Hey, y’all! Welcome again to episode 13 of the Southern Fried Ecommerce Podcast from EYStudios. We hope y’all loved the Thanksgiving break, we’re again this week with Jay Brimberry, our Director of Operations, Emily Faulkner, our Digital Advertising and marketing Load, and Alex Thompson, one in all our pretty Digital Account Managers.
We began out this week by introducing Alex Thompson who’s positioned in Hickory, NC, and is a proud Appalachian State alumna. She has formally been with EYStudios for 2 months now and says she loves her new job. She additionally loves that she’s not the one one within the digital workplace with an accent.
Talking of distant work, Emily then introduced that the distant staff can be coming right down to Kennesaw, GA subsequent week for EYCON21. This would be the first time that distant staff can be assembly the workplace staff and we’re all actually excited to have them. We’ll be having our firm Christmas celebration and discovering out how tall everyone seems to be after they’re not sitting down in entrance of their webcams.
By way of Christmas plans, Emily can be bringing her boyfriend dwelling for Christmas whereas warding off questions on proposals. If she comes again within the New Yr engaged, Hallmark can be making a Christmas film in winter 2022. Alex can be taking part in a grimy Santa (white elephant or Yankee swap) alternate and lacking out on adorning for a second yr because of renovations on her “new to her” home. She stated beware the inevitable Christmas explosion subsequent yr after all of the build-up. Jay can be having a real Christmas although and watching Polar Categorical on repeat together with his daughter Charlotte. Increase a glass of cocoa to him as we want him luck with that.
With discussions of ever-approaching Christmas behind us, we dove into the eCommerce information of the week. This week we began with our biweekly section referred to as Kingmaker the place we assessment the eCommerce product releases of the week with a Yay or Nay based mostly on our pleasure concerning the product (hearken to the podcast for our new superior intro to Kingmaker). Please be aware these judgments are based mostly on preliminary intestine reactions with out analysis into the product.
The primary product we mentioned is Twitter’s new stay procuring platform. Twitter kicked off the brand new platform throughout Cyber Week collaborating with Walmart and Jason Derulo. Jay determined Jason Derulo is so “seven years in the past” however he’s glad the person is staying busy.
EMILY: Yay, for each the platform and Jason Derulo.
ALEX: Yay. I comply with lots of boutiques they usually have had huge success doing stay gross sales. So if it’s going to be something like that I feel it might be unbelievable.
Jay then requested if that is going to alter social media methods for our purchasers. Each Emily and Alex agreed that presently the engagement on Twitter simply isn’t the place it must be for it to be a spotlight of theirs for his or her purchasers. Alex stated, “I’m welcome to letting them change my thoughts.”
The subsequent product launch we mentioned was, “Bolt acquires Tipser and launches Distant Checkout.” Bolt is a consumer community supplier for on-line checkout and is a companion of EYStudios.
EMILY: Yay, possibly I’m biased as a result of Bolt is a companion of ours however I actually like Bolt’s capacity to do one-click check-out. I like how speedy it’s, it actually advantages the service provider, as a result of going by all these additional steps actually can take extra time and conversions do drop due to that. I feel Bolt is taking the initiative to make this even higher, even quicker anyplace that you just’re procuring.
ALEX: Yay. I concur with all of the issues that Emily stated. Hopefully, it’s a easy integration however I feel it actually opens the doorways. I get questions on a regular basis about the place to begin with eCommerce and I feel this might be a fantastic answer particularly for checkout. So I’m actually enthusiastic about this.
The final article for Kingmaker this week is “Walmart and Droneup announce drone supply choices.” The drone supply service will begin round Walmart’s headquarters in Northwest Arkansas. Jay is nervous concerning the drones flying into mountains given the terrain and in addition the potential for drone takeover with no Spider-Man to cease it. He requested Emily although what she considered it given her motto of “instantaneous gratification above all.”
EMILY: Yay. half-hour? You gotta be kidding me. I like it. They used to have Amazon Prime Now which I used to be a really massive utilizer of and I might get issues to my home in as little as an hour. And man, if I had a drone at my door? I’d be very tickled. Then once more, I’m with you. I watch Black Mirror. I do know the hazards of know-how and the place we are able to go however I like half-hour.
ALEX: Nay. They’ll’t even get my normal deliveries proper so how is a drone going to make issues higher? I additionally stay close to an airport. So I don’t even know if this might work for me. There are particular restrictions for drones close to an airport so for me, this doesn’t seem to be it’s going to be a whole yay. Perhaps for people in different areas? However for me, it’s a no.
Jay identified that he worries about this taking jobs away from much more people and jokingly accuses Emily of being egocentric. He admits although that that is the best way issues are going with present Walmarts often solely have one or two common registers open in an enormous retailer with the remainder of the checkout course of being dealt with by automation. Emily admitted that she is simply too bougie to enter an precise Walmart and with that Jay ended the Kingmaker section and thanked Emily for gracing us along with her presence.
After our dialogue of current product releases, we dove additional into some information from the week starting with the article, “Why Web page Load Time Issues” from Elastic Path. This weblog submit delves into consumer procuring expertise and the way it pertains to web page load occasions. Jay begins by asking Alex about what sort of conversations she’s having along with her purchasers about web page load pace.
ALEX: I feel they hit the nail on the pinnacle with the opening of the article, who hasn’t been pissed off when going to an internet site and also you land on the web site… all proper now possibly your first picture hundreds… okay what the heck’s happening… and now you’re already on to one thing else. I feel one thing fascinating concerning the society that we stay in proper now’s it’s actually a ‘need it, get it now’ society, very very fast-paced. So in case your web page isn’t loading appropriately in fact you’re dropping your engagement out of your consumer.
This text simply resonates so nicely. A few of our purchasers have brick and mortar and a few are on-line however it’s a must to take into consideration your web site as your showroom. And somebody greeting you whenever you come by the door is sort of how I take a look at web page load. Pictures arising on the location and issues loading appropriately is basically somebody saying ‘hey’ and I feel that’s so essential…I speak to prospects about their web page load considerations and you already know lots of occasions there are very particular issues that trigger it to decelerate. Perhaps, the pictures weren’t optimized 100% and the article touches base on that.
That is what I’m dwelling on daily basis with purchasers. One of many issues I do right here at EYStudios is I work with our retailers to assist make suggestions and options for optimizing their web site. And Google is web page pace, so if it’s essential to Google you gotta do it. I imply it is a dialog that’s simply right here each single day: what can we do to make it higher.
JAY: One factor to remember with web page pace particularly as ranked by Google is that it’s a must to perceive how Google does issues and take the outcomes with a grain of salt. After they’re rating web page pace, they’re utilizing an outdated 3G community, it’s grading your web page pace based mostly on what someone in the midst of a subject in Siberia may get. You recognize, they’re supplying you with the worst doable connection and rating your web page pace based mostly on that.
So purchasers and prospects can freak out a bit of bit when Google web page pace however it’s a must to take a look at it with technological eyes and with sensible eyes. In case your web page is a comparatively quick time, at 1 to three seconds, (possibly beneath 1 to three seconds, we’re at all times attempting to get it down) then you definitely’re doing advantageous for probably the most half. It’s when it begins getting over that 3 seconds as they talked about within the article that it’s an issue. Once more you needed to be faster than 3 seconds, I’m not saying it’s good when you’re at 3 seconds however you’re doing okay. As a result of all people has a distinct connection, you’ll be able to’t simply say ‘how is my web site doing to all people’, all people has you already know 5G, 4G, 3G, completely different cell telephones simply out of the field are going to load issues a bit of bit slower than a desktop will as they point out right here. And Google is taking the slowest of the sluggish under consideration after they’re attempting to grade this stuff. So there needs to be a bit of little bit of skepticism when Google web page pace.
And also you additionally need to think about when you’re on platforms like BigCommerce, Shopify, or any SAS platform, there are a lot of methods to optimize like as they point out in right here lessening the large imagery. Though, you already know, retailers and particularly high-end retailers love humongous imagery, they simply like it, that’s what they wish to do after which they need their web page to go quicker. You may’t have it each methods. Both your photographs may be big and delightful and high-resolution or you’ll be able to have a quicker web page.
Progressive internet apps are one thing that basically pushes that quicker web site. And that’s as a result of progressive internet apps at their core actually strip down lots of this excessive res imagery, lots of this additional imagery, and brings web sites again to a fundamental stage to allow them to go a bit of bit quicker. So it’s a must to have that dialogue internally: do we wish a extra curated buyer expertise or do we wish this web site to be quicker? Right here’s the Catch-22 although, Google’s each of these metrics. And you’ll have each of these issues however you’ll be able to’t go all the best way to at least one aspect or all the best way to the opposite aspect. There needs to be a cheerful medium there whenever you’re fascinated about it.
EMILY: You guys stole all my good ones as a result of my massive one is at all times picture loading. Huge photographs simply actually weigh that sucker down. I used to be pondering whilst you had been speaking about PWAs although, that it’s essential to consider that 360 technique as a result of alternatively on social media locations like Fb and Instagram. You may have these one-shop experiences now the place folks have the flexibility to take a look at the product they need, click on, purchase, and transfer on. So there are all these alternatives which might be being created throughout the web to make it a lot simpler for folks to buy so then your web site I assume can have these massive, hefty photographs as a result of you might have so many alternative choices for folks to do their one-click get-in get-out purchases after which your web site, as you stated is extra like your showroom: these are all of the choices you’ll be able to have, you get these retargeting advertisements, folks get enticed and folks purchase.
Jay then talked about that when you do have any questions on pace or need assistance enhancing yours EYStudios helps a number of purchasers enhance their web site speeds. Attain out and we are able to begin a session.
Our second article we jumped into this week was, “Cyber Week On-line Gross sales Down 1.4% Bodily Retailer Visits Up” from Forbes. The article factors out that lots of procuring was completed previous to Cyber Week this week due to provide chain points being on the forefront of individuals’s minds.
Emily has had her procuring achieved for some time however nonetheless purchased some stuff for herself on Black Friday. Alex prefers to buy year-round and never spend all at one time however she did purchase peel and stick tile for Black Friday pickup for her dwelling renovation. She additionally talked about that her purchasers centered particularly on Black Friday offers extra so than Cyber Monday and Cyber Week. After a short diatribe about Jay getting a leopard print purse for Christmas final yr in a Soiled Santa/White Elephant/Yankee Swap gone awry, all three agreed that Christmas procuring is now not relegated to a particular day or week.
The final article we took a deeper take a look at was “Ballot Reveals Hashish Purchasing Tendencies for the Vacation Season” once more from Forbes. The article discusses that 91% out of 1000 folks surveyed in states the place leisure hashish is authorized plan on utilizing marijuana throughout vacation celebrations. Each Georgia (the place Jay and Emily are positioned) and North Carolina (the place Alex is positioned) should not one of many 36 states the place both leisure or medical marijuana has been legalized.
EMILY: I discover this genuinely fascinating. Though we’re not a state that sells authorized leisure marijuana, CBD has been extremely popular in Georgia. Simply prior to now six months everybody I converse with has tried it or is frequently utilizing it. It’s really been a subject for Christmas this yr. I personally have CBD gummies that I take as a result of I’ve anxiousness. So it’s one thing that I used to be interested in what different folks had been doing and it seems to be like that’s actually the case with this. It makes folks really feel good they usually wish to share that feeling for Christmas.
Jay identified that we by no means would have seen an article like this ten years in the past and now marijuana has simply grow to be a traditional present to present. He additionally famous that it’s fascinating that comfort is turning into a factor with authorized hashish utilization now the place supply to your door is an choice.
Emily stated that in terms of CBD she prefers to purchase in-store as a result of the employees is extra educated concerning the product like they’d be at a dispensary. She wouldn’t belief herself to purchase on-line along with her information about any such product. Alex agrees with needing experience on this new product space and factors out the similarities between brewery expansions with the enlargement of dispensaries in authorized states.
Jay thinks that on the whole, that is going to grow to be an increasing number of well-liked as states legalize marijuana and that on-line purchasing for this can grow to be regular. He identified that having alcohol delivered to your door used to sound ludicrous however now it’s taking place. And stated that his teenage self’s thoughts would have been blown by that prospect. He does assume that marijuana eCommerce will must be tailored for novice’s as the necessity for dispensary experience grows permitting for anybody to buy on-line not simply specialists.
As at all times, Jay ended the podcast by asking Alex if she’s seen Willow to which she stated no and apologized for not being a film chick. Jay responded with “that’s like saying I’ve by no means seen the Mona Lisa, I’m not a lot of an artwork particular person.” After which Emily advised him to cease accosting the friends and that no, we’re not forcing the entire staff to observe Willow after they come into the workplace.
We hope you favored this episode of the Southern Fried eCommerce podcast, be sure you subscribe to get a glimpse into eCommerce information each week served Southern Fried fashion.
