On-Demand eCommerce Blog | Dynamic Merchandising by OrderDynamics

STORE 2013 – Recap of the Show!

2013-06-14T16:28:00.001-04:00

It’s been a busy week since OrderDynamics exhibited at the STORE 2013 Conference in Toronto. On June 4 and 5, OrderDynamics exhibited at the Retail Council of Canada’s biggest annual event, celebrating 50 years of retail evolution, and showcasing retail expertise and insights into upcoming industry trends. This year’s show, as with many others, displayed a dedicated focus on the growing need for retailers to invest in omni-channel solutions, the migration of US brands up to Canada, and to begin to prioritize social media marketing.

STORE 2013 Main Entrance at the Toronto Congress Centre

STORE 2013 kicked off with a keynote address with the RCC’s President and CEO, Diane Brisebois, followed by a the main morning session by the President of Target Canada, Tony Fisher. Tony’s session, entitled the Evolving Retail Landscape, discussed how technology has made the world smaller making it necessary for the popular US native retailer to make its entry into Canada – Target’s largest single-year expansion to date. The session also addressed the challenges behind taking a patriotic American brand, and making the experience offered north of the border uniquely Canadian by tailoring each store to the preferences of the community in which it is located, and utilizing their blog – A Bullseye View – to engage customers and drive sales.

Tony Fisher of Target Canada

OrderDynamics also attended the Omni-Channel and the Integrated Consumer panel session. The discussion featured executives from the Canadian Tire Corp (which encompasses Canadian Tire, Sports Chek and Mark’s Work Warehouse), Etsy, and Indigo sharing their experiences in adapting their business model toward accommodating consumers’ omni-channel -connectedness. Erin Green of Etsy shared the pure play online shop’s strategy to not create their own retail outlets, but partner with other popular retailers and their brick-and-mortar locations to set up pop-up shops highlighting successful Etsy sellers’ items to build awareness of their online channel. Michael Smith of Indigo simply stated that it was necessary to implement an omni-channel retail strategy given their vast selection of products – an online store was the only way customers would ever be able to see Indigo’s product offering in its overwhelming entirety.

Duncan Fulton of Canadian Tire Corp shared some very interesting insights, having spoken about identifying which of their three retail brands was the best to test their proposed strategies before implementing them across all brands, stating that the smaller and younger Sports Chek audience is more forgiving than the larger and older Mark’s demographic, which isn’t all too concerned with a consistent omni-channel experience. He touched on showrooming and loyalty programs, stating that the experiences retailers provide in either arena need to be game-changing and thrill customers in order to actually work, especially if a brand cannot offer the lowest price on an item. The most thoughtful thing Duncan said was, “if you’re not working on omni-channel now, you won’t be able to keep up in 10 years”.

Omni-Channel and the Integrated Consumer Panel Discussion: Michael Smith of Indigo, Erin Green of Etsy, Duncan Fulton of Canadian Tire Corp., hosted by Marc Saltzman

STORE’s Annual Leadership Panel was also a highly informative and engaging discussion between the presidents of Toys ‘R’ US Canada and Staples Canada, along with the Managing Director of Google Canada. Together they touched on omni-channel retail, showrooming, social media and SEO, and risk management including testing same-day delivery. The social media conversation was especially interesting, as the benefits of it within an omni-channel marketing strategy has been long debated. Steve Matyas of Staples Canada labelled social media as “a necessary equal,” whose payback may not be obvious, but the level of service customers derive from it still needs to be there. Chris O’Neil of Google added that retailers and businesses have been measuring the wrong things with respect to analyzing the value of investing in social media: “instead of revenue, measure loyalty and engagement”. He elaborated that social media is an extension of real-time marketing which “is here, it’s happening, and you can either fear it, or lean into it”.

The STORE Annual Leadership Panel: Kevin MacNab of Toys 'R' Us Canda, Steve Matyas of Staples Canada, Chris O'Neil of Google Canada, hosted by Willy Kruh

Showrooming, the concept that has been instilling panic in retailers since mid 2012, was addressed as ‘more than just a price conversation’, but also allowing the customer the opportunity to choose where to shop on multiple levels. A customer should be given the option to decide to buy from one brand vs. another based on customer service, in-store experience, or the availability of multiple items they need in one place.

Perhaps the most interesting statement during the Leadership Panel Discussion came from Chris O’Neil with respect to omni-channel retail, stating that those who do not yet recognize the need for omni-channel need to understand that a digital consumer cannot be separated from a brick-and-mortar consumer – a customer is a customer, period.

The STORE 2013 exhibit hall

STORE 2013 was also home to an inspiring keynote session by Nordstrom Canada, sharing key strategies on their current success and move into Canada, as well as the RCC’s inaugural Grocery and Consumer Goods Symposium. OrderDynamics is extremely proud to have been able to exhibit and be a part of the audience to such knowledgeable speakers. We greatly appreciated the insights we were able to take away from the 2-day conference, as well as the engaging conversations we had on the show floor. We look forward to next year’s STORE Conference!

The OrderDynamics Booth at STORE 2013

eCommera Broadens Global Ecommerce Leadership With Acquisition of OrderDynamics™

2013-06-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

JUNE 3, 2013 – LONDON & TORONTO – eCommera, the leader in Decision-Intelligent Commerce solutions, announced today the acquisition of OrderDynamics™, Canada’s leading Order Management System (OMS) and commerce platform for multi-channel retail. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

eCommera is one of the fastest growing providers of cloud- based commerce software and solutions globally. This acquisition adds a market-leading cloud-based order management product to the eCommera portfolio, enhancing the company’s existing client offerings of an omni-channel, end-to-end commerce platform, DynamicCommerce™ and first-of-its-kind decision intelligence analytics solution, DynamicAction™.

“Retailers are investing in omni-channel commerce as they recognize that it is the key strategy for growth. In order for today’s global retailers to be successful, they require not only a powerful commerce platform, and decision analytics, but also integrated customer order management across multiple online and offline channels,” said Andrew McGregor, co-founder and CEO, eCommera. “Together with OrderDynamics, we see a significant global opportunity in this underserved OMS market”.

The growing importance of OMS is recognized by industry analysts. “Tomorrow's orders will be sourced from a wide variety of locations that include not only the fulfillment center but also drop-ship vendors, distributors, stores, and third-party logistics providers that may either regionally stage high-demand products or support seasonal inventory volumes — or both,” stated a report by Forrester Research, Inc.. “Order management capabilities are critical to driving a high-quality consumer experience.” 1

OrderDynamics is a cloud OMS and commerce platform serving more than 30 multi-channel retailers in North and Central America. The OrderDynamics OMS is uniquely designed for retailers supporting their move to omni-channel through a modular toolset running in their retail stores and across all digital channels. The system features include in-store pickup, endless aisle, distributed fulfillment, and single view of the customer and inventory across all channels.

“We are excited to be joining the eCommera family and helping our combined clients become a part of the omni-channel revolution in retail” said Michael Benadiba, CEO, OrderDynamics. “eCommera is respected throughout the world as a leader in cloud based commerce solutions. Their experience and investment will extend the global reach of our OMS software and accelerate growth in our existing markets. As retailers cease to recognize geographic boundaries as roadblocks to their business advancement, our combined organization is better positioned than ever to aid clients’ strategic and rapid international growth.”

The combined businesses will serve 70 brands and retailers across the globe through their offices in London, Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, Paris, Sofia (Bulgaria) and Pune, Vadadora (India). OrderDynamics will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of eCommera and will continue to operate as OrderDynamics and be led by its current management team.

About eCommera

eCommera is the leading provider of Decision-Intelligent Commerce solutions to omni-channel retailers.

Decision-Intelligent Commerce breaks down the channel, operational and functional silos in retail. It provides a unified approach centered on the customer and delivers the operational insight, direction and recommended actions that business users require to maximize profit.

^1”The Forrester Wave™: B2C Commerce suites, Q3 2012”, Forrester Research, September, 2012

OrderDynamics Set to Exhibit at IRCE 2013 This Week!

2013-06-02T21:31:00.001-04:00

OrderDynamics is getting set to exhibit at the 2013 Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition for the 5th year in a row. From June 4-7, McCormack Place in Chicago will once again be home to the largest display of eCommerce services and technology with over 600 exhibitors. This year OrderDynamics can be found at booth #230, which is located within Pavilion D, home of various order management and fulfillment solutions.

The 4-day event will be an excellent arena for networking and education featuring sessions from some of the best industry experts including Forrester Research, Bronto, Facebook and IR 500 retailers Charlotte Russe, Urban Outfitters, Beyond the Rack and more. Special Guest Speaker, former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, will be speaking on June 5 on global internet business based on his experiences as Director at Apple Inc., Senior Advisor at Google, and Chairman of The Climate Reality Project, which will be truly exciting.

In addition to sessions, IRCE 2013 will host day-long workshops on eCommerce Technology, Competing & Cooperating with Amazon, Mobile Commerce, and Social Commerce. Sen Kanthaswamy, Manager of eCommerce Business Development of OrderDynamics client, Henry’s Camera, will be one of the speakers at the Social Commerce workshop on June 7, discussing Henry’s Camera’s application of Facebook data to improve customer experience and satisfaction.

OrderDynamics is looking forward to connecting with fellow vendors, retailers, and partners at booth #230, or at our eCommerce after party on June 5. Contact us for more details around our exclusive networking party .

Feel free to stop by our booth, or look for us at one of the many networking sessions throughout the 4-day event. We look forward to seeing you at IRCE 2013!

OrderDynamics Google Updates Report – May 2013

2013-05-30T13:40:00.000-04:00

Search Engine Optimization specialists have their work cut out for them with recent Google Search changes. Thankfully, with new features in Google Analytics and Google Adwords, they have additional tools to help measure and strategize new initiatives.

Google Search

Google’s Matt Cuttscreated upset amongst search engine optimization specialists and webmasters on March 15 when he stated that Google would no longer be announcing Google Panda Updates in advance, or confirming them afterward. Matt Cutts explained that Updates would no longer take place in monthly manual pushes, but rather Google would implement rolling updates, leading to more frequent but smaller updates. He did, however, confirm Panda Update #25 would take place throughout the subsequent weekend.

As future updates can only be speculated, this announcement would suggest that Google hopes to place a greater emphasis on continuous SEO efforts, rather than reactive or proactive initiatives to each Update. Suspected major Updates were reported by Search Engine Land to have taken place April 5, and May 7, the latter of which caused as much as a 77% drop in search rank and traffic for many businesses.

The first algorithm update for Penguin (all previous changes to Penguin were refreshes, not updates) since its introduction in April 2012, was confirmed to have taken place on May 22. Google reported that Penguin 2.0 affected 2.3% of English search queries, including both big search rank boosts as well as drops.

The key to good SEO optimization in 2013 has largely focused on link building via content creation and syndication; taking this into consideration, it can be deduced that Google’s moves to discontinue Panda announcements coupled with the Penguin update aim to discourage businesses from producing content that is highly promotional but provide no informative value to readers, and penalize those who continue to purchase and submit links to directories. The notion is that by creating articles that truly provides value to readers will be shared anyway, and will build a better backlink profile consisting of sites with good PageRank.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics rolled out Universal Analytics to all users on March 22. This enhanced version of Analytics features an increased focus on mobile data allowing tracking for:

How customers interact with a site depending on the device they are using
Mobile app performance
Aggregate data between online and offline operations

Google Analytics Social Reports were also enhanced on March 26 to better analyze interactions with a site’s social content. Two new reports were introduced:

Data Hub Activity – timelined list of social activities, and interactions around them
Trackbacks – lists all backlinks to a site, as well as specific pages being linked to

The information in these reports were previously available by filtering through Network Referrals and Landing Pages, but are now their own unique reports.

Several improvements were made to Google Analytics’ Real Time Reporting from March through May. The first, on March 28, targeted Events Reporting – “Events” being activities such as mobile ad clicks, use of onsite tools, downloads, video views – which aim to track how different audiences (based on device, time of day, etc) initiate certain Events. The March 28 update also included improved Content Breakdown to display in real time what percentage of visitors onsite are browsing via desktop, tablet or mobile, Shortcuts which save frequently applied filters for later use, and Real-time vs. Overall traffic activity comparisons.

On April 16, Google Analytics added Real-time Widgets. Users can combine several different widgets to measure very specific or niche traffic segments by allowing them to filter based on device type and location. For example, using Real-time Widgets, an Analytics user could track in real-time traffic originating from tablet devices only located in the UK.

An update on May 2 further upgraded Real-Time Reporting to also include real-time conversion tracking. This feature, however, remains very basic and cannot report on things like time spend on site or pages per visit.

Later in May, the Mobile App Analytics integration with Google Play was announced. The integration seeks to help app developers track where traffic to their app is coming from, the keywords being searched that drive traffic to apps, number of app views, and how many people go on to actually use the app post-download. In conjunction with Google Tag Manager, Analytics also announced the ability to make changes and improvements to mobile apps that will resonate even through already downloaded versions.

Additional improvements to Google Analytics include the implementation of detailed filters based on mobile, social, and ecommerce traffic.

Canadian Retailer: Laura Canada’s Bold Jump Into Ecommerce

2013-05-16T12:22:00.000-04:00

The Spring issue of Internet Retailer applauded new trends from some of Canada's leading retailers and highlights OrderDynamics client Laura Canada and their 2012 eCommerce launch. Since 1930 Laura has followed a simple model of providing superior customer service with motivated, driven sales associates and fashion consultants at its retail stores. Their eCommerce launch last year applied the same mentality and attention to detail in order to unify customer experiences and set a new standard for cross-channel shopping in Canada.

According to eMarketer, online sales in Canada have consistently increasing by 14% year over year. By 2015, online sales will exceed $31 billion, an astounding benchmark compared to only 10 short years ago. Laura Canada is embracing eCommerce, in part to capitalize on the growing Canadian market, but also because they see online retailing as a way to provide additional service to its long-time customers by supporting their in-store experience.

“Though Laura Canada is well positioned for growth in the coming years, their jump into eCommerce isn’t solely based around new customer acquisition. The cornerstone of Laura Canada’s success has been centered on strong service and customer oriented programs. They see their new online channel as an integral way to support customers with even more multi-channel features, many of which are set to be incorporated into their 2013 offerings,” says Michael Turcsanyi, President of OrderDynamics, in this issue of Canadian Retailer.

The article walks readers through mission critical elements of the Laura.ca launch and explains how the leading apparel retailer selected its state of the art eCommerce platform. The article also details Laura’s effort to integrate their eCommerce platform their warehouse, CRM, ERP, email marketing, and loyalty systems to offer a best-in-class shopping experience and transparency to their customers. Laura’s eCommerce implementation with OrderDynamics also features a built-in integration with Canada Post, enabling customers to have parcels delivered straight to any of Canada Post’s 6,500 post offices across the country.

Sam Barnes, Director of eCommerce at Laura Canada, spoke about entering eCommerce with OrderDynamics, saying “[Our] goal is to provide the absolute best shopping experience for our customers across all sales channels. The on-site experience, ongoing service and quality of fulfillment, are all key to our eCommerce strategy. OrderDynamics integration with Canada Post’s eCommerce services has proven to be a feature that our customers are already making great use of. These integrations helped Laura immediately achieve several short and long-term goals for our eCommerce channel.”

There is a growing urgency for retailers across Canada to unify retail touch points and move toward creating an integrated omni-channel experience. With the launch of Laura.ca, Laura Canada has done just that, while setting a new cross-channel retailing standard in the process.

Read the article here.

eTail Canada 2013 - Recap of the Show!

2013-05-09T10:44:00.000-04:00

As eTail Canada 2013 concluded last week, we couldn't help but be amazed at how far the Canadian retail industry has come in just a few years. The third installment of eTail Canada offered the most accurate portrayal of eCommerce and omni-channel retailing in Canada that we’ve ever seen. Too often assumptions or generalities are made on this emerging market, however the three day event really captured the challenges and successes of Canadian retailers, as well as the evolution of modern Canadian consumers.

OrderDynamics' booth at eTail Canada

Day One Highlights
The opening keynote panel, which featured Ted Starkman (former President of the Shopping Channel) and Tanbir Grover (Director of eCommerce at Lowe’s Canada), touched on an array of high-level omni-channel concepts including the idea that mobile sites and strategies are playing an important role in supporting in-store shopping experiences. Tanbir continued to suggest that as an online community we still need to figure out what the right mobile experience is, and that we need to spend the same amount of time and thought on mobile shopping sites and strategies as we’ve done in the past for desktop experiences.

Day One Keynote Panel with Ted Starkman and Tanbir Grover

The final theme of this panel session discussed Canada’s retail landscape and the incoming wave of U.S. retailers expanding north of the border. “Canada is seeing global competition for the first time,” said Ted Starkman. He continued to explore how Canadian retailers will react to increased competition and aggressive expansion plans. He also noted that many of the U.S. retailers set to enter Canada (or currently entering Canada) already have strong awareness with Canadian consumers, citing Target and Nordstrom as notable examples.

Later that morning, OrderDynamics CEO, Michael Benadiba, lead an executive roundtable discussing best practices being used by mid-large retailers to deploy omni-channel commerce initiatives. The roundtable featured great contribution and savvy advice from some of Canada’s biggest and most sophisticated retailers – both Canadian, as well as those based out of the U.S. As if it wasn’t already clear, the appetite and desire to deliver a best of breed, unified shopping experience is at an all-time high in Canada. While it makes perfect sense, it’s encouraging to see such a challenging undertaking taken so seriously by senior retail leaders. As we've noted in recent omni-channel focused webinars, Executive buy-in is a critical when launching omni-channel commerce strategies.

OrderDynamics CEO Michael Benadiba leading an omni-channel focused roundtable during eTail Canada

During the afternoon sessions, Tara Conway (Director of eCommerce at Toys "R" Us Canada) spoke about Toys "R" Us and their ongoing cross-channel efforts to drive improved shopping experiences and deliver ultimate convenience for their customers. According to Tara, cross-channel customers for Toys ‘R Us are more loyal, and buy more than single channel customers (her stats suggested cross-channel customers buy 3-4 times more frequently, similar to results from Macy's). Tara also suggested major challenges in launching (and maintaining) omni-channel strategies are ensuring eCommerce and IT departments are completely aligned, and that endless online aisle inventories can lead to frustrating in-store experiences when product assortment isn’t consistent from web to store – two points that can be overlooked when creating customer-centric strategies.

Tara Conway of Toys 'R Us discussing expectations of Canadian consumers

Day Two Highlights
eTail Canada’s second day started with a keynote presentation from OrderDynamics VP of Operations, Tammy Nyman. Tammy’s address focused on the evolution of Canadian consumers, their expectations, and what retailers are doing to meet these growing expectations. She also outlined the percentage of Canadian retailers operating eCommerce websites (statistics were collected from an independent study of 900+ retailers in Canada by OrderDynamcs in January 2013).

Following Tammy’s session, she continued to chair and moderate several speaking panels throughout the day including an insightful panel that featured Todd Dean (VP of Cross-Channel and eCommerce at ALDO Group) and Thierry Hay-Sabourin (Director of eCommerce at Best Buy Canada/Futureshop). Like much of the conference, this session focused on omni-channel retailing, and how Canadian retailers are “flattening” their organizations to adapt to modern shopping expectations and reduce channel-centric approaches. Thierry had a great quote that truly depicts the challenge that lies within omni-channel commerce, saying “Multi-channel retailing means involving every area of your business and working together. It means massive disruption for organizations.” Todd Dean added to that too, “Omni-channel is a re-think of the retail model. It supports the consumer decision making journey. [Aldo] has no hesitation to change our online experience if it isn’t supporting our retail stores.”

OrderDynamics VP of Operations Tammy Nyman moderating ecommerce leaders from Aldo and Futureshop

The afternoon keynote presentation featured Peter Sheldon of Forrester Research. While the tone of Peter’s presentation was a bit more urgent than that of previous sessions, it was largely based on his views that eCommerce in Canada has so much potential. Peter talked at length about the need for Canadian retailers to offer more convenience and improved fulfillment options to customers, suggesting both Futureshop and Laura Canada as market leaders. Peter’s presentation offered revealing stats and trends about Canadian consumers and their shopping habits, including the fact that two-thirds of Canadians have purchased online goods from US retailers - a sign that Canadian consumers aren’t afraid to pay more (duties/shipping, exchange rate, etc.) for products they want and can't find locally.

Forrester Research Principal Analyst Peter Sheldon's keynote presentation

OrderDynamics would like to extend a big thank you to eTail Canada for asking us to be part of the event’s content and thought leadership. We also want to thank everyone who took the time to stop by our booth and attend our omni-channel retail roundtable. Lastly, we’d like to say a special thank you to everyone who was able to attend our eCommerce Cocktail party on the evening of Day Two. We're already looking forward to an even bigger eTail Canada in 2014!

OrderDynamics ecommerce networking and cocktail party

In the meantime, we invite you to visit our website at www.orderdynamics.com to learn more about our On-Demand Commerce Platform.

Sincerely,
The OrderDynamics Team
1 (866) 559-8123

Webinar: The Omni-Channel Face Off: How Canadian retailers can stay ahead of U.S. Competitors with Omni-Channel Commerce Strategies

2013-05-07T11:30:00.001-04:00

In order to create a seamless and consistent experience across all retail channels and touch points, Canadian retailers need to take advantage of cutting edge technologies, adopt new approaches, and work with experienced partners to maximize their market presence before global competitors enter Canada.

Having a sophisticated Omni-Channel commerce website is king, regardless if you have an existing eCommerce channel today. If Canadian retailers cannot provide a best-in-class shopping experience across online and retail channels, they’ll risk losing sales and potentially lose ground on a rapidly changing retail industry.

Canadians retailers need to constantly review their current eCommerce program, asking themselves, am I gaining competitive advantage or being passed by aggressive U.S. retailers and innovative Canadian retailers? A solid Omni-Channel strategy, sophisticated eCommerce solutions, a stimulating retail environment, as well as a best-in-class online shopping experience must be key components of any program that impacts the customer's buying experience.

On May 15th, 2013 at 1pm EST, join Michael Turcsanyi, President of OrderDynamics, for an exclusive webinar that will provide an overview of the shifting Canadian retail landscape and an opportunity to learn how Canadian retailers can gain competitive advantage through an Omni-Channel commerce strategy.

Key talking points will include:

Plan, build and maintain a cutting edge Omni-Channel commerce strategy
Empower customers to purchase through their most convenient touch points
Detailed overview into today’s eCommerce landscape and future trends
How Canadian retailers have the advantage

Click here to register for this webinar. (Space is limited.)

Anna Bella Selects OrderDynamics to Launch eCommerce Channel and Expansion Strategy

2013-04-25T08:30:00.000-04:00

April 25, 2013 – TORONTO, ON – OrderDynamics™, Canada’s leading on-demand commerce platform provider, today announced Anna Bella, a leading Canadian retailer of high quality women’s apparel and accessories, has chosen OrderDynamics to launch its eCommerce and expansion strategy.

Anna Bella intend to use the OrderDynamics commerce platform to build a best-in-class eCommerce website that accurately represents the quality of the brands and products they sell, while delivering a sophisticated shopping experience, consistent with any of their 21 stores across Canada. Building an eCommerce channel represents a core part of Anna Bella’s expansion strategy and company’s future. By launching an eCommerce channel with OrderDynamics, Anna Bella are investing in their company’s future, enabling growth into new markets and providing improved service to its customers via the platform’s omni-channel capabilities.

In addition to their eCommerce experience with high profile fashion and apparel retailers, Anna Bella selected OrderDynamics because of the flexibility and agile nature of its cloud-based platform, as well as their proven track record helping their retail clients grow online sales year-over-year. Furthermore, fulfillment solutions including a pre-built integration with Canada Post and OD Endpoint made the OrderDynamics end-to-end platform the clear choice for Anna Bella.

“In order to extend the integrity and quality of our brand into a new eCommerce channel, we need a technology partner who we can continually collaborate with. OrderDynamics’ dedicated account managers and online retailing experience will allow Anna Bella to enter eCommerce with confidence and help us focus on driving value to our loyal customers,” said Lewis Ng, President at Anna Bella. “Using OrderDynamics’ cloud-based eCommerce platform eliminates the need to add extra resources and removes technical infrastructure from the equation. This will help Anna Bella move farther and faster, and concentrate on growing our online channel.”

“Anna Bella’s vision for eCommerce and desire to create such a rich online shopping experience speaks volumes about how well they understand retail and their customers,” said Michael Turcsanyi, President at OrderDynamics. “By selecting OrderDynamics, Anna Bella gains a committed partner with proven online retailing experience and an enterprise-class eCommerce platform to build the future of their business around.”

Recorders.com Launches Re-Designed Site with OrderDynamics

2013-04-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

OrderDynamics would like to congratulate Recorders.com on the release of their brand new ecommerce site design. Recorders.com – a leading supplier of digital voice recorders, transcription software and accessories – first migratedto the OrderDynamics On-Demand eCommerce Platform in 2011, and quickly saw vast improvements in traffic and revenue. Continued growth among B2B and B2C web traffic drove the company to simplify its shopping experience with a slick new design to optimize conversions.

Recorders.com's new Home Page

The re-designed site features a sleek layout that seeks to help visitors to Recorders.com to better navigate amongst the extensive product offering. Visitors will be able to quickly access pertinent information via new quick-pick personalized content areas pertaining to popular products and brands, new media features, and industry trends and press. Recorders.com has also revamped its headers and footers with larger text to ensure visitors are easily able to locate direct links to what they are looking for.

Recorders.com Personalized Content Areas

“With the new design, we hope to improve customer experiences by making it easier for visitors to find and shop for exactly what they are looking for,” says Krish Michaels, CEO of Recorders.com. “We’ve always been a one-stop shop for digital recording devices, customer support and training, and we hope that by updating the site with new eCommerce best practices and features from the OrderDynamics platform, we can build on our reputation of a supportive retailer offering an exceptional online shopping experience.”

Recorder.com's Redesigned Footer

Google Analytics Rolls Out Multi Currency Support

2013-04-04T12:15:00.000-04:00

Google Analytics announced on the Inside Analytics Blog on February 13 that they would be launching Multi Currency eCommerce Support within Google Analytics. Since then, the feature has slowly been rolling out to all Analytics subscribers.

The Multi Currency eCommerce Support feature aims to simplify reporting for online vendors who sell and ship to various countries with different currencies. It will allow vendors to track all revenue, tax and shipping and handling costs in their local currency, and then convert the data based on current exchange rates to the default currency within the Analytics account’s Profile Settings, presenting an aggregate view of all eCommerce data.

Setting up Multi Currency eCommerce Support in Google Analytics (image taken from Inside Analytics blog)

The launch of a tool that can present summative international data in a single platform speaks volumes toward the growth of eCommerce. More and more retailers are expanding current online retail sites across borders, while many countries seek to catch up with the success seen in eCommerce sites in North America and Europe, creating a need for aggregate platform technologies such as this.

Supported currencies withing Multi Currency eCommerce Analytics (image taken from Inside Analytics blog)

In conjunction with Universal Analytics announced in October 2012, the launch of Multi Currency eCommerce Support indicates a growing sense of urgency in the retail markets to grow – not just internationally, but also across channels – and foreshadows exciting evolution within international eCommerce and omnichannel commerce.

OrderDynamics to Exhibit & Speak at eTail Canada 2013

2013-03-28T11:29:00.002-04:00

In late April and early May, OrderDynamics will be exhibiting at the 2013 edition of eTail Canada for a third consecutive year. The conference, which is also in its third year, will be held April 29 – May 1 in Toronto, Canada and promises to be the best event to date.

The agenda that the eTail team have assembled touches on a range of hot-button ecommerce and retail-related priorities for Canadian merchants and features a strong panel of leading retailers such as Aldo, Roots Canada, The Source, and Laura Canada. Top analysts from Forrester Research and ForeSee will also be presenting at the event, which will certainly bring additional value and insight for conference attendees.

Rounding out an impressive list of speakers is OrderDynamics President Michael Turcsanyi. Michael will be hosting a roundtable focused on the evolving consumer needs impacting Canadian multi-channel retailers. His session will outline trends and changes that have happened in online retailing, and how ecommerce has become the lynchpin that holds cross-channel shopping experiences and customer service together. Here are details surrounding this session:

The Trends, Successes, and Evolving Consumer Needs Across The Canadian Multi-Channel Retail Landscape: How Ecommerce Plays a Vital Role In Enabling Best of Breed Shopping Experiences and Outstanding Customer Service
When: April 29, 2013
Time: 11:40am; Track 1
Speaker: Michael Turcsanyi, President at OrderDynamics

In addition, we're proud to announce that Tammy Nyman, OrderDynamics VP of Operations and Account Services, will be eTail Canada's Chairperson on day two of the conference (Tuesday April 30). She'll be host and moderator of several roundtables including "Focusing on Multi-Channel Execution To Meet Customer Expectations and Capture Cross-Channel Sales" and "Strategic Growth Within The Multi-Channel Organization".

Finally, OrderDynamics will be hosting an eCommerce cocktail reception on Tuesday April 30 at the King Street Social bar found within the Hyatt Regency from 5-8pm. If you are interested please contact us to reserve your table.

To meet our team and learn more about why OrderDynamics is Canada's leading commerce platform provider, drop by booth # 9 (in front of the exhibition hall main doors). We look forward to meeting you at eTail Canada!

Full event details:

eTail Canada 2013
Venue: Hyatt Regency Hotel (on King St.)
When: April 29 - May 1
City: Toronto, ON
Registration Info: https://secure.wbresearch.com/SRS2k.dll/ChooseRegistration (registration code: ETCA13ODYNAMICS)
Conference Website: www.etailca.com
OrderDynamics Booth: 9

The Shoe Company Re-Launches on OrderDynamics!

2013-03-20T12:57:00.000-04:00

OrderDynamics would like to congratulate The Shoe Company on their re-launch of TheShoeCompany.com on the OrderDynamics On-Demand eCommerce Platform.

The popular Canadian shoe and apparel retailer based out of Toronto currently operates 65 retail outlets throughout Canada, and has offered trendy dress, casual and sport shoes and accessories to Canadians since 1992. The Shoe Company has established a resilient reputation of offering one of the widest selections of footwear, including comfort brands such as Clarks, Florsheim, and Ecco, as well as high-fashion brands like BCBG, Jessica Simpson, and Michael Kors, and is known for exceptional customer service.

The Brand New TheShoeCompany.com Home Page

Improved Site Search

TheShoeCompany.com seeks to mirror an excellent in-store shopping experience in their online store so as to boost consumer confidence in shopping online. The new site features a frontend redesign with simplified navigation via browse by Brand and Category options, as well as filtered search options based on size, width, price and colour.

TheShoeCompany.com's Improved Search Navigation

Product pages showcase high-resolution images with product zoom for a realistic view of merchandise, and detailed product descriptions and promotional information (such as markdown rate) so shoppers are optimally educated in their purchase decisions. Pages are also enhanced with social sharing buttons, and shoppers can view You May Also Like, and read and offer Ratings and Reviews right on the product page.

TheShoeCompany.com's new Product Pages

Leading Fulfillment Capabilities

In addition to improved shopability, TheShoeCompany.com offers several value-add fulfillment features that contribute to a streamlined and satisfying shopping experience. With powerful OrderDynamics backend integrations, TheShoeCompany.com is able to keep the customer fully educated at every step of the fulfillment process, providing email notifications of order confirmation, and order shipped status. Orders can be fulfilled in-store, and multi-item orders are able to be partially shipped, providing unique tracking numbers for each package. Customers can opt to have their order(s) delivered right to their front door at standard shipping rates (or free shipping on orders over $70), or they can pick up items in-store for free. TheShoeCompany.com has also coined its return policy as Easy Returns, allowing for refunds in-store or via UPS shipment, with reimbursement on shipping charges on damaged items.

Enhanced Store Locator

Supporting their move toward an omni-channel commerce model, TheShoeCompany.com has implemented an improved Store Locator. The new locator is integrated with Google Maps to search via postal code or province and city to display nearby store locations, address and hours of operation. This enhanced feature encourages unified cross-channel shopping, removing the separation between online and offline sales where a customer may view an item online but would prefer to try the shoe on in-store, and subsequently offers the flexibility to purchase either immediately in-store, or online when they’re ready.

TheShoeCompany.com Store Locator

OrderDynamics Monthly Google Updates Report – March 2013

2013-03-18T11:35:00.000-04:00

Riding on the coattails of a slow January, Google Search and Analytics saw very few updates in the short month of February. Google Adwords, however, was very active, offering new features and upgrades to the platform.

Google Search

There was no Google Panda Algorithm Update in February, likely as a result of Panda’s first update of the year taking place late in January. Matt Cutts of Google reported that the next update will take place early-mid March, which is comparatively early compared to previous months and may be compensatory for February.

On February 25, however, Google Finance was updated to include stock information in search results from additional markets including the Chicago Board of Exchange, Singapore, Korea and Tel Aviv, Israel.

Google Analytics

On February 13, Google Analytics announced on the Analytics blog Multi Currency eCommerce Support in Analytics. With the implementation of the Multi Currency tracking code, International users can now view all Analytics data in local and global currency – a move that will certainly bolster growing international eCommerce.

A day later, Google announced the Mobile Apps Analytics Platform, wherein the Google Analytics platform was rebuilt to accommodate full mobile apps metrics measurement. The platform allows for automated crash measurement so that data is automatically sent to Analytics each time the app crashes, and displays stability trends (i.e. how often the app crashes and after how long) across both iOS and Android platforms, as well as details on the device used. Users can also identify their cost each time their mobile app crashes, and the effects of server timeouts when apps are loading.

For Google Analytics accounts with multiple users, account administrators will now be able to view Change History to their reporting according to each user. Change History displays up to 180 days in arrears on changes to Users, Accounts, Properties, Profiles, Goals and Filters.

Google Adwords

Enhanced Campaigns were introduced on February 6 on the Google Adwords platform. The feature enables easy customization of ads so that different ones can be displayed based on the time of day, device type that it is being viewed on, and where the person who’s viewing it is. Previously, users would have had to create multiple ad campaigns for such specific ad implementation.

Improvements to the Search Funnel were deployed on February 13 that would enable a Search Funnel column to be appended to reports. With the addition of the Search Funnel column to these reports, users can easily identify keywords that best assist conversions and the budget you should allocate to bidding for them. The tool also distinguishes which keywords are underperforming and should be replaced, so that all campaigns are well optimized for conversions.

On February 14, Google Adwords announced that Adwords Express would be manageable through My Client Center, a platform that enables account managers to oversee multiple Adwords accounts in one spot. The platform caters to large advertising agents.

Google Adwords also announced on February 26 that the Double Click Digital Marketing Platform would be integrated with Adwords to create, test and manage video and mobile ads. Within the Double Click Digital Marketing Platform, features such as the Double Click Bid Manager and Double Click Ad Exchange enable marketers to easily and dynamically view a full stock of video content and bid on them in real-time, and then manage ad campaigns using the video content in Google Adwords. Double Click for Advertisors then provides a tracking tag to be implemented in all ads to monitor and measure ad effectiveness. This concept equips advertisers to keep pace with the growing video ad trend, as seen on Youtube, content streaming websites and within mobile apps.

Dx3 Canada 2013 - Recap of the Show!

2013-03-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

OrderDynamics is back from our first Canadian retail conference of the year, Dx3 Canada 2013. For the second year in a row, Dx3 Canada created an excellent arena to learn about all things digital, including advertising, marketing and retailing.

The OrderDynamics team!

Dx3 Canada presented a very apparent and distinct focus on digital marketing, with a great roster of sessions and vendors aiming to showcase various trends and technologies that help boost brand visibility and engagement. Alternatively, OrderDynamics saw the presence of these types of vendors as an opportunity to highlight how the development of new digital media and marketing practices and technologies drives retail, in terms of digital and at times in-store.

The evolution of digital retail was evident at Dx3 Canada this year in the shift from traditional online retail to discussions on omni-channel commerce as a way to unify all retail operations. Notably, at Dx3 Canada’s inaugural conference last year, OrderDynamics presented a speaking panel of industry experts and current clients aiming to educate on how to enter eCommerce for the first time.

Sam Barnes (left) speaking with Michael Turcsanyi (right)

This year, however, the OrderDynamics presentation featured Sam Barnes, Director of eCommerce at Laura Canada, who spearheaded the project of resonating over 80 years of brick-and-mortar operations for the Canadian women’s clothing retailer in an equally profitable and satisfying online shopping experience on the OrderDynamics Platform. In his session titled ‘5 Things You Need to Know About eCommerce’, Sam discussed how Laura Canada identified the need for an ecommerce website and to meld their on- and offline shopping channels and operations to provide a great level of service and convenience to its customers.

David Labistour, CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op at Dx3 Canada

Mountain Equipment Co-op CEO, David Labistour’s Keynote Address – one of the highlights from last week’s conference – also brilliantly defined the shift in retail to a consumers’ market, wherein the consumers’ adoption of new technology has driven the need for retail evolution and adaptation otherwise retailers with ultimately perish. David stated that customer loyalty is far overshadowed by price and convenience, and as such retailers must offer solutions to accommodate this, such as Mountain Equipment Co-op’s strategies to sell bicycles to support urbanization, or limiting full inventory display to the website so that only locally popular items are offered in brick-and-mortar locations. Even brand ownership is left to consumers via social media. Conversely, David also touched on the need to be objective with the types of technology adopted, stating that new technologies should support a business’ original strategy in order to justify integrating it into operations, or else they may be compromising a unique brand identity that keeps their customers coming back – a notion backed by the Harvard Business Review’s ‘Big Bang Disruption’.

Sam Barnes, Director of eCommerce at Laura Canada

OrderDynamics is excited to see how the digital retail environment continues to progress, and how it will set the tone for next year’s Dx3 Canada conference. We also look forward to engaging post-show with all the partners, leads and clients we were able to speak to. We’d like to extend a special thank you to Sam Barnes at Laura Canada for his excellent presentation with OrderDynamics.

Some of the OrderDynamics team at Dx3 Canada

In the meantime, we invite you to visit our website at www.orderdynamics.com to learn more about our On-Demand Commerce Platform.

Sincerely,

The OrderDynamics Team
1 (866) 559-8123

OrderDynamics to Exhibit and Speak at Dx3 Canada 2013 March 6-7

2013-02-26T14:01:00.001-05:00

On March 6 and 7, all eyes will be on the 2013 edition of Dx3 Canada in Toronto, Canada. The conference, its second in as many years, will once again be held at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto, and will focus on all aspects of digital: marketing, advertising, and retailing.

OrderDynamics is proud to be a bronze-level sponsor for next week's conference, and we're especially excited to be hosting an ecommerce-focused speaking session called "5 Things You Need To Know About Ecommerce" which will feature our President Michael Turcsanyi and Sam Barnes, Director of Ecommerce at Laura Canada. The session will focus on a wide array of ecommerce topics including reasons to enter ecommerce, omni-channel retailing and (how to achieve it), and the Canadian ecommerce landscape, among others. Mr. Barnes will reflect through his experience in launching and managing Laura Canada's first ecommerce website, in addition to industry trends, and more.

Here are some of the details surrounding the session:

5 Things You Need To Know About Ecommerce
When: March 6, 2013
Time: 2:45-3:30pm
Speakers:
- Michael Turcsanyi, President at OrderDynamics
- Sam Barnes, Director of Ecommerce at Laura Canada

Registration for Dx3 Canada, as well as the 5 Things You Need To Know About Ecommerce session can be done here. Register quickly as tickets for the session are limited.

OrderDynamics will also have a booth at the Dx3 Canada 2013 on the exhibition floor (next to the escalators on the 2nd level of the Convention Centre). Please drop by booth #608 to say hi to our team and learn more about why we're Canada's leading commerce platform provider. We look forward to seeing and meeting you!

Full event details:

Dx3 Canada 2013 Conference
Venue: Metro Convention Centre
When: March 6 & 7
City: Toronto, Canada
Registration Info: www.microspec.com/reg/DX32013 | Conference website: www.Dx3Canada.com
OrderDynamics Booth: 608

Meltdown Snowboard Shop Launches with OrderDynamics!

2013-02-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

The entire OrderDynamics team would like to congratulate Meltdown Snowboard Shop on the launch of their new eCommerce site on the OrderDynamics On-Demand Commerce Platform.

Meltdown Snowboard Shop, Canada’s fastest growing independent specialty snowboard shop, boasts an impressive selection of snowboards, accessories, and apparel from some of the world’s top brands including Burton, Volcom, Quiksilver, and more. The retailer, who has built a strong reputation around their product knowledge and outstanding customer service, has delivered an eCommerce website that will not only appeal to their customers, but will drive significant growth while leaving competitors trailing far behind.

A glimpse of the gorgeous new Meltdown Snowboard Shop website

MeltdownOnline.com seamlessly extends the shopping experience found in their retail stores by featuring a modern, cutting edge design that will surely resonate with customers in existing markets, as well as consumers not yet familiar with the Meltdown brand. From a slick category dropdown box in the navigation bar, through to larger-than-normal hi-res images in category and product pages, the Meltdown Snowboard team’s attention to detail and passion for snowboarding (and its supporting lifestyle) is on full display. Meltdown’s new site flows well from page to page and is easy to navigate, thanks to clear call to actions and warm, vibrant colors.

MeltdownOnline.com's dropdown box in their navigation menu

The site consistently delivers on Meltdown’s customer service focus by offering subtle, but appropriate ways to search for products such as browsing by gender, brand, board type, and even skill level for boarding enthusiasts of any rank. The site also allows shoppers to compare products within category pages, in addition to information-rich product descriptions, customer ratings and reviews, and helpful product recommendations. Meltdown’s clear understanding of their audience is also evident throughout the site with social media integrations including Facebook and Twitter sharing buttons, plus lifestyle-centric and detailed product videos for specific brands and models.

A full view of MeltdownOnline.com's product pages with reviews and social media integration, and more

The backend of Meltdown’s new site upholds their omni-commerce vision by building tight integrations with their warehouse, ERP, and carrier Canada Post, which is important to note given the volume of orders they will get as a result of Meltdown offering free shipping across Canada.

OrderDynamics Monthly Google Updates Report – February 2013

2013-02-22T10:37:00.000-05:00

For the start of the year, Google updates were relatively minimal. Changes to the Search, Analytics and Adwords platforms focused primarily on improving user experience by simplifying processes and implementing short-cuts to cater to those with less advanced technical savvy.

Google Search

Google’s first Panda algorithm update of the year took place on January 23, making this the 24^thupdate since the algorithm was first introduced in February 2011. The update was reported to impact English search queries by 1.2%, only marginally less than the December update which caused businesses to see noticeable fluctuation in their search rank. It was suspected that an update had occurred a week earlier on January 17, as many sites saw drastic, multiple-page drops in search rank, however Google did not confirm that any change was made at that time.

Google Image Search saw an update to the results layout on January 24, which allowed faster viewing of images by making pertinent information to the image available right on the results page when clicking on it, rather than being automatically being redirected to the host site. With the new format, when an image is clicked on it is pulled into a focal section on the page for larger view and to display image credentials. Google reported that this format aims at simplifying image browsing while helping users to not lose track of images that appeal to them.

Google Analytics

On January 24, Google Analytics announced a series of UI improvements including widgets, search enhancements and shortcut enablement.

With the introduction of new widgets and layouts, users can produce reports on custom metrics and formats, and easily export them for sharing.
Short cuts to saved custom reports can now be pinned to the enhanced sidebar for easy access to non-standard reports.
The Recent History tool enables an auto-save of recently generated reports to be found in a drop down history list when clicking in the search field, and is essentially another short cut to simplify and streamline report generation.
Search was also enhanced to allow for data searches across all reports and dashboards, rather than specifically the one being displayed.
Keyboard shortcuts were implemented for the following:

o Access to quick search: s

o View account list: shift + a

o Set date range to today: d + t

o View on-screen guide: shift + ?

Date/period comparison pre-sets were optimized by adding a year-over-year option, eliminating the need to scroll through the entire calendar year to select comparison dates.
New report export options were added for Excel XSLX and Google Docs.

Google Analytics also introduced the Google Analytics Solutions Gallery on January 28, targeting users who are unsure of what metrics to measure, and how to identify whether their reports showed positive or negative performance. The Solutions Gallery provides examples of dashboards from sites that are performing well, the type of reports they are generating, and metrics they are monitoring to measure site performance; users can download these examples and use them as a benchmark with which to compare their own Analytics. Current Solutions examples include:

Social sharing reports – understand what site content users are sharing and how
Publisher dashboard – identify visitors’ clickstream to your site, and what they do once they are on it.
Engaged traffic and advanced segment – measure traffic that is high value and truly engaged (stay onsite for 3+ minutes, and view 3+ pages), and understand what it is about your site that appeals to them.

Google Adwords

On January 16, Adwords started the New Year by introducing the Mobile Ads Showcase App. The App enables Adwords users to create, test and store a portfolio of ads, while also allowing them to view ads as potential visitors would see them. This feature is currently only available for the Android smartphone platform.

At the end of the month, Adwords implemented new features to the year-old Adwords for Video tool. Businesses using video ads now have access to data on reach and frequency reporting, which identify how ads are viewed and their average impressions. Column Sets are a new feature that allows users to select specific goals for which Adwords provides a set of information and indicates which columns in the set include data important to those goals; sample goals that are catered to include building brand awareness, optimizing ads for conversions, growing ad audience, and driving more ad views. The Geo-Map is another new tool that provides map visualization of where video ads are viewed most.

OrderDynamics Sees Strong eCommerce Adoption Among Canadian Retailers in 2012

2013-02-19T10:01:00.001-05:00

February 19, 2013 – TORONTO, ON – OrderDynamics™, Canada’s leading on-demand commerce platform provider, reported its strongest year to date in 2012 as retailers look to maximize momentum gained from a strong holiday shopping season. Based on the addition of several high profile retail clients and numerous new eCommerce site launches, OrderDynamics saw promising adoption of eCommerce in Canada suggesting continued growth into 2013 and beyond.

In 2012, OrderDynamics announced and implemented various technology upgrades to their SaaS-based eCommerce platform, including enhancements to its Order Management System to streamline multi-channel fulfillment capabilities such as pickup in-store and fulfill from store, and to better support complex fulfillment orders, enabling split-billing for multi-item orders that include backorders and out-of-stock items. This was further enriched by the unprecedented Canada Post Integration offering Real-Time Shipping Rate Calculator, Real-Time Order Tracking, and Ship to Post Office fulfillment tools built directly into the OrderDynamics platform to offer a highly convenient online shopping experience – as seen by the success of recently launched Canadian OrderDynamics client, Laura.ca.

OrderDynamics also increased globalization functionality with capabilities for multi-language merchandising and integrations with local shipping channels and tax calculations, leading to the acquisition of notable Canadian retailers including Eclipse Stores, Meltdown Snowboard Shop, and JYSK, among others.
Along with additional 2012 Canadian OrderDynamics client launches including Laura Canada, Boardsports, iQliving, Murale, Pile of Pillows, and more, other prominent Canadian retailers such as Aritzia, Ardene, and RW&Co, each launched sites using alternative eCommerce solutions. Global retailers such as Mexx, Club Monaco, Estée Lauder, and Sephora all launched Canadian-focused eCommerce sites in 2012 as new extensions to their existing online infrastructure too.

“The enhancements and new features we’ve added to our eCommerce platform, as well as the ongoing collaborations with well-respected Canadian retail thought leaders such as the Retail Council of Canada and Dx3 Canada show OrderDynamics commitment to helping Canadian retailers enter eCommerce and grow online sales channels,” said Michael Turcsanyi, President at OrderDynamics. “It’s clear the needs and shopping trends of Canadian consumers require retailers to offer a consistent and unified experience across all touch points. We’re proud to offer a true multi-channel solution that delivers outstanding consumer experiences and improved customer service by aligning online and in-store channels.”

A 2012 study by eMarketer asserted that Canadian eCommerce growth rates would slightly outpace that of the US, and will continue to do so with US growth slowing to no more 6% and Canadian growth trending upwards of 9% by 2016.

IRWD 2013 - Recap of the Show!

2013-02-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

As an ecommerce solution vendor, it doesn't feel like the New Year has officially begun until you attend your first conference of the year. Now that the OrderDynamics team has returned from the 2013 edition of Internet Retailer's rapidly growing Web & Design conference (IRWD 2013), it really feels like retail-2013 is in full swing!

Where to start? IRWD had a bit of everything throughout the three-day conference. While the event is typically geared towards user experience and website design, there was no denying the emphasis and urgency that surrounded backend solutions this year, particularly with regards to Order Management. As important as Order Management has become in the scalability and operations of high growth online retailers, it perhaps plays an even bigger role in overall customer service and experience.

The number of retailers (all of which varied in sizes – emerging retailers and enterprise retailers – , verticals, and style of operations) we spoke to who cited the need for automated order processing and fulfillment (including pick-pack-and ship), strong call center and customer management modules, and omni-channel capabilities, like in-store pickup and distributed order management, was incredible. It certainly speaks to the evolution we’ve seen in just a few short years in ecommerce.

We’ve suggested before that the first ‘wave’ of ecommerce was about becoming operational and profitable in web retailing. If we required additional confirmation, IRWD 2013 provided it over and over again. Ecommerce’s second ‘wave’ (which we believe is about creating best-in-class, unified experiences across all online and offline touch points) has not only started, but is well under way already. Jason LaRose, SVP of Ecommerce at Express Inc., clearly depicted this in his Keynote presentation which touched on the amount of channels and touch points the apparel retailer uses in order to interact with its fast-moving, “always on the go” audience. The amount of effort, strategy, and commitment they’ve made to talking with, engaging, and giving their customers the experience they demand is absolutely remarkable. We thought one of Jason’s better quotes (and there were several) was his accurate and telling description of today’s consumer: “hyper social, always mobile”.

Another presentation that spoke to the sophistication we’re seeing in ecommerce and the challenge that lies in creating a best-in-class consumer experience was that of Sam Barnes, Director of Ecommerce at Laura Canada (full transparency: Laura Canada is an OrderDynamics client). Sam outlined the careful considerations that go into designing (or redesigning) a multi-channel ecommerce website, and the complexity involved in extending in-store experiences to the web. The two things that stuck with the audience during this presentation was Sam’s simple yet complex take on site design: “Less really is more, but it's harder to do, and even harder to get [an entire team to] agree on”, as well as his philosophy on online marketing (once a site is launched): “Online marketing is like gardening: a lot of work goes into carefully planning what you want to do and creating a foundation to watch your efforts grow shortly after”.

Although Sam’s presentation directly followed Jason’s, the stark contrast between the two presentation styles and organizations (age demographics of their respective customers could range by as much as 30 years!) perfectly summed up the thought process that impacts all online retailers. There are times to be bold and slightly aggressive when executing strategy, and there are times where calculated consideration and planning are required. Whether this was intentional or not, it served as a fantastic commentary of this dynamic industry in terms of where we’ve come from, but more importantly, where it’s going.

In saying this, we look forward to following up with the new contacts and connections we made this week at IRWD 2013. We will be doing this in the coming few weeks. In addition, OrderDynamics would like to sincerely thank everyone who dropped by our booth to say hi, catch up, or learn about our end-to-end commerce platform. We also wanted to recognize several of our clients who we were fortunate enough to spend time and strategize with. Lastly, we’d like to extend a big thanks to the entire Internet Retailer team who continue to create quality events that are valuable for retailers and vendors.

One final thing to note: next year’s IRWD looks to be bigger and better with the amalgamation of Internet Retailer’s Mobile conference (MMCF) and Web & Design conference (IRWD). We already can’t wait for February 2014! But until then you can catch us at our upcoming 2013 events including Dx3 Canada and eTail Canada – both of which feature speaking presentations by OrderDynamics.

In the meantime, we invite you to visit our website at www.orderdynamics.com to learn more about our On-Demand Commerce Platform.

Sincerely,

The OrderDynamics Team
1 (866) 559-8123

OrderDynamics to Exhibit at IRWD 2013 Feb 11-13

2013-02-05T14:02:00.000-05:00

OrderDynamics is getting set to exhibit once again at the 2013 Internet Retailer Web Design & Usability Conference in Orlando, Florida from February 11-13.

The IRWD 2013 Conference, as always, will focus on how online retailers can design and create engaging ecommerce websites to support their brand identity and deliver an enhanced customer experience. This year’s Conference features sessions discussing usability challenges, optimizing conversion paths, mobile and global ecommerce design strategies, redesign testing, user experience, and more. The Show’s pre-conference day encompasses a full-day Web Design Workshop, and - for the first time ever - a full SEO Day to address optimizing ecommerce sites according to current search engine changes, integrating SEO into your design strategy and new SEO best practices.

The OrderDynamics Team is looking forward to listening to insights from industry experts from Miles Kimball, Perry Ellis International, Crate & Barrel, Sephora and OrderDynamics client Sam Barnes, Director of eCommerce of Laura Canada. Mr. Barnes will host a session entitled ‘Creating Your Design Dream Team: Making Sure All Voices are Heard’, and will cover insights and strategies, plus which roles/team members should have final say on site design and usability.

OrderDynamics is proud to be exhibiting amongst a great roster of retailers and solutions providers, including OrderDynamics partners SLI Systems, Avalara, AddShoppers and more. The Team hopes to engage with partners, prospects and clients during what is sure to be another great Show by Internet Retailer.

Visit the OrderDynamics team at booth 505, and check back after IRWD 2013 for the Show Recap.

OrderDynamics Clients Enjoy 55% More Sales in 2012 Holiday Season While Far Exceeding Industry Average

2013-01-25T09:44:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 25, 2013 – TORONTO, ON – The 2012 holiday season indicated very different purchasing behaviours than seen in previous years, with sales spiking on Cyber Monday at $1.98 billion, but tapering off thereafter, according to Adobe’s Digital Index. Despite 10 days throughout November and December that surpassed $1 billion in sales, MasterCard Spending Pulse reported that total US holiday retail sales showed a meager 0.7% growth over 2011.

In spite of lower than expected holiday sales and the fear of economic uneasiness that came with tragedies such as the Newtown Shooting and Hurricane Sandy, and the 17% of shoppers who said the Fiscal Cliff bill affected their purchase behaviour in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, OrderDynamics clients once again generated significantly higher sales and growth rates than industry averages. In November and December 2012, the OrderDynamics platform processed 47% more orders and generated 55% more revenue over the same time in 2011, compared to comScore’s report of a 15% increase in total online sales year over year for the holiday season.

Sixty-one percent of OrderDynamics orders came from clients launched on their eCommerce platform prior to 2012, generating 27% more orders and revenue compared to last year. The remaining 39% of orders were generated by the new eCommerce sites launched in 2012, encompassing 38.8% of total holiday revenue for OrderDynamics clients in 2012.

The company credits the scalability of its cloud-based platform as a key factor in their clients’ impressive holiday growth, absorbing extreme traffic surges and order spikes throughout demanding retail seasons. In addition, OrderDynamics’ dedicated Account Managers stay abreast with industry and consumer trends, and actively work with clients to identify areas where they can leverage the broad OrderDynamics toolset to optimize eCommerce strategies and execution. This season, incentivized shopping tools and shopping cart recovery features within the OrderDynamics platform and its OD H.I.V.E™ Ecosystem - a network with more than 100 pre-built integrations of third party tools - allowed retailers to re-capture the sales and increase average order sizes.

"The OrderDynamics eCommerce platform and integrated Order Management System are cloud-based solutions which help our clients get to market faster while also taking advantage of the new features and functionality we're continuously adding," said Michael Benadiba, CEO at OrderDynamics. "As a result, our clients can focus on innovation and creating best of breed online shopping experiences to maximize sales during peak seasons."

Additional Canada and Boxing Day Trends
For Canadian retailers, the holiday season showed promising results, and stronger eCommerce growth than in the US. MasterCard’s Spending Pulse reported Canadian eCommerce spending was up 26% in December, far overshadowing the 12.6% increase seen in US online sales. Contributing to 6.6% of total retail sales for December, Canadian online shoppers showed significant growth in confidence in shopping on eCommerce websites. Total Canadian retail sales showed a 1.6% increase over December 2011.

“ECommerce in Canada is growing at a rapid rate and its pace is expected to continue over the next few years,” continued Mr. Benadiba. “Canadians are known to be extremely savvy web users, and Canadian retailers are responding to consumers by delivering sophisticated online shopping experiences and outstanding promotions. It’s a very exciting time for Canada’s retail industry,” Mr. Benadiba concluded.

OrderDynamics Monthly Google Updates Report – January 2013

2013-01-23T16:48:00.000-05:00

After a few months of heavy changes across Google Platforms, December showed fewer changes and some useful improvements to Search, AdWords and Analytics to help improve the user experience with Google.

Google Search

Changes to Google Search in December were heavily focused on multi-language queries, and those related to simplifying travel plans.

On December 4, Google updated Knowledge Graph to support multi-language searches in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian and Italian. This would enable queries in these languages to display same-language search results rather than that based on their search location (for example, an Italian search in Canada would yield both English and Italian results instead of just English results). Knowledge Graph was also optimized later in the month to display a Carousel with information and activities within a searched travel destination.

A day later, Google announced the redesign of Quick Answers search, which instantly displays at the top of SERPs information relevant to travel such as currency exchange rates, time difference, and the ability to check flight status by simply searching terms like “Euro exchange rate”, “time in country x” or the flight/airline number. Later on December 19, Flight Explorer was launched to help plan vacations by displaying flight times and fares to multiple destinations on several dates, allowing users to plan extended trips across multiple stops. Flight Explorer also enables users to calculate total cost of a trip by including baggage fees, WiFi-enabled flights and price differences across seating classes; this function is available for flights to any destination that originate in Canada and the US.

The Hotel Finder feature also became more localized in France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Italy and the UK that would display price, availability and Zagat rating.

Google tweeted on December 21 that they had rolled out the 23^rdupdate to Google Panda. The Update was estimated to affect 1.3% of English search queries, compared to 0.8% impact with the November Update. Some search engine optimization experts were surprised that there was an update at all in December when such changes could affect online retailers during the height of the holiday retail season.

Google Adwords

In December, Adwords introduced an additional column to the search term report that would display which keywords trigger an ad to show up when searched. This allows Adwords users to easily identify keywords that should be used to trigger their campaigns, queries that maybe irrelevant to the ad but trigger it anyway, and how counter-keywords can be used to prevent certain irrelevant terms from triggering an ad unnecessarily.

Various updates to Double Click Search were launched on December 18:

Offline conversions event API

With this API, Adwords users can automatically upload conversions from in-store transactions and call centre orders, and edit conversions to account for returns, credits or fraud.

Google Analytics website data

This feature works with the recent Google Analytics Integration with the Adwords platform to help understand how click-throughs from search affect how customers interact with a website.

Formula Columns

These additional columns can be added to display customized data based on calculations preset by the Adwords user.

Web Query

This provides a URL that allows report data to be refreshed and downloaded to Excel so that reports do not need to be manually imported and downloaded.

Google Analytics

On December 6, Google Analytics updated Tag Manager, which was launched in October to provide built-in tag templates that automatically input the tag into a webpage’s code rather than having to copy and paste it manually. The update saw the introduction of new Vendor Tags to integrate solutions from various technology vendors for measurement in Analytics. The following Vendor Tags are currently available, with more to be added later:

comScore Unified Digital Measurement Tag
Turn Conversion Tracking & Data Collection Tags
Media6Degrees Universal Tag
Bizo Business Data Insight Tag
Neustar Ad Advisor Tag

OrderDynamics featured in Dx3 Canada’s Guide to eCommerce in Canada

2013-01-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

Dx3, Canada’s biggest Digital and Retail Trade Show, hosts a blog entitled the Dx3 Digest which focuses on all things pertaining to digital retailing, advertising and marketing in Canada. In a Guide to eCommerce in Canada, Dx3 is covering key tenets and best practices for setting up an eCommerce website to accommodate the growing online and multichannel retail market in Canada. For their Development Platform section they recently featured insight from OrderDynamics President, Michael Turcsanyi.

As a basis for building an eCommerce business in Canada, the feature discusses the importance of eCommerce as Canadian retail evolves, and common misconceptions and challenges in eCommerce. Dx3 asks Michael Turcsanyi to explain the role OrderDynamics plays in the Canadian eCommerce and multichannel retail environment, and how the OrderDynamics Platform and Team address the needs of businesses entering and growing in eCommerce.

Mr. Turcsanyi explains how patience, a dynamic toolset for order management, fulfillment and marketing, and a bulletproof plan can help retailers build an online business that is equipped to keep stride with Canadian eCommerce as it continues to grow at a rapid pace.

Read the full feature here.

OrderDynamics is Heading to the NRF BIG Show 2013!

2013-01-09T17:10:00.001-05:00

OrderDynamics is heading to the NRF’s 102^ndAnnual Convention & EXPO, better known as Retail’s BIG Show. The EXPO will take place next week, January 13-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Last year, the BIG Show attracted over 25,500 attendees, and this year is expected to be even bigger with over 500 exhibitors and sponsors, including major companies such as Google, Walmart, Walgreens, Starbuck, Mango and many others.

OrderDynamics is looking forward to engaging with clients, prospects and partners, as well as attending valuable speaking sessions by retail experts and professionals on mobile and digital retail, marketing and brand management, merchandising, IT, global expansion, the future of retail and more.

The Coca-Cola Happiness Lounge will be an excellent, casual networking opportunity for NRF Members, in which OrderDynamics hopes to connect and gain valuable insight from fellow attendees.

For more information on the BIG Show, visit NRF.com. Check back after the show for OrderDynamics’ Recap.

Internet Retailer on OrderDynamics and Selecting an eCommerce Platform

2013-01-03T17:03:00.000-05:00

Internet Retailer magazine kicks off the New Year with a special feature on top priorities for e-retailers including social media and selecting the right e-commerce platform.

The January issue of Internet Retailer presents the social media formula that can yield the best sales and marketing results for e-retailers. Social media has been identified as a key factor in online marketing for some time, however, the question of how to do so effectively has still remained. In this issue, Internet Retailer outlines the social media initiatives of the top 3 e-retailers listed in the Internet Retailer Top 500, and how they have efficiently utilized aggressive social media campaigns to generate revenue and boost traffic.

Also in the January issue is a feature on how e-retailers can ensure they select the right eCommerce platform for their business goals. One of OrderDynamics’ newest clients, Laura Canada, was highlighted in the article, crediting OrderDynamics H.I.V.E.™ integrations as a major selling point of the SaaS-based platform. A key factor in selecting the OrderDynamics Platform - as stated by Laura Canada’s eCommerce Director, Sam Barnes – was the integration with Canada Post, enabling fulfillment capabilities such as Real-Time Rate Lookup, Real-Time Order Tracking, Ship-to-Post-Office, and Generate Return Label.

According to Mr. Barnes, OrderDynamics was the right choice because the Platform is built on functionalities and capabilities that were vital in facilitating the online customer experience Laura Canada wanted to provide, a consideration that John Kinsella of FitForCommerce says is imperative when selecting a vendor to power an online storefront. Kinsella states that while individual goals may differ, all online retailers must evaluate eCommerce platforms based on functional abilities, and vendor support and relations. Other points to consider are whether the Platform provider addresses mobile, product content, and social media as well as whether it provides centralized multi-channel capabilities for retailers whose business is also based on a physical storefront, key items that are present in the OrderDynamics On-Demand eCommerce Platform.

Read the full article here.