Author: Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.

Holiday Shopping: Browse versus Search

November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 Ina Steiner

It’s not easy catching buyers’ attention. When it comes to holiday shopping online, are people browsing or searching for their gifts? A new Tophatter survey of over 1,000 US consumers found that nearly half (48.5%) prefer to find holiday gifts Read more

Weather Disrupts FedEx Express Service Nationally

November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 Ina Steiner

FedEx issued the following notice today about a national disruption to its FedEx Express service: FedEx Express National Service DisruptionFedEx Express experienced substantial disruptions at the Memphis hub last night due to frozen precipitation and below freezing temperatures. Potential delays Read more

Marketplaces Engage Shoppers through Email Marketing

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019 Ina Steiner

Email marketing is an effective way to drive shoppers to retail sites, and you can tell a lot about a company’s strategy by looking at the content of its marketing emails. Etsy has been hammering the “free shipping” messaging in Read more

Etsy Holds ‘EtSEO’ Listing Critique Session on Wednesday

November 10, 2019November 10, 2019 Ina Steiner

Etsy sellers can submit their listings to be considered for a critique by Etsy experts on Wednesday. The “EtSEO” session will provide sellers with advice on how to improve their listings for greater visibility and improved conversion. “With guidance from Read more

From the Editor – November 10, 2019

November 9, 2019November 9, 2019 Ina Steiner

John Donahoe stepped down as CEO of eBay in July of 2015 and got a gig at ServiceNow, an enterprise cloud company. Last month came the surprising news that he is taking over the top spot at Nike. Meanwhile returning Read more

Online Sellers Guide to Flat Rate Shipping

November 9, 2019November 11, 2019 Ina Steiner

UPS is more aggressively targeting small- and medium-sized online sellers and is leveraging agreements with services like Stamps.com and Shippo as it seeks to gain more share in the ecommerce market. That’s significant considering how many small sellers rely on Read more

Ads Becoming Essential for Sellers on eBay, Etsy, Amazon

November 9, 2019November 9, 2019 Ina Steiner

These days, it may not be enough to list an item on eBay, Etsy or Amazon and expect it to be seen by shoppers. Your listing competes not only with scores of rival listings, but with promoted listings (paid ads) Read more

EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – November 10, 2019

November 9, 2019November 9, 2019 Ina Steiner

In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From shipping issues to payment processing, from fees to online marketplace policies, EcommerceBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air your views. Ina,Just a heads up, the new tax rules Read more

Facebook’s WhatsApp Introduces Catalogs for Small Businesses

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 Ina Steiner

Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging app has introduced a catalog feature for small businesses. “Catalogs are a new feature for businesses to showcase and share their goods and services directly on WhatsApp so people can easily browse and discover something they would Read more

Amazon Tightens Up Some Policies to Be More Buyer Friendly

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 Ina Steiner

Amazon is tightening up some policies to be more buyer friendly. The following are some announcements the marketplace made this week. Changes to Return and Refund Process for Seller Fulfilled OrdersEffective November 15, 2019, if you are fulfilling customer orders Read more