Ecommerce Mastery: 36 Valuable Lessons From My Experience Working With 20 Shopify Clients
Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a successful e-shop? As a business owner who has worked with countless Shopify clients, I can tell you that this is no easy task. But through their examples, I learned valuable lessons that helped me grow my own business.
From identifying lucrative segments to creating engaging product descriptions, my clients have taught me the importance of attention to detail and persistence in the face of obstacles. They also showed me the power of effective marketing strategies and the impact of customer service on brand loyalty.
Through my experiences with these clients, I have gained a deep respect for the challenges of running an e-commerce business, as well as the rewards that come with running one successfully. Join me for the lessons I've learned and the strategies I've developed through these experiences.
1. Okay Elektro from Shopsys to Shopify Plus
✅ Before making any financial decision or investment, be aware of your margins and budgets.
✅ Invest considerable time and effort in mapping requirements, processes and needs to achieve successful implementation.
✅ Dream big! Don't let the naysayers hold you back. Sometimes team members who resist change leave, and that can be a good thing.
✅ Learn to communicate in the language of corporations so that you can effectively help large organizations achieve their goals.
✅ Even large corporations can embrace change and step out of their comfort zone to achieve growth and expansion
2. Assisting another agency with Ford Online Shop
✅ If speed is a priority, an MVP approach may be necessary, but expect multiple iterations to get things right; if stability is a priority, be prepared for slow turnarounds and delayed deliveries.
✅ Shopify is versatile enough to meet the needs of any business, no matter how large or complex, as long as you work with the right partners.
✅ Collaboration between multiple agencies can be challenging and risky, leading to competition for the client's respect.
3. Replacement of the entire IT team at Mana™️
✅ Brand and Innovation Masterclass: Mana emphasizes customer experience, constant product research and absolutely beautiful design and content. This means that they are sometimes willing to sacrifice the speed and performance of the site and even give up the currently trending development frameworks. It's alright! They don't care about empty metrics - they care about their loyal customers.
✅ If you're ready to expand, consider having a different Shopify store for each region. Not only will you have 100% control over localization, but you'll also have a testing ground in smaller markets for bold experiments that you'll eventually want to implement in your main store. When Mana released their subscriptions, we were able to test them in the US and Germany before they penetrated their primary market, the Czech Republic.
✅ You don't need an army of developers to build an amazing online brand! Since Mana did not want to become a technology business, at the beginning of the collaboration at u, they could close their IT department and do all the work they needed without their own developers.
4. Ledvance : Clear collaboration (pun intended)
✅ Streamlining your processes, leveraging the technologies you use and avoiding legacy systems that erode your productivity is key to success. After the successful launch of the first Shopify store, it was important to build all other international stores on the same platform so that the work done so far could be leveraged without delay.
✅ Working with people from different departments and countries to achieve a common goal is not only challenging, but also a necessary skill when serving corporations.
5. Tepe USA : Loyalty and subscription
✅ If you find the right model for you, building an affiliate system to get new customers can have a huge ROI. It can become so good that you can invest more in that particular acquisition channel than you spend running the rest of your online store.
✅ Long-term relationships are the absolute best!
6. Bloom Robbins formerly known as Bloom Hair
✅ Small teams can achieve big dreams when they focus on success.
✅ Focus is the best weapon any company can have. Whenever possible, discard what is less important to your main goal.
7. Get inspired by the Journal
✅ A solid and educated in-house team can support your business in unimaginable ways. Don't rely on agencies, freelancers and consultants for too long - build your own expertise as well.
✅ Get inspired and influenced by your customers - they are your biggest fans. Don't build what you think they want; instead, ask them and involve them in the process. Make them co-creators of amazing products that only you can build for them.
8. Oxo Tea ❤️ Air&Me
✅ Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty! Bet on it! Bet on your customers. Build long-term relationships with them.
✅ Choose software that is tailored to your company's specific needs and processes, ensuring that it is the best fit for your business.
9. Kolkata Chai from the heart of NYC!
✅ Change is often better than staying in the same place. For any e-commerce business, finding the right partners to help you grow and improve your solution is a key step to not only avoid technical issues, but also to achieve your goals.
✅ Continuous improvement is the right way. You don't have to redo everything from day to day. Small, repeated steps go a long way. Google "Kaizen" for more iterative improvement inspiration.
10. Dagsmejan - luxury sleepwear
✅ Relentlessly explain to your audience why you are unique. The more you prove this point, the easier it will be for you to charge the right prices for your products (ie higher prices).
✅ Sleep is very important. :D
11. Non-profit e-commerce with Bottletop
✅ Nonprofits can be sexy and exciting too!
12. Showcasing beauty with Galleria Armadoro
✅ Be hungry - don't settle for the success you've achieved, but keep finding new ways to break the glass ceiling. Even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone or making tough decisions.
13. Vitro Glazings : not your typical online store
✅ There is always something to improve. Don't settle for the current state of your solution. Keep thinking about how to move it forward and be positively influenced by the partners you've made along the way.
14. IQAir - First in air quality
✅ As a checkout-only solution, Shopify is a strong choice for big brands selling worldwide.
15. Working with the exciting startup Fabini
✅ Reinvent yourself and don't stick to your first ideas. Every startup has a game plan: sometimes you have to stick to it and sometimes you have to break away from it and do what the market wants you to do instead. Listening to customers and making the right decisions is the hallmark of a great and wise founder.
16. Boyd Blade & Ferrule Can't Keep Up With Demand!
✅ Product is king. If you have a unique offering that satisfies an unmet need or want, it doesn't matter how fancy your website is. You will sell more than you can handle!
17. Curly Hair : From Drawing Board to Shopify Plus
✅ Anyone can turn their side project and passion into a fully-fledged business.
18. Lumeo : smart and proper dropshipping
✅ Dropshipping can be a great springboard for your business. It doesn't have to be a fraudulent and low-quality bazaar at all. Be creative with the tools you have and you can build a great business out of anything.
19. Just Care Group migration from Magento
✅ Just because you run a B2B online store doesn't mean you can sacrifice user experience.
✅ Magento is a nightmare for most businesses. Shopify has made their lives much better and easier. However, migrating over 12,000 SKUs was not much fun. :)
20. Rawckz everywhere!
✅ Sell online as much as you can, but don't ignore offline sales channels like conferences and exhibitions. For your specific area, they can be essential for gathering customer feedback, visibility and building long-term relationships with your customers and fans.
I hope you found value in these lessons and key takeaways! Please comment which ones resonated with you the most.
