Though it may make for high drama to root for the underdog, the simple fact is that the giants got to the top because they did things better. This is especially true when it comes to web design and performance. Recently, e-commerce guru Internet Retailer released an article listing the best e-commerce sites based on the Dynatrace analysis. Not surprising, the best sites belonged to some of the world’s largest businesses, which makes us ask the question, “What are they doing that we should be?”
Costco’s Responsiveness
A responsive site is more than simply your website redesigned for mobile devices and varying platforms. It is one that is usually driven by JavaScript, which manipulates the information so that it responses to the user’s needs. If a viewer is looking at the site on a smartphone, then it will display differently than a desktop. Fine text or important graphical detail can be expanded on any platform in a responsive environment.
Take a page from retail giant Costco’s responsive web site. Though it is extremely robust, offering thousands of items including services, the site is user driven and responds to the viewer’s platform.
Apple Is Now AMP Optimized
Number three on Dynatrace’s list, Apple has gone beyond simply being responsive. In 2015, Google launched a new project called Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), which promised to speed up mobile sites without the need to reinvent the web design. Apple has used this along with an overall optimization to nearly double its mobile speeds. AMP works primarily for the static pages of a website, caching the template so that load speeds are faster. This is important for content publishers but can also give a boost to e-retailers. Take a look at your site and see if it has any static content. If so, optimize it using AMP.
Connect Media Like Amway
Social media is a way of life and the retail leaders understand this. The 30th largest private company in the United States, Amway understands the importance of social media. Right from the company’s home page, you can access its Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube or Instagram accounts. Amway also understands how to network its information, having a listing on the Forbes site, which has its social media links. This ability to create networks of networks increases the company’s market penetration.
PC Connection and Integrated Marketing Communication
Social media is just one of the layers of a robust marketing campaign. Marketing theory tells us that all of a company’s communication needs to be integrated so that it is saying the same thing on every channel. PC Connection not only integrates its marketing message across social media but over all of its advertising. The company’s motto, We Solve IT, is a central theme that differentiates it from other technology vendors, and all of its marketing, including web design, is planned around it.
Tiger Direct Uses Hybridization to Move a Lot of Inventory
Technology vendor Tiger Direct’s specialty is moving a large amount of inventory. Sure, that may be the goal of any distributor but Tiger Direct has taken its inventory control and blended it with its marketing. Stale items get discounted and find their way to the top of the website right next to comparable accessories that will sell at premium price. This hybridization of inventory management and sales marketing is one reason that Tiger Direct is a leader in technology sales.
