There are many myths about e-commerce that have surfaced with the ever-increasing popularity of transactions over the internet. With that, let us break down the 5 common myths and discover what goes behind these unproven beliefs.

Myth #1: It will all go well after you’ve established your e-commerce website

Some business owners think that running an e-commerce website is just a piece of cake. In fact, some of them think that after setting up an e-commerce site, their online traffic is assured, not knowing that there are key factors for success (e.g. data protection, sales strategies, and online marketing strategies) that must be looked into.

There are plenty of e-commerce platforms that will help you build your store like Lazada and Qoo10 to take the complex stuff off your shoulder. But, if you’re really keen on hosting your own website, we suggest that you invest well and let the experts build your website, and help you with digital marketing to improve sales.

Myth #2: A great product alone is sufficient to bring you a lot of customers.

There is no doubt that having a good product is one of the key success factors for your business, but without effective marketing efforts, it will be hard for your business to take off to success. One thing that every e-commerce seller must keep in mind is, he must offer good customer service and have an effective marketing strategy (such as SEO and a strong social media presence) alongside their great products.

Myth #3: Lower price attracts more customers

Certainly, the price of a product is a big factor to catch the buyers’ attention. For this reason, most sellers think that if they lower the price of their product, they will gain more buyers. However, this is not necessarily the case. Lower pricing can leave unwanted impressions on potential customers regarding the credibility of the products and of the seller. For instance, if an item has a price tag substantially lower than that of a similar product sold by another vendor, customers might believe that the cheaper product was of inferior quality.

Myth #4: It is not worth investing into a mobile-friendly website/platform.

If some business owners still think that there is no need for mobile-friendly websites, they are mistaken. E-commerce web traffic today is actually higher on mobile devices than on desktops (Source: The Telegraph).  If an e-commerce website is not mobile-friendly, it will be missing out on the bulk of e-commerce traffic!

Myth #5: Tracking revenue as the sole measure of performance is sufficient

It is true that every e-commerce business must understand their revenue and know that it plays a big part as a key performance indicator (KPI). Nevertheless, to understand how they can improve their marketing strategies, they must also keep track of, and study other performance metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and website bounce rates – these metrics help signal which are the areas that need to be improved.

If you are interested in the opportunities e-commerce has to offer, message IH Digital now. IH Digital is a digital marketing agency headquartered in Singapore and has a presence across multiple countries in the region and in Greater China. We can help you reach your e-commerce and online marketing initiatives. Message us here.

The demand for online purchasing has been burgeoning, and users from Southeast Asia are a substantial part of this massive movement. This is not surprising since 50% percent of the Southeast Asian population is online (Source: wearesocial). In 2017, internet economy revenues in Southeast Asia surpassed growth expectations by 35%, and e-commerce managed to garner US$10.9 billion, and is expected to reach US$88.1 billion by 2025 (Source: Google). Get a glimpse into Southeast Asia’s e-commerce industry below.

More Payment Options

Compared to western countries, Southeast Asia (other than Singapore) has low credit card penetration. For this reason, e-commerce in SEA offers a wide range of payment options other than credit card payment (e.g. Cash on delivery, bank transfer, offline points of sales and instalment). Consequently, payment trends in the countries of Southeast Asia vary, which some businesses find as a hurdle for expanding their reach for its inconsistency (Source: TheStartup).

Mobile Awakening

In 2017, the total number of mobile internet users in the SEA was 302.3 million, and they spent an average of 3.6 hours online every single day. Whether these users use their time online on a social media or an e-commerce site, every online merchant must consider switching to a mobile-friendlier platform since the number of mobile users is perpetually increasing.

Higher Conversion Rates on Desktop

Though the use of mobile is continuously growing, e-commerce companies noticed that conversion rate is nonetheless still higher on desktop-use than on mobile (Source: TechWireAsia). Experts explain that while users use mobile devices for browsing through e-commerce websites to find out more about their purchase options,  they still go to their desktop more often to carry out their actual purchases.

Southeast Asians Love to Spend Time Shopping Online

Users in Southeast Asia, are reportedly spending 140 minutes shopping online every month. That is twice as much as the amount of time spent by Americans. Southeast Asian users usually shop online on weekdays and spend their time browsing products on their phones during the weekends.

Take on all the e-commerce opportunities Southeast Asia has to offer! IH Digital is a digital marketing agency headquartered in Singapore and has a presence across multiple countries in the region and in Greater China. We can help you reach your e-commerce and digital marketing initiatives. Message us here.

Worldwide sales in e-commerce have been taking off. In 2014, sales went up to US$1.3 trillion and currently, it is anticipated to reach US$4.5 trillion in 2021 (Source: shopify). If you are thinking that B2B is too complex for E-commerce, then you would be mistaken. E-commerce has been game-changing for many B2C organisations, and B2B organisations are also increasingly finding that e-commerce opens up new sales and marketing opportunities. Here are some reasons why you should take on e-commerce for your B2B organisation:

Embrace E-Commerce or Risk Falling Behind Your Competitors

In this world where millennials account for 50% or more of corporate buyers (Source: Google), businesses that sell B2B should not miss out on moving buying solutions onto digital platforms. There’s a big chance that your clients are the same retail consumers in e-commerce in their private lives, and they are wondering why your B2B transactions are not yet shifted online.

Moreover, having or joining an e-commerce online market platforms like Lazada and Qoo10 can create advantages like higher productivity and lower costs for both you and your buyers. Your competitors are switching to e-commerce and they will not wait for you to take on the same path. Avoid falling behind of the game by shifting your B2B transactions online!

Have an Insight to Buyers’ Purchasing Behaviour

By moving to e-commerce you’ll have the benefit of a data stream of your customers’ buying behaviours. This means that your B2B organisation will be better at anticipating the needs and purchasing patterns of your customers, to be able to customise solutions for them.

Online Presence Will Reach New Customers

When your B2B organisation gets involved in e-commerce, you are bringing your business a step closer to your current and new potential buyers with your online presence. And by incorporating all e-commerce, digital marketing, and social media efforts together, search engines will likely improve your search results rank, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

If you are interested in the opportunities e-commerce has to offer, message IH Digital now. IH Digital is a digital marketing agency headquartered in Singapore and has a presence across multiple countries in the region and in Greater China. We can help you reach your e-commerce and online marketing initiatives. Message us here.

Your website represents your business online. Other than a tool to showcase your products and services, it is an online marketing platform that displays your brand’s value and credibility. Yet, simply having a website is not enough, it must effectively function – designed to cover all your customers’ needs.

Basic Necessities of a Website

If you don’t have a website for your business yet, here are the things you need first:

Domain Name

The domain name is your business’ online address and it’s uniquely made for your company. For instance, IH Digital’s domain name is www.ihdigital.com.

Web Hosting

Now that your business has an online address, where does it actually live? Web hosting is the location or the server of your website where your customers come to visit. It is a server that connects your website to people who search for your business online.

Business Email Address

Having an official business email address is especially important for businesses who are still starting. Having corporate@ihdigital.com builds more credibility than just using corporate_ihdigital@gmail.com. It also helps in maintaining the security of your presence online, keeping away spam messages and hackers.

Website Content

Surely, content is king. But what kind of content do you put on your website? Having pages about your company, your products and services, and your contact details are not enough. You must determine your target market, know their wants and needs, and integrate content to media that gets them interested – blog posts, images, videos, or GIFs.

Maximize Web Design & Development

Build a website that your business needs, not a website that you personally want.

Since you’ve already set up a basic website from the notes we’ve given above, be your customer and ask yourself, is it enough? Website design and development is more than just how your website looks, of course, it is part of it, but there are other factors to consider as well. The standards on a well-developed website for 2018 are as follows:

Load Speed

In online marketing, everyone is a consumer and what do we hate the most? Time wasted. Having a page view is already a milestone but for one to stay and browse through the pages of your website, it must load quickly. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting for a blank screen on your mobile or laptop to load. Avoid losing customers that hit the close button once your website loads slowly.

Mobile-Optimized

Websites that are not mobile-optimized, meaning browsing on your phone and seeing the same layout as that of a computer’s, are hard to navigate. Our phones are designed with smaller screens and your website’s design should adapt to it. This way, users will be able to browse through your website smoothly.

Compatible with Multiple Browsers

You can’t control what browser people use when viewing your website. Make sure they can view your site properly and it functions well in various browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Safari. We suggest that you do a multiple browser check.

CMS-Enabled

Content Management System or CMS is a software where you can input and modify the design, content, images, videos, links and even the codes on your website. Before any of your content goes live, you can preview those using CMS. You can make the necessary changes before people see it. Choose a CMS software that’s easy to navigate. WordPress and Joomla are examples of a reliable CMS used by website design companies.

SEO Friendly

With good website SEO, you’ll put your website on top of search results on different search engines. Write useful and informative content for your customers and use the right SEO tools so your website can be seen easily. Know more by reading the basics in integrating SEO marketing to your website.

Social Media Integration

Include social media icons that your website viewers can click on your website. Since social media presence gives you a wider reach, incorporate your website content marketing by also sharing them on your Facebook or Instagram pages.

Google Analytics

Track and analyze the activities done by users on your website. With Google Analytics, you will acquire a detailed report on how many people actually go to your website, what they do, what page they spend most of their time on, the least visited pages, and more. By knowing all these, you will know how to improve not just your website but your products and services as well.

Email Marketing

Building an email network is another effective way to drive traffic to your website. By sending out valuable content to this network that you have, you can display information about your products and services, discounts perhaps? According to 2018 Radicati Group Study, there will be almost 4 billion email users before 2019, meaning, there are a lot of opportunities for you to convert email marketing to actual sales.

Website Security

Eliminate your website’s security risks. After putting all these efforts to create a well-functioning website for your business, you don’t want to lose everything you’ve built, do you? Viruses and hackers are everywhere but there are numerous ways to protect your website. You can use a tight firewall, antivirus protection, SSL security, and IPS/IDS. You can talk to our experts to know what security you need for your website.

If you want to go through the nitty gritty of creating an effective online marketing website for your business, IH Digital offers website design services. We’ll make sure we cross out everything from this website design and development to-do list.

Unlike many popular social media and digital marketing platforms readily available to the masses, Instagram is not among the pioneers of social media analytics. With this comes the widespread existence of free analytics sources that momentarily paved way for marketers to track and evaluate the success of their Instagram content and overall social media marketing and marketing communications outside the application.

But just last month, Instagram finally decided to roll out a new tool in an attempt to join the bandwagon. With “Insights”, this highly anticipated analytics feature will definitely take a brand’s social media marketing to a whole new level. This now enables users worldwide to view their account’s analytics directly in the application. It provides a graphical, rather than numeric data for engagement, reach, impressions, likes, and comments over a wide span of time frame – from seven days up to two years.

How brands can use Insights feature to improve social media marketing through Instagram posts

Being one of the world’s largest mobile ad platforms with a population of 400 million users, Instagram is deemed to be a popular social media choice for businesses to reach mobile users in an organized and highly creative way. The photo and video sharing app allow ads to appear as a regular post over a user’s feed, minimizing clutter. It also proves to be a great medium for unconventional content marketing strategies like reaching wider audiences with a use of a hashtag (#).

Brands that are aiming to improve their social media content through Instagram, now have a handy tool in determining whether to enhance or change direction in capturing and creating images based on past analytics performance. The analytic results could also be a determining factor as to what type of posts – product, lifestyle, engagement, and contest most users engage in.

Despite the lack of numeric information on analytics, Insights opened a lot of doors for Internet marketing specialists to further track and enhance their social media marketing strategies.

If you want to explore more social media strategies for Instagram, IH Digital, a trusted digital agency in Singapore, can extend a helping hand. By combining Instagram’s new feature, Insights and our innovative social media analytics tools, we can help you craft content suitable for your brand and generate detailed reports to track your social media progress. Click here for more details.

 

Social media planning and engagement has truly come full circle across the most diverse of industries, particularly in airline businesses. With the need to immediately connect to target audiences, airline companies demand competitive digital media exposure to ensure return of investments. Such is the story of Cebu Pacific Japan – a success story worthy of telling.

Cebu Pacific Air is one of the most renowned airline companies in the Philippines, offering comfortable, convenient budget trips to and from the Philippines. Initially focusing on domestic flights before venturing international, this year it has expanded its reach to Japan with three destinations – Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo. This expansion meant that Cebu Pacific had to target local Japanese travelers and Filipino residents in Japan, necessitating considerable digital presence to effectively establish brand awareness in these key markets.

 Digital Polaris

In lieu of the need for proper digital positioning and exposure, IH Digital serves as Cebu Pacific Air’s guiding light to properly strategise its digital efforts and ensure that all aspects are executed properly. Exhaustive research, aided with strategic execution, resulted to a highly successful online campaign. To this date, Cebu Pacific Japan continues to move further on the right direction with its digital efforts.

 Beyond the Benchmark

Effective targeting and positioning of Cebu Pacific Japan in the Digital space has led to a solid online presence with its dynamic online audience from social media platforms and even in search engines. IH Digital’s proprietary analytics tool, the iAnalytics, proved that the campaigns for Cebu Pac Japan have been working well above the industry standards.

 Bottom-line: Increased ROI

Statistics is nothing without significant conversions, which makes Cebu Pacific Japan a true success story in terms of harnessing the power of digital media and advertising. IH Digital’s continuous collaboration with Cebu Pacific Air has resulted to increased conversion as well as website transactions, through close monitoring and thorough research.

The Future is Flying High

Given the encouraging response of the Japanese audience to Cebu Pacific Japan’s engagement efforts and consistently outstanding media conversion rates, We can confidently forecast a sunny future for Cebu Pacific Air in terms of overall revenue and presence in the Japanese market, despite being fairly new in the market and with some competitive high fliers.

IH Digital has been working hand in hand with Cebu Pacific for its exposure in Japan – keeping an eagle’s eye on exploring more potent opportunities for the airline while maintaining a strong connection with its budget-seeking and practical audience. As its digital efforts hover above the rest, Cebu Pacific Air continues to soar high like flying on a clear summer sky: a match made in heaven.

Visit Cebu Pacific Japan Facebook page for more information.

Facebook app developers marked your calendar! Facebook announced a change in its platform policy that will take place on Nov 05.

Two important topics to pay attention to: 1. Games 2. Proper Use

Games: Developers must disclose information regarding additional charges that fans are required to pay from using the app (in-app purchase). This information must be clearly written in the description. This should not be a problem for app developers as we believe many developers have been strictly following this practice

Encourage Proper Use: Now this is something that may affect Facebook application strategies. With this new rule in place, developers can no longer incentivize fans to use social plugin or to like a page. This includes offering rewards, or gating apps or app content based on whether or not a person has liked a page. Facebook has given its reason for preventing such actions as they do not want people to flock to a page just because that page is giving out prizes. Facebook wants the page to reach users who genuinely find interest in the page and not just users who are interested in prizes. But it is still acceptable to incentivize users to login to app, check in or enter promotion’s code onto your page.

The below image helps to shed a clearer picture

From the image, you can see that it is not against the policy to incentivize users to use your app, but you must do it the correct way such as in the third image. In order to access an app, a user will have to invite a certain number of friends to use this app and a user’s friends must accept the invitation before a user can receive the offer. What this means is any actions taken by users and respond ONLY by an app developer will not be approved. But for actions that users take that involve the consent of others (users’ friends), Facebook gives a green light to it.

[highlight]These changes will take full effect on Nov. 05. 2014.[/highlight] Failure to comply with this new policy would result in app banning and will affect the long term app development for a page.

Source:allfacebook