Meet Shoploop, Google’s latest toe-dip into creative digital selling. It’s been called everything from a “Tik Tok for shopping,” to a new version of an old idea, to the next hottest thing in the future of online buying. Some even liken it (for better or worse) to telemarketing for ecommerce.

Somewhere in the middle may work. It goes without saying that the younger generation of consumers is already fully on board with video. They’ve cut their teeth on it, be it through large-screen gaming to Instagram feeds. That captive audience is fruitful, but older shoppers are also taking to the medium in large numbers. The upshot is an intriguing way to personalize and expand your marketing.

The Google surge to dominate online buying explores the spiking reliance on video to entertain and inform, turning the tables and using it as an ingenious way to offer detailed visual and audio product information. Shoploop is under the Google “Area 120” umbrella, which explores ways to expand its reach into ecommerce. Unlike close competitors and platforms, its video services come grouped, eliminating the need for multiple apps.
​
At rollout, its focus is on the obvious sectors such as clothing, cosmetics, and skin care. Expansions are inevitable as the trend catches on.

Big business may not be on the radar screens of small-time ecommerce merchants, but there’s one that should grab your attention if growth and prosperity is a goal. Bolt, a simply-named checkout technology platform formed in 2014, just received a massive cash infusion of $50 million in venture funding.

What does that mean for you? Likely a more efficient, secure, and seamless way to process sales transactions. The recent spike in online sales attributed to the Covid-19 global pandemic has led to shifts in industry trends, and Bolt was solid enough to sway investors.
Bolt is offering a free trial, and if you’re so inclined, this is the time to get in. Their beefed-up resources mean even more attention to serving you as a customer, so you can serve your customers.

The San Francisco-based firm brags of an impressive annual growth rate for ecommerce merchants using its service. Uptime is also admirable, ensuring reliable access.  Its checkout speed is estimated to be nearly 50 percent quicker than what competitors offer. And the best news of all? The costs are low. Very low.

True to trending consumer behavior, the company is focusing on mobile transactions, which account for a skyrocketing proportion of online sales these days. Its improved platform reduces the number of fields customers need to complete their purchases, which is a huge selling point that pares down cart abandonments. More important, it helps avoid drop-offs by offering post-checkout registration, instead of forcing buyers in mid-sale to commit to creating an account.

​As Bolt is a cloud-based platform, it offers a combined service bundle of checkout, payments, and integrated fraud protection--guaranteed by the company to be zero— in a single product. All major payment providers are compatible. The upshot here is that retailers using Bolt are better equipped to compete with the giant Amazon. 

Ecommerce partner opens up no-cost opportunities to rev up your store

Rifling through the Good News file for ecommerce merchants, one entry stands out as a legit reason to be intrigued. The mega e-tailer is offering free access to its product listings service that corresponds with user searches.

This rolled-out feature first appeared in late April 2020. Apparently the company is pleased with its results and has decided to make it semi-permanent—or as permanent as anything in the digital universe may be.
​
This is a boon for mobile marketers, especially, as it allows them to show off their inventory to customers in a hurry to buy. Website traffic from closed brick-and-mortar vendors who have jumped on board to recapture plunging revenues is promising. For its own purposes, Google reports a figure close to 400 million shoppers worldwide every single day.

As we continue to face unknowns and unfathomables in this era of Covid-19, the need to stay focused on recovery for both patients and businesses becomes critical. The devastating impact on people’s lives and health are indisputable. But the toll on economies, and businesses, is also the basis for crisis management strategies.

If there is a silver lining for ecommerce merchants struggling to survive 2020, it’s a surprising increase in potential customers from a demographic they thought was unreachable: Boomers. Older consumers are understandably less comfortable with conducting financial transactions online, but that has changed rapidly over the last few months as shuttered retail stores and empty shelves have driven them to digital shopping.

Will it last? No one knows. Some industry analysts believe that as storefronts begin to reopen, older shoppers will abandon the idea of buying over the internet. Yet others think there is an opportunity for ecommerce vendors to capture a decent share of this market – if they play their cards right.
​
It’s interesting to note that nearly 75 percent of online shoppers have shown a willingness to try out new venues during the Covid era. That demonstrates an active desire to explore the benefits of remote purchasing, and it could benefit your business. Among consumers surveyed, 76 percent of those over age 55 say they would try a new brand or venue if they were to be enticed with an online coupon or discount.