It’s the end of November, which means you’ve survived Black Friday and Cyber Monday and are probably focused on the rest of the holiday shopping season. However, don’t lose sight of what comes after – the New Year.
Everyone will soon be making their resolutions, whether it’s to get in shape, save money, or reach a new professional goal. As fun as it is to make resolutions for yourself, this is also a great time to make resolutions for your Magento online store. Below are our top five eCommerce resolutions for 2017.
1. Make the switch to Magento 2
We really can’t say it enough – don’t wait to make the switch to Magento 2. It’s the perfect way to start the new year fresh and give your site a little makeover. Magento 2 has been available for over a year now, meaning any initial bugs have been fixed, more people know how to use it, and more businesses are completing the upgrade. There are so many great features in Magento 2 you can take advantage of: better checkout, full page caching, improved scalability, increased speed, improved SEO tools, and a more user-friendly experience, just to name a few. We are a Magento 2 Trained Solution Partner, so let us know if we can help.
2. Get updates
In October, Magento announced security patches and upgrades for Enterprise and Community Editions. If you have not already done so, make sure to implement the patches or upgrade to Enterprise Edition 1.14.3.1 or Community Edition 1.9.3.1. These updates resolve some important issues including security issues, shipping calculations, product pricing, and integrations. For more security tips, check out Magento’s post on security best practices.
3. Do a site audit
New Year’s is the perfect time to evaluate your current site and decide how to refresh your strategies for the future. We have talked before about how to conduct an online presence audit and how to audit your site for SEO. We can also perform a comprehensive code audit for your site. Performed by a certified developer, the code audit evaluates your site for performance, health, security, and best practices. Another consideration for this year is how mobile responsive your site is. Google is moving to mobile-first indexing, which means it is more important than ever that your mobile site be just as good, if not better than, your desktop site.
4. Focus on customer service
Start the New Year with a renewed focus on amazing customer service. As the eCommerce marketplace becomes more and more crowded, retailers must continue to set themselves apart and offer a unique value proposition. One of the most effective UVPs is superior service that turns a one-time purchaser into a customer evangelist. More tips here, here, and here.
5. Plan ahead
The world of eCommerce moves quickly and sometimes things that are really important can still fall by the wayside. Resolve to plan ahead as much as possible in 2017 so you can always be prepared for what’s next. By now, you should be thinking about business goals, a budget, and a marketing plan in place for next year. If you aren’t, that’s priority number one. Take some time in January to evaluate the effectiveness of your holiday plans and promotions, as well as your product and performance data throughout 2016, while everything is still fresh in your mind. Before you know it, it will be time to clear out your old inventory and plan for spring sales. Remember to always try to plan several weeks or months in advance so you can make the most of every opportunity.
Be at the top of your game in 2017 with ongoing support from ParadoxLabs. Contact us today at 717-431-3330.