Migrating to Magento 2? Here are the Risks You Must be Aware of

Migrating to Magento 2? Here are the Risks You Must be Aware of

by | Oct 8, 2018 | Web Design

Migrating to Magento 2Magento 2 is now almost three years old and despite the company pushing hard for businesses to migrate from Magento 1.x, there has been abysmal momentum till now. We?ll get into some of the reasons why businesses are so reluctant to move on to the next technology but it is worth noting at this point that as Magento 1.x reaches its end-of-life in 2019, they seem to have little choice but migrate. And while Magento has stepped in to alleviate any panic by announcing at least 18 months of additional support, the passive message it is sending is that it?s time businesses seriously start working on a migration plan.After all, depending on the size of your business, the actual migration itself may take around 3-4 months and if you throw in the extra few weeks for prioritizing tasks, negotiating with Magento developers, and post-migration troubleshooting, the entire process would easily skew over six months.Read Related: You Need to Know All About Magento 2

So what if you refuse to migrate?

Well, technically there is no compulsion for you migrate to Magento 2.x. It?s not like that other software that simply stops working unless you update them. But it has its implications. First of all, you would stop receiving security updates, thus making your platform not just vulnerable but the prime target for cyber-attacks. From active attacks on servers and websites to passive snooping, you will be essentially on your own. Then there will also be the gradual degradation in performance, spiraling into a mediocre if not bad user experience. At such point, the store essentially losses all its leverage of using a sophisticated platform like Magento. This should make it clear for any business that migrating to Magento 2.x is now a matter of when not if.

Why are businesses reluctant?

Upgrading an eCommerce store from Magento 1.x to Magento 2.x isn?t like updating your smartphone. It?s more like rebuilding your store with a new set of tools that comes with a whole lot of challenges:

Disruption

The first concern that most businesses have when they consider migration is the disruption that it would ensue into. Many of them have a perfectly fine store but migration would mean:
  • Building new themes from ground up
  • Building new extensions that aren?t supported in Magento 2
  • Discontinuity in business operations

Cost

Migrating from Magento 1.x to Magento 2.x isn?t just a matter and inconvenience but also comes with considerable overhead costs including:

Uncertainties

Along with the disruption and cost, migrating your well-running store to a new platform also involves some unforeseen risks which include:
  • Any change in indexing can cause problems in SEO with potential traffic and revenue loss.
  • Magento 2 is still a long way from being mature and there are still many stability related issues that will uncover only after you start using it.

So what should you do?

Knowing that you have to migrate your store one way or the other, there is no use waiting for the last moment. Plus given that almost all stores running on Magento will now move to migrate. The sooner you act, the more chances are that any top Magento development company would be available for your project.
How to Expand Your Online Retail Store

How to Expand Your Online Retail Store

by | Oct 4, 2018 | Business, E-commerce

Many businesses in today?s day and age have an online store. It is the cheaper alternative to renting out spaces, and online shopping has also become common among people. No matter what a company specializes in, learning how to expand an online retail store is an important venture to increase profit. Here are four steps you must take in order to achieve this.Innovating more goods and services is the first stage, given that you cannot expand if you do not have something else to offer people. Organizations must also thoroughly invest in their marketing tactics and use any programs and technologies available to their advantage. Lastly, by expanding you are also becoming a global company, and you must better understand exactly what this means. Innovate more goods and services Innovation and creativity are key to a successful business. Take a look at what you are currently manufacturing and think about how you can expand into other categories or even come up with new merchandise. You can?t grow your retail store without having additional items that you can offer your customers. What value are you providing them with? Why would your audience want to purchase from you? As a company, focus on creating and offering more goods, if you want to grow not only your retail store capabilities but also your customers. Marketing tacticsFor people to know about you in the first place, you must invest in marketing. The chances are that you have already done this with the retail store you had thus far, but if you expand it, you must kick gears up a notch. Ensure you have the appropriate people working on this aspect of the company, and grow your social media and digital marketing efforts, and even public relations partnerships and initiatives.Take advantage of software programs You must also consider how you will put your plans into action and expand your store. You will not be able to do it without the help of certain software programs, as your endeavors are rooted in technology by working on the world-wide-web. Ensure that what you are using will be credible as well. For instance, you can read more about an e-commerce software company that will help you manage your merchandise flow, synchronize and automate by looking at the following website - sellercloud.com.Become a global company It is time to expand past your local pool of customers and reach people on a global scale. You are already operating online, and it?s now a matter of targeting the right groups and understanding how different markets work. What has worked for you in America may not perform as well in Europe, and you must determine how you will change your products and services accordingly. Moreover, don?t forget that you will need to ship internationally, and thus export your goods everywhere. Expanding your online retail store will benefit your business in many ways and can be achieved with the right employees and strategies. Every company wants to increase their profit margins, and grow your capabilities, both in new products and markets, will achieve this.
Difference Between Native & Web App Development

Difference Between Native & Web App Development

by | Oct 4, 2018 | Off Topic

The use of apps has been increasing day by day. With the increasing rise in the use of smartphones, it has become inevitable for almost every business to provide apps to their customers. If you are into the development of apps, you must be knowing that apps are of two types-native and web. You must communicate the difference between the two to your prospective clients so as to avoid any confusion later. We shall here discuss the difference between native and web apps and also their pros and cons.

Native Apps

The apps that are developed for a specific type of mobile device and the ones that can be installed directly in the device are classified as native apps. Users can download these apps through App Store.Native apps are built for a particular operating system such as Apple iOS or Android OS. So, an app made for Android will not work for Apple and vice versa.

Pros of Native Apps

  • They can be made to run offline so it is easy to access them anytime.
  • These apps give a faster performance as information is stored on the device locally.
  • Native apps are built for specific systems and that is why they have improved safety and standards.
  • Native apps can access the device hardware so they give increased user experience.
  • Cons of Native Apps
  • Developing a native app is comparatively costly and the cost doubles if the apps are to be made for several platforms.
  • It is difficult to get the apps approved for several app stores. Sometimes, the process can be tedious and long.
  • The use of the app is dependent on the customer?s willingness. They are worth if a number of customers are ready to install and use the app.

Web Apps

The apps that can be used through the mobile browser and the ones that require an internet connection to operate are known as mobile web apps. These apps can be accessed directly over the internet and they do not require a device installation, unlike the native apps.These apps are developed using technologies that are similar to the website. For example, both require HTML, CSS, JavaScript and similar language. This means that such apps can be operated from most of the devices.

Pros of Web Apps

  • A single web app is accessible across different types of devices and thus they do not require separate development for Android or Apple.
  • These apps are easy to update and maintain. They do not require any permission or approval from the store before making it visible to the users.
  • They are easier to discover through search results.
  • The development of the native app is less costly and time efficient.

Cons of Web Apps

  • Web apps are limited as far as accessing the mobile device is concerned.
  • The browsers have several versions and so it becomes difficult to develop a single web app that works well with all of them.
  • They are not present in the app stores. Hence, they won't appear if someone is searching through the app store.
  • There is a limited quality control for such apps and so the security of the app is compromised.
  • Web apps are not available offline.

Conclusion

Both Native and Web Apps are different and both have their own pros and cons. The choice between them depends upon several factors. If you want to build an app that is versatile in terms of operating systems on which it runs, then a web app is a favorable choice. But if want to provide an app that is more feasible with the device and rich in terms of interaction, then a native app is the best solution.Apart from this, the cost of both also remains a factor. The development for both is different and so it depends on you to decide the budget and select the choice accordingly.If you still have confusion, you can always consult an expert. All need to do is approach a reputed app development company. Tell us in comments about how did you like the article.
8 Evergreen Content Marketing Tactics That Always Work

8 Evergreen Content Marketing Tactics That Always Work

by | Oct 3, 2018 | Marketing

Is it possible to create evergreen content in a world full of technological advancements and innovation? The answer is yes. Having answered that, what do you understand evergreen content marketing strategy as? It is a tactic implemented in the creation of long-lasting, relevant, and consistent content. Just like the evergreen trees, this content never becomes obsolete. A well-planned content marketing yields to numerous beneath it's for your business such as reduction of marketing costs, the creation of long-lasting search engine optimization rankings, and leads and traffic generation. Strategies used include;
  1. The origin/source story strategy
Plays a vital role in informing your audience about how you began and reasons for starting your business. Thus creating secure connectivity between you and your audience. Some of the guidelines for telling your source story are;
  • What lead you to the establishment of the company, service or products that you are currently offering?
  • What significance do you anticipate it has brought to the existing market?
Do not give stories. Be brief enough to captivate audiences all over the web pages. Remember, your source story has to be a compelling site that readers cannot resist.
  1. The journey?s store strategy
Its primary purpose is for the enlightenment of your audiences about your ups, exhilaration, downs, bruises, and bumps on your path to your current position. For instance, in the Rodan and Fields? blog, you see their fair review updates for the lash boost product. Sharing the unbiased and real-time experiences of people will increase your brand value.Your journey?s story acts as information to your audience. You let them know where you came from (source story), current position, and where you intend to go. Strong connections with your audience through the shared experience of your journey thus promoting your brand?s authenticity, trust, and appreciation.
  1. Biggest mistakes strategy
This content adds up to the general audiences? shared experience. It is acceptable to make the biggest mistakes. Let your audience know you are about them and how you intend to better them. For instance, you can address biggest mistakes done by your team pertaining your brand or product, or site an example of brand or company in your industry which committed biggest mistakes and how you intend to be different.
  1. Highest achievements strategy
This could be a part of your journey?s story. You openly tell your audience of that moment your biggest expectations came to be. For instance, it could be the date you launched your product or brand, the achievement of a certain milestone, the receiving of your industry?s recognition, or won a certain award. Unlike the news perspective (won a certain award), the evergreen strategy concentrates on the achievement of the moment. In other words, the evergreen strategy focuses more on the moment rather than the occasion. For example, using an interesting blog, tell about your product?s launching date.
  1. The how-to strategy
Is your industry always captivating the new audience? If yes, this is a prerequisite for you. These articles educate and inform as well as introduce the new audience to your industry?s jargons, skills, and history. By doing this, you actively involve yourself in increasing their experience. For example, you could use a combination of interesting blogs, visual treats as images and videos, and provision of relevant information to guide your audience into being knowledgeable about your industry. Whenever you are using this strategy, make good use of keyword optimization to capture the attention of numerous audiences possible.
  1. The top-ten list strategy
Do you have a top-ten list? If not, what are you waiting for? If yes, big up yourself. Well, it is essential for you and your business to have a regularly updated top-ten list as events occur. This list is a perennial choice in all businesses from entertainment to technology. It is a requirement for you to perform regular updates on it. For instance, this list could be tied to seasonal occasions or reward shows. When coming up with this list, make the article shareable and strong.
  1. The best practices strategy
Just like the how-to articles, articles on best practices are regularly searched and used actively by your audiences. The best strategy here for you is to highlight any changes that have been done to best practices on an annual basis to keep at par with your audience. As you do this, you might consider making references to the preceding year to ensure your content stays evergreen through the creation of connectivity between the outgoing and new blog. For example, using keywords, you can highlight the best practices for previous years then show the changes occurring.
  1. The formats strategy
Always exercise answering the audiences? queries and delivering real value. For example, if asked how it is used, you should be in a position to give the how-to in a valuable, reliable, and consistent manner. You might also consider making use of emerging trends. Be careful though as you use patterns. Not every emerging trend is evergreen thus cautious consideration should be made. If your article helps your audience to comprehend emerging trends, then you are most likely to see positive change in your traffics. It may result in high new traffic, referral traffic, and returning traffic.ConclusionIn conclusion, despite the strategies given, you have to ensure that your content is highly captive to search engines and audiences alike. Your content should, therefore, be extremely searchable, applicable universally, high value, timeless, produce consistent traffic as time passes, should be of common interests and should be of specific interests. For strategies to work best, you have to be smart. Remember, the secret here is to create timeless content for your articles which will be highly searchable and ranked high by SEO thus increasing your traffic. You have it all to create evergreen content. What are you waiting for?
Digital Marketing Trends To Follow For Creating A Strong Online Presence

Digital Marketing Trends To Follow For Creating A Strong Online Presence

by | Sep 27, 2018 | Marketing

There are numerous ways a company can market today. However, there are effective and non-effective ways of marketing. There are new rules for marketing each year. business must follow these new rules. For 2018 there are many new rules and regulations for marketing that business must follow.This article will discuss eight new ways for digital marketing that business should follow in 2018. These eight new ways to the digital market in 2018 include artificial intelligence, programmatic advertising, chatbots, personalization, video, influence marketing, social messaging apps, and visual search. Each of these will be examined in more detail below.Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence was once looked at as something out of a science fiction movie, not as something a company would use in their advertising campaigns. However, the use of artificial intelligence is becoming more and more popular. With artificial intelligence, a company can better predict what a consumer wants. By this, we mean that the artificial intelligence software will analyze customer behaviours on many levels. These behaviours could be to analyze the number of time that a company is being talked about on social media. It could also be to analyze what is being said on social media and what the client wants. Programmatic advertising Artificial intelligence plays a role in the use of programmatic advertising. Artificial intelligence buys up ad spots. The AI will be better able to identify the audience when buying up the ads. This way the ad campaign has a greater chance of success. There are studies that show the use of programmatic advertising will be on the rise over the next few years. Research is showing that those marketers who use programmatic advertising in 2018 are more likely to have campaigns that are successful than those who do not use the technology. Chatbots Chatbots are becoming popular with consumers as well as business. There are studies that show the chatbot is quick to respond to the customer and does not ever get the response wrong. This is a crowd pleaser for many clients.Consumers like the idea of talking to a chatbot to solve their issue. Many sites have employed the use of chatbots. The year for increasing the use of chatbots would be this year. Companies who use chatbots on their sites are more likely than not to gain and retain customers. Is that not what marketing efforts are a matter of? Personalization Personalization is the use of getting personal with the clients marketing emails. This can be done with the addressing of the email to the client. Also, if you show the client recommendations based on what they have purchased on your site, they will feel like you know them personally. This is the idea of personalization. There will be clients who feel more important when you address them by name as opposed to sending out a bulk email that is generic. Clients will feel as though you care about them. This is important in order to 2018. Recently, consumers have not been wanting to feel lost, they want to feel indispensable. An established SEO agency can guide you here in providing the latest Google algorithms and how to work on it. Take help of them and create a remarkable experience for your customers.Video This is using video to advertise instead of a blog or article. Videos are becoming the thing of today. Where you can say the same thing in a video that you can say in a blog or article. However, you say it much faster within thirty seconds and customers are more likely to frequent your site. Video marketing might not have gotten much attention in 2017. But, it is getting attention for 2018. Studies are showing that customers have a very low attention span. They no longer wish to spend thirty minutes reading an article. They always want to spend thirty seconds and get the same information. Influencer marketing This is a form of marketing that will take someone who is a celebrity, or someone who is well known on Instagram or Twitter and use them to advertise the product to you. For instance, you can sell watches. You will want someone to advertise that has many followers. If you advertise with someone who has many followers to consumers are likely to listen. They will listen because they trust the opinions they read online about products and services. Therefore, to use and influence to market for you is a smart idea in 2018. Social messaging apps These are apps like Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp. There are countless people who only communicate through these apps. So, companies that communicate with clients via the Whatsapp and Facebook messenger are more likely than not to have happy customers. Delighted customers are those customers who tell their friends and family about your business and the experience they had with your business. Their friends and family are likely to become your next clients. Also, a happy customer is a customer who is more likely to return to your site than someone who had a bad experience. Visual search Getting on the bandwagon for this one is becoming challenging. This is ensuring that you have pictures of your products and your service on your website. Visual search customers will input a photo to the search engine. The search engine will show results of similar images and also facts about an item. This is facts about the item that might be reviews of the item. So, if you are selling a product or service you will want to have positive reviews of your service. Otherwise, back to the client believing what is read about a company, you will get negative publicity. In conclusion, this article discussed the eight forms of digital marketing that cannot be ignored for 2018. These are areas of marketing that are becoming popular this year and will be growing in popularity in the next few years. Within five years, all these forms of digital marketing will be used by everyone who does business on the internet. This will be almost everyone who does business. After all, most people purchase things on the internet now and are at risk of in the future as well.