Wednesday, November 15

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🚨 In today’s newsletter 🚨

• More Prime Benefits for off-Amazon purchases

• You should really make an app

• Why content marketing matters

Let’s get into it👇

#1 - 👀 Amazon expands Prime benefits

📰 TL;DR - Amazon is sure getting aggressive ahead of the holidays! The latest news is that they’re expanding Buy With Prime benefits to items bought off of Amazon itself, but with Buy With Prime. That includes being able to track purchases in their Amazon account, getting 24/7 customer service, and being able to return at drop-off locations without needing a box or label. Altogether it makes choosing Buy With Prime much more attractive, even if you’re checking out from a Shopify-powered store.

💡 Insight - At this point, there are few arguments to be made for not offering a Buy With Prime button on your checkout page. BigCommerce and Shopify both have integrations ready to install. For customers, I think the return benefits are among the biggest, because everyone hates returns, even customers. The other neat thing is you can also integrate reviews from Amazon, bolstering what customers see on your site. Yes, Amazon is definitely trying to take over every aspect of e-commerce, whether you like it or not.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#2 -

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#3 - 📲 Shoppers want apps

📰 TL;DR - Still on the fence about launching a mobile app? Well here’s a compelling survey that found 74% of US consumers expect retailers to offer mobile apps. That’s even higher for younger consumers — 82% of Gen Z said the same. And yes, this survey is about retailers, but it shows the appetite for more bespoke mobile shopping experiences, and DTC brands should definitely take this into consideration. As well, 60% said they’re more likely to shop with a retailer that offers a mobile app, and were especially compelled by in-app exclusive rewards. Also, 76% said discounts and deals were the most valuable feature of mobile apps, followed by loyalty programs and ease of payment.

💡 Insight - I’ve always been pretty bullish that DTC brands should consider launching their own apps, and here are some good reasons why. This is also good intel for what to include in any app you launch. First, get those exclusive deals and discounts in, as well as extra goodies for loyalty members. As well, personalization is everything. In this survey, 91% of Gen Z and Millennials shoppers said they would be more likely to purchase an item from a mobile app that offers personalized recommendations.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#4 - 🛠️ Things worth checking out

😬 LAYOFFS - Uh oh. Two rounds of e-commerce layoffs to report — at BigCommerce and at Chewy.

😎 INFLUENCERS - Here’s a roundup of the latest creator and influencer trends.

🤖 AI - If you need help feeding the social media beast, here are some AI tools to create Reels, TikToks, and Shorts.

👾 VR - Check out J.Crew’s virtual shop for the holidays.

📆 BFCM - Consumers are expected to spend a bit more online this BFCM compared to last year.

#5 - 📝 Why you need a content marketing strategy

📰 TL;DR - This piece makes the case for how powerful content marketing can be for e-commerce brands. I think the benefits of social media are obvious, but have you thought about blogs or newsletters? As this points out, content marketing can attract new shoppers, juice up your SEO, keep your fans engaged, and retain business. This also has some tips for tracking the success of that content.

💡 Insight - I really believe in the power of contact marketing. A thoughtful blog strategy with solid keyword research backing it up can have a huge impact on your SEO. I think it’s also a great service to customers. Your blog is a great place for tutorials, tips, and tricks to help people get the most out of their purchases. A great writer can knock out a bunch of evergreen posts for you, or even use AI to help you write them yourself.

➡️ You can read the article here...