Listen, I get it. Setting up an online store via Squarespace offers a ton of out-of-the-box simplicity compared to tackling site design and a pile of code, and the beautiful templates and intuitive CMS make opening up shop online a breeze.  But don’t let that ease fool you - scaling eCommerce operations into a high-performing machine still takes savvy strategy. Without thoughtful setup and smart management choices, what seems straightforward can quickly snowball into an overwhelming headache. Over my years building websites and consulting for scaling entrepreneurs looking to unlock growt ..read more

Watch The Video READ THE POST Are your customers abandoning their shopping carts without completing a purchase? It's possible that your current shipping strategy is working against you! If you want to improve abandonment rates, increase your average cart values, and provide a seamless shopping experience on Squarespace, look no further than my highly recommended shipping strategy. In this post, I'll guide you through the steps of setting up this conversion-optimized shipping strategy on Squarespace. Not only will it boost your sales, but it will also leave your customers super happy. That’s w ..read more

Are you ready for the 2023 holiday selling season? The holiday shopping season provides a huge opportunity to bring in business from new and returning customers, and it's the most wonderful time of the year to spread some holiday cheer while boosting your sales. There’s a reason it’s called Black Friday, after all! We all know that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are known for incredible deals and major discounts, setting the stage for a frenzy of shopping both in real life and online. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day are the most hectic time of the year for brick-and-mortar re ..read more

Times of economic uncertainty can undoubtedly be the cause of sleepless nights. And, c'mon - it would be weird if worries about customers' ability or willingness to spend and other general financial concerns didn't get to us!  But savvy entrepreneurs have a way of always getting creative when times seem the toughest. This is where brands, especially smaller ones, get to show off their flexibility and ability to pivot in ways that giant corporations simply cannot.  For small eCommerce brands specifically, there are some quick changes you can make to your online store to ensure you ca ..read more

If there’s an area where every single online seller seems to struggle, it’s trying to figure out what to charge for shipping and delivery. It’s such a challenge because there’s a very fine line between a solution that eats into your profits as little as possible and one that doesn’t completely turn customers off at checkout. I tell nearly every client I work with that they absolutely should be offering some form of free shipping. It can be a hard pill to swallow but if you consider that more than 80% of U.S. shoppers say that shipping cost (combined with shipping speed) is one of the biggest ..read more

One of my earliest memories of online shopping in its modern form was when I first discovered sephora.com while cruising the internet at the job I had during my last semester of undergrad. It was 2002 and I worked in reservations at a golf resort. In between booking hotel rooms, coordinating spa treatments and reserving tee times, I spent most of my time in my little half-cubicle online shopping.  I loved that I could see all of the things and take all the time I wanted to compare products. I had a particular fondness for “value sets” of products and often made little spreadsheets calcul ..read more

Did you know that it's predicted that 95% of purchases will be online by 2040?! Great news if you're an eCommerce retailer but not so great news for our planet when you think of all the wasteful packaging that will be created. I'd like to challenge you to make a brand commitment to using environmentally responsible packaging. Getting started doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Start by just doing an audit of the layers of your packaging to ensure there’s nothing unnecessary that could be eliminated. From there, look for packaging made from non-renewable materials that can be switche ..read more

Half the fun of shopping online is that whenever the mail comes you get to unwrap a little present to yourself! And yet so many startups and small businesses kick the can down the road and put off investing in custom packaging because they think it’s going to be expensive or difficult to source. But I say that if you’re spending all the time and energy working on your custom eCommerce website, why let your customers down when it comes to unboxing? Custom, branded packaging makes such an impact - not just in the unboxing experience but in building brand loyalty, referrals, and repeat visitors ..read more

Your shipping strategy is arguably one of the most integral parts of your whole eCommerce setup. It’s how you can easily lose money if you’re not paying attention to the details… but also how you can gain tons of loyal fans if you dial things in right. Customers expect orders to arrive fast and cheap - even when shopping for higher-end, luxury items. Most eCommerce shoppers expect some sort of deal for free or reduced shipping and want to see packages at their door in no more than a week. Long story short: it’s a lot to ask of the average small business owner to deliver on! In this post, I’ll ..read more

It’s one of the #1 eCommerce rules: if you’re looking to boost online sales, offer (free) returns & exchanges. Not only is this just great customer service, it’s an excellent way to build trust with new & returning customers while also reducing abandonment rates. I mean, people can get more than a little nervous about buying something if they think they’ll be stuck with it if they decide it’s not for them for whatever reason. I know I’ve personally chosen not to shop with companies that don’t offer returns or exchanges on more than one occasion! “47% of shoppers indicate that an easy ..read more