Avoid Mass Chaos: Shop Online Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Each year, Black Friday is taken to new extremes and 2013 will be no exception. This season, many retailers plan to open their doors Thursday evening and continue sales through Friday. Some advertisers are even referring to the shopping event as “Black Thursday.” So now, what was once a day reserved for a sit-down dinner with loved ones has turned in to an opportunity for retailers to turn a profit. This has caused a great deal of controversy, however, since consumers are always looking for a deal, 2013 is sure to be another record breaking year for total Black Friday sales, especially since the time frame is longer.

For consumers who disagree with 2013’s lengthened Black Friday extravaganza, there is one clear option, and that is Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Black Friday. For 2013, that Monday is December 2. This shopping event is the online version of Black Friday. Businesses that sell online offer great deals at varying times throughout the day, just like their brick and mortar locations do on Black Thursday. This means consumers can spend Thanksgiving with their families, enjoy a long holiday weekend and still get a head start on Christmas shopping with great deals on Cyber Monday.

There are many benefits to Cyber Monday. Those who opt to shop online can avoid large crowds, long lines and the extremists who will do anything to get the products they want that are on sale. Further, those who shop on Cyber Monday receive similar deals to those who go out and face the crowds on Black Friday and they get to do so from the convenience of their own home. That means pajamas are acceptable attire. Free shipping is almost a given on Cyber Monday and this year, mobile commerce will have a big impact.

We heard it last year and the year before that, but it is still true this year; the holiday shopping season in 2013 will be another record breaking year. That is due in part to Cyber Monday. What started as marketing hype to boost online sales in 2005 has grown in to a huge success. For 2013, according to Nielsen, 85 percent of consumers will skip Black Friday and instead, 46 percent said they will shop online Cyber Monday. Also according to Nielsen, online shopping will increase on Black Friday; 51 percent of consumers who will shop on Black Friday intend to do so online.

When it comes to what mobile device consumers will use to shop online, Nielsen found that 37 percent will use tablets and 27 percent will use their smartphones.

Black Friday is the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Moving forward, businesses will need to consider strategies for brick and mortar locations as well as for their online stores. Need an eCommerce store to grow your business online? Or perhaps just a mobile-optimized website? Contact Azox today!

In the meantime, look for more detailed statistics from us next week. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Flipboard App Joins the World of eCommerce Just in Time for the Holiday Season

Perhaps you’ve heard of an app called Flipboard? If you’re not part of the millions of people already using Flipboard, this app, available from the Apple App Store or Google Play, allows users to create their own personal magazines filled with what is interesting or relevant to them. Social networks can be added and RSS feeds can also be populated with favorite blog sites. This app is a one-stop solution for managing a user's personal preferred Internet content. Users can simply install a “Flip It Bookmarklet” button to their web browser that makes it easy to add content from the web to their magazines or browse through the app and add or remove links via their mobile device.

Today, Flipboard announced its latest addition: eCommerce.

This new addition allows Flipboard users to create custom catalogs filled with goods they would like to purchase or just goods they simply like. These items can be added from almost any site online. When a product listing is selected, the user is either taken directly to the website or to a product layout inside Flipboard. This is determined based on whether or not the seller of the good is a partner, which leads to the second portion of the announcement. Several partnerships were formed to roll out this new feature, including Banana Republic, eBay, ModCloth and Etsy. Celebrities are getting involved with Flipboard’s shopping vertical as well, including actress Alyssa Milano and chef Daniel Boulud. These public figures are creating their own custom shopping catalogs that users can browse. Purchases can also be made from Flipboard with just a few clicks.

This new addition opens up a while new vertical for the app. Users have already created millions of custom magazines; now they have the option to create custom catalogs. These might be, “Running Gear,” “Top Holiday Gift Ideas 2013,” or “Home Decoration Inspirations.” The possibilities are endless.

Does your business have a web store? Don’t miss out on great opportunities like these by not growing your business online. With the holiday season fast approaching, we have options that can get your online storefront up and running quick and easy so you can start to experience the benefits of eCommerce. Contact our sales team today to learn about eCommerce options for your ERP platform.

New Live B2B Ecommerce Websites from Azox

A&M Marine, Inc. has gone live with Azox eSource B2B this week. The business sells marine accessories and parts and has utilized the standard package offered by Azox to create an online catalog for users to log in to and browse their product offerings. Users can place orders from this environment and return users have the option to use the Express Lane feature that helps expedite the order process.

Express Lane is a feature offered by Azox that allows a user to upload either a comma delimited (CSV) or tab delimited (Text) file containing item numbers and quantities to populate a list. Once the file has been successfully uploaded, the user then clicks the “validate” button and as long as all numbers are correct, the list can be added to the shopping cart. This is a useful feature for customers who regularly order the same products.

Azox also went live with another B2B ecommerce website this week. The second live site was developed for Goodness Greeness, which is a business focused on providing fresh, organic produce in the Midwest. This website also requires that users log in before seeing the company’s products. Once logged in, users can browse and place orders from this secure environment. Goodness Greeness uses the Express Lane features as well to make it easy for return customers to place reorders quickly.

Azox is an established ecommerce solution provider in the Microsoft Dynamics community. The ecommerce solution from Azox is available in four different environments; business, consumer, employee and mobile. For more information about these solutions, visit this web page. In addition to ecommerce, Azox also offers a payment processing solution and online bill pay. These solutions all offer seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP. Schedule a personal demo with our sales team today to see any of these products in action.