5 Questions To Ask Your E-commerce Agency To Optimize Performance

November 22, 2014

Maximize your e-commerce agency ROI.

You’ve got an operational e-commerce site. Congrats! But now it’s time to drive revenue, especially as the holiday shopping season ramps up. Just as Agency Spotter can help you find the right e-commerce agency to build your site, we can help take that relationship to the next level.

We’re bringing you insider insight from Jonathan Sieling, Director of E-commerce at Atlanta e-commerce agency Look-Listen, to keep your agency and your site, on track. Jonathan’s five questions will help you get the most from your e-commerce agency partnership. All served up with a winning smile. Take it away, Jonathan!

5 Questions You Should Be Asking Your E-commerce Agency

5 Questions To Ask Your E commerce Agency To Optimize Performance image jonathan sieling ecommerce 150x150.jpgI am a firm believer that there are no stupid questions, but there are stupid assumptions. If you are not asking the right questions, you may not be focused on the right areas of e-commerce. These 5 questions will keep you focused on driving revenue and prevent you from making silly assumptions.

5) Are we tracking all required data points?

If you are only using the default Google Analytics reports, then the answer is no. It is important to track all interactions on each page including those that may require JavaScript. Make sure you are segmenting users to accurately measure your audience. Mobile shoppers will act differently than social bloggers, so make sure you have different goals setup for each segment. Finally, develop automated reports to keep fresh data in your inbox each day.

4) How can we personalize our shopping experience?

Since all shoppers behave differently, creating a tailored experience for each type of shopper can help convert visitors into customers. Your e-commerce agency can help you craft a rich shopping experience based on a person’s location, social profile, or shopping habits.

3) What should we split test to increase conversions?

Split testing is the most effective way to increase conversions. Make sure you have a testing schedule that allows for multiple tests on each of your goal paths. Split testing can be used to test call to actions, promotional offerings, site taxonomy, and product pricing. We like to wager on the test results to keep things exciting.

2) How do we improve customer lifetime value?

Improving the average value of a customer now requires e-commerce techniques in addition to great marketing. We have seen it done with loyalty programs, feedback modules, testimonials, and social sharing. When done properly, each customer contributes to increasing both traffic and conversions.

1) Are all of our efforts aimed towards increasing traffic or conversions?

This question should be obvious but it is often forgotten. With so much data to analyze and so many options to test, it is easy to forget the basics of e-commerce: Traffic + Conversion = Revenue ($ ). In e-commerce, this usually means each task involves enhancing SEO or social interaction for the traffic, and split testing or data analysis for the conversions. Be sure to prioritize your efforts by determining which metric they will enhance and how those efforts will affect revenue.

Get An E-Commerce Home Run

Powered with these questions from Jonathan, you and your e-commerce agency will be on track to hit revenue numbers out of the park. You might not know every little Magento nuance or conversion optimization trick in the book, but you will be unhindered by silly e-commerce assumptions. And if the conversation with your current e-commerce agency doesn’t go well, we know a place where you can quickly find a new one.


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