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Shopify 3D Scanner Can Make Products Come to Life

Check out the best Shopify 3D scanner apps, you can quickly and easily create dynamic 3D objects to make this vision a reality. They're great for photogrammetry, enjoyable, and easily accessible! It just can be available on IOS 17.

2024 Shopify side hustle ideas: Easily make money online

Making money online opens a huge opportunity for anyone to earn more money.  Whether you're a student looking to balance academics and income or a stay-at-home mom managing household responsibilities, these side hustles offer flexibility and potential earnings. Loads of side hustles can help boost your income without disrupting your daily routine.

The power of simplicity in RFQ - Request for quote

The secret to higher sales: Make the RFQ process simple

There is a big problem in the e-commerce landscape: many businesses make the buying process needlessly complicated. Especially for those business structures that need to hide their prices from customers and let their customers request quotes, this can become an even bigger problem.

People keep seeking solutions on “Big” things: Maybe my marketing strategy is not good enough, maybe my price is not cheap enough, etc. But the solution is simple: Make everything … SIMPLE. Because of one reason: Shoppers don’t like complex things. 

Black friday ecommerce break sale record

Black Friday 2023 breaks record in sales: What you can learn

Have you made any purchases on this Black Friday? Yes, I have. Even I had yet to make a plan to buy anything, but look around for any good deal. So congrats, we made a contribution to the $10 billion online shopping of this year's Black Friday sales.

The dust has settled, the receipts have been tallied, and the verdict is in – Black Friday 2023 once again breaks the record. Hold on to your shopping carts, folks! Let's unwrap the highlights of this retail rollercoaster – the good, the great, and the downright.

The Shopping Tsunami

Talking about the shopping season, all of us know about the famous Black Friday, but who says the fun has to stop after one day? Nope, we stretched it out like that extra piece of pie on Thanksgiving weekend, making it a retail party till Mr. Santa lands on your roof!

Leading up to the big day, everyone was putting on their prediction hats. Will people spend more than the GDP of a small country this year? Spoiler alert: Yes. Analysts were doing their thing, and the consensus was like, “Get ready to shop like there's no tomorrow!”

As forecasted in Adobe report, this year customers still expected to spend more than ever this holiday season. 89% of the survey respondents said they will shop online this holiday season.

And 62% said deals are important for their shopping. I’m totally related that I live for deals.

black friday break sales record holiday season onlien spending

So, why did Black Friday 2023 become the shopping superstar? Maybe people were just craving a bit of retail therapy after a rollercoaster of a year. Or maybe it was the marketing geniuses who convinced us that we absolutely needed that talking toaster (because who wouldn't want a toaster that compliments your breakfast choices?).

Whatever the reason, this year's Black Friday set the bar higher than that awkward mistletoe encounter at the office party.

Black Friday sales break records

Now, let's talk numbers – the kind that makes accountants break into a happy dance. Black Friday sales this year were like a jackpot on turbo boost, growing faster than your Wi-Fi signal during a Netflix binge.

And for sure, it’s Black Friday that becomes the MVP of the holiday shopping season. 

Sales revenue from online shopping on Black Friday reached a record high of $9.8 billion, up 7.5% from last year, according to report.

Now, let's talk about the e-commerce maestro, Shopify. This platform was basically the MVP of the MVPs. If Black Friday were a basketball game, Shopify would be the player making almost half of the three-pointers. Seriously, they were like the unsung hero of online sales, helping businesses – big and small – turn their Black Friday dreams into reality.

According to Shopify, their merchants set a Black Friday record with a combined $4.1 billion in sales.

Shopping peaked when collective sales reached $4.2 million per minute at 12:01 p.m. EST on Friday. You can watch their live report about global sales at bfcm.shopify.com.

The mobile decade

This year is set to be the first-ever mobile dominant holiday shopping season.

And more than half of that revenue, about $5.3 billion, came from mobile purchases, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, Vivek Pandya, told CNBC.

Consumers are especially likely to purchase through their phones during peak family time - Thanksgiving and Christmas Day are consistent highs for mobile revenue share. Most mobile users are Millennials, Gen X, and Gen Z.

Otherwise, we can see that conversion rate are not as high as on the desktop. There’re still room for merchants to improve their mobile experience.

Black Friday discount

To incentivize stronger consumer spending and growth while also offloading excess inventory, we expect retailers to provide double-digit seasonal discounts within the range of 12-35%.

The strongest discounts will reach new heights and peak strength starting from November 17 and spanning across Cyber 5 (Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday). Discounts will fall as deep as 35% before weakening to 16% for the remainder of December.

Read more about >>Psychology behind discounts and how to use discounts to boost sales>>

So, dear reader, armed with this retail wisdom, how can you ride the upcoming shopping seasons and conquer the challenges of the next year? Well, here's the secret sauce:

  • Learn from the Data: Dive into the sales analytics of Black Friday 2023. What worked? What didn't? The numbers are your best friend in this game, helping you refine your strategy for the next retail showdown.
  • Embrace the Online Wave: E-commerce is not just a trend; it's a retail revolution. If Black Friday taught us anything, it's that the online realm is where the action is. So, polish up that website, streamline those checkout processes, and get ready to conquer the digital shopping space.
  • Connect with Your Audience: The magic of Black Friday wasn't just in the discounts; it was in the connection. Engage with your customers, understand their needs, and create an experience that goes beyond the transaction. After all, loyal customers are the real holiday miracle.
  • Prepare Early: The early bird gets the worm, and in retail, the early planner gets the sales. Start preparing for the next shopping season well in advance. From marketing campaigns to inventory management, a well-thought-out plan is your ticket to a stress-free and successful holiday run.

As we wrap up this Black Friday saga, remember that every shopping adventure is a chance to learn, adapt, and triumph. So, gear up, entrepreneurs and shoppers alike. The retail rollercoaster never stops, and with the right insights, you're not just riding the wave – you're making it. Until next year's shopping spree, happy strategizing and may your carts be ever full! 

The power of transactional emails during Request for quote (RFQ) process

Transactional emails in RFQ: Don't send boring emails!

Transactional emails are those messages sent after the customer takes action. Did you know that transaction emails can have a mind-blowing open rate of 80-85%? Surprising, right? These are the emails customers never ignore. But here's the catch: they often feel robotic and devoid of emotion, simply because we automate them for efficiency.

But what if we told you that transactional emails have untapped potential? This blog post will show you how to transform these seemingly cold messages into conversion machines that forge strong customer relationships.  

1. What is transactional email?

2. Marketing emails vs. Transactional emails

3. How to use the full power of transactional email?

4. Why is transactional email important?

What is transactional email?

The emails that seem to be emotionless in fact hold a big power inside. Most marketing emails are happy with 17-28% open rates and 2-5% clicks. Yet transactional emails regularly get 40-50% of recipients to open up. Even better, 10-20% click rate - way above marketing messages. It will be a huge waste if you as a business owner only use these emails to send “robotic” messages.

Marketing emails vs. Transactional emails

Transaction emails can do beyond the basic functions! How?

So, the important question is, how to utilize these transactional emails to make the most of them? Simple, with these….

Practical tips to fully use the power of transactional emails

Tip 1: Personalize, personalize, personalize

Avoid sending emails like “Hi there, my valued customer”. It makes recipients realize it’s a mass email you send to all of your “valued customers”.  Add a personal touch to your email, simply use their name whenever possible. Personalized subject lines increase open rates by 29-50%! You don’t want to miss this huge profit.

Personalize transactional emails for better performance

Tip 2: Give them more information

When customers submit a quote request, they're expressing a strong interest in your offerings. However, simply slashing prices to the extreme won't guarantee conversions. To truly seal the deal and turn that quote into cash, it's crucial to demonstrate the unique value your business brings to the table. Take advantage of the RFQ process by highlighting the following added values in your emails:

  • Product knowledge: Share insights, tips, and highlight key features and benefits. Help customers optimize product usage and make informed decisions.
  • Make comparisons: If customers are considering multiple options, provide a comparative analysis. Show them why your offering stands out and meets their unique needs.
  • Success stories or social proofs: People love to hear from other successful stories to build trust and start using themselves.
  • Extra value: For example, if you are selling technical devices, emphasize that your customers receive a package with 2 years of maintenance. This way, they perceive they're getting more value and long-term support.

By providing this valuable information, you'll deepen their understanding of your business and foster a stronger sense of trust.

Give readers more information in the email

Tip 3: Upselling & cross-selling, why not?

Normally, we use marketing emails to encourage increased purchases. But sadly, most of these emails are not even given a glance from the customers. However, when sending transactional emails during the process of Request-for-quote (RFQ), you can promote related products or services. It would be best if these recommendations were related to the ones they are showing interest in. With some existing automation tools built for Shopify, you can easily access the “Customer also viewed” inside a quote request to know more about their interests and give them tailored suggestions.

Give additional information through transactional emails in Request for Quote process

Show how extras provide extra benefits. Give discounts for multi-item orders. Clients like saving money. Custom solutions show you understand their needs. It helps form a long partnership, not just one-time sales. The goal is to add as much value as possible every step of the way.

Tip 4: Make it visually appealing

An image of a juicy, flavorful beef hamburger worth a thousand words. Make your emails easier to read with blocks of text, bullet points, formatting, and white space. So your customers can scan and read easily. Some websites to get inspired by the email templates you can find are: reallygoodemails.com; mailbakery.com; and pinterest.com. Or you might use the templates provided in the Shopify applications to quickly have a branded and professional email to send. 

Get more transactional email templates in Quote Snap

Transactional emails are important! Here’s why

 Let’s quickly go through the importance of transactional emails during the RFQ Process:

1. Building customer trust

This is an example of the importance of trust, especially in the world of e-commerce, where you make anything delivered to your bed in a click.

David - a photography enthusiast, just submitted a quote request for a specific camera model. After that, he didn't receive anything: no email, no confirmation. Days passed, and David started to doubt if his request had been received at all. The lack of communication left him feeling uncertain and frustrated. As a result, David lost trust in the store's professionalism and decided to explore other options.

Transactional emails create high credibility for customers

2. Enhancing Customer Experience

David’s experience could become more delightful if there were some quick catch-ups after he submitted a quote form. Transactional emails play an important role in providing the customer with transparent communication. 

Types of transactional emails for RFQ Process

3. Drive revenue growth

There are a lot of tools to set up an automatic flow of sending transactional emails. This contributes significantly to the process of getting more sales from quote requests. A timely transactional email will keep customers like David engaging with the brand and have a higher commitment to the deal provided by your business. Moreover, this kind of email can be a perfect channel for upselling or cross-selling opportunities, which will be discussed in the next part of this blog.

 

Don't Just Send, Sell: Boost Transactional Emails with Automation

In conclusion, transactional emails are a powerful way to forge strong relationships and drive sales if handled properly. Tactics like personalization, rich information, upselling, and design can transform these emails into powerful conversion drivers.

There are many powerful tools that automate workflows while maintaining a human touch. Businesses can easily set up request forms, automated email sequences, and get detailed reports. This gives the best of both worlds - efficiency through automation, but also a personalized experience every time. Transactional emails are one of the greatest untapped channels - so don't waste any more time utilizing their full power to boost your business.

Get Quote email templates that actually convert with Quote Snap

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