first to recognise the importance of e-commerce and I can’t wait to get started working with its superb team. It’s an exciting time for ClearCourse’s Retail Division and our e-commerce offering, which is going from strength to strength. Sellerdeck will bring a great deal of deep expertise to ClearCourse, complementing EKM and developing integrations across the firm. A very warm welcome to Josh and the team.

– Gerry Gualtieri, CEO, ClearCourse

I’m very pleased to share the news that Sellerdeck is joining ClearCourse. At a critical time for our growth, we stand to benefit immensely from working with the group’s warm and highly capable team, with its impressive experience of integrating e-commerce systems. Integration with a diverse set of businesses brings us some promising new opportunities to add value to our customers and give them the best software solutions they need to run successful businesses.

– Josh Barling, CEO, Sellerdeck

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BigCommerce partners with Microsoft Advertising

BigCommerce have announced a collaboration with Microsoft Advertising with the release of Microsoft Ads and Listings in the BigCommerce Marketplace. BigCommerce merchants of all sizes in the US, UK and ANZ can now directly integrate their stores to reach Microsoft Advertising’s audience of more than a billion people who have greater purchasing power, engage more with ads and are more likely to make a purchase online.

Eligible BigCommerce merchants in the US who are verified Bing Places for Business account holders that spend at least $250 on ads will receive $500 in free advertising credits by Microsoft.

BigCommerce strives to give our merchants the power to advertise and sell their products, wherever their customers are searching and shopping. As a result, seamless partner app integrations like Microsoft Ads and Listings uplevel the value and opportunities that we can deliver to our merchants all over the world. Furthermore, strategic relationships with global businesses like Microsoft Advertising also underscores the value that we can deliver to our agency and technology partners as part of the Omnichannel Certified Partner (OCP) Program.

– Sharon Gee, vice president of revenue growth and general manager of omnichannel, BigCommerce

With Microsoft Ads and Listings, merchants can synchronize product catalogs directly to the new Microsoft Merchant Center. They can then create shopping campaigns to promote product catalogs and track campaign performance, all without leaving the BigCommerce Control Panel. Furthermore, the Microsoft Ads and Listings app combined with the broader capabilities of Microsoft Advertising delivers solutions to better help navigate search, native, display and video ad campaigns to help merchants better achieve their marketing goals by:

Broadening audience reach through new channels. The Microsoft Advertising Network sees billions of searches each month, giving merchants the opportunity to showcase products to millions of potential customers on Microsoft Bing, MSN, Microsoft Edge and via syndicated partners such as Yahoo! and AOL, to name a few. 

Driving more traffic with enhanced shopping experiences. Through the new Microsoft Shopping Tab, merchants can filter product feeds with specific attributes that deliver richer ad content, and narrow search results that can increase click-through and conversion rates by simply making it easier for shoppers to find what they are looking for.

Monitoring and optimizing ad performance in real time. Without leaving the BigCommerce Control Panel, merchants can see campaign performance with a snapshot view or run detailed reporting on a wide or granular scope, with specific key elements or side-by-side comparisons across various ad campaigns. Changes can be made in real time to status, budgets and bids while having access to a personalized tips dashboard and customer support to get better results.

The Microsoft Advertising Network connects BigCommerce merchants with people who have greater purchasing power, engage more with ads and are more likely to make a purchase online. With Microsoft Ads and Listings, BigCommerce merchants can connect with customers in new ways, achieving a strong return on spend to drive long-term growth.”

– Jason McKay, senior director, global partner sales, Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft Ads and Listings on BigCommerce is currently available in the US, UK and ANZ, and will expand into new markets through 2023. Get started with Microsoft Ads and Listings here to start showcasing product ad campaigns today.

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Sellerdeck now part of ClearCourse Retail

Just before Christmas, ClearCourse, a software and payments business, acquired SellerDeck, a UK based business that enables small and medium sized businesses to sell online. The company will form part of ClearCourse’s Retail Division and expands the latter’s established and growing footprint in the ecommerce space.

Sellerdeck’s solutions align with its clients’ commercial goals, catering to a wide range of businesses seeking to expand their online commerce operations by allowing them to focus on growth. Through its own proprietary SellerdeckDesktop platform and specialist partnerships with Magento and WooCommerce, the company helps businesses to speed up their sales and handle more orders, with thousands of businesses and organisations transacting over £11 billion in revenue.

The company is based in Exeter, with team members throughout the UK and an international team based in Chennai, India. Sellerdeck shares a range of integration opportunities with ClearCourse’s existing software and payments offerings, creating significant extra value for customers.

Both Sellerdeck and ClearCourse’s EKM will benefit from the sharing of ideas, expertise and best practice with both brands serving different market segments. Sellerdeck will also be able to integrate ClearCourse’s own proprietary payments solution ClearAccept to complement its own Sellerdeck Payments, as well as industry-leading address lookup and data validation system Fetchify.

Following the deal, Sellerdeck CEO Josh Barling will continue to lead the company, overseeing Sellerdeck’s operations and benefitting from strategic guidance from ClearCourse.

I’m delighted to be able to announce the acquisition of Sellerdeck. It’s a fantastic company that was one of the first to recognise the importance of e-commerce and I can’t wait to get started working with its superb team. It’s an exciting time for ClearCourse’s Retail Division and our e-commerce offering, which is going from strength to strength. Sellerdeck will bring a great deal of deep expertise to ClearCourse, complementing EKM and developing integrations across the firm. A very warm welcome to Josh and the team.

– Gerry Gualtieri, CEO, ClearCourse

I’m very pleased to share the news that Sellerdeck is joining ClearCourse. At a critical time for our growth, we stand to benefit immensely from working with the group’s warm and highly capable team, with its impressive experience of integrating e-commerce systems. Integration with a diverse set of businesses brings us some promising new opportunities to add value to our customers and give them the best software solutions they need to run successful businesses.

– Josh Barling, CEO, Sellerdeck

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Retail lessons for 2023

As the New Year starts, Mark Elward, Vice President of Enterprise Sales at Huboo, and Peter Edgar, Chief Financial Officer at Huboo share their thoughts on ecommerce and retail lessons for 2023.

Retail lessons for 2023 – what can we learn from a turbulent year in ecommerce?

The retail industry’s cautiously optimistic outlook going into 2022 has been eroded by strong economic headwinds, geopolitical instability, soaring inflation and plummeting consumer confidence. But for online retailers, there are still opportunities to ride out the downturn and grow their businesses. So let’s reflect on the retail lessons of a turbulent 2022 and consider how ecommerce can win in the year ahead…

Lesson 1: Meet the needs of the price-sensitive consumer

Consumers have already begun cutting down on larger expenses and trading down to cheaper products. In 2022, we’ve seen bundle deals – complementary products bundled together at a discounted rate – become a popular and effective way for retailers to incentivise consumers to increase basket size, while at the same time making them feel they’ve gotten great value for money. This is a tactic Amazon uses to great effect, but we’re now seeing it applied across a range of marketplaces and D2C brand stores.

There has also been significant growth in retailers offering subscription models – where customers commit to regular purchases of products such as alcohol, pet food or contact lenses for a discounted price. This is an astute way for eCommerce brands to secure repeat custom and smooth out sales highs and lows, while having the added benefit of drawing customers away from the big online marketplaces and onto their own websites, where profit margins are higher.

As the market continues to contract into 2023, eCommerce brands need to be extra sensitive to costs and focus on conveying value for money to their customers. Designing effective promotions is more than just slapping discounts on products or holding flash sales. Online retailers need to use sales bundles and subscriptions creatively, actively increasing product sales without devaluing their products or brand. 

Lesson 2: Market in tune with the consumer mood

During the height of Covid, many eCommerce brands were able to adapt their communications to reflect the sombre climate. The most effective pandemic adverts were more restrained and less exuberant, often demonstrating support for broader societal causes. It’s a tactic worth repeating whenever times are tough for the population at large. The 2022 John Lewis Christmas ad is a great example of how retailers can modify their tone to reflect the mood of the nation. 

But it doesn’t just apply to grandstand advertising moments. In 2023, everyday brands of all shapes and sizes must pay close attention to the tone of all ongoing marketing efforts – from digital ads to newsletters – to make sure communication is sensitive to their customers’ situation. 

Lesson 3: Help customers spread the cost of purchases

The popularity of buy now pay later (BNPL) schemes exploded during the pandemic. To drum up sales at a moment of widespread uncertainty, retailers large and small partnered up with BNPL companies like Klarna to offer flexible payment options and help customers to spread the cost of purchases.

Of course, traditional BNPL – i.e. credit – was a mainstay of retail prior to COVID. The difference is that now retailers recognise these schemes have the ability to influence sales decisions, and so are moving to highlight flexible payment options earlier in the customer journey, rather than at checkout. 

As the impact of the cost of living continues to be felt, offering flexible payment terms can be a competitive advantage – particularly on higher-cost items. We expect BNPL to become commonplace across the eCommerce arena, and retailers that see success will be those that think creatively about how to use these schemes to both attract customers and encourage them to spend more. 

Lesson 4: Reduce costs by offering economical delivery services as standard

At the start of 2022, over half of online shoppers said they thought same-day delivery was important – up from a third of shoppers pre-pandemic. However, signs suggest that in these more frugal times, customers’ expectations are softening. In response, we’re seeing eCommerce brands swapping out expensive same-day or next-day delivery for more economical services. It’s a handy and quick way to reduce the price point of products without impacting profit margins. Brands can still retain the option of super-fast delivery for customers willing to pay a premium, but there is no need to offer this as standard.

Alongside this, many brands would be wise to decrease the price threshold for free delivery, in recognition that customers are unable to spend more. This is a particularly helpful tactic for retailers whose priority is to hold onto existing customers or to try and reduce cart abandonment at checkout.

Finally, eCommerce brands need to pay careful attention to their returns policy in the year ahead – which has the potential to make or break a sale. By keeping the returns process simple while reducing the cost for the customer, they should be confident of getting more sales over the line.

Lesson 5: Find frictionless ways of moving into new markets

The challenging economic climate means that online retailers are having to look overseas as a means of opening up new opportunities. Fortunately, there are a host of new eCommerce tools – such as Mirakl – that simplify and speed up this process to ease the pathway into new markets.

Similarly, cross-border payments services like Airwallex help businesses to operate seamlessly across borders. Whereas previously, retailers might have needed to set up local bank accounts, or require customers to pay in a particular currency, cross-border payments tech means that eCommerce brands can receive payment in their usual currency, regardless of where the customer is based.

Setting up overseas is not only a sensible approach for online retailers looking to plug the sales gap, but an increasingly viable one thanks to the growing variety of eCommerce tech on offer. We expect to see an increase in the number of retailers of all sizes moving into new markets in 2023. 

A tough year ahead, but there are opportunities on the horizon

Retailers will be put to the test again in 2023, in yet another year of significant economic challenges. 

As with the pandemic, we are likely to see a divergence of the fortunes of bricks-and-mortar and online retailers. Physical retailers will find themselves more exposed due to fixed costs – such as retail space, energy bills and shop floor staff. With fewer overheads and a greater ability to adapt their business models and sales tactics in line with market movements, eCommerce brands find themselves in a stronger position to ride out the downturn and achieve success in 2023. 

Adaptability will continue to be the eCommerce secret weapon. It won’t be easy, but if online retailers take learnings from the last 12 months, they will put their businesses on a positive trajectory and will emerge from the downturn stronger, leaner, and more attuned to their customers’ needs.

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