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E-Commerce Virtual Assistant – Who Needs One and Why?
Running an e-commerce business is quite challenging, even for small and midsize companies. Adding products, adjusting prices, communicating with investors, customers, and partners, and a dozen other tasks can take up a large portion of your day. Fortunately, you can take the burden off your shoulders by hiring an e-commerce virtual assistant.
Here, we’ll explain everything you need to know about e-commerce virtual assistants and why you should hire one.
What Is an E-Commerce Virtual Assistant?
An e-commerce virtual assistant is an individual that helps you with online business-related operations. This professional works remotely and fulfills different tasks according to your instructions. It’s important to clarify not all e-commerce virtual assistants offer the same services. What services you’ll get depends on the individual’s skill set, and they may include anything from creating reports to copywriting and social media management.
What Are the Duties of an E-Commerce Virtual Assistant?
As mentioned, the job of an e-commerce virtual assistant can be flexible regarding what they bring to the table. Here are some of the most common services e-commerce virtual assistants offer:
Managing Your Online Store
Making minor adjustments to the same products frequently can be time-consuming and tiresome. Upgrading your inventory and changing prices for a few products may be easy, but it gets harder as you grow your business. Over time, you’ll notice managing your online store takes a lot of time and prevents you from working on other aspects of your business.
One of the primary duties of an e-commerce virtual assistant is store management. An assistant can categorize and organize your products, update inventory, announce discounts and special offers, etc.
Processing Orders
An e-commerce virtual assistant can collect information from every order and enter it into the system. This also means confirming the order to the customer and discussing potential special requests. Letting your virtual assistant take care of processing orders means you can focus on other business-related tasks.
Tracking and Managing the Order Status
A virtual assistant’s job isn’t done until the customer has received their order. Unfortunately, many things can go wrong from the moment the product leaves the warehouse until it gets delivered. A professional e-commerce virtual assistant keeps track of every order and informs customers of potential delays or problems. Moreover, assistants can be in charge of updating every order’s status on the platform, calling the logistics provider when needed or attending to status-related inquiries.
Content Creation
If you want to sell your products, you need to provide accurate and relevant information about them. Fortunately, you don’t have to stress if you’re not the creative type because your e-commerce virtual assistant can create exciting and refreshing content for your store.
High-quality content attracts potential customers and can persuade them to purchase a product from your store.
Social Media Management
A strong online presence is a must if you want to run a successful e-commerce store. Being a part of different online communities allows you to engage with customers and promote your business. Many think they don’t need to pay someone to run their social media. But, keep in mind that social media management is much more than creating and publishing interesting posts.
If you want to grow your store’s online presence, you’ll need to learn about the best digital marketing trends, explore different tools, manage a content calendar, etc. Plus, you’ll need to find time to reply to your customer’s messages and resolve potential issues.
An e-commerce virtual assistant who specializes in social media management can handle everything related to your store’s online presence. They can identify high-converting posts, plan different campaigns, and determine what social network works best for your business.
Customer Service
Caring for your customers is essential for growing your business. If your customers aren’t happy, they’ll leave negative reviews, spread the word around, and you’ll lose revenue in the long run. One of the major aspects of top-notch customer service is being available. You should be ready to reply to the customers’ questions and ensure their satisfaction.
While this may sound doable if you just started your e-commerce store, it will become too time-consuming at some point. An e-commerce virtual assistant communicates with your customers and ensures they are happy with the support.
Preparing Marketing Materials
E-commerce virtual assistants can research keywords, prepare content based on them, and spread it across different channels. All you need to do is give them the necessary information and tools, and they’ll handle the rest.
Monitoring Competition
Researching your competitors and how they manage their business can help you copy the good aspects and avoid the bad ones. Ultimately, your competition can help you reach out to potential customers and win them over.
While monitoring competition is essential, it’s also very time-consuming. However, you can hire an e-commerce virtual assistant who will research your competitors and create detailed reports to help you develop your business. The assistant can analyze the competitor’s products, marketing strategies, SEO performance scores, etc.
Market Research
The market is constantly evolving, and staying on top of the changes is vital if you want to progress. An e-commerce virtual assistant can explore viable market segments for your e-commerce business. They can establish whether the company can enter a new geographic region or target a new demographic.
Web Design
Many e-commerce virtual assistants specialize in web design. Since an organized and visually appealing website can attract more customers, hiring a virtual assistant who can improve your website can be an excellent decision. They can develop innovative ideas and visual aids to improve the website without slowing it down.
Communication With Suppliers and Distributors
An e-commerce virtual assistant can be the main point of contact for distributors and suppliers. That way, you can take a break from hundreds of emails and phone calls and let a professional handle it. The assistant will ensure all your purchases and deliveries are completed successfully.
Product Research
Do you want to add a new product to your inventory but aren’t sure your customers will like it? Instead of risking it, you can let a virtual assistant explore the product, check the competition, and make a report on whether that’s the right decision.
Who Needs an E-Commerce Virtual Assistant?
Every e-commerce business owner can benefit from hiring a virtual assistant. As you’ve seen, a virtual assistant can handle a wide range of tasks, depending on their skill set. You can take advantage of this and use a virtual assistant for tasks you don’t have the time or skills to attend.
For example, a virtual assistant can handle content creation, social media management, and customer service while you handle the rest. Or, the assistant can be in charge of market research and monitoring competition to help you grow your business.
With e-commerce virtual assistants, the options are endless. They can make running a successful business less overwhelming and more enjoyable.
The Benefits of Hiring an E-Commerce Virtual Assistant
As mentioned, e-commerce virtual assistants can handle numerous tasks related to running and growing your business. If you’re still not sure whether hiring an e-commerce virtual assistant is the best choice for your company, check out some of the benefits you could enjoy:
Save Time
This is one of the most obvious benefits of hiring an e-commerce virtual assistant. Assigning routine or specialized tasks to the assistant will get them off your plate, leaving more time to focus on other business-related tasks where your presence is more needed. Of course, you don’t have to bury yourself in work. Many e-commerce business owners hire a virtual assistant when they want to take a step back, spend more time with family, travel, etc.
High-Quality Work
E-commerce virtual assistants are highly-trained professionals who know the industry’s ins and outs. If you hire an experienced assistant, you can be 100% sure you’ll get exceptional work that conforms to the highest standards.
Virtual assistants are also up to date with the latest trends in the e-commerce world and know the best strategies to promote and grow your business. They will make use of their vast knowledge to deliver the desired results.
Save Money
Many opt out of hiring an e-commerce virtual assistant because they think it’s a waste of money. So, it may be surprising to learn that an e-commerce virtual assistant can actually save you money.
When you hire a virtual assistant, you don’t have to pay them full-time or provide bonuses or insurance benefits. Instead, you can pay the assistant for every task you assign to them. Depending on your agreement, you can hire an assistant as needed, giving you flexibility and saving money.
Of course, investing in an e-commerce virtual assistant pays off in the long run. Over time, you’ll notice the increased sales and customers.
Allows You to Focus
One secondary task per day doesn’t take much of your time. But, dozens of them will prevent you from focusing on the main aspects of your e-commerce business. Instead of spending hours replying to the customers’ messages and creating social media content, you can let an e-commerce virtual assistant handle it.
Hand all the secondary tasks to the assistant and shift your focus toward the big picture.
The Possibilities Are Endless
Letting another person handle something you’ve worked on from scratch can be difficult. But, if you choose the right e-commerce virtual assistant, you’ll notice the countless benefits. An experienced professional assistant will make running an e-commerce business much more enjoyable and stress-free. Delegating tasks to a skilled professional can help you develop your business even further.
Revealing the Top NFT Projects for 2022
Although the NFT landscape is relatively new, the market is highly competitive. Unless you’re vigilant and keep track of future drops, you risk missing out on a lucrative investment opportunity.
Fortunately, there seems to be no shortage of exciting NFT projects in 2022. But not all digital assets are equal. Some feature more unique attributes and a higher value than others. Deciding whether a drop is worth your time and crypto can be tricky, especially when seeking high returns on your investment.
However, navigating the ever-evolving NFT space doesn’t have to be complicated. This article will discuss the top NFT projects for 2022 and help you sharpen your trading skills.
Let’s dive in.
Platinum Rollers Club Collection by Lucky Block
Lucky Block rolled out its Platinum Rollers Club Collection in March 2022, exciting NFT enthusiasts worldwide. This drop includes 10,000 tokens, and purchasing one enters you into Lucky Block’s daily prize draws.
The lucky winners will be delighted by the generous reward. The jackpot of the daily games amounts to 2% of the main draw. On average, the reward fund is close to $10,000.
Adding to the exclusivity and appeal of this collection are the 25 Rare editions. If you’ve purchased one of these sought-after collectibles and your number appears, the Rare edition doubles the jackpot.
The NFTs operate on the Binance Smartchain, and you can mint one for a whopping $1,500. Lucky Block also supports the Ethereum blockchain network, catapulting these tokens to a larger customer pool.
Likely, this NFT drop will do well in the secondary market. Moreover, the original holders will receive a 10% royalty payment after each resale. This perk is appealing to those interested in establishing a passive income stream.
Note that this is an exclusive collection, and the Lucky Block team has no intention of restocking it. But if you failed to grab a token upon the initial launch, don’t worry. You can still take advantage of this excellent investment opportunity.
Industry insiders seem to agree that the value of these NFTs will continue to rise. Even if you purchase your token from a secondary market, you’ll probably be able to raise its price significantly in the weeks ahead.
Another aspect to consider is that you’re contributing to a good cause by investing in this project. Ten percent of the reward jackpot will go to a charity of the Lucky Block users’ choice.
Awesome Possums
Awesome Possums is another innovative NFT project to watch. It has an admirable goal of breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and supporting those in addiction recovery. The project caters to content creators, collectors, investors, and entrepreneurs.
This wholesome collection drops on July 12, 2022. If you wait for the launch date, you can buy one asset for 0.08 ETH. However, you might be interested in the 48-hour pre-sale starting on July 10. It’s an excellent way to get your digital hands on one of these unique tokens for 0.055 ETH.
A total of 12,000 NFTs comprise the collection. It includes 2,000 realistic assets that will go to the quickest adopters.
Moreover, the platform intends to keep 3,000 digital goods for marketing endeavors. All tokens are created on the Ethereum blockchain, and holders gain access to the exclusive Awesome Possums Discord server. The virtual meeting spot helps community members come together and support each other. It’s an effective tool for NFT enthusiasts focused on personal development.
The Discord server is more than an informal hangout spot. It features mental health sessions with qualified professionals, highlighting the platform’s drive to create high-value assets and a tight-knit community.
Additionally, Awesome Possums has implemented “The Road,” an incentive system that keeps the members engaged and connected to the platform’s core message. The system involves the following events:
- Donating to mental health charities
- Luxury holiday and tickets giveaways
- Free mental health sessions hosted on Discord
- Merch giveaways
- Five education scholarships for low-income families
Awesome Possums is a long-term project with the goal of creating a charity that provides free treatment to those in need. The team backing the project also wants to make an original VR game to break into the metaverse industry and spread their message further.
This is one of the most well-planned NFT drops to date. We’ll likely see more treats from Awesome Possums as we inch towards the end of 2022.
Decentraland
Decentraland’s native MANA token rose to popularity in 2021, garnering new audiences for the platform.
What makes Decentraland different from other NFT projects is that it’s a blockchain-based VR setting. Users can personalize their avatars and explore the VR environment by creating, trading, and gaming.
Decentraland has developed its marketplace where NFTs play a crucial role. It allows users to purchase tokens from the marketplace using MANA coins.
In addition, the platform provides players with the tools to customize avatars. Its metaverse store has different clothing options, and you can use your MANA coins to purchase land. The Decentraland landscape is divided into approximately 91,000 parcels. After buying a lot as an NFT, you can decorate it to match your preference.
This decentralized VR platform has become one of the most successful NFT projects, a far cry from its humble beginnings. What was once a pixelated grid has grown into an immersive virtual experience.
The platform has been on an upward trajectory in the first half of 2022. It will be interesting to see how it fares for the remainder of the year. Given Decentraland’s dedication to growing its metaverse, it has the potential to flourish further.
Meebits by Larva Labs
Larva Labs, the talented team behind the well-loved CryptoPunks, returned in 2021 to release Meebits.
The quirky Meebits are 3D voxel characters, and the Ethereum blockchain processes them as ERC-721 tokens. The Meebits collection contains 20,000 unique characters.
The initial thought behind the release was to create NFTs that would be more accessible than the CryptoPunks assets. However, the characters remain in high demand, with prices going up to hundreds of ETH a piece. Secondary sale prices are soaring, making Meebits one of the top NFT projects in 2022.
Furthermore, the creators intend to make the Meebits more engaging and create a virtual reality for the characters. After they inhabit a metaverse, there’s no telling how high their price will get.
Doodles
Doodles are a 10,000-piece collection that dropped in October 2021. These NFTs boast appealing visual traits and are hand-drawn, giving them a playful and whimsical edge. The colorful assets include cats, apes, mascots, aliens, and other creatures.
The team behind the project is expected to announce the news about the Doodles 2 drop sometime in 2022. This new NFT collection has garnered a lot of attention. Many NFT traders are eager to become holders and explore the ever-evolving Doodles universe.
The platform has also created an aura of exclusivity, with items such as Space Doodles being available only to collectors.
However, NFT holders have a lot of say in how the Doodle ecosystem operates. The platform views one bought Doodle as one vote, allowing users to decide on implementing new features, community events, and merchandising.
Given how quickly the first collection sold out, it’s best to keep a close eye on the Doodles website. The platform will probably release more information about the second generation of avatars in the following weeks.
Game of Silks
Game of Silks blurs the line between the tangible and the crypto sphere.
This NFT project is the first of its kind and promises to transform the gaming experience through cutting-edge technology. This play-to-earn metaverse game allows users to interact with built-in NFT assets and access features taken from thoroughbred horse racing. The game’s strategy links each NFT horse to its real-world counterpart.
This connection enables players to earn enticing rewards. The in-game version receives a prize whenever the corresponding horse wins a competition, and rewards are given using STT, the game’s native token.
The first collection of NFT race horses will be mined by mid-2022. However, the game will add new assets annually and introduce NFTs corresponding to newly registered yearlings.
According to the Silks roadmap, the avatars will go on sale in the summer of 2022. Next comes the public sale of the NFT horses, and users will be able to purchase land and stables afterward.
The game’s premise and integration of thoroughbred horseracing into the metaverse have compelled many NFT traders to back the project.
Flyfish Club
Flyfish Club (FFC) blends the world of fine dining with the crypto space. It’s a members-only dining club where you purchase a membership on the blockchain as an NFT.
FFC’s first restaurant is set to open in 2023 in an upscale New York location. The first batch of memberships sold out quickly, with the project promising to release more tokens before 2023.
This project is an enticing business venture because of the resell value on the secondary market. FFC members can resell their NFTs or lease their memberships. The token is valid for as long as the restaurant remains in operation. Moreover, members can book reservations without transaction fees.
The ambitious framework behind FFC emphasizes the real-world value of NFTs. It may serve as a blueprint for new projects in the next few years.
Stay on Top of Thriving NFT Projects in 2022
There are usually several months between announcing a drop and its launch. This timeframe gives traders and collectors ample time to research the collection and gauge its value. Additionally, many platforms regularly update their social media accounts and Discord servers, alerting users about what to expect. Those interested in making smart NFT investments should check the market regularly to stay on top of upcoming releases.
A Beginner’s Guide to NFT Marketplaces
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a relatively new phenomenon, but their popularity is on a rapid upward trajectory. NFTs are a type of digital artwork that allows creators to demonstrate their skills, gain widespread recognition, and earn money for their efforts.
However, these digital assets have also attracted traditional investors and crypto holders, seeking to jump on the crypto trend and speculate on this valuable artwork. Even celebrities like Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, and Post Malone have become interested in this unique blockchain-based phenomenon.
But where do you go to buy an asset? It’s a question that stumps most NFT beginners. To help you get your foot in the door, we’ll go over everything you need to know about NFT marketplaces.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
NFT Marketplaces: What Are They?
While you can exchange one dollar for another without difficulty, doing so with NFTs is impossible. One piece of digital artwork doesn’t equal another. Each blockchain-based asset features unique characteristics and attributes that determine its value. As a result, you can’t mutually exchange one token for another.
Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies, users can’t purchase NFTs on decentralized or centralized exchanges. Instead, the tokens are listed on virtual marketplaces specifically built for NFT trading.
Although many different options have sprung up during the last several years, we can divide these marketplaces into two categories.
First, we have local marketplaces. They only deal with assets related to a single digital space. “Local” currency is used for all transactions, simplifying the trading process and minimizing transaction fees.
Next, there are global marketplaces. Their function is reminiscent of conventional stock exchanges. They compile listings from multiple games and virtual spaces and allow users to trade using different currencies.
The ever-expanding market shows no signs of slowing down, and niche marketplaces are becoming increasingly popular. They’re user-friendly and meet the needs of their target audiences. For example, you can find spaces specifically designed for trading videos, images, artworks, and other collectibles.
Regardless of which platform you wish to access, getting started is similar. You need three things to access the perks of an NFT marketplace- a wallet, coins, and a user profile.
When choosing a crypto wallet, selecting an option that supports the blockchain network of the asset you want to purchase is essential. For example, you can sell or buy Ethereum-based NFTs using a wallet such as MetaMask because it features Ethereum blockchain support.
Before buying, minting, or listing tokens, you must fill your wallet with coins. Of course, research the marketplace and learn which cryptocurrencies it supports.
Finally, a user profile will store all your trading information and enable each transaction to go through successfully.
Another aspect new users should remember is that creating and listing tokens on most marketplaces comes with a blockchain network fee. It differs depending on which blockchain system you choose. While Ethereum has the largest collection of token dapps (decentralized applications), it also boasts steep fees.
Blockchain Options
Ethereum remains the most well-known blockchain-based network, but the list of competitors grows annually. Other systems where you can trade digital items include the Binance Smart Chain, Flow, EOS, Tron, Solana, WAX, Cosmos, Tezos, Hedera Hashgrap, and Polkadot.
Many of these systems are interoperable. If you want to buy Ethereum-based assets, you can use Ethereum-based or ERC-20 tokens. These include USDC, DAI, BNB, USDT, and more. But this option is unavailable in closed systems such as Flow. It’s impossible to purchase Flow-based NBA Topshot non-fungible tokens with BNB, USDC, or ether.
NFT Marketplaces: How Do They Work?
Although most marketplaces have slightly different user guidelines, they function similarly. After signing up, they allow you to buy, sell, and mint NFTs.
The Signup Process
Signing up to a marketplace may differ from platform to platform, but the essential steps remain the same. Users create an account profile and connect their digital wallets. Most marketplaces realize how instrumental wallets are for trading and seek to make the process hassle-free.
Typically, you press a button in the upper right part of the homepage to link the wallet to your account. All you need to do is type your wallet password to confirm your identity and complete the task. Although finishing this step only takes a few minutes, a connected wallet is a powerful tool for kickstarting your NFT trading journey.
Buying NFTs
Users can buy tokens for a fixed price or participate in auctions. Some platforms let prospective buyers contact the seller to propose a new price and negotiate a deal.
Selling NFTs
While buying NFTs is relatively straightforward, selling them can be tricky. The situation gets particularly complicated when selling an original token.
Let’s look at the steps involved in selling an NFT you’ve created:
- After uploading the digital item onto the marketplace, decide whether you’ll sell it for a fixed price or through an auction.
- Wait for the platform to verify the NFT. When approved, it will go up for sale.
- When you accept a bid, the platform initiatives a transaction and transfers coins from the buyer’s wallet into your own.
Minting NFTs
If you’re interested in creating NFTs, it’s best to start with Ethereum. The system boasts one of the most active markets for these types of assets. You’ll need an Ethereum wallet that supports the standard Ethereum token for NFT trading, ERC-721. Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask, and Trust Wallet are popular options among new users and seasoned traders.
Make sure to move about $100 worth of crypto. This amount will cover various transaction fees. However, these fees vary depending on how much traffic the network handles.
After transferring coins into your wallet, you’ll be able to use most NFT marketplaces, including Foundation, Rarible, and OpenSea. When you’re ready to make your first NFT, head to the homepage. Tap the “Create” button in the upper-right part of the interface to initiate the process.
The Best NFT Marketplaces for Beginners
You’ve done your research, you know the general principles behind these platforms, and now it’s time to decide which marketplace is best for you. We’ve compiled a list of several industry leaders to narrow your search and help you make an informed decision.
Let’s look at our top picks and what they bring to the table.
OpenSea
OpenSea has established itself as the largest marketplace for digital assets. While some websites target a niche audience, OpenSea brings variety to its users.
This decentralized platform is perfect for trading digital collectibles, including sports items, trading cards, virtual worlds, and artwork.
What makes OpenSea stand out from similar platforms is its functional royalties system. It enables the creator to receive royalties based on the token’s value.
OpenSea’s perks have paid off for the platform as its transaction volume increased by 1,400% in 2021. Despite these high congestion levels, OpenSea is incredibly secure. It logs each transaction on a blockchain-based ledger. As a result, users gain insight into the platform’s operation while digital artists receive recognition for their work.
Those who want mint NFTs often flock to OpenSea. Unlike other options, anyone can create an NFT on this platform for free.
Moreover, OpenSea is compatible with multiple wallets, ensuring a large customer pool. It works well with Formatic, Bitski, Trust, Coinbase, Arkane, Torus, Argent, and more.
Additionally, more than 240 payment options are available.
While there are no gas fees on OpenSea for withdrawals or deposits, your currency provider and wallet may attach transaction fees.
SuperRare
SuperRare is an Ethereum-based digital artwork market. Self-described as “Instagram meets Christie’s,” the marketplace prides itself on its exclusivity.
Those who want to become curated artists can send their work to SuperRare, where the platform’s team will examine the submission’s quality. NFT creators are also part of a royalties system that serves as a source of passive income.
But SuperRare doesn’t just cater to artists. Its exclusivity attracts buyers seeking to grow their collection of sought-after digital goods. You can even make an offer on items that haven’t gone up for sale and signal your interest.
Rarible
Rarible is another NFT marketplace built on the Ethereum blockchain. It’s easy to use and requires no coding knowledge.
It features a diverse NFT collection spanning domain names, artwork, music, images, and more. Selling assets on the platform is relatively straightforward. After uploading your creation, Rarible generates a unique NFT to represent its attributes and value.
The platform rewards dedicated users with RARI tokens. It’s a smart practice that builds trust and fosters a transparent environment. RARI holders hold a high level of autonomy and have voting rights whenever the site rolls out changes.
In addition to the native RARI token, the marketplace supports other Ethereum-based tokens like MANA, YTZ, and Matic. It supports different wallets, including MetaMask, Coinbase, TokenPocket, and imToken.
Foundation
Foundation is an easy-to-navigate platform that values quality over quantity. All buyers have to do to access Foundation is create an account and connect their wallets. However, you can only become a creator after receiving an invitation from an existing Foundation member.
Collectors can resell purchased NFTs, and artists benefit from the 10% royalty.
Another perk of the exclusive system is private sales. You can choose this option to buy a specific NFT or support a creator you admire.
Joining the Ideal Marketplace
There’s never been a better time to get into NFT trading. The digital world has allowed creators to reach new audiences and earn a steady income. It has also opened up new investment opportunities for buyers looking for quality pieces.
Although the rise of NFTs seems daunting, many popular marketplaces are beginner-friendly and operate on the same principles. As long as you set up an account and connect a crypto wallet, you’ll be able to buy, sell, and mint assets without difficulty.
Top 10 NFT Marketplaces You Need to Know About
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have become increasingly popular in recent years. An NFT is a unique item you can’t replace with anything else and can’t be traded or exchanged equivalently. These cryptographic assets exist on blockchains with unique codes. If you want in on the craze, the first place you need to visit is an NFT marketplace.
Since there are dozens of NFT marketplaces, it can be challenging to distinguish the right ones, especially if you’re new to this world. To help you make the best choice, we’ll discuss the top 10 NFT marketplaces you need to know about.
OpenSea
Established in 2017, OpenSea is currently the leading NFT marketplace. Here, users can mint, buy, and sell a vast range of NFTs. The digital tokens include digital art and collectibles, virtual worlds, trading cards, photographs, etc. OpenSea supports core currencies like Ethereum (ETH/WETH), USDC, DAI, and SOL. Keep in mind that it’s not possible to use non-crypto currencies like USD or EUR.
When it comes to trading, OpenSea takes 2.5% out of every NFT transaction’s final price. Other fees determined by NFT creators typically range from 2.5% to 10%.
What’s great about OpenSea is that it’s beginner-friendly. If you’ve never dealt with NFTs before, OpenSea is a great place to start.
SuperRare
SuperRare is one of the NFT marketplaces based on the Ethereum blockchain. This exclusive marketplace focuses on the art collection culture, and only a selected number of NFT artists can use it. Before something can be listed on SuperRare, it must pass through a thorough approval mechanism.
Many artists have to wait months to be accepted by the platform. Since the marketplace highlights the importance of reviewing the work before listing it for sale, investors can be confident they’re getting the highest quality.
SuperRare represents itself as an art gallery in the NFT world.
Since this is an exclusive marketplace, it’s much different from OpenSea, and it’s not the best option for beginners. Regarding trading, the transaction fee is around 15% for all primary sales. Plus, there’s a flat 3% transaction fee for every transaction.
Axie Marketplace
If you want to play the Axie Infinity crypto video game, you’ll need to learn more about Axie Marketplace. This is the game’s official marketplace where you can buy Axies, land, and other items featured in the game.
Axies are mythical digital pets bred and trained to fight in Axie Infinity. After winning a fight against another Axie, you earn coins and level up. In the game, Axies are considered NFTs, meaning you’re an owner of a specific pet. Before you start battling other Axies, you’ll have to buy at least three Axies from the Axie Marketplace.
The Axie Marketplace has unique tokens called Axie Shards. These tokens are built on the Ethereum blockchain and can be bought and sold on numerous NFT marketplaces.
It’s important to mention that the Axie Marketplace doesn’t have a buyer’s fee but charges a 5.25% fee to the seller.
Rarible
Rarible is yet another sizeable NFT marketplace, very similar to OpenSea. Here, you can find all kinds of art, collectibles, music, videos, etc. What makes it different from OpenSea is that if you want to buy or sell, you need to use the marketplace’s own token called a Rarible. Also, the marketplace supports three blockchain networks, including Ethereum, Tezos, and Flow.
Rarible features an optimized interface, making it easy to use even for beginners.
The marketplace charges a flat 2.5% fee for every transaction. Unlike many other platforms, Rarible allows transactions in fiat currencies so that users can pay for NFTs with their credit cards.
Nifty Gateway
Nifty Gateway is another example of a curated NFT marketplace. The marketplace is owned by Gemini, a popular cryptocurrency exchange, custodian, and wallet. Many agree Nifty Gateway is one of the most accessible NFT marketplaces.
However, it’s important to mention that Nifty Gateway is custodial in nature, meaning that NFTs are stored in a Nifty wallet instead of the individual’s wallet. To put it simply, another party controls your private keys. While custodial wallets reduce personal responsibility, they require individuals to trust the third party that holds their funds. If you’re not comfortable with this, Nifty Gateway may not be the right NFT marketplace for you.
When it comes to transaction fees, Nifty Gateway charges quite a lot compared to other NFT marketplaces. There’s a 5% service fee and a 10% artist fee for every transaction. But since the marketplace focuses on artwork from top artists and celebrities, many consider the transaction fees worth it. Like Rarible, Nifty Gateway allows its users to make purchases with their credit cards.
Solanart
Solanart is based on the Solana blockchain, meaning the users can mint, purchase, and sell NFTs developed on that blockchain. Although the marketplace was launched in 2021, it’s quickly gained a reputation as one of the best platforms within the Solana ecosystem.
While anyone can become a collector on the marketplace, artists first need to apply for a creator account and go through an application process before they’re allowed to mint.
Solanart charges a flat 3% sales fee and allows the creators to customize their percentage.
NBA Top Shot
If you’re an NBA lover, the NBA Top Shot NFT marketplace is something you’ll need to check out. This marketplace allows basketball enthusiasts to sell and buy NBA-related NFTs.
On NBA Top Shot, you can buy play highlights, clips, and art from the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). This marketplace is closed, meaning you can only buy and sell using the Flow blockchain.
Since the NBA and Dapper Labs developed the marketplace, you can be 100% you’re dealing with a reputable organization. You can buy some of the NFTs for only a few dollars. Of course, the prices vary greatly depending on the item.
NBA Top Shot allows you to purchase NFTs with a debit or credit card or using select cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, DAI, Ethereum, etc.
LooksRare
LooksRare is an NFT marketplace that launched at the beginning of 2022. Although still new, many predict this marketplace will be a direct competitor to OpenSea. The marketplace has quickly become a favorite because it’s the first NFT marketplace that rewards all participants.
LooksRare has introduced its own cryptocurrency called $LOOKS. Users can win different awards by staking this cryptocurrency.
The platform has lower transaction fees than OpenSea: it takes 2% from every transaction, compared to OpenSea’s 2.5% per sale. Moreover, LooksRare enables its creators to customize their fees.
Foundation
Launched in 2021, Foundation is an NFT marketplace characterized by a simple design. All sales are based on Ethereum, and since its launch, the marketplace has sold more than $100 million in NFTs.
Foundation is an invite-only marketplace, meaning not all creators can access it. So, if you’re looking for a quick way to start creating NFTs, Foundation is probably not the best option.
This marketplace takes a 5% transaction fee off every final sale price, regardless of whether it’s primary or secondary. Moreover, creators receive an automatic 10% fee for secondary sales.
Decentraland
Decentraland is an NFT marketplace and a 3D virtual-reality world based on the Ethereum blockchain. Here, users can buy virtual properties, wearables, art, etc.
Besides purchasing different NFTs, you can create your own and sell them. Decentraland is different from other NFT marketplaces because its tokens have the same value as their real-world counterparts.
This NFT marketplace uses MANA as the native token for trading assets.
How to Choose the Right NFT Marketplace?
The first thing to consider before choosing an NFT marketplace is the type of asset you want to purchase, sell, or trade. This can narrow down your options right from the start.
Then, think about the token standard. Every token has advantages and disadvantages, and you should choose the one that best matches your NFT application. Remember that some marketplaces support a wide range of tokens while others utilize only a specific one.
Another important factor when choosing the right NFT marketplace is the verification process. You want to ensure the marketplace you choose has a thorough vetting process that prevents hackers and scammers from joining.
Transaction fees are also something worth considering. Some NFT marketplaces offer more affordable fees, while others, mostly the high-end ones, charge much more.
Lastly, if you’re a beginner, you may want to start with a popular NFT marketplace that has a simple interface.
The Future Starts Now
If you want to start investing in digital assets, artwork, and collectibles, NFT marketplaces are the place to be. But, before you join in on the fun, be aware that the NFT industry is still new. The value of digital assets, much like physical art, is highly subjective and can fluctuate. Be careful when making a purchase, and always keep your investment strategy and net worth in mind.
Top 8 Data Science Trends 2022
The past two years were transformational to how businesses around the world operate. Retailers and other service providers were forced to perform a fast digital transformation to present their offers to customers. The unusual global health situation has sped up digitalization in businesses and led to an extensive amount of digital data.
Naturally, data scientist and data analyst positions have only skyrocketed now that businesses realize that data-driven intelligence is the main driver of success. As a result, we’re seeing the emergence of numerous data trends across industries. Many of them started way before the global changes emerged but will see an additional impact in 2022 and beyond.
We focus on eight trends that you should know if you’re a data scientist or work with data in your business role.
Python Domination
Python is the programming language of choice for deep learning algorithm application development. This makes it more popular in 2022 since deep learning apps are slowly becoming a hot trend. In fact, this language saw a massive increase in use last year, when it topped Java and C as a top programming language. A recent TIOBE publication showed that Python has the majority of shares in the industry with nearly 13% ratings.
Python is growing in popularity, scalability, and versatility. It serves to create web applications, GUI applications, Machine Learning solutions, and more. It’s also a cross-platform interpreted programming language, meaning that developers can run programs on different operating systems and platforms. Finally, it has straightforward and easily readable code, which is not the case with some more advanced languages.
Python finds its use in nearly every modern industry. Some of the world’s most revenue-generating companies like Instagram, Facebook, Uber, Amazon, Pinterest, and others use it for a range of systems and solutions.
The Rise of Deepfake Tech
Deepfake technology refers to using AI to create content that manipulates or misrepresents someone’s image. It can use an image, audio, and also video. It all started in 2019 when an artificial intelligence company deepfaked Joe Rogan’s voice and instantly went viral online. Ever since, deepfake technology has only improved.
It’s important to note that there’s plenty of malicious activity around this approach. For example, criminals can now use advanced AI software to manipulate the voices of chief executives to demand money transfers from employees. One such case was reported by a UK-based energy firm.
Even though there are a lot of concerns about malicious activity related to deepfake, there are also plenty of benefits. This approach can be used to mask the identity of people’s faces or voices for privacy protection. People can create brand-new avatars to express themselves online and expand their ideas and beliefs. It can also be useful for artists, in education, and also to human rights activists and journalists who wish to remain anonymous.
Augmented Data Management (ADM)
Augmented Data Management is part of the AI system that strives to automate or enhance data management tasks. It gains more traction as more companies become aware of its potential. It’s estimated that by the end of 2022, the number of data management tasks performed manually will drop by 45%.
There’s an increasing amount of data businesses must deal with when it comes to volume, velocity, and variety. This urges them to come up with advanced data management solutions to make the job less time-consuming. Augmented data management can help achieve just that.
Notable examples include spotting large dataset anomalies, tracing data from a report back to the origin, resolving issues with data quality, etc. Users can now also leverage their own data management platforms to experiment with ADM. More specifically, this approach can be used to enhance data quality, metadata management, and master data management.
If you run a business of any kind, you can consider ADM as a technical capability you can develop to streamline your work processes and bring your data management to new heights.
Explainable AI Platforms
Explainable AI is a set of frameworks and tools that helps users understand and interpret predictions made by their machine learning models. The goal is to improve and debug model performance and help other stakeholders understand the model’s behavior. An explainable AI platform describes model accuracy, transparency, fairness, and outcomes in AI decision-making.
This approach gained importance when “explainability” become an important issue for data processing teams. AI is getting more advanced day by day, so humans are now challenged with retracing and comprehending how algorithms come to results. All users must understand essential business data, and the only way to achieve so is through rule-based logic.
The explainable AI trend is especially popular in sectors like finance which are often risk-oriented.
Some of the benefits of explainable AI include reduced cost of mistakes, reduced impact of model biasing, code compliance and confidence, and more informed decision-making. It also helps banks offer smoother customer experiences, drive profitability and loyalty, and automate more of their processes.
Data Privacy Awareness
More and more businesses and users are becoming aware of how sensitive data collection, storage, and preparation are in daily business operations. Privacy issues, data leaks, and identity theft are becoming more present throughout the online sector regardless of the industry. So, to survive, companies need to become more privacy compliant. The world’s top companies like Apple have invested serious marketing efforts and budgets into promoting privacy as an important asset.
In fact, more states in the U.S. are now trying to push the privacy legislation forward. A few years ago, California was the only state with a privacy law on the books. Soon after, Colorado and Virginia followed, and now other states are following the trend.
The problem with many businesses worldwide is that they still don’t have appropriate systems in place for untangling the personal data mess that resides across their applications and systems. This can lead to frustrating customer experiences as users have a hard time learning how their information is being used. More data privacy work is needed to solve this issue in years to come.
Data Provenance
Data provenance, also known as data lineage, is an approach that seeks the origin of a piece of data. It is now a critical activity across many data science projects, and it’s only going to gain more traction in the following years. You can think of data provenance as a detailed map of all direct and indirect dependencies between data sets in a particular environment.
The immense increase of data has led to slower delivery of predictive insights, lower levels of trust in dashboards and reports, as well as an increased number of data incidents. This is why data lineage is important and will only continue to develop, especially when you consider the major business benefits:
- No impact analysis incidents
- Faster incident resolution
- Data pipeline observability
- Regulatory compliance
- Efficient migrations
- Data virtualization and consolidation
- Better data comprehension
When it comes to implementation, lineage data is more about logic such as code or instructions rather than tables and columns. It can come in the form of an SQL script, database, Java API call, or an advanced macro Excel spreadsheet. It can be anything that moves data from one location to another, modifies it, and transforms it.
Intelligent Feature Generation
Intelligent feature generation started developing in 2021 and is projected to have a long-term impact in the following years, especially in 2022. Machine learning has now become a vital part of any data analysis. Therefore, intelligent feature development for every unique case is a must for improving the overall accuracy of any learning model.
A feature is determined by what’s considered most important for an individual data set or business. For example, it’s about creating simplified queries to replace more complex ones, transforming a set of data and facts into scenarios that need certain reactions, or measuring the distance between peaks and troughs in a data set.
Benefits of intelligent feature generation include better performance of machine learning algorithms, knowledge about processes, help in visualization, data understanding, data reduction, limiting storage requirements, reducing processing costs, etc.
Customer Personalization
Online shopping has become a dominant trend ever since the pandemic hit. Most businesses had to adapt to the new reality and offer new customer experiences by bringing their products in front of the computer and smartphone screens. However, it is still a challenge for some retailers to bring these new experiences. Given that most retail businesses now have an online presence, it’s not enough to simply offer a product using the latest technology.
Businesses must come up with different ways to personalize their offer to customers to beat the competition. Thus, personalization has become a key marketing tactic that allows marketers to target customers with messaging, ads, and more.
For the most part, personalization refers to using audience and data analytics to meet an individual customer’s needs. The benefits of such an approach are obvious:
- A better understanding of the consumer
- Conversion
- Better customer engagement and feedback
- Lead nurturing
- Higher customer retention
- Higher revenue
- Brand affinity
- Social sharing
Catching Up With Data Science Trends
The emerging data science trends in 2022 have a background in the sharp changes that transformed how businesses operate in the wake of the recent world events. If you’re a business owner or data scientist, it’s important to be aware of these trends and start thinking about how to apply the ones that relate to your business.
Implementing these trends will not only help you come in line with the recent market changes, but it will also transform the way your business operates, help streamline processes, and unlock the best data science opportunities for your business to make it future-proof.
15 Robust Ways to Use AI in eCommerce
Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to infiltrate all aspects of our lives, even if we don’t realize it. From self-checkout registers and airport security checks to text editors and autocorrect, AI is just about everywhere.
The world of e-commerce is only one of the areas AI has proven invaluable. Machine learning can take online retailers to new heights, help them predict their customers’ needs, and improve business operations. But, if you’re new to AI, you may not be sure how to take advantage of it for your business. We’ll introduce you to the 15 robust ways to use AI in e-commerce.
Connect Different Platforms
Personalization isn’t new in the e-commerce business. Offering the same experience to everyone is outdated and won’t help you increase your revenue or attract new customers. Nowadays, many e-commerce businesses are present across multiple channels: websites, mobile apps, email campaigns, etc. Those who want to make the most of this omnipresence should definitely look into different AI engines.
Namely, these engines can monitor and analyze all devices and channels the customers use. That way, AI can help you deliver a seamless customer experience regardless of the platform and adjust the content.
For example, if a customer is using their iPhone to visit your website, the AI engine will register this and inform them about your sale on iPhone cases. Or, if a customer uses their laptop to visit your online store, the engine will send a notification about laptop bags. The customer can click on that notification and purchase your product, thus simplifying the entire process.
Chatbots
Thanks to technological advancements, e-commerce has switched from the mass market to building unique experiences for each customer. When communicating with e-commerce businesses, customers want fast and clear responses.
While smaller business owners can handle the communication with customers, this becomes impossible at some point. If you run a large online store, you’ll get hundreds, if not thousands, of messages daily. Not replying to those messages leaves a negative impression and can deter potential customers.
Scenarios like this are where AI, more specifically chatbots, plays a major role. Chatbots are computer programs designed to communicate with human users over the internet. They are a cost-effective way of providing excellent customer service. Since good customer service in the e-commerce world is more of a requirement than an option, chatbots can truly be life savers.
Chatbot systems can be integrated with shopping carts and provide a valuable customer support solution. While phone calls, emails, and text messaging are still valid communication channels, online chat is definitely the fastest and the most convenient way for visitors to get answers.
Better Recommendations for Customers
One of the reasons AI is becoming vital in e-commerce is its ability to predict customer behavior. AI engines gather data regarding the customers’ preferences, analyze their behavior, and deliver a personalized shopping experience by offering relevant recommendations.
For example, Starbucks uses AI to analyze the data gathered from its customers, including purchase history, preferences, and account information, to deliver personalized messages and recommendations. Another example is Netflix. The company analyzes the users’ interactions with certain genres to make recommendations for TV shows and movies.
Increased Customer Retention
Utilizing an AI allows for data gathering and more insight into how your customers think. With this information, e-commerce businesses can develop effective marketing strategies, deliver personalized messages, and make relevant recommendations to their customers. Consequently, the customers will feel appreciated and understood. Therefore, AI can significantly contribute to increased customer retention.
Automation
Automation is a term that describes technologies that reduce human intervention in different processes. The benefits of automation are numerous; it lowers operating costs, delivers consistent results, saves time, etc.
AI can help you automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks relevant to your business’ smooth operation. From scheduling emails and customer support to sending loyalty discounts and making recommendations, automation can make running an e-commerce business much more manageable.
More Efficient Sales Process
AI engines gather information about the customers and analyze their shopping carts, previous purchases, and saved items to help you understand them better. This technology can follow up about abandoned carts and reply to customers’ inquiries for you.
All of this contributes to a more efficient sales process. Instead of spending time communicating with your customers, you can leave this to AI engines and focus on other aspects of your business.
Pricing Optimization
While investing in marketing or inventory management is important for growing your e-commerce business, let’s not forget what catches the customers’ attention: price. Ultimately, a product’s price is what makes a customer buy from a particular retailer. Naturally, people don’t want to overpay for a product, especially if they can find a better price at another store. Likewise, offering much lower prices than competitors isn’t great for your profit.
One of the most challenging aspects of e-commerce is optimizing prices to match the current market conditions and the customers. Fortunately, AI has made price optimization much easier. AI engines can analyze vast amounts of data and form optimal prices based on supply and demand, your competition, customer needs, etc.
Moreover, AI tools can determine what to discount and when. Besides allowing you to stay on top of all changes in the market, pricing optimization can save you a lot of time and money.
Better Customer Service
The chatbot technology and virtual assistants enable you to deliver high-quality customer service. These AI tools can handle low-level issues and questions so that live support agents can focus on more complex problems.
A significant advantage of chatbots and virtual assistants is their constant availability. They can communicate with your customers regardless of the time of day. If your customers make an inquiry about a product and you leave them waiting, they’re more likely to give up on the purchase. However, providing instant customer support ensures maximum customer satisfaction and converts prospects into customers.
Customer Segmentation
Customer segmentation involves dividing customers based on common characteristics like gender, age, education level, location, etc. Because AI tools have exceptional processing powers, they make customer segmentation much easier. Plus, such tools can analyze complex information and offer more precise results. As more data becomes available, AI engines adjust their performance for maximum consistency and credibility.
Logistics
Getting the product from your warehouse to the customer requires planning and organization. Of course, customers want to know when their product will be shipped and delivered. Unfortunately, traffic is unpredictable and transit times can vary greatly depending on road conditions. This is where AI can help.
AI tools can analyze transit times, potential delays, and demand levels and predict when the product will reach the customer. They can update the customer about the delivery time, thus ensuring customer satisfaction.
Planning Inventory
Inventory planning is crucial for the success of an e-commerce store. Since the market fluctuates, finding balance can be challenging, especially after the pandemic. Fortunately, AI can help. Different tools can track and forecast sales and demand to help you plan your inventory accordingly. Such tools offer real-time market analysis, competition, and historical data to ensure you have everything you need to stock up on products several months in advance.
Improved Cybersecurity
E-commerce websites keep a ton of customer data that can be a target for hackers if the websites aren’t secure enough. Artificial intelligence can enhance these websites’ security.
For example, AI tools can detect potential threats like malware or ransomware attacks before they create any problems. Moreover, AI tools can protect businesses from bots.
Bots can steal credentials, set up fake accounts, and cause data fraud. Unfortunately, they make up a large portion of internet traffic. An AI can distinguish between “good” bots like search engine crawlers and “bad” ones that can cause problems for your e-commerce store.
Fighting Fake Reviews
Many people decide whether or not to purchase a product based on past customers’ reviews. Both good and bad reviews can affect your brand. But, there’s another type of review many customers don’t like seeing: fake reviews. If customers identify a fake good review, they will most likely give up on purchasing your product.
AI systems can detect fake reviews based on their characteristics and tackle them. Such systems can also give an advantage to reviews made by verified customers and enhance their visibility.
Image Interpretation
How many times have you come across a product online but didn’t know its name or where you can purchase it? With AI, this is no longer a problem because you can use it to find products based on an image.
You can use your phone’s camera to take a photo of a product, and AI tools can help you find it on the internet. In only a few clicks, you can purchase a product whose name you didn’t know up until several minutes ago. This AI tool is invaluable for every e-commerce store that sells a wide range of products.
Find Potential Customers
Sales teams don’t follow a large number of marketing leads due to a lack of time or the inability to analyze vast amounts of data. This means that you may be missing hundreds or thousands of potential customers.
Since AI tools allow a thorough and efficient analysis, they can help you find potential customers and attract them to your e-commerce store through different channels.
Take Advantage of AI
Although many people still imagine sci-fi movies and robots when they hear “artificial intelligence,” this technology has become present in every industry, including e-commerce. AI systems and tools are changing the way online shoppers find and purchase products and services. Jumping on the AI bandwagon can only improve your business and help you streamline your work.
Top Digital Marketing Trends Try in 2022
Digital marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach potential customers and sell products and services. There isn’t an industry that can’t benefit from digital marketing. Marketing trends frequently evolve to keep up with the market, and staying in the loop can be quite challenging.
We’ll discuss top digital marketing trends in 2022 and how you can utilize them for your brand.
Video Marketing
With more affordable, quality mobile data plans, we’ve seen a rise in mobile-first trends. Now more than ever, we primarily use phones to browse the internet, and video streaming has become a part of our routine. Therefore, it’s no surprise video marketing is one of the biggest digital marketing trends.
Creating an engaging video about an idea, product, or service has become much easier. Since most modern phones have excellent cameras and built-in video editors, you don’t have to be an expert to create interesting content. Short, snappy videos are easy to watch, informative, and most importantly, don’t take as much time as reading a post. Visual content is perceived better by our brains and stays longer in our memory, so why not take advantage of this and expand your marketing efforts.
When creating videos, remember that most people don’t have the time (or patience) to watch long, dull videos. A 30- or 60- second video that gets straight to the point is ideal. Think of TikTok videos and Instagram Stories and Reels that have become so popular in the last few years.
Personalization
Gone are the days when creating ads and messages for your entire audience was acceptable. Instead of targeting all your followers on social media, focus on personalization. Customers want to see the content they desire conveyed in a relatable manner. This means you’ll need to segment your followers and create different pop-up messages, ads, and emails to cater to everyone.
Besides paying attention to the content, it’s vital to consider the time and place your message will reach the audience. You need to understand the platforms your audience uses and how so that you can create personalized content for every demographic.
Although personalizing your marketing strategy may take a lot of time and effort, it will pay off. Your audience will feel appreciated, understood, and enticed.
Influencer Marketing
Although not new, influencer marketing is still popular in the digital marketing world in 2022. Influencer marketing is a great way for brands to simultaneously appear more humane and connect to their target audience.
Nowadays, there are countless options for influencer marketing. You can switch between Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and other social networks. If you opt for only one, you can take advantage of the various options within the app. For example, Instagram offers posts, Stories, and Reels, all of which are excellent for reaching your audience.
Influencer marketing can be very effective, but only if you’re careful about your choice. Before contacting an influencer regarding a collaboration proposal, you need to identify your target audience. Only then can you find the best influencer for your product or service.
CSR Campaigns and Non-Profit Activities
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategy that allows a company to be socially accountable to itself, the investors, and the audience. Fortunately, CSR strategies are becoming a standard in the digital marketing industry. Not only are these strategies beneficial for the environment, but they can improve a company’s image.
“Good” brands are always popular. Different non-profit activities can greatly impact how the audience sees individuals or companies. For example, tree planting is an excellent activity that shows a company cares for the environment and is willing to contribute to preserving it.
Different corporate policies that benefit the environment, improve labor policies, and reduce carbon footprint are only some of examples of corporate social responsibility. Using social media to advertise significant changes in a company can be an excellent way to attract new followers and build a reputation.
Besides being one of the most popular social media apps, TikTok has emerged as THE marketing platform. The app enables individuals and companies to reach their target audience within the app using different ad placements.
TikTok
Since TikTok focuses on the generation that grew up with technology, the emphasis is on short and exciting content. You can create videos that better represent your brand and attract the audience. Some of the most popular TikTok video formats are how-tos, tutorials, lip-synching videos, comedy skits, etc. All of these formats can become an effective digital marketing strategy.
Automation and AI
Social media post scheduling or analytics, automation, and AI tools are among the most in-demand digital marketing trends in 2022.
Modern AI can analyze the audience’s needs and even predict what they would like next. This has enormous value in digital marketing because it allows marketers to stay current and plan ahead. Knowing your customers’ next move will enable you to get them what they want when they want it. An AI can help you achieve high conversion rates and make your audience feel appreciated without overwhelming them.
NFTs and Crypto
Even if you don’t invest in cryptocurrencies, their rise in the last few years is nearly impossible to miss. Although it may seem non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and crypto aren’t related to digital marketing, it’s quite the opposite. Many social platforms are taking steps toward implementing cryptocurrency payments. Moreover, there’s a rising trend for tools that display in-app NFT purchases.
Jumping on the NFT and cryptocurrency bandwagon could help brands attract more customers.
Storytelling
Storytelling is integral to successful digital marketing strategies. Nowadays, customers don’t just buy a product or a service; they buy a brand’s identity. Of course, striving for high quality is still essential; but it’s also important to create a relatable “personality.” Authenticity and honesty will be appreciated by most audiences.
The audience is interested in more than a brand’s product or service. They want to learn about the company’s history, values, and stories. Genuinely presenting this information will help build a brand’s reputation. While this isn’t the best strategy for increasing revenue right away, it’s a great sales tactic in the long run.
Voice Search
Voice search is a type of technology that allows you to look for different terms on the internet by simply saying them out loud. You may wonder why someone would use voice search instead of typing, and the answer is simple: it’s more convenient. We live in a fast-paced world, and every second matters. Using our voice to make a query on a search engine, search for files, or request certain information saves us time and allows us to multitask.
Including voice search optimization can make your brand more approachable.
Quality Interactions
Conversational marketing has always been a big part of every brand’s reputation. But, with the rise of social media and chatbots, conversational marketing has become essential for customer satisfaction and brand promotion.
Customers want their answers in real-time, and replying to every question becomes impossible if there’s a large customer base. That’s why chatbots have become game-changers in digital marketing. They help brands maintain quality interactions much faster and on a much larger scale.
There’s another advantage of this: data collection. Constant interactions with the audience can help you understand their needs and expectations so that you can adjust accordingly.
Promoting Privacy and Transparency
One of the major concerns regarding social media platforms and the internet, in general, is privacy. Tracking the users’ behavior can make them feel insecure and even suspicious about their privacy while browsing the internet. That’s why promoting transparency in the use of user data has become a tactic in digital marketing.
As you may know, Google has announced that it will stop using third-party cookies in Google Chrome by the end of 2023. These cookies are placed on a website by a third party to collect information for that party. This is what allows websites to “remember” the users’ information at a later time.
While this may require brands to reevaluate marketing strategies, it can also positively affect communication and transparency between brands and the audience.
By communicating what data they are collecting and why brands ensure no customers feel tricked into giving information. Brands should try to make opting out of sharing information easy and accessible for everyone as it increases audience loyalty.
Content Segmentation
Most brands use customer segmentation to target customers of different age groups, education levels, gender, etc. Moreover, segmenting various communication forms like news and promotions is common practice.
Those who want to take it a step further pay attention to content segmentation. For example, allowing customers to opt-in and out of certain kinds of content.
Suppose your company sells cards, and it’s the holiday season, but some of your customers don’t celebrate Christmas. Naturally, they don’t want to receive dozens of Christmas-related emails and promotional content. Allowing such customers to opt out of receiving this content will make them feel appreciated.
Befriend the Trend
The only constant in digital marketing is that it’s constantly evolving. Although keeping up with the latest digital marketing trends can be exhausting, it’s the best way to grow and stay competitive.
Fortunately, there are many ways to stay updated on the latest trends. You can consult online publications, participate in digital marketing courses, subscribe to relevant magazines, read marketing blogs, etc. Don’t forget to be flexible; what’s working for your brand today doesn’t mean it will work in six months or a year. As mentioned, the digital marketing world is changing fast, and you need to be able to adjust. Assess your marketing strategy every few months, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
Reasons Your E-Commerce Sales Aren’t Growing
Five years ago, e-commerce accounted for about a tenth of global retail. Today, that percentage is closer to a fifth.
To put it differently, e-commerce is undoubtedly a growing and highly profitable market sector. Yet, not all online shops manage to reap the benefits of the ongoing e-commerce boom. If your business is struggling to bump up sales, that might be because your strategy isn’t set up or executed right.
This article will tell you about the most probable reasons why your e-commerce isn’t raking in more sales. We’ll also look at certain techniques that could help your growth.
Why Aren’t Your Sales Growing?
Generally speaking, all sales issues stem from two basic problems: poor lead generation and inadequate conversion rates.
In other words, your business isn’t attracting enough potential customers or, alternatively, can’t effectively turn prospects into buyers. In the worst case, it can do neither.
Going into more detail, the reasons for faltering sales can range from missing your target audience to lacking proper customer support and shipping options. The following list contains the usual sales pitfalls and potential solutions you can apply.
1. Missing Your Audience
The sales process starts with good marketing. In particular, it’s crucial to market to an audience that’s most likely interested in your products or services.
Of course, this sounds rather straightforward, and yet so many e-commerce businesses get it wrong.
Plenty of consideration goes into finding the right market. If you don’t have the crucial details of your customer persona figured out, chances are your marketing efforts will miss the mark. For instance, your sales might be slow because you’re trying to sell a low-tier offer to the higher end of the market.
The Solution
Studying your target market is one of the most worthwhile actions you can take as an e-commerce owner. If you want to find your customers in the expansive and highly competitive online environment, you’ll need to know precisely who those people are.
This also means understanding your product completely. It’s imperative to know who your product can help and which critical customer needs it satisfies. But those are only the basic, initial considerations.
If you want to target your ideal market with pinpoint accuracy, you should have worked-out customer personas. These are essentially invented customer characters that have the most common traits of a specific target demographic. These traits should include education, occupation, age, relationship or marital status, interests, and more.
Once you have a clear picture of your customer type, the marketing department will be able to tailor your offer so that it speaks to the very people you want to reach. In terms of lead generation, the research will pay off sooner rather than later.
2. Awkwardly Built Website
As an e-commerce, your business depends on the quality of your website. This applies to most companies active today, but is especially true for those based online.
When potential customers come to your website, they can take mere seconds to decide whether or not they want to become your buyers. First impressions matter a lot in this regard.
A poorly made website will usually do just fine in terms of traffic. However, its bounce rate will be over the top. People will visit the site and leave it quickly without converting into customers. And since a website is the central aspect of the entire campaign and sales effort, having it underperform will spell disaster.
The Solution
Building a website that converts can be somewhat complicated. It will require plenty of work and planning, but the result might be a dramatic rise in sales.
Two factors count toward a good website: design and functionality. Of course, these two are linked quite closely – a well-designed site uses its elements to guide the visitor to the essential functions, and the functionality is necessary to give purpose to the design.
Without getting into the details, as the subject of site-building is quite expansive, your website will need to look great and be straightforward and intuitive to use.
On their first visit, your prospects should immediately know what they’re looking at and where to click to view products or make a purchase. Attractive design will do wonders in getting people to stay on the site, while ease of use will ensure they don’t spend too much time figuring out what to do.
3. Inadequate Product Presentation
Many people would say that one of the main differences between a brick-and-mortar shop and an e-commerce is how customers interact with the products.
In a live environment, people can see what they’re buying up-close and, depending on the item, handle the product and try it out. Naturally, these options aren’t available online. However, that doesn’t mean an e-commerce can’t do its best to bring its products closer to potential buyers.
People likely won’t wait to pay for the product and receive it to see if it’s what they wanted. So, if they can’t view and understand the product in detail on your website, many might opt out of the purchase.
The Solution
You have two available tools to flesh out your product: imagery and descriptions.
When it comes to visual representation, it would be best to use images rather than videos. The reason for this is simple: Videos can make your website load slower, wasting precious seconds during which your visitors might simply decide to leave.
The images you provide should be of high quality and show the product in as many angles as possible. On the other hand, keeping in line with the loading time issue, you should keep the images at a reasonable number.
The other aspect – the descriptions – will need to be crafted with particular care. A good description will be clear and to-the-point, catchy, and worded to communicate most efficiently with your target audience.
If you get these two aspects right, your site visitors will know exactly what your offer contains. As a result, they’ll be more likely to proceed with the order.
4. Your Email List Doesn’t Do Its Job
There’s a widespread opinion among marketing experts that there’s no better way to boost sales than email marketing. And all of the evidence suggests this opinion is true.
However, plenty of e-commerce businesses tend to disregard this crucial online marketing rule. Their email lists are incomplete and limited – if they even exist. Instead of developing this side of marketing, many e-commerce platforms choose to rely on paid ads or organic traffic sources.
Having an ill-developed or nonexistent email marketing strategy can hurt every business, even if all other facets are in perfect working order.
The Solution
There are several proven ways to build a good email list. You can gather contact information through lead magnets, social media, and even by purchasing lists.
The crucial consideration is to get the right people on that list. Knowing who your customers are will go a long way in that regard. The other thing to keep in mind is your industry.
An email marketing campaign will have different success depending on the type of product or service you sell. Nonprofit, financial, and educational services experience an open rate of around 25%, while it can be nearly half of that for retail businesses.
In other words, the campaigns effectiveness will vary from one industry to the other. Still, it will be more effective than not having a proper emailing list in every given case.
5. Not Leveraging Mobile
The online space has been shifting toward mobile devices for some time. As the use of smartphones and tablets increased, it became imperative for every website to be optimized for mobile.
After all, mobile devices have surpassed computers as the main source of traffic in 2020, and that trend has continued on a steady rise. It should go without saying that an e-commerce without mobile optimization doesn’t stand much chance to improve sales.
When potential customers find your website on their phones, they won’t give it another look unless it functions perfectly on the device. In those cases, every mobile visitor will represent a lost opportunity instead of a potential lead.
The Solution
Every efficient sales funnel should do well not to rely on a single platform exclusively. Your website shouldn’t be functional on a PC browser alone, but that extends to other devices as well.
Going cross-device is the best possible option. Ideally, your visitors should get the same experience regardless of the device they use to access the site. All other things being equal, desktop conversions will usually be higher than mobile. However, proper site optimization will keep all options open, giving you a much wider selection of conversion channels.
6. Ineffective Shipment
Finally, your marketing and sales systems might function without a hitch. The issue with your sales might stem from the very last link in the sales chain – shipment.
Shipment time has become extremely important for customers, with Amazon building its empire in large part due to their single-day deliveries. If your shipment time stretches out to a week or more, your customers might not be returning for more.
The Solution
Use every tool available to make the shipping more flexible and as fast as possible.
You can ensure your customers get their orders in time by offering different shipping options, from the slowest free to premium same-day shipping.
It’s also worth exploring different options for logistics, as well as delivery services. In every case, you’ll need to get the shipping time in order as soon as possible.
Get Your Sales Off the Ground
It’s possible to boost the sales of your e-commerce to a much higher level if you apply precise problem-solving and proven best practices.
When you resolve the underlying issues, your business will likely see a significant increase in lead generation, conversions, and sales.
Online Store Filters: Mistakes and Best Practices
Online merchants who don’t follow the latest eCommerce conversion stats may be surprised to learn that less than 3% of online store visits result in a purchase. This is to say that the majority of visitors never spend a dime on a particular eCommerce upon the visit. This can happen for a number of reasons, and the lack of product filters is certainly one of them.
If you’ve been struggling with lower conversion rates or want to offer your customers a better shopping experience, stay tuned. In this article, we share the biggest product filter mistakes online merchants make as well as how to fix them.
Online Store Filter Mistakes
There are plenty of ways you can boost the product filtering system on your website. We hope that reading some of the most common mistakes eCommerce website owners make may help you understand what you’re doing wrong.
1. Not Including Category-Specific Filters
Many eCommerce sellers don’t include category-specific filters on their websites. For example, if a store sells computers and dryer machines, they should include separate categories and additional filters like processor type for computers or capacity for dryers.
Best Practice
The best practice for this mistake is to check the specifications already displayed on the category page for a product when choosing the features to show. This can include product size, type, price, color, etc. This is a great way to remind the consumers that these parameters are worth their attention, but you’ll also create a more convenient product filtering system in your store.
2. Not Highlighting Important Filters
Top navigation menus are usually perceived as more important by visitors compared to sidebars. Baymard has run a study comparing different approaches for placing filters on eCommerce websites and found that top menu horizontal bars appear more important and outperform the left-hand side solutions.
The side menu options may appear unnecessary or optional to users. For this reason, it’s important to highlight the most important product filters at the very top of your website or product list.
However, more than 80% of stores use a sidebar to present filters, as they’re still necessary for a smooth shopping experience. Also, most users are used to them. In fact, it’s safe to say that the sidebar is equally as important as the horizontal menu long as it’s used properly.
Best Practice
The best practice here is to take your most important and common filters and put them on top. Just be careful – you should only place the filters where they really belong. You can also feature those same filters in the sidebar to gain more on their visibility. Also, people often tend to adjust the parameters once they do the initial filtering. The sidebar is a perfect place to do that.
3. Creating Unclear Filters
Much like product name and description, filters need to be written in the same language as that of your customers and their values. Many marketers make the mistake of mislabeling the filters or using advanced denominations the shoppers don’t understand.
Best Practice
When it comes to naming filters, it’s best to analyze online search trends for your e-store or specific branch and use the same terms to name them accordingly.
Also, if you wish to run a promotion with products that have specific parameters, you can set up a custom page where you’ll feature those products and use some pre-defined navigation filters for added clarity.
4. Making the Filter List Too Long
Many e-commerce businesses stuff their websites with dozens of category lists of filters. This can be super overwhelming for the customer who wants to find what they need in seconds.
Best Practice
Aim for one to ten product filter values and remove other options by adding a “Show more” button. You can include the number of available products under one value in brackets. For example:
- Men (104)
- Shirts (43)
- Women (110)
- Shirts (50)
5. Not Allowing Visitors to Use the Back Button
Most users perceive filter applications as a new page loading. The AJAX technology lets eCommerce owners set up filters for product lists without having to reload the whole page, but most users still think they will be returned to the previous filter state by clicking on the back button. The thing is that most online stores don’t save their filter changes as a separate event in the browsing history.
Best Practice
Make sure to set up AJAX navigation for faster and smoother product loading on your website.
6. Using Batch Filtering
There are two types of filtering when it comes to how the results are applied on the website: batch filtering, where the page refreshes when the user makes a selection and hits “Apply,” and interactive filtering, where the system automatically reacts to the selection and refreshes the page by itself. Although this is a matter of choice and personal preference, the interactive filtering represents one less click action for the user, which can be of huge importance during the product filtering experience.
Best Practice
Incorporate interactive product filtering into your eCommerce for a faster and smoother user experience. However, it’s important to do this part right. If you have issues with loading speeds on your site, it may take a while before the system makes the changes. This can then cause frustration to the consumer. Make sure to test out the interactive function speed times before making it public.
Many large eCommerce businesses use the interactive filter, including Amazon and 6pm. But this doesn’t mean you should incorporate this practice at all costs. The choice between batch or interactive filtering depends on your site speed and the user’s intentions before anything else. Interactive filters work better for customers who aren’t sure about what they want. Batch filtering, on the other hand, will work better for sites with speed issues because it will save time between requests.
7. Not Allowing Multiple Selections
eCommerce owners who don’t allow multiple product filtering selections often cause misunderstandings and errors to users. When you only allow one filter option, it can negatively impact your customer satisfaction and the usability of the store.
Making several selections is important because it reminds users of all available features and lowers the risk of misunderstandings. This may sound like a no-brainer to some, but more than a third of online stores doesn’t follow this principle.
Best Practice
Be sure to provide at least two to three filtering options for your products. Again, to do this part right, look at the product description of your products to find suitable filters like color, size, shape, style, etc.
8. Keeping the “Nothing Found” Result
Hardly anything is more annoying for an online shopper than filling out selection criteria for filters and ending up with a “nothing found” return value. For example, a user may combine filters for size and color, and if there was no match, they’d be left with a blank page or an unpleasant message.
Best Practice
If a filtering criterion shows a “0” value, you should exclude it from the product characteristics lists or visualize it as inactive according to the product design. If you were to look for such examples over at Nike, you’d see how the nonexistent results simply get filtered away while making the selection.
9. Not Constantly Improving User Experience
The filtering system is often disregarded on behalf of eCommerce owners as something that’s not an issue for the users. However, a robust filtering system not only lets the visitors find products they need easier but also shows the store owners know their products inside out.
Best Practice
Think of product filters as a viable option for boosting the user experience on your website. Always look for better ways to present your offer and improve your filter design. Instead of thinking of them as passive website elements, consider product filters as an active part that should align with global trends and your target audience’s language.
If you’re dealing with filter names that the average user is unlikely to know, like diamond or necklace type, you can illustrate that with pictures instead of words. Major eCommerce stores like AliExpress follow this principle to make the filtering experience easier for all users.
The important part is to stay creative and make your filters easily accessible and understandable by your target audience. The last thing you need is repelling an interested buyer only because they had a hard time filtering a product.
Take Product Filtering to Your Advantage
Filters are an extremely important piece of the shopping experience regardless of the product or service type you offer. They are a must-have standard that lets the shoppers exclude items they don’t need from an extensive search result. If you don’t set up your product filters right, it can confuse or frustrate the consumer, resulting in them abandoning the purchase.
We gathered the most common mistakes when it comes to this important website section to help you realize whether you were making them on your site. If it turns out that you do, it’s never too late to reorganize your product filters and follow the best practice examples we provided in this article.
Remember that every detail that makes your website better in terms of user experience is an excellent investment for your business that will lead to a sales increase. So be ahead of the competition and make sure you have the best product filtering system out there.
Why the Mobile App Industry Is on the Rise?
Have you ever talked to someone about a specific problem, and they said, “There’s an app for that!” This is a common reaction and applies to many niches, including productivity, fitness, shopping, and learning.
This focus on resolving a need is at the core of why the mobile industry is on the rise. But there are other reasons why mobile apps are so popular and why there are more of them every day.
Understanding what makes them so appealing can offer insight into how they can help business owners. Plus, by examining how they’ve changed and interpreting statistics, we can make assumptions about what the future holds for the mobile app industry.
The Evolution of Mobile Apps
Most technologies are on a limited upward trajectory and eventually peak. However, mobile apps are nowhere near their full evolution. They were initially designed to help people stay more efficient, and they still play a significant role in that effort.
These days, though, mobile apps are about staying connected and being social online, which makes sense when we consider that TikTok and Instagram are some of the most downloaded mobile apps worldwide.
Also, the introduction of artificial intelligence, chatbots, augmented reality, and machine learning into mobile apps foretells that there’s a lot more to explore when it comes to this industry.
In terms of revenue share, social media apps take up important space, but the gaming and entertainment industries generate the most profit for now.
What Drives the Increased Demand for Mobile Apps?
In 2021, there will be over 230 billion mobile app downloads worldwide. When this stat is paired with the data that an average user spends around 4.5 hours on their mobile device, it’s clear to see the success and growth potential of the mobile app industry.
These days, mobile apps are more than a convenience, since most people depend on them for work and social activities. But we want to take a closer look at why people love using apps.
They Facilitate Faster and Easier Communication
We touched on this earlier, but it’s important to elaborate on the impact social media apps have on daily lives. While communication styles may vary, the modern smartphone user is used to timely communication and being able to reach another person instantly.
You can send an iMessage, rely on a text in WhatsApp, and record a voice message for an Instagram DM, all in several minutes.
Switching from one communication app to another is effortless, and we expect these platforms to be reliable. Furthermore, all these mobile apps support the creation of groups, allowing you to reach even more people simultaneously.
They Support the Growth of eCommerce
One of the reasons the mobile app industry has gained momentum is the notable growth of eCommerce. Around half of all eCommerce sales are conducted via a mobile device, and all major retailers have designated native mobile apps for iOS and Android devices.
For example, Amazon, eBay, H&M, and Shein, among other popular brands, all offer reliable mobile apps to their customers. More and more users turn to mobile apps for round-the-clock shopping, which leads to a surge in demand for mobile apps.
This allows eCommerce business owners to focus on building user-friendly mobile apps that can increase their revenue.
They Are a Top Choice for Startups
Mobile apps are not only a must-have for established international companies. They are a fantastic option for startups. Imagine if you had to call an Uber from a website or book an Airbnb from your laptop.
While it’s only speculation, it’s hard to imagine these startups being successful had they not focused on predominately offering their services through mobile apps.
They Are Budget-Friendly and Customizable
It used to be that the mobile app development was considered a luxury only the large companies could afford. But with the growing demand for mobile apps and skilled developers, getting an app for your business is more affordable than ever.
Business owners can have a mobile app developer on a budget and still get a well-functioning product. On top of that, an app can be tailor-made and offer features and custom settings that fit your product or service.
They Can Be Made by Nearly Anyone
If you’re unfamiliar or even utterly confused by coding, then trying to develop a webpage application is probably not a good idea. However, even with basic coding knowledge, you can start designing your own mobile app.
Naturally, an amateur app won’t be accepted on the App Store or Google Play store, but the idea and effort count. If you have an excellent idea for an app, you can start developing it and include a professional company at some point.
They Are Fun
Let’s not forget that many people use mobile apps designed for entertainment only. Mobile games are a massive portion of the mobile apps industry.
Even if you’re not playing any games, you’ve likely encountered ads promoting popular apps, usually based on a simple premise.
But apart from games, millions of users listen to music via music streaming apps or watch funny videos on various platforms. When you’re waiting in line or riding the train, a mobile app is there to offer distraction and pure fun.
How Can Mobile Apps Help Business Owners?
Even if we acknowledge that the rising smartphone usage has its problems, it’s also impossible to imagine a world without mobile devices.
They have simplified human existence and, by doing so, put pressure on mobile app developers to come up with new applications.
Many entrepreneurs and small business owners are also seeking to get into the mobile app industry as it can help them achieve more success. But precisely how can mobile apps do that?
Effective Customer Engagement
Brand loyalty is the buzzword that represents high engagement levels. Essentially, your customers will return to your mobile app if you offer them enough value.
Segment targeting, or creating several different user categories, is a big part of this process. It allows you to offer a more personalized user experience.
Your mobile app should contain updates about discounts and promotions and should deliver accurate recommendations. This is the power of an effective mobile app–it can transform how you engage with your customers.
Geo-Targeted Push Notifications
Push notifications are a significant part of why mobile apps are so successful. While you might disable push notifications from apps you don’t engage with, a message from an app you use at the right time and place can influence your decision-making.
Here’s an example to consider. You’re walking by a restaurant you went to a few times before, and at the same time, you receive a push notification from this restaurant’s mobile app informing you about lowered prices on specific meals.
Geo-targeted push notifications can be very effective, especially if you’re notified about a great offer. The trick is not to overuse this feature because it could potentially seem “pushy.”
Virtual Office for Employers
When it comes to business, mobile apps are not just for the customers but also for employees and vendors. A company can benefit from a designated mobile app being their virtual office.
There are many large online workspace companies, for sure. But a mobile app dedicated to employees only offers a more intimate space and can be customized to fit the company.
Better Customer Service
Premium customer service is no longer optional for a successful business. Not only do you need to communicate effectively with the customer, but you need to do so instantly.
As more customers look for brand support via mobile apps, helpful features are crucial for success. Having reliable customer service within the mobile app helps the business in a few different ways.
First, by offering a comprehensive help center and anticipating queries, business owners relieve the employees from answering common questions.
Moreover, this setup allows the customers to find the answers independently and avoid having to talk to customer service support directly.
Finally, tracking analytics from your mobile app allows precious insight into how the business can improve. It provides business owners the chance to eliminate issues even before they occur.
Competitive Edge
“Minding your own business” in business is not a good strategy. While you should be focused on providing quality products or services, you also need to keep up with the competition.
But that can be a monumental task as there are many factors to analyze. One of the most efficient ways to gain a competitive edge in your niche is to create an intuitive and feature-rich app that reflects your business exceptionally well.
If the competitors are already developing mobile apps, not joining the trend can be a costly decision.
Mobile App Industry Brings Innovation to Personal and Business Use
How many apps do you have on your smartphone? As modern smartphones have more storage space than ever, installing dozens of mobile apps on a single device is easy.
You’re probably only using a few regularly but keep the others as they might come in handy. Still, millions of apps are available, and businesses want to create an app user will want to choose. This direct engagement can be a game-changer for a brand, so investing in mobile apps is a priority.
Mobile apps are essential for eCommerce and offer incredible customization options at a relatively low price. Furthermore, the mobile app industry has not yet reached its potential. On the contrary, we’re excited to see what comes next.
Tips to Improve Your PWA Security
Your PWA (Progressive Web Application) can deliver a seamless user experience and draw more people to your platform. But as your page grows, so does the risk of data breaches. On top of that, the internet wasn’t designed to meet today’s security needs upon its launch. You’ll need to take matters into your own hands to protect your PWA.
This article will explain how to enhance your PWA security. But first, we’ll discuss why your PWA might be under threat.
PWA Security Issues
PWAs are responsibly developed, featuring smooth navigation bars that let your customers explore the platform without a hitch on their smartphones and PCs. They also facilitate data sharing and play a pivotal role in transactions.
However, not even a PWA can guarantee absolute security. It relies on advanced technology, opening up various avenues of cyber-attacks. This makes your platform vulnerable to all sorts of data breaches, but what exactly should you be on the lookout for?
There are several things, but most of the risk comes from cookies. These tiny files are generated by web servers and sent to your PWA. If an attacker obtains a post-multifactor authentication cookie, they might be able to hack into your system and access your network. This process is known as cookie or session hijacking. If an attacker hijacks your session, they may acquire crucial details (cookies) that let them disguise themselves as an authorized user and perform certain actions.
When your users don’t log out of their browser and close your PWA, the session doesn’t end immediately. It takes time for the server to deactivate, enabling cybercriminals to invade the network and collect information. To make matters worse, they can also gain access to a linked service until the session terminates or they fulfill their goals. The hacker has circumvented security protocols, harming the reputation of your platform.
How to Enhance Your PWA Security
With so many advanced tools available, you’d think there’s no way to stop hackers from compromising your PWA. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to optimize security, which we’ll detail below.
Make the Most of HTTPS
You need to provide your web application through a 100% secure network. This isn’t just a recommendation; it also tells your users your PWA is trustworthy, which is paramount when making transactions.
By default, PWAs are provided through an SSL-certified server through the HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). This is a safer form of HTTP, the standard protocol that sends data back and forth between your website and the user’s browser.
The final ‘S’ (secure) is there for a reason. It implies the data exchange is encrypted. This allows your customers to carry out safe online transfers, like shopping and banking. As a result, there’s higher PWA security, which reduces the chances of data theft.
Streamline Your RASP Solution
RASP (Runtime Application Self-Protection) resides within your PWA’s runtime code. It provides the platform with information about user requests and function calls made by the software.
Advanced RASP solutions don’t entirely eliminate the chances of cooking jacking. This is especially true if the attacker can access user sessions. However, they’re perfect for PWA security because they detect strange application behavior due to cookie theft. They also take appropriate action to terminate the session, reducing the time hackers spend on the network.
Robust RASP settings intercept app-to-system calls to maximize their security. They check all data queries in your app to enhance overall security by monitoring and rejecting inputs that can facilitate attacks. Furthermore, they shield your runtime platform from unauthorized manipulation and changes. This gives you exceptional protection and insights while swiftly preventing attacks until you can resolve underlying vulnerabilities.
To sum up, here’s what a high—quality RASP can do for your PWA:
- Application protection – Your RASP keeps hackers from exploiting application vulnerabilities without interfering with normal operation.
- Threat intelligence – RASPs can provide your security team with optimal visibility of the network so they can identify who’s trying to compromise it. What is more, they can inform your staff about the strategies used by the attackers and what part of the network is targeted.
Take Storage Architecture to the Next Level
When setting up your PWA, the simplest storage solution is to use Javascript or Typescript. It lets users enter the network, obtains the authorization token from the directory, and keeps it in easily accessible browser storage. The system then loads your token from the repository when necessary and sends it to your API. This option is implemented often, but it’s fundamentally insecure.
The main problem with this type of architecture is that it allows the attacker to steal cookies more easily. They can duplicate the access token, and the storage is vulnerable to XSS (cross-site) scripting hacks.
Although web storage can increase the performance of your PWA and reduce the time it takes to process user requests, there are more secure options. Consider switching to a local alternative to protect your cookies and prevent hackers from jeopardizing the system.
Use Manifest File
Many PWA owners enhance their network with a manifest file. This JSON item is comprised of the information users need to download and use the app properly. The list includes the app name, description, display options, and home screen icon.
Your PWA isn’t under a major threat if you don’t have a manifest file, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t incorporate it into your network. For example, many cyber-attackers utilize various cross-site scripting tools. They inject malicious scripts into the target application to extract valuable information.
Alternatively, they can link their manifest file if you haven’t configured one for your system. The security risks associated with such attacks are usually limited to aesthetics, like the name, colors, and app name. This might seem insignificant, but it can drive users away from the PWA and hurt your brand.
The best way to avoid this scenario is to integrate a manifest file. It’s installed into your HTML, safeguarding the design and presentation of the platform. It protects several crucial elements, like the background color, name, and icon. With a properly configured manifest, malicious users can’t override the information and target your application. Hence, your PWA’s description, icon, and name are secure.
Extend Your IAM Services
IAM (Identity and Access Management) services help ensure only the select people in your organization can access specific tools. The system enables you to manage your PWA without accessing the platform as the administrator. Moreover, you can use the configuration to control various identities (software or people) and hardware, like IoT devices or robotics.
Most IAMs are comprehensive and don’t work great as standalone services. For instance, multifactor authentication used independently can’t defend your PWA application. But when coupled with complementary technology (e.g., HTTPS and RASP), IAM solutions drastically lessen the risk of security breaches.
In most cases, IAM accomplishes two functions:
- Validating credentials – Your PWA IAM identifies the credentials of any user, software, or hardware using a database. This ensures that anyone trying to access the system isn’t an attacker. The solution is superior to traditional verification methods, like encrypting the platform with usernames and passwords only.
- Limiting access – IAMs only offer a certain level of access to users and members of your organization. Rather than provide unrestricted access to anyone and give them total control over your platform, they let you designate only certain individuals with full entry. Others can perform just two or three functions, such as editing, viewing, and commenting on your content.
IAM services are secure, but you shouldn’t settle for just about any solution. You should choose a system that goes beyond your local stacks. Your best bet is to incorporate cloud-based applications, especially if you plan on setting up more PWAs.
Activate Service Workers
Service workers are scripts that let you intercept and determine how your web browser processes asset caching or network requests. Online developers utilize them frequently to generate fast sites and a seamless user experience.
In other words, these are background processes that work independently of the main thread of your browser. They provide many convenient APS for your PWA while performing resource caching. This allows your page to complete activities even when you’re not using it.
But they have another feature that makes them a paramount security asset. Namely, you can only register service workers in an HTTPS-encrypted browser to safeguard against tampering. Plus, this gives you additional security tools to thwart attackers.
Here’s why you should integrate a service worker:
- They’re JavaScript-based – As service workers rely on JavaScript, they can’t access your cookies or DOM (Document Object Model) directly. Instead, they rely on postMessage protocols to link to other pages, narrowing hackers’ options when trying to steal information.
- Limited to indexedDB and Cache Storage – Service workers cache resources using indexedDB and cache storage. They don’t require your session or local web storage.
- Restricted headers – Service workers can’t set or read prohibited headers, meaning cyber-criminals can’t use them to manipulate the elements.
Take Good Care of Your PWA
The last thing you want is to endanger your reputation by exposing your PWA to hijackers. Users could lose critical data or money, and they may lose faith in your platform. Implementing the above steps mitigates this risk. It can make your system practically impenetrable, giving your customers peace of mind when visiting your network.
Hyva compatibility module development: Communications with Magento2 Rest Api
When developing the Hyva compatibility modules with third-party modules of external developers (Amasty / Yireo / MagePlaza / EheadWorks, etc), it is often necessary to rewrite pieces of code that communicate with Magento2 Rest Api.
As we know, Magento2 uses the Session-based authentication approach. What does this mean?
The Magento web API framework uses your logged-in session information to verify your identity and authorize access to the requested resource.
Customers can access resources that are configured with anonymous or self permission in the webapi.xml configuration file. For more info you can check the official guide https://devdocs.magento.com/guides/v2.4/get-started/authentication/gs-authentication-session.html.
For example we have the so called webapi.xml file that defines the Customer service web API:
The attribute force="true" mean the customerId parameter is forced to match the ID of the currently logged in user and will use automatically from a customer session. You can read more about the Forcing Request Parameters in the article: https://devdocs.magento.com/guides/v2.3/extension-dev-guide/service-contracts/service-to-web-service.html#forced-parameters
So we have an example /V1/third-party/mine/highlight/category of an endpoint (third-party modules can have their own endpoints that require customer authorization). And we will start converting a frontend part of third-party module, which executes a request to an endpoint ():
In Hyva terminology this part will be rewritten as in .phtml file:
I skip unnecessary parameters that are not of interest, here it is important for us to see how we replace the storage.post on fetch method.
So I tried to execute this implementation and get this error message:
What does this mean? I found the answer here: https://magento.stackexchange.com/questions/181161/magento-2-session-based-authentication-doesnt-work
Searching for more information, it turned out that the fetch call works differently instead of jQuery.ajax() and not send the X-Requested-With header by default.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fetch_API/Using_Fetch
The fetch specification differs from jQuery.ajax() in the following significant ways:
The Promise returned from fetch() won’t reject on HTTP error status even if the response is an HTTP 404 or 500. Instead, as soon as the server responds with headers, the Promise will resolve normally (with the ok property of the response set to false if the response isn’t in the range 200–299), and it will only reject on network failure or if anything prevented the request from completing.
fetch() won’t send cross-origin cookies unless you set the credentialsinit option. (Since April 2018. The spec changed the default credentials policy to same-origin. Firefox changed since 61.0b13.)
In order for everything to work for us, we need to add the X-Requested-With header like here:
And now it works as we would like, we successfully pass authorization!
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