-Be Human: Consider introducing yourself, the “person behind the curtain”. You will add authenticity and credibility to your brand.

-Foster Relationships through content: Blog regularly to show that you are invested in your business, your industry, and solving your customers problems.

-Security is priority: Customers want to feel safe. Display badges, like Shopify Secure Badge or McAfee on your site.

-Excellent return policy: Highlight the fact that you make it easy to solve customers issues. Have a page and link on your footer that outlines your policy.

-Be available to talk to customers: People want instant gratification these days and not wait for days to get an answer to their questions. Consider a live chat app for your site.

-Detailed product information: They can’t touch or feel the product in their hands, so it’s important to have exact measurements and materials with some great photos, and even better a video for them to get perspective.

-FAQ – address all buying concerns up front: Customers use this to get more familiar with your brand and make them feel more comfortable and alleviate concerns without requiring your input. Use this opportunity to remind users why you are different and why they should be your customer.

-Fix Mistakes: Make sure small things like spelling and grammar are fixed, they erode trust.

Every business has to start from somewhere, and these ideas will help you get started from the ground up and grow your customer base.

Sumo: This tool is huge, literally. More than 37,000 stores use it and for good reason. It enhances your email list and increases conversions which drives more sales. It converts engagement into purchases using exclusive offers/discounts. Recapturing cart abandonment with immediate incentives to complete the sale.

Plugin SEO: Search engine ranking is arguably still the best method of free organic traffic. Someone needs something, so they search for it. This plugin helps you identify, troubleshoot, and resolve SEO issues, leading to more free web traffic.

Yotpo: One of Shopify’s most favourite apps. You can generate sales by increasing your product reviews which in turn cranks up your stores trust and conversion rates. Free light version available.

There you have it! Give these Shopify apps a try and I’m sure you’ll see your sales increase.

#ecommerce #marketing #shopifystore

Looks like CRA isn’t extending the income tax deadline like they did in 2020. And this year will be one of the most complicated years for most Canadians to file because nearly a quarter of Canadians received the CERB benefits, and many more will qualify to expense their home office if they worked at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic (if you did, then file form T777 with your income tax). 

If you haven’t filed, here are some tips to speed up the process before they are due tomorrow!

Get your documents together, some basics ones:

• T4’s from employers
• T4 from CRA if you received any CERB payments
• RRSP Withdrawals – T4RSP
• Expenses (utilities, maintenance… etc) and square foot/meter info for your T777 Home Office Expense.
• Notice of Assessment (NOA) from 2019

Visit your tax advisor ASAP or download some free software to file it yourself (it’s surprisingly easy), like Studio Tax. 

Don’t miss the deadline, it’s a big deal! Especially if you are receiving CERB because the CRA will stop those payments. And if you file late, CRA says there will be an 8-week delay to receive payments again.

Best of luck!

#tax #taxes #smallbusiness #canada #ecommercebusiness

• 2020 hit brick and mortar stores SUPER hard and more people are buying online. No surprise there!
• Retail stores are pivoting to selling online really quickly. And if you aren’t, you NEED to. Stores that have made the switch made up on average 94% of lost POS sales.
• The forecast for 2021 is that more people will continue buying online vs in a store and you need to embrace this change because it’s not going away.

I think Retail will be a and retailers really do need to embrace change and focus on building their ecommerce stores (if they haven’t already).

#ecommerce #retail #retailers #marketing #shopifystore

Read the full report: The Future of Retail in 2021 | Shopify  https://www.shopify.com/pos/future-of-retail-2021

Within a matter of weeks, COVID-19 has disrupted companies’ 2020 operating plans and strategies. Venture investors are advising their portfolio companies to become as capital efficient as possible to endure the next 18 to 24 months.

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