Nivea, Author at E-commerce Made Easy in India | E-commerce Solutions India - ANS Commerce

E-commerce Blogging Tips: 7 Brilliant Suggestions to Boost your Brandstore Sales!

E-commerce businesses put constant efforts into marketing and branding strategies. Be it their brandstore, or social media channels, you will find aesthetically pleasing visuals with short-crisp content.

Now, visit your favorite brand’s website and check their blog segment. You will hardly find any blog. This is one of the biggest mistakes businesses commit. What they don’t understand is, to communicate their offerings with the users, social media and brandstore are not enough, especially if you are a B2C business.

Blogging not only helps your customers understand your brand better but also increases your inbound traffic.

“While your blog must add value to the reader’s knowledge, it must harness the power of persuading them a step further.”

7 Incredible Blogging Tips to Rev Up your E-Commerce website!

1. Focus on value-added content

Marketers focus on quantity than quality when it comes to writing blogs. The trick might stand true for social media, but for blogs, create content to entertain, educate and empower your audience. If your write-up is not adding value to your reader’s lifestyle, it’s of no use. To make it winsome, study the needs of your audience first, then make the content accordingly.

Quick tip: Data and stats add a context and support your statement. Try to use numbers as often as possible. For example, you are a business dealing in alcohol-free fragrances. To sell your offerings, tell people about the disadvantages of alcoholic perfumes in numbers, supporting your statement. Additionally, you can also mention the benefits of using alcohol-free fragrances while featuring your product portfolio.

2. Don’t lose the consistency

Focusing on quality doesn’t mean you will be inconsistent and post once every six months. Consistency is a must to attain traffic. Post at least twice every week to notify your customers. Keeping your posting schedule consistent makes it easier for the readers to expect new content from you. If you can’t manage, you can even hire people on a freelance basis. Seeking help from a professional would only strengthen your content marketing strategy. Be consistent, you will see the results automatically.

3. Tie your blogs to the product pages

For all SEO professionals, this is one of the best techniques to increase your website’s ranking organically. Curate content for the blog while linking your offerings. For example, you are writing a blog on “10 bootcut jeans you can’t afford to ignore in 2021.” Here, you can add your brand’s products to the blog with a ‘BUY NOW’ button. Also, remember not to add too many links as this can create clutter in the minds of the users.

Quick tip: Can’t boost your website’s traffic organically? Well, invest in our performance marketing solution, made with a special focus on lead generation and ROAS. To know more, request your free DEMO now!

4. Put your emphasis on meta descriptions

Adding a meta description in your blog is similar to adding ad copy in your google ads. Without a meta description, it’s impossible for the blog to rank. Moreover, it’s one of the first things people read when your blog comes in the search results. Many e-commerce websites, either don’t use meta description or use the same content for all the blogs. If you want people to read your blogs, you need to create fresh meta descriptions for each blog.

5. Don’t forget to optimize your images

Images act as proof of your written content. If they are pixelated and don’t resonate with your text, they are of no use. To optimize your images for the blogs, it’s important to use high-quality images. But, don’t forget to compress so that they don’t take time to load. Secondly, use the ALT tag in your image code. It helps your images to appear in the google image search.

Want to design your e-commerce website from scratch, but don’t know how to? Read on!

6. Talk less about your products and more about people

Times have changed and so have people. There’s no room for fancy content with persuasive promotions. People read blogs to either gain knowledge or get entertained. They don’t want to read your sales pitch in the shape of a blog. Understand your audiences’ needs first and then make your content accordingly. In short, don’t surround your blog with the offerings, rather give people the solutions for their problems. Once they start trusting you, they’ll definitely buy from you.

7. Simplify your URLs

Your blog’s ranking is directly dependent on its URL. If you use complicated URLs with too many conjunctions and articles, your sites’ ranking will immediately dip as it’s hard for search engines to read. Try to use simple plain English. Also, don’t forget to include the primary and secondary keywords in the URL.

How can we help you?

Are you still confused as to how you can market your offerings and fuel your e-commerce business? Consult us for all your e-commerce needs and we will help you scale your business. From performance marketing to warehousing & order fulfillment to marketplace management to brandstore tech, leave everything e-commerce to ANS Commerce. To know more about us and our offerings, request your free DEMO now!

Quick tip: Still couldn’t understand how can you make the most out of blogging? Below are the links to the blog segments of some of our partner brands’ websites. Check it out and ace the knack of blogging!
https://www.mystereparis.com/blog
https://www.kayayouth.com/blog
https://blog.ruosh.com/
https://blog.khadims.com/
https://blog.rossobrunello.com/

Many brands don’t understand the importance of blogging, but we hope you will follow the above-mentioned tips to get increased visibility and brand awareness. Also, don’t forget to share your blogs on social media channels as they help you create backlinks, increasing the engagement of your content.

Hear Her Journey: How Sonali Lalvani made her way into the Entrepreneur Ecosystem|#IWD2021

International Women’s Day is a global day, celebrated each year on 8th March to embrace the achievements of women all around the world. Not only does the day raise awareness about gender equality, but also motivates women to make the most out of their potential.

To acknowledge the #IWD2021, ANS Commerce, India’s #1 full-stack e-commerce enabler, shares the conversation with Sonali Lalvani, Founder & CEO, Toniq – Fashion accessories brand in India. From the struggles she had to build this brand to the one thing that motivated her constantly, you’ll hear everything as she made her way into the entrepreneur ecosystem.

“ANS Commerce strives to raise awareness of gender equality and bring a change in the society.”

Theme for International Women’s Day 2021 | #ChooseToChallenge

This year the theme ‘Choose to Challenge’ outlines the courage and strength to take up a challenge eliminating gender bias and inequality. From challenge comes the change, thus the theme motivates people irrespective of gender to spread gender awareness while choosing to take up a challenge!

#HearHerJourney featuring Sonali Lalvani

To make women celebrate their worth with well-priced and beautifully designed fashion accessories, Toniq began its journey 10 years ago when there was a massive gap in the Jewelry category. But Sonali was determined and chose to take up the challenge, and fulfilling this gap. Today, Toniq has 200 Store-within-Store and also building out its online presence to reach a wider female audience.

Sonali Lalvani, CEO & Founder, Toniq, shares her journey as an entrepreneur with us. Not only did she face difficulties operating her business, but also lived through the judgements of many people. Explaining the challenges, she said, “Being a women entrepreneur and living in a fairly conservative city, Chennai, I have faced many issues. From the landlord refusing to sign the document without a male presence to the staff expecting a male to make the final decision on recruitment, I have witnessed many difficulties. In one of those instances, there was this priest during the Diwali Pooja, who got shocked when he learned that I am the CEO.”

After facing such challenges, Sonali is trying to make her company’s work culture healthy and comfortable for women. Sonali said, “ We are taking considerable steps in making our workplace extremely women-centric. In fact, our current workforce comprises 70% of the women.” Practising the aspects of gender equality, Toniq promotes its people solely on the basis of performance. “The workplace must realize that both men and women should feel safe to speak their minds”, she added.

For Sonali, the last year was very challenging as there was a strict guideline to close all the physical stores all across the country. But she didn’t lose hope and continued to scale her business online. She said, “Scaling up the e-commerce side of the business was my best decision ever as it has helped us a lot to boost our sales.”

Sonali Lalvani said she lives by the dictum – “Work today for your tomorrow.”

Today, our nation needs more women entrepreneurs like Sonali, to bring a change in the society’s patriarchal mindset. In fact, a woman entrepreneur not only motivates a woman herself but also inspires men of society to celebrate and embrace her passion and worth. “Women bring in a different perspective, and considering for us at Toniq our audience is women it just makes sense to have it more women-driven.”

Addressing all the women who want to start their own business Sonali says, “Do your homework. If you are looking at a business in fashion, it’s definitely not glamourous and the hours can be brutal. Always do it because you truly want to make a difference in your customs life.”

How is ANS Commerce helping Toniq?

ANS Commerce is assisting Toniq with its full-stack e-commerce solutions. From providing performance marketing to brandstore tech to warehousing & fulfillment to marketplace management, we strive to support Sonali’s business by broadening the brand’s online presence. Inspired by her journey? Want to start your own e-commerce business? Request your free DEMO now!

We hope that Sonali’s inspirational journey has motivated all the women out there. With that, team ANS Commerce wishes you a very happy women’s day! Let’s all #ChooseToChallenge this #IWD2021.

Selling Comfort: How Secret Wish – A Lingerie & Sleepwear Brand Made Women Feel Comfortable All Day Long!

Among other necessities for a woman to live a confident life, there are certain things we can’t afford to miss on. At the top of the list is ‘What we wear”. Apparels are indeed an important part of our lives, making us feel comfortable and confident, particularly lingerie and sleepwear. While the former boosts your confidence, the latter gives you a goodnight’s sleep, balancing the various aspects of life.

Initially, when e-commerce in itself was a new term, there was no lingerie and sleepwear brand online. Not only women had to visit offline stores but also had to compromise on hygiene. What was the solution to all this? Enters the Secret Wish.

About the brand: Secret Wish

Secret Wish is India’s leading lingerie and sleepwear brand, providing solutions to fashion fit issues while helping women feel confident and comfortable throughout the day.

With an aim to sell chic & girly lingerie in the finest quality for women across the nation, Secret Wish was founded by Sushant Puri in 2014. The founding team of the brand includes Chandan Singh and Roopkiran Kaur Sandhu who helped Sushant build the brand from scratch. Later on, Sushant’s elder brother, Prashant Puri, came into the business as co-founder and started managing Secret Wish.

Secret Wish provides a seamless and hassle-free shopping experience with their direct-to-customer business approach, making it affordable and feasible for people to purchase. They have multiple categories including, nightwear, bathrobe, swimwear, and lingerie, under the convenience of a single roof.

Bridging the gap between online and offline shopping

Female hygiene has always been a concern – given the fact many female-related issues are still not communicated openly. In the early era of the 2010s, buying lingerie openly was taboo. Not to mention, people were not much aware of female hygiene issues and didn’t understand the importance of supreme quality intimate wear. In fact for lingerie and sleepwear, there was a common notion of buying cheaper options.

Not only women used to compromise on the quality, but also the whole process of going to a local market and buying sleepwear and lingerie was hectic. “We realized this social issue in the year 2014 and noticed that there are no nightwear brands on online marketplaces. Moreover, women were buying from local markets. But we were determined to bridge that gap between offline and online, resulting in the inception of ‘Secret Wish’” said Prashant Puri.

“Cotton and hosiery comfort wear were being sold in the nooks of Gandhi Nagar – a small district in Delhi. I thought to take the whole idea online as there was not a single lingerie and sleepwear brand on marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart, etc.” said Prashant.

Overcoming the D2C challenges

Direct-to-consumer is an approach in which a business doesn’t rely on the middlemen and sells directly to the consumers. The D2C model is beneficial for consumers and manufacturers as it cut down the cost of an intermediary

Secret Wish was one of the first few brands who adopted this – now highly hyped – approach of selling products. But before any brand begins with this approach, it’s important to understand the relevance of online.

For a D2C brand, everything has to happen online. From managing accounts on marketplaces to managing traffic on the individual brandstore, a D2C brand has to keep a hawk’s eye to fuel the business. “Be it following the right standards to checking if the order dispatch is happening on time, it’s important to observe each and every detail keenly. So we had to go figure out these things while keeping a look at whether the proper quality is maintained or not,” he added. “Moreover, for a fashion brand especially in the sleepwear category, it’s essential to have a large assortment of collections. Mere 4-5 options don’t do the job, you have to maintain 40-50 different varieties in a single product category. But with growing demands, we became determined to improve our customers’ experience with valued services.”

Scaling business amid the Pandemic

The new normal times had been considered good for e-commerce businesses across the nation. To practice the mandatory guidelines issued by the government of India, people became more conscious and switched the traditional buying methods to online shopping. For Secret Wish, the unprecedented times have actually proven to be good – given the fact, people were forced to stay at home, increasing the need to wear comfortable clothes such as shorts, nightgowns, etc.

Talking about the trends amid the pandemic, Prashant highlighted the fact that people from both tier 1 and tier 2 cities came online, leading to a boost in their sales numbers. “More than 40% orders came from non-metro cities. Women who were initially dependent on offline stores, switched to online websites and marketplaces such as Myntra and Amazon, leading to an increase in online penetration.”

Finding expertise in ANS Commerce

Started their journey with ANS Commerce in 2017, Secret Wish became its full-stack partner. “Ever since we started with ANS Commerce we have seen an impressive boost in the sales. The rising penetration of online shopping and digital adoption post pandemic has increased our order volumes more than 200%, Prashant said.”

“Highlighting their warehousing and fulfilment solution, I would like to say that we have definitely saved the cost of warehousing and distribution channels. This money was used in brand visibility and marketing,” he said.

“Right from the moment we got associated with the team of ANS Commerce, we experienced incredible services. Be it their performance marketing solution or marketplace management or warehousing & fulfilment, I would definitely like to appreciate the entire team for their constant support,” Prashant said.

Since the website of Secret Wish is fully-designed and managed by ANS Commerce, to explain the experience of the brand in brandstore tech, he added, “Not to mention our website is fully-powered by Kartify – their brandstore tech. Kartify has optimized the performance of our online store as it loads faster and has actually helped us reduce the cart abandonment rate. Talking about their refund manager – an in-built feature of Kartify – it has helped us process refunds faster with more ease.”

“Moreover, we have efficiently overcome the challenge of account management and reconciliation on marketplaces with the help of ANS Commerce.”

“We look forward to continuing ANS Commerce’s e-commerce solutions and would recommend other D2C brands to seek their assistance as well.”

About ANS Commerce

ANS Commerce is India’s #1 full-stack e-commerce enabler helping brands sell online. We offer brandstore tech, performance marketing, marketplace management, and e-commerce warehousing & fulfilment.

We want our brand partners to focus on their brand and product and leave ‘all-things-e-commerce’ to us. We help brands acquire consumers, power brandstore, and jumpstart marketplace operations in no time. With us, brands can offer fast & reliable order fulfilment to your marketplace & brandstore consumers. Our extensive experience across product, e-commerce, retail, and marketing helps the brand achieve higher sales and stronger brand differentiation.

Having worked with 90+ established and challenger brands, we aim to help them sell on their brandstores along with 15+ marketplaces. ANS Commerce enumerates Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Portico, Piramal, CEAT, Marico, Bath & Body Works, and ITC amongst its client partners. It is integrated with 60+ partners such as Fynd, Unicommerce, Netcore, Arvind, Delhivery, Increff, Razorpay, and many more to simplify e-commerce in India.

Impact of Coronavirus Vaccines on the E-commerce Industry in India! (Post-Pandemic Trends for 2021)

In March 2020, the Indian government declared the national lockdown with strict guidelines, exercising social distancing. As the pandemic reshapes our lives, people are finding comfort in online shopping more than ever. The e-commerce sector per se became the largest beneficiary of the coronavirus outbreak.

However, now that the COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out, will there be a threat to e-commerce? The first question replays in our mind – what is going to happen to the online sector? Are people willing to adopt the new normal trends forever or will they switch over to traditional buying patterns?

To discover the result of vaccines on e-commerce and online shopping, let’s first have a look at the e-commerce trends amid the pandemic in 2020!

5 e-commerce trends accelerated by the pandemic | #2020Recap

1. Share of online shopping increased

The most definite trend of 2020 we can’t ignore is the rapid increase in online sales. From clothing to electronics to groceries, the dependence on online surged during the pandemic. Further, with an increase in the number of mobile users, tier-2 city users seemed to become more confident and aware of online shopping.

2. Brands highlighted health & hygiene in their marketing campaigns

Hygiene was the biggest concern in unprecedented times. Many brands made the most out of the situation while rolling out aggressive marketing campaigns highlighting their packaging and shipping to be 100% safe. To list out one, let’s not forget how food aggregator brands claimed to check the temperature of their delivery agents before picking up the orders.

3. Upsurge in the contactless payment options

One thing the pandemic has completely changed is people’s reliance on contactless payment options. Even the online businesses supported the option of digital wallets over COD to make the process completely contactless. Online payment options emerged mainly because it ensures complete safety.

4. Rise in the demand of e-gift cards amid festive season

A gift card is another trend the pandemic has given rise to. Be it a gift card for a clothing store, or an online ticket for a nearby salon or dance studio, people were seen giving e-gift cards to their relatives especially around Diwali season. Given the fact that the gift card option is highly versatile, both brands and customers supported the idea.

5. Increase in the trend of mobile commerce

To let people enjoy the perks of quick shopping, brands looked for ways to integrate WhatsApp & social commerce as another online sub-channel. Due to a tremendous increase in online shopping, Instagram also came up with a new option to sell. It expanded its shopping services across IGTV.

It’s reasonable to expect the long-lasting effects on e-commerce and digitalization – given the fact that people are habitual of the comfort online has to offer.

What will happen to the E-commerce Industry after the Pandemic ends? (Major trends to come up in 2020)

For now, the market drift is clear about the practice of social distancing even though the vaccines have rolled out around the nation. But many online businesses are afraid that their growth might slow down in the next few months. What is exactly going to happen?

If you have an online store or you have just established your own online business, you don’t need to be afraid as e-commerce will eventually boost. Seeing there’s a lot of scope for growth in India, especially after people have become habitual using online channels, your online investment won’t get wasted.

Amid the hard times, people were forced to discover and shop online to avoid the transmission of Coronavirus. Now that they have finally found their comfortability in online shopping, there’s a very small possibility of them switching over to the traditional channels. Not to mention, online shoppers enjoy the convenience – price benefit, selection benefit, payment benefit that e-commerce offers.

Digital marketers will need to buck up and come up with aggressive and unconventional marketing strategies!

Online businesses and marketers will keep practicing a few strategies to boost digitalization. Keeping that in mind, we have curated a list of four trends expected to resurge after the end of the COVID-19!

1. Upsurge in the Omni-channel Marketing

Consumer data collection and omni-channel marketing tactics are becoming increasingly popular. The more brands are realizing the significance of the data, the easier it has become to retain loyal customers. For instance, a fashion brand has both a brick and mortar store and an online store. Now a person frequents their offline store for office wear clothing. With this knowledge and the collection of customer data, they can send marketing adverts for formal wear to boost online sales.

2. Emergence of multiple e-commerce platforms

The only conventional e-commerce platforms we are aware of include; marketplaces and brandstores. But in the coming months, the nature of e-commerce per se will evolve, giving rise to various other unconventional models. The display of offerings on social media channels is one of the examples. Showcasing products and generating orders via live video options on channels such as Instagram and Snapchat could also be considered on a broader scale.

Quick tip: If you are having a problem selling on marketplaces, let us assist you with our robust marketplace management solution. From account management to growth planning, we help you establish your mark while boosting your sales. To know more, request your free DEMO today!

3. Creating in-store experiences

Augmented reality and virtual reality are definitely going to be the center of attraction in the upcoming months. To compete with offline shopping, concepts such as virtual trial rooms are going to increase. Moreover, the retailers will come up with more creative ideas to fill in the gap between online and offline.

4. Headless Commerce will become mainstream

To enrich the customer experience, the idea behind headless commerce will evolve in the next 4-5 months. The unconventional architecture will give more liberty to the brands to build and integrate various channels altogether. Largely, the whole retail will be operated in a more organized way irrespective of what channel is being used.

5. Intelligent forecasting

As the new and intelligent way of forecasting has developed over time, businesses will continue to keep analyzing the behavior with these unconventional methods. For instance, instead of checking the inventory levels manually, warehouses have deployed software to check the inventory level and forecast the future demand. Same way intelligent forecasting is going to upsurge.

While businesses are trying to forecast the changes the vaccines will bring in, one thing is for sure the e-commerce industry is not going to end at all. But one thing you must do is to revisit your business plan and buck up with the changing market scenario. Strengthen your e-commerce marketing strategies to persuade and retain customers!

Delight your Customers: 6 Attractive Valentine’s Day Marketing & Branding Tips!

Valentine’s Day is globally recognized as a day of love and affection. While some of us consider it a day to charm our romantic partner, many acknowledge it as a day to strengthen the bonds with family and friends. No matter what your idea behind this day, one thing is sure, you definitely need to revamp your digital attire to entice the people.

“In the 1300s, Valentine’s Day officially became a holiday associated with love.”

If your business offerings do not revolve around traditional love gifts such as chocolates, jewellery, cards, and flowers, worry not, as your business can still ace the day with a few charming marketing tips. Let’s have a look at the Valentine’s Day Marketing and Branding Tips!

Valentine’s Day Attractive Ideas to Delight Your Customers!

1. Improvise your product packaging

People love the idea of customization, especially during occasions like these. Offer custom packaging to your customers. Instead of using plain plastic packaging, improvise it a bit with heart-shaped transparent plastic sheets. You can also include love quotes inside the box.

Quick tip: You can offer free gift wrapping on Valentine’s Day. Include an option at the checkout time asking customers for the name of the recipient. You can also communicate this idea over emails, or on the homepage of your brandstore.

2. Market the idea behind E-Gift Cards

Last year, amid the Diwali season, the idea of giving e-gift cards or online tickets to loved ones became a big hit! E-gift cards are an amazing option at times when you are in a complete dilemma and can’t think of a thing to gift. Around the love week, start your promotional campaigns by introducing your digital gift cards.

3. Generate time-sensitive offers to create a sense of urgency

Time plays an important role during special occasions. People don’t want to lose a hold on discounted prices and amazing deals, and you can take advantage of this. Create deals and promotions on your landing page with countdown timers that you can easily customize with ad customizers. After you have started a time-sensitive campaign, go ahead with persuasive marketing copies that say “HURRY only 2 left”. This not only boosts your sales with a sense of urgency but also viral your campaign for a specific point in time.

Quick tip: Tailor your campaign ideas with love-themed coupon codes such as LOVEU20!

4. Send Valentine’s Day themed emails

The whole idea behind email marketing is to remind your customers about the upcoming trend/season, thereby dropping them in the sales funnel. Around this day, make a Valentine’s Day-themed email with a short crisp copy. Here are a bunch of ideas you can formulate your email content around:

Announce upcoming offers and discounts
Curate a ‘gift guide’ blog, including your offerings with images redirecting to the product page
Include competitions and contests around love week

5. Support a local cause by showering love

Club with a local charity, organizing Valentine’s Day fundraiser. To communicate the idea, add an option of donation on your website, making it easier for customers to support it. You can also communicate it via different social media channels. Though this won’t boost your sales immediately, it’s an incredible idea to show how you care for society. This will make your business more credible and will give a reason to people to choose you over others.

“Corporate social responsibility campaigns are a great way to manage your brand’s reputation. Moreover, you get support from social activists and philanthropists.”

Quick tip: While communicating, don’t forget to highlight the details such as the name of the non-profit organization you will be collaborating with and the cause you are supporting through this action. It gives people a reason to believe your brand.

6. Put on a romantic dash on your website

Colours play a major role to reflect your corporate identity. Add a hint of romance to your website while playing with colours. You can also tailor the logo of your brand to make it Valentine’s Day ready. A logo is the voice of the brand and playing with it is not an easy thing to do. You can’t change your logo altogether for a temporary festive season. But adding a few festive elements will build a connection with your audience.

“Keeping harmony between bright hues and minimal design is the key to stealing your customer’s heart.”

How to do it?

Don’t know how to do that? From checking your brand logo to creating account progress reports to optimizing the load time of the website, ANS Commerce provides you with performance marketing solutions across various channels with a special focus on sales and ROAS. Request your free DEMO now!

What can you expect from us?

Account Hygiene: Be it checking your brand’s logo, getting ad copies approved, or creating account progress reports, we keep our eyes open to assist you anytime.
Tech & Product: We help you in everything from building XML feed for fetching product info to auto sorting of products basis CTR.
Business & Analytics: We have in-house tools for driving market automation and insight mining.

7 Constructive Tips To Design A Persuasive E-commerce Newsletter!

With the rise in online shopping, the influence of email marketing has also emerged. Gone are the times when the exchange of emails was used for mere transactional purposes. Today, almost all brands are employing content marketers to strategize and curate persuasive email copies.

When a new offer rolls out, or a new collection comes in, retailers pop their users with emails. But it isn’t enough just to send those emails. They need to be inspiring and motivating so the users actually end up making the purchase. Otherwise, your offers will be sent to spam or avoided completely. Let’s study what actually influences the effectiveness of email marketing.

Here’s How to Create a Persuasive Newsletter to Drive Customer’s Attention!

1. Keep the design elements minimal

Making your design too flashy would only result in an unsubscription. By minimal, we don’t mean boring colours and monotonous themes. Keep a balance between text and images. It’s essential to leave some negative space (white space) here and there, for the design to settle in the mind of the readers. Without that, you’ll end up creating clutter and confusion. Harmony and balance of the design elements is the key to a successful newsletter.

2. Draft short-crisp copy

Email newsletters are generally sent at the time when people are waiting to board a metro, or traveling in a cab. Optimize the content of your newsletter so that it’s easy to consume in a short time. People don’t respond to the text the way they do to the visuals and graphics. But if you keep your text rather crisp with quirky words and informal expressions, you have a chance to win attention.

3. Insert product unboxing video play button

Videos are best to engage the users, especially if they talk about the pros and cons of a product. To attach a video to your newsletter, add an image with a video play button, redirecting your user to the YouTube video. Since these videos are more about product feedback, they enhance your brand reputation and create social proof.

Quick tip: User testimonial videos should be original. To create such videos, you can request your customers to send in their video opening the product with complete details.

4. Write process tutorials with step-by-step images

Another way to entice customers is by curating tutorial content of your offerings. For example: If your business is all about leather bags, sending a tutorial on “How to clean your leather bag?” will grab attention easily. You can add CTA to the images, by linking the leather bag page of your website. Also, highlight the features of your product wisely while writing the tutorial to convert the readers.

5. Add animated GIF Images

To drop your customers in the sales funnel, it’s important to formulate a narrative. Animate promotional messages have an advantage over mundane text messages as they can tell a tale, fascinating the reader to hit the button. Now the question comes; ‘how to create them?’ There are plenty of GIFs generators, to help you create a GIF. Also, don’t use more than one GIF image to avoid any clutter. To convert the readers and generate leads, make sure the image is clickable and redirects to the page.

Quick tip: Keep your GIF size to 1 MB as a heavy newsletter can get cropped, damaging its aesthetics.

6. Include countdowns in your newsletter

To add a sense of urgency and convert your customer quickly, include a clock with countdowns of your most exciting offers. Limited offers have one advantage over the normal offers, it stimulates user interest in a jiffy. They work best at the times of spring and autumn season sales.

7. Announce contests and giveaways

Community outreach ideas such as running contests and competitions work best on social media. But newsletters are also an incredible platform to convey the message. You need to be more creative and unique to run contests over email. Scratch cards or win wheels are some of the elaborative ideas to make the most out of email marketing.

Quick tip: You can also include a simple creative, asking readers to tag your brand on social media with their videos and follow your page to win exciting prizes. This way your engagement on other social media platforms increases.

If your e-commerce store is not gaining brand visibility, then fret not and invest in our performance marketing solutions. From checking your brand logo to creating account progress reports to optimizing the load time of the website, ANS Commerce provides you with performance marketing solutions across various channels with a special focus on sales and ROAS. Request your free DEMO now!

A well-curated emailer can help you drop your customers in the sales funnel. Don’t forget to add CTA to your content with optimized HTML URLs. Also, keep the tone of your content the same for all the newsletters as it’s the voice of your brand. Follow these tips and promote your brand efficiently.

5 Most Worthy Products To Sell Post Union Budget 2021! (With tips to promote them)

As the Indian economy has suffered due to the pandemic, the first paperless budget has made its way as an economic vaccine, aiding the nation’s economy. While presenting the union budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has introduced many policies and guidelines, helping the digital business to scale their operations.

While introducing schemes such as PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana, Mission Poshan 2.0, Urban Jal Jeevan Mission, etc., there have been other initiatives taken by the government to help specific sectors.

“A Limit of turnover for the tax audit has been increased to Rs. 10 crore from Rs. 5 crore for entities carrying out 95% transactions digitally”

If you are starting to start your own e-commerce business or thinking to expand your product line, this is indeed the best time to start. With the union budget rolling out, you can probably reckon upon starting up with the products mentioned in our list, inducing more profits.

To help you understand the best e-commerce products you can surely invest in 2021, we have curated a list! Let’s dive deeper into the 5 best products profitable to sell this year.

5 Most Worthy Products to Sell in 2021!

1. Steel Utensils

If you already have a business manufacturing steel utensils or are planning to do so, here’s a piece of good news for you. Custom duty on stainless steel has been reduced to 7.5%, making it cheaper to import in India. Not to mention after the pandemic, people are becoming health conscious and switching over to more traditional ways. Using stainless steel in cooking is one of them. It’s both beneficial for your health and the environment – given the fact it can be melted again.

How to sell

Apart from your own brandstore, you can think of selling on various marketplaces including Amazon and Flipkart. Also, mention the benefits and the quality of your utensils in the marketing copy to entice the attention of visitors.

“The union budget 2021 highlights Rs. 1,500 crores for the proposed scheme to promote digital modes of payment.”

2. Nylon Apparel

It’s the best chance to showcase your creativity and invest in Nylon yarns to manufacture designer apparel. With a reduction of the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on caprolactam, nylon chips, and nylon fibre & yarn to 5%, businesses can improve their production in fashion clothing. With its wrinkle-free properties, nylon is one of the best synthetic fabrics people love to buy. Be it formal wear for the office or sportswear for the gym, the fabric is highly versatile.

How to sell

Influencer marketing campaigns work best for marketing fashion and lifestyle products. If you are low on budget, you can look for micro-influencers with more niche market audiences.

3. Cotton and Silk Yarns

Union budget 2021 states to increase the Customs duty on cotton from nil to 10% and on raw silk and silk yarn from 10% to 15%. Upsurging the demand for Indian manufacturers of silk and cotton can be beneficial for both the economy and local businesses. Starting your e-commerce business in cotton and silk handicrafts could turn out to be beneficial in 2021.

How to sell

The best way to sell raw materials over the internet is via social media and Google marketing campaigns. Start with a persuasive copy, reflecting on the sustainable techniques you have used to produce the yarns.

4. Food and FMCG

In the union budget 2021, the government has come up with various schemes and investment plans to boost growth momentum for India’s fast-moving consumer goods. Investments in rural infrastructure and the extension of farm credit will trigger the consumption boost for food items. Products such as vegetable oil, millet & grains, wheat flour, etc are beneficial for businesses to invest in.

“Operation Green Scheme’ to be extended to 22 perishable products, to boost value addition in agriculture and allied products!”

How to sell

One of the best ways to sell FMCG and food products online is via online stores. You can establish your own brandstore, showcasing your offerings. To get the best out of it, start your brandstore from scratch with Kartify – our brandstore tech made in India. Request your free DEMO now!

5. Gold and Silver Jewelry

To make Indian jewelry more competitive in the global markets, the Indian government has reduced the import duty on gold and silver to 7.5% from 12.5%. This move not only gave relief to the consumers but also helped the businesses, broadening the prospects of India’s rich heritage to global markets. From more intricate designs to ethnic jewellery designs, the deduction in the duty will help the jewellery manufacturers.

How to sell

To sell jewellery online, social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat work the best. You can start with Instagram-sponsored posts and stories, showcasing the jewellery design, especially amid the festive and wedding season, grabbing more attention.

The union budget 2021 highlights reforms and guidelines to increase Indian production. So this is your time to launch your own brandstore. Also, we might have missed some of the other product category recommendations, but all the products on the list are carefully chosen and thoughtfully analyzed.

National Tourism Day 2021 | 10 Important Items To Carry While Traveling Post-COVID-19!

India’s tourism never fails to amaze us with its diverse nature. From cool mountain roads to sun-kissed foreshores, the rich heritage offers great attractions to tourists all around the world. And to celebrate its beauty of it, January 25th is celebrated as National Tourism Day around the nation.

The tourism industry of the country has been one of the largest contributors to the nation’s GDP in recent years. But the outbreak of COVID-19 has badly impacted the industry. Sectors such as hotels/lodging, recreation, and entertainment, transportation, etc. have been severely affected by the onslaught of the pandemic as travelling and vacationing were on a complete halt.

National tourism day 2021 can in time help us move afar from the pandemic by letting us invest in our nation’s rich heritage and culture. While keeping a few things in mind, you can jump on the adventurous short trip for the love of Indian Tourism!

Are you an avid traveller, needing a day to yourself to freshen your mind and soul? We have curated a list of essentials you must keep when you plan to go on a trip. All these products mentioned below are offered by ANS Commerce’s partner brands!

Mind you, this list is created keeping the precautions in check. So let’s just snag our buddies and get ready for a short trip?

10 essentials to carry while travelling post-COVID-19!

1. Face masks by Being Human

Starting from the mandatory yet most important thing. Face masks have become a go-to aid no matter when we plan to step out of our homes. Not only does it protect you from the virus but also prevents others from getting infected. Keeping the vogue factor on point, Being Human has popped up with the most amazing collection we can’t take our eyes off. With a plethora of designs, the brand has an amazing combo of masks. You can choose from pastel shades to quirky designs matching your outfit. If you have a love for unique motifs, you definitely need to get your hand on these.

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2. Hand Gel Sanitizers by Bath & Body Works

The next most important thing you can’t afford to miss is a bottle of pocket sanitiser. They might be staged at almost every public place, but it’s always important to keep a personal bottle to reduce the chances of spreading the virus. Keeping your hygiene in check, Bath & Body Works comes with two different variants of hand gel. Most sanitisers make skin dry and chipped, leaving you annoyed and itchy. Infused with soothing fragrance, Bath & Body Works sanitiser won’t just protect you from viruses but also nourish your hands on the go.

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3. Surface Disinfectant Spray by Savlon

When you go on a trip, you can’t avoid using public property, leading to the spread of germs and bacteria. But if you carry a surface disinfectant, you can wipe the surroundings, making it clean to sit. Be it sitting on a chair, or eating a meal at a public restaurant, a surface disinfectant often comes in handy. Having a strong formula to kill germs, Savlon’s surface disinfectant is all you need. Be it a virus, bacteria, or moulds & fungi, you can go anywhere carelessly if you have a tiny bottle in your backpack. And it’s #1 in the Disinfectant Sprays and Liquid category on Amazon. So why don’t you get your hands on it?

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4. Face Wipes by Kaya Youth

With an increase in the levels of pollution, face wipes have become an essential part of our life. To keep your face refreshed and hydrated throughout the journey, you must keep a packet of face wipes with you. And if you have acne-prone skin, you surely need to get your hands on this. Kaya Youth’s Oxy-infusion face wipes are suitable for all skin types, adding a bit more freshness and adventure to your day.

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5. Cotton Bath Towel by Pure Living + Home

A towel is a bit too personal bathing is essential. During the tough times of the pandemic, you can’t neglect the hygiene factor and use a towel provided by the place you’re staying at. While buying a towel, don’t forget to buy one in cotton, as it folds easily, giving you plenty of space to adjust other essentials. With Pure Home + Living’s combed cotton towel, you get a variety of colour options to choose from. Also, it’s quite soft and easy to fold in your small backpack.

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6. Sport sneakers by Khadim’s

If you are going for an adventurous sport such as hiking or trekking, make sure to pack some good quality runners or sports sneakers. It’s always good to wear the most comfortable walking shoes to save your day. Khadim’s collection of sports sneakers is great for the times when you don’t want to spend too much money. With dirt-cheap prices, Khadim’s footwear comes in many different sizes and colors, giving you a variety of options.

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7. Nuts and Dried Berries by Wonderland Foods

Small cravings come at the weirdest of times. And what could be better than popping a handful of nuts and dry fruits to curb the immediate hunger pangs? They are one of the healthiest ways to keep you active throughout the day without hogging on junk snacks. To satiate your cravings, snag a packet of dried berries from the assorted collection of berries, nuts, dry fruits, and whatnot by Wonderland Foods. From dried berries including Cranberries, Kiwi, Mango, Blueberries, etc. to an assortment of nuts such as walnuts, cashews, almonds, etc. you will get superior quality food from them.

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8. Sunglasses by Sunglass Hut

Who doesn’t love sunglasses, particularly when you actually have a reason to flaunt them? Maybe a pair of aviators are perfect for a day at a shorefront. Or maybe a pair of wayfarers are perfect for when you are ready to hit a swanky place! And, if you are someone who wears contact lenses, carrying sunglasses while travelling has to be at the top of your list. To help you choose the best sunglasses, Sunglass Hut has a quality collection with some of the top leading brands. From Dolce Gabbana to Gucci to Rayban, you name it and they have it.

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9. Alcohol-Free Fragrances by Lafz

Keeping a bottle of fragrance is indeed important while travelling. A good fragrance uplifts your mood every time. While there have been perfumes containing paraben and other harmful chemicals, there are a few having natural scents with the goodness of skin-nourishing agents. Lafz is one of those brands, offering our favourite oud and attar-based fragrances in an inexpensive price range. Ingredients such as dry hay, amber, oakmoss, etc. form the base and give you a unique scent.

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10. Baseball Cap by Celio

A fine afternoon by the beach sounds perfect. But to make your summer vacays a little more Instagrammable, complete your #OOTD with a causal cap. Are you looking for one but can’t find one? Drop by Celio to get premium-quality caps and hats. From solid Gatsby caps to traditional Fedora hats, to classic Baseball caps, you will find each and everything in their brandstore.

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We have tried to include each and every important thing. Stick to these essentials, and you are set to take a short trip this National Tourism Day. Also, don’t forget to practice social distancing to steer clear of the virus. Explore the beauty of nature, and be safe!

Comprehensive Overview of E-commerce Order Fulfilment Process

The commitment to deliver the products coupled with potential difficulties completes the definition of order fulfilment. From receiving the order to packing and shipping it, order fulfillment is more than what it looks like. It’s rather a promise to serve your customers at the right time and the right place.

E-commerce trade in the nation has progressed immensely. From retail giants to small and local businesses, e-commerce has become an integral part. Now the government of India has also introduced some rules and regulations, to assist the e-commerce businesses to run smoothly. But when we go deeper into the process of online delivery, what do you think are the factors involved? And what are the risks aligned with those factors? Well, as said earlier, it is not a process of mere two or three steps, but an amalgamation of procedures to deliver the product.

“If the customers don’t receive their orders in time, they either cancel the order or fail to be on your loyal customers’ list.”

To attain the trust of your customers, you must strengthen your fulfilment services. Not only does it improve your customers’ order journey, but it also improves your reputation in the market. Here’s a step-by-step guide that will enhance your fulfilment process!

6 steps guide to improving your order fulfilment process!

1. Storage of Inventory

Also known as warehousing, storage of inventory is one of the crucial steps in the inventory management process. From managing the flow of supply to arranging the inventory in order, inventory storage has to be done carefully. The main chore is to arrange the inventory in suitable shelves and bins while keeping a close look at what order comes in first and what goes out next! There are various ways to determine the flow of your inventory.

“To avoid any mess, tag the inventory with correct labels, so you won’t lose the count of your inventory.”

Quick tip: Supporting businesses of varying size & complexity including B2B marketplace support & omnichannel use-case, ANS Commerce manages warehousing, and supply chain execution across channels. Request your free DEMO now!

2. Receiving Orders

The second step in the fulfilment process is receiving the order. Either you receive the order manually or incorporate software to get the orders directly. After you have successfully received all the orders, sort them by the dates of the delivery. Make those orders your priority which is to be delivered in a single day. You can start by sending your customers email confirmation, saying you have received the order, and you will get back to them soon. This confirmation works as an assurance message, strengthening your relationship with the customers.

“Make your email confirmation to the point with customer-friendly content. Add a sense of personalization by addressing them with their names.”

3. Order Processing or Inventory Picking

Picking constitutes checking the storehouse for a suitable order and picking it for delivery. To regulate optimized picking, you must ensure the previous step is done accurately. Order processing can include picking of more than one order to be delivered at more than one location. When your orders increase with time, it is essential you hire a staff to accelerate your growth. You can also outsource order fulfillment services to companies who are specialized in it.

“By outsourcing order fulfillment services, you won’t have to go into the essence of the warehousing and fulfillment process.”

Quick tip: To help you focus on other important things, ANS Commerce India’s #1 full-stack e-commerce enabler manages the warehouse and supply chain across all channels, including multi-category storage support and return management with JIT flexibility. Request your free DEMO now!

4. Order packaging

With packaging, your branding comes into play. It’s one of the elements that reflect your brand’s identity. Focusing on this process is rather important because it’s part of the end product. Your customer won’t just receive the product but your brand’s label. So make it look charming while keeping it sturdy as your package will go through various stages before it will be delivered. Also, the packaging totally depends on the nature of the good. For example: if the product involves a breakable material such as glass, pack it properly with cardboard packaging to ensure it doesn’t break in the shipping process.

“Use a type of packaging that’s more durable than mere fancy.”

5. Shipping of the order

To get the goods delivered safely and timely, the shipping process plays an important role. Based on the size, weight, and nature of the order, the best shipping method is used. Generally, businesses contact a third-party carrier for shipping services. Make sure the carrier partner you assign provides your customers with a flawless experience.

“After you ship the order, send your customer shipping confirmation immediately, maintaining a trusted relationship.”

6. Return Order processing

Usually, the steps of order fulfillment take a halt before this process. But to be one step ahead of your competition, you must provide a return or exchange service. Depending on the quality of the item or the reason for the return, you can restock it in the warehouse. Furthermore, to ensure the refunding of the products happens efficiently, you may need to set return policies that are in favour of both you and the customer.

“You can also automate the process of return management to avoid any further hassles.”

Quick tip: Return management is effective to boost your sales. If you can’t do it, seek our help for the same. From receiving, re-labelling to packing products with better QC standards, we ensure efficient return management without any hassles. Request your free DEMO now!

How can we help you?

If you are worried about how to manage your inventory, then we are here to assist. With end-to-end fulfillment and logistics- from the product in warding to delivery, ANS Commerce is specialized to cater to all your e-commerce needs. We manage the warehouse and supply chain across all channels, including multi-category storage support and return management with JIT flexibility. Request your free DEMO now!

What can you expect from ANS Commerce?

Order processing: We handle the complete ‘pick-patch-dispatch’ process and the manifestation of your B2C orders, including B2B marketplace delivery with integrated logistics
Return Management: We receive, re-label, and pack products with better QC standards; report cancellations, and returns

Third-party coordination: We ensure timely delivery with an optimized cost for both domestic and international inventories. Also, we enable marketplace shipment with trusted partners – Delhivery, Bluedart, FedEx, India Post, etc.

Offer fast and efficient fulfillment services to get your customer’s attention. Also, keep in mind the above six steps to provide seamless delivery. Remember, if they don’t receive their order on time, they wouldn’t bother purchasing from you in the future. To build a future understanding, order fulfillment is the most crucial concept you need to pay attention to. For any further e-commerce queries, you can reach out to us anytime.

7 Customer Retention Strategies to Boost your Sales More Than Ever!

Customers are one of the biggest assets of any business. In a nutshell, any entrepreneur’s strategic planning starts and ends with building long-term relationships with customers.

There are two facets to bonding with your customers – lead generation and customer retention. While the former welcomes new customers, the latter takes care of the existing ones. Now the question is, would you rather welcome only new customers and avoid the older ones, or would like to keep a balance between the two?

“Marketers around the world put so much emphasis on nurturing new leads, they sometimes fail to entice the existing users.”

It’s important to invite new faces, but at what cost? Also, it has always been easier to hold on to the existing customers because they are aware of your services and offerings. Approaching them takes less time than it takes to attract new ones. But how can you keep your existing users engaged?

To help you maintain your loyal assets, we have come up with 7 customer retention strategies So let’s start, shall we?

7 Proven Customer Retention Strategies

1. Surprise your customers with great service

People love it when you take a step forward and value them. You can get creative in your customer support services and offer them valuable services without their knowledge, pulling off their attention. You can add thoughtful quotes with personalized messages, thanking them to buy from you. Additionally, you can give them special offers and discounts occasionally, conveying they are important for your business.

Quick tip: You can come up with creative discount codes specially made for an existing customer base, grabbing their attention. For example, coupon codes such as JUST4YOU, and WELCOME_BACK, can grab their attention immediately.

2. Get your customer’s feedback

The market forces are no more driven by your products, but they rather revolve around customers’ needs and preferences. In simpler words, it’s not about your products and their features. It’s about the people you cater to. Their likes and dislikes play a major role especially when you roll out a new product in the market. And it’s impossible to satisfy every customer without knowing their taste. With customer feedback, not only do you get to know your strengths and weaknesses but you also make them feel noticeable and valuable.

Quick tip: There are many ways to gather customer feedback. One such way is to do customer surveys. Come up with short, simple, and open-ended questions.

3. Send regular updates via email automation

Newsletters are the best way to engage your customers in your brand. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to retain customers. You can start with drip campaigns to nurture your customers with occasional updates. From time-sensitive offers to the new collection, to seasonal sales, cover each and every occasion to hit mail! To make it persuasive and attractive, use quirky content marketing strategies, grabbing the attention.

4. Start with cause marketing programs

Consumers love to engage with those brands that support a social cause. By launching corporate social responsibility campaigns, you can grab the attention of your users. It’s the best way to retain your customers as cause marketing makes your organization look more credible and reliable. Check your brand’s mission statement and find what you as an organization genuinely care about. Share it with your community. It creates a sense of trust in the minds of the user, persuading them to swear by your products.

5. Use the strategy of gamification

Focused on the mechanism of gaming, this strategy is not your regular game. It’s more of a marketing tool to pull off the customer’s attention. Rewarding your customers when they refer your app to their friends, is one of the examples of gamification. You can even create customer-oriented campaigns using gamification. For example, create a contest asking your users to refer your business to ten friends. If five of their friends purchase using their code, they will get a free product.

Quick tip: With more than 50+ third-party integrations, Kartify – our tech brandstore is pre-integrated with various loyalty programs. Get your hands on it and explore what’s best for your customer. Request your free DEMO now!

6. Organize live educational webinars to motivate your customers

Webinars are a great way to educate your customers. You can organize a webinar, revolving around an area of your business. This way you can educate your customers and ask them to purchase from you. For example: If you are an e-commerce fashion brand. You can organize a webinar, highlighting fashion branding tips. This way you can introduce your new offers and products while giving them a glimpse of how you market your brand.

Want To Drive Traffic to your e-commerce website? Click here to read 10 concrete ways to boost your website’s traffic!

7. Prepare a communication calendar

By creating a communication calendar, you get an idea of how often you interact with your customers. Even when you don’t get the answer to the feedback form, it’s your responsibility to reach out to them time and again. A communication calendar is similar to your editorial calendar. The only difference is, it tells the last time you communicated with your customers.

Quick tip: By using a communication calendar, you can check if a customer’s subscription is about to get expired. You can reach out to them before it gets expired. This helps in retaining the existing customers.

How to do it all?

From maintaining your brandstore with our in-house tech “Kartify” to assisting you with our performance marketing services, ANS Commerce is a full-stack e-commerce enabler. We strive at strategies that help you tackle all the obstacles including e-commerce marketing and brandstore hygiene. You can reduce your cart abandonment rate with our exclusive services. Request a demo for our e-commerce solutions now! Request your free DEMO now!

Customer retaining campaigns cost 10X less than lead generation campaigns. These strategies are indeed very important to be included in your marketing efforts. Start with the above 7 strategies to enjoy long-lasting benefits.