All Posts in Infographic

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Despite advances in cybersecurity technology, data breaches remain a serious threat to organizations. In 2019, about 4.1 billion records were exposed in data breaches. 

Cyber-criminals are now leveraging technology against enterprises and deploying advanced cyber-attacks that are difficult to detect and eliminate in a timely manner. This alone – delayed identification and a weak response plan – can be fatal for any organization and lead to severe consequences. 

Since the number of data breaches is increasing every year, determining how to safeguard their organizations against these cyber-attacks is becoming a more regular conversation between business leaders and security experts. 

Despite the dire consequences of a data breach, not everyone recognizes the serious threat that data breaches represent. To give you a better understanding of how a data breach could be devastating for your business, here are four long-term effects of a data breach:

Effects a Data Breach Can Have on Your Business in the Long Term

Image Courtesy: Cypress Data Defense

About the Author

Aaron Cure is the Principal Security Consultant at Cypress Data Defense and an instructor and contributing author for the Dev544 Secure Coding in .NET course. After 10 years in the U.S. Army, he decided to switch my focus to developing security tools and performing secure code reviews, penetration testing, static source code analysis, and security research. You can find more about him here.

|In: Business|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

When it comes to email marketing, there are a lot of things that you can do to optimize your campaigns. At least, that’s what the editorial team at 99 Firms found when they researched the subject. You can check out all that they learned in the infographic below this post, and it’s great stuff. For us, though, one part really stood out – the section about automation and triggering.

Image Source

After all, who doesn’t want to find a way to make marketing a lot easier. Besides, considering that the open rates of triggered emails are about 95% more than average emails, it’s a tool that no business can really afford to ignore.

Let’s delve into this subject a bit deeper!

What Does Automation and Triggering Mean?

It’s simple – when a trigger event happens, like when someone signs up for your email subscriber list, an email is sent to them. You can choose whatever trigger points you like.

Why Use Trigger Points?

Trigger points are helpful because, according to HubSpot, the average person requires around five touches before they make their final decision to buy. Most people won’t make a buying decision right away – they want more information first.

Providing them with key information at the right time along the way will help to guide them into making the right decision-buying your product.

What Information Should You Provide?

This is where it gets a bit trickier. You need to match the information provided to where the client is in the buying cycle. Are they in the information-gathering stage, or have they already decided that your product is a good contender?

Pushing the sale while they are still in the early stages is bound to be counter-productive. Providing them with purely informational content at this stage, however, will enhance the experience for them.

Say, for example, that your prospect wants to buy a sewing machine and comes to your site to browse. They look at a few models, sign up to your subscriber list, and then leave. How serendipitous would it appear to them if they then received an email talking about the different machine stitches or features that help to create a professional finish?

Naturally, you would avoid all mention of actual brands, but all the features would be available on models in your store. Moving along, you could follow up with an article on different feet, or how to stitch certain fabrics, and so on. As time passes, you can start getting into specifics about actual models available.

All the while, you are providing value for your client, keeping your company name in their mind, and proving your company’s expertise. When they decide to buy the sewing machine, they will turn to you first.

What Trigger Points Should You Choose?

This depends on what works best for your company. What trigger points make sense? Many companies opt for an abandoned cart as a trigger point, but there could be many others to consider as well.

The key to getting this right is to provide the client with relevant information and to use the emails judiciously. You need to strike the balance between enough communication to nurture the relationship, and not appearing spammy.

Infographic Source

|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

According to Statista, India has one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world. It’s predicted that could exceed $52 billion by 2022. Considering that total online sales in India totalled just over 16 billion in 2016, that’s an astonishing growth rate.

Considering that the global market overall is projected to be worth over $4 trillion in 2021, India is becoming a serious player in the e-commerce scene.

This makes this an exciting time to get into e-commerce in India. The growth rate in online sales has been attributed to the fact that Indians are now able to access cheaper internet connections through mobile.

Online sales today still only account for about 4.4% of the total retail sales for the country, so there is enormous potential for growth. So, if you’re planning on getting into the e-commerce game, now’s the time.

How Easy is it to Run an E-Commerce Store?

Running an online store is very different from running a brick and mortar store. There are a ton of books out there telling you how you can build a massive income overnight online. It’s not quite as simple as just setting up a website, though. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons.

The Pros

There are advantages in terms of reduced overheads and staff costs. There is no need to pay rental for a physical store or to pay for staff to man that store.

There is also a big advantage in that your website will be out there operating for you twenty-four hours a day. It will be your hardest working employee and one that won’t require a salary or benefits. So, you can make money while you sleep and let the business run largely on autopilot.

You have access to a much wider market base as well. People from all over India, and even the world will be able to order from your store. An online business can also be easier to scale up, especially if you are acting as a retailer for other people’s products.

The Cons

There are challenges as well, though. First off, there’s very little in the way of personal contact with the client. Establishing trust online can be difficult.

Secondly, the internet is a big place – setting up your site is easy, getting traffic to it is more difficult. There is a lot of competition for eyes on the screen, and also a lot of indirect competition from other sites. You will have access to a bigger market, but the same holds true for potential clients – they have access to a lot more stores.

Finally, clients won’t be able to touch and feel things before they buy. In some cases, this can be a problem. How do you tell a client how soft and silky your pashminas are online? If they could feel for themselves, they’d be easier to convince.

Infographic Source

Conclusion

All this means that creating a successful e-commerce store is going to take some dedicated effort. In one respect, those people that compare an e-commerce store to a goldmine are correct. You can make a lot of money, but the ‘gold’ doesn’t just jump out at you – you have to work for it.

That said, if you’re willing to put the time in, you can create your own hugely successful business empire for a fraction of the cost in the ‘real world’.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Smart Homes are taking the world by storm. It is changing the way people live their lives. This technology is causing rapid change. But, the benefits of this change are good. Here are the reasons why people love smart homes so much.

Image Source

A Long Time Ago…

Contrary to popular belief, smart homes have been around for quite some time. The two first smart home concepts were invented between 1966 and 1967. However, ECHO IV and the Kitchen Computer were never sold to the public. The ECHO IV was so impressive that it could perform activities like calculating shopping lists and even switch kitchen appliances on and off.

It’s a far cry from today’s home automation, but the concept has come a long way.

It Will Save Some Time

It is one of the main reasons why people love this technology. Many people have grown accustomed to their new lifestyles with smart homes. They simply can’t go without it. 57% of Americans claim to save about 30 minutes per day. That adds up to a staggering 182,5 hours per year.

That is a little more than a week. Smart homes will be of particular significance to those living life in the fast lane. Time equals money, doesn’t it?

It Helps To Save Money

Now there is no denying it. Some smart home products are pretty expensive compared to it’s ‘non-smart’ compatriots. But, buy your products smartly. Use it effectively. You’ll end saving money. Over the process of time, you might save more than the initial price of the product. 45% of Americans save an average of $98,30 per month. That adds up to $1,179,60 per year.

Take smart thermostats, for instance. These units are controlled remotely through smartphone apps. You are now able to control the temperature of your home as long as you have an internet connection. This helps the average user to save 20% off their yearly warming and cooling costs. Give it a go. You may save a small fortune.

It Does The Hard Yards

Home automation surely needs to save you some effort. Many smart appliances do just that. Smart home products interconnect to form a network of devices. You can cue actions and reactions between your different devices. Your smart coffee machine can be triggered by an alarm. Your cup of “good morning” will be waiting without you having to push a button.

It will even help in the backyard! Smart lawnmowers will cut the grass on your behalf. Set it up. Map out your lawn on its system. Set the cutting schedule frequency. Now let it run its own course while you enjoy the Saturday sports games.

Great Security

Smart security is highly sought after. 62% of Americans claim security as the top benefit derived from smart homes. 3 out of 5 American smart home owners use devices like smart CCTV to monitor their homes. Analysts believe the security market will grow beyond $100 billion dollars in the year 2020.

It’s no wonder that smart locks and alarms are one of the most used smart products. Top notch security will give you the peace of mind you desire. Less stress will do you good.

It Improves Your Health

Smart homes are designed with the customer in mind. Inventors look for all kinds of ways to make your life easier and better. Smart device and appliances have many built-in features that improves your health.

Smart cooking appliances are equipped with new techniques to reduce your oil intake. Smart refrigerator water dispensers have filters. Cleaner water leads to better immune systems. Download healthy recipes from the internet onto your smart fridge. Then have it read the recipes back to you as you cook. Lack of inspiration will never curb your diet again.

Give It A Try!

What’s not to love about it? These devices are waiting on store shelves for you to pick them. Its sole purpose is to make your life better. Some of the products may be expensive. But, be wise. Utilize the cost-saving measures. A couple hundred dollars of savings can go far. And you certainly won’t regret a healthier immune system.

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

These days, the moment ‘digital marketing’ or ‘social media marketing’ gets uttered, we can’t help but include influencer marketing. Many marketers swear by influencer marketing because it’s effective on younger audiences who don’t believe in advertising.

Image Source

However, marketers agree that it gives them a hard time to calculate the ROI of their influencer marketing campaigns. Let’s see what we can gain from influencer marketing campaigns.

It Increases Sales

Did you know that 53% of companies use influencer marketing strategies to increase their sales? The feedback and reviews from influencers are completely genuine. Such authenticity helps brands win the trust of their customers and encourages them to make more purchases.

70% of millennials are influenced by social recommendations while making a purchase decision. Therefore, recommendations by influencers can definitely increase your sales.

Generates Great Content

Influencers know their audience and therefore create the right kind of content that works for them. The added benefit is you can always re-purpose the content for other marketing communications.

Establishes Your Thought Leadership

Consumers can associate an influencer’s thought leadership with your brand. Therefore, if your influencer is an expert in a particular field, it adds value to your brand by strengthening your authority in the field.

Gets You More Engagement

Authentic and engaging content from influencers is what attracts their audiences towards them. It encourages their followers to engage with such content too. Many influencers believe that their sense of humor and honesty are the reasons for their high engagement rates.

According to Linqia, 89% of companies use influencer marketing to share authentic stories about their brand. Due to such authenticity, followers continue to engage with an influencer’s branded content. And in this way, audiences are effortlessly transformed into becoming paying customers for brands.

Multiplies Your Reach and Access to New Markets

Influencers can help brands tap into and explore new markets and expand their reach. Many people largely depend on the recommendations of influencers. So, this helps brands access new potential customers and win their trust.

Improves Search Engine Ranking

Did you know that 47% of marketers use influencer marketing to boost traffic to their websites? Using influencer marketing, you can also improve your search engine rankings.

You need to ask influencers to write and share their honest reviews about your products or services on their blogs. This can help you get the attention of your prospects and gain valuable back-links that can help to improve your rankings on search engines.

The ROI of Influencer Marketing

A study by RhythmOne found that you can generate massive ROI in earned media value using influencer marketing. Influencer marketing has helped companies generate $11.69 for every $1 they’ve invested.

In addition, 76% of marketers agree that influencer marketing has helped them build brand awareness on social media. Almost 71% of companies have agreed that it helps them reach more targeted audiences. When calculating the ROI of your influencer marketing, you should also keep the following points in mind-

1. Influencers’ Cost

No matter how you are paying your influencers – cash, kind, event tickets or any free service – it would incur you some cost. Obviously, the bigger the project, the higher the cost would be. You can also opt for an affiliate model where you give a percentage of sales to the influencer

2. Time Invested

A lot of your time will be invested in planning and executing your influencer marketing campaign. You’ll have to especially invest your time into communicating with influencers and helping them understand your goal and the brand personality.

3. Cost of Hiring an Agency or Buying a Software

For bigger projects, marketers might need to hire agencies to kickstart their influencer marketing program. You might need to too. If you’re among the businesses that require the help of an agency, make sure you consider the agency cost. And if you’re investing in an influencer marketing platform, consider the cost of that.

Check out the infographic below to further discover more factors to consider when calculating influencer marketing ROI.

Image Source

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Amazon India announced the Best of Prime 2018, highlighting how the program has evolved and how Prime members across the country enjoyed amazing benefits and offers throughout the year. Prime brings to members the best of Amazon in India with unlimited free 1 and 2 day delivery, exclusive launches, early access to sale events, video streaming, and much more. Prime introduced 2 new benefits in 2018, Prime Music and Prime Reading now included in members existing subscription at no extra cost. More new members signed up for Prime in 2018 than ever before.

Top honors went to Mirzapur, Comicstaan and Breathe [Three most binged Indian Prime Original series on Prime Video], Arijit Singh [most streamed artist on Prime Music], Immortals of Meluha [most borrowed title on Prime Reading]. OnePlus 6 [most popular Prime Exclusive launch], Amazon FireTV Stick, Madhur sugar, JBL headphones, MI power bank, Haier washing machine, and MI TV [most popular products]. Amazon India’s Best of Prime 2018 can be found on Prime Insider at amazon.in/bestofprime

Akshay Sahi, Director and Head of Prime, Amazon India, said

We loved delivering smiles throughout the year, whether through blockbuster Prime originals like Mirzapur, exclusive launches of top products like OnePlus 6, latest songs and specially curated playlists on Prime Music, or through early access to our biggest Diwali sale. We are humbled by the tremendous response from members to their latest benefits – Prime Music and Prime Reading, and really believe that the simple all-inclusive Prime membership at Rs. 999 a year or Rs. 129 a month is truly the best deal in shopping and entertainment today.

Best of Prime 2018 – Top Products

  • Most Popular products during the year included Amazon Fire TV Stick, Madhur Pure and Hygienic Sugar, JBL In-Ear Headphones with Mic, Mi 10000mAH Power Bank, Haier 5.8 kg Fully-Automatic Top Loading Washing Machine and Mi LED TV 4C PRO [32″] Android TV.
  • The top product sold on Prime Day 2018 was Redmi Y2 Gold 32GB Smartphone.

Among Exclusive Products launched on Prime Day, NesPlus became no. 1 in the gourmet section of grocery, selling 1 unit every 3 seconds.

Best of Prime 2018 – Fastest Deliveries of the Last Year

Ultra-fast delivery in 2 hours or less was in demand on Prime Now in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi NCR. The fastest deliveries of 2018 include-

  • 57 minutes in Kothaguda, Hyderabad for Milton Marvel Insulated Steel Casseroles
  • 26 minutes in Marathalli, Bengaluru for Amazon Brand, Solimo Wall Sticker

6.45 minutes in Electronic City, Hyderabad for Colgate Plax Peppermint Mouthwash

Best of Prime 2018 – Prime Video

2018 was an exciting year for Prime Video with multiple Prime Original series like Breathe, Comicstaan and Mirzapur, being launched. The shows were loved by consumers across the length and breadth of the country.

Besides English, Prime Video is now available in 6 Indian languages including Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali and Hindi. Prime Video also introduced Hindi, Tamil and Telugu user interfaces which included navigation, browsing, and customer support, in a bid to offer a more localized experience to its customers. A significant selection of Prime Video content now features show descriptions and subtitles in these languages.

  • The three most binged Indian Prime Original series and the top Indian TV shows were Mirzapur, Comicstaan and Breathe.
  • The top cities in India that streamed the most hours of Prime Video were Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi.
  • This just in – The two most binged Prime Original series worldwide include Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan starring John Krasinski and Homecoming starring Julia Roberts.
  • Amazon Prime Original Inside Edge becomes the First Indian Show from the Video Streaming Industry to be nominated for the coveted 2018 International Emmy Awards.

Members loved The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and so did the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. With eight Emmy Awards, the series won more than any comedy series ever has for a single season, including “Outstanding Comedy Series”.

Best of Prime 2018 – Prime Music

Members in the country streamed music in 18 Indian and International languages on Prime Music and couldn’t get enough of the hits on Prime Music:

  • The most streamed artist was Arijit Singh.
  • Prime Members thoroughly enjoyed Amazon Prime Music curated Playlists, with the top 3 favourites being Hot Right Now Hindi, Fresh Hindi and Hot Right Now Pop.
  • The most streamed playlists in 2018 were – ‘Hot Right Now Pop’ in English, ‘Hot Right Now Hindi’ in Hindi, ‘Fresh Malayalam’ in Malayalam, ‘Best of Ajay-Atul’ in Marathi, ‘Hot Right Now Punjabi’ in Punjabi, ‘Hot Right Now Tamil’ in Tamil and ‘Fresh Telugu’ in Telugu.
  • Members’ favourite albums included Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Veere Di Wedding and Dhadak.
  • Members’ favourite 2018 songs included Bom Diggy Diggy [from Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety], Tareefan [from Veere di Wedding] and Dil Chori [from Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety].
  • The most streamed International artist was Imagine Dragons.
  • Most requested song from 2018 on Prime Music via Alexa in India was ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran.

Best of Prime 2018 – Prime Reading

Everyone loves a good book, and members are no exception. Launched in India in September 2018, here’s a look at Indian members’ top picks on Prime Reading*:

  • The top five most borrowed titles by Prime members in India include “Immortals of Meluha” [the Shiva Trilogy Book 1], “One Indian Girl”, “Speed Reading: How to Double (or Triple) Your Reading Speed in Just 1 Hour”, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and “Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More”.
  • Immortals of Meluha (the Shiva Trilogy Book 1), was the most borrowed title in a single day on the first day Prime Reading launched in India.

Members love super heroes – two Marvel comics, “Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More” and “Avengers vs. Thanos” were among the top 10 books borrowed on Prime Reading.

Best of Prime 2018 – Amazon Pay

Prime members can now enjoy exclusive offers when they use Amazon Pay. On Amazon.in, members can earn upto 2% Prime Reward on every order placed, saving up to Rs. 2400 a year. Members can also experience & enjoy Prime exclusive offers when they book their movie or travel tickets, order their favourite food on popular partner sites & apps when they pay using Amazon pay.

  • Most popular partner apps/sites were Swiggy, BookMyShow and Redbus.
  • On partner apps/sites, 7 out of 10 Prime members came back every month and paid using Amazon Pay.
  • Every third order placed using Amazon Pay on these partner merchants was by a Prime member

Methodology

The Best of Prime analyzed how Prime members worldwide enjoyed their Prime benefits. Asterisks indicate analysis from October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018, unless noted otherwise; additional claims indicate analysis from November 1, 2017 through October 31, 2018. Information included in all results examines data at a collective level, without viewing personal information by specific Prime members.

|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

The quick and easy access to websites, along with better technology, has helped the industry of ecommerce thrive significantly over the last few years. This is all thanks to the extensive database of products, competitive prices, and testimonials – basically every information to make a purchasing decision – that’s readily available to buyers anywhere they are.

Image Source

The industry has thrived so much that global retail ecommerce sales have risen 23.2% in 2017, amounting to $2.290 trillion. But having online shops can also be favourable to businesses, as it gives them a chance to be recognized by the global community created by the internet. If you’re looking to take advantage of ecommerce for your business, here are the pages and elements you should have.

Homepage

The first page that your customers will see represents the traditional physical storefront. Therefore, it should welcome them in and give an idea about what kind of products they can find here. Search bar and product category navigation will help them find their intended items to purchase, while the login or registration link encourages them to take the first step in purchasing.

Product Page

Once they found a product they like and clicked on its link, it should take them to the product page, where the details of the item can be read. The product page should answer their question of how the item will benefit them should they decide to buy it, so make sure to present it as something highly valuable.

Aside from the product name and description, the page must also include photos of the products, cost, reviews from other buyers, and of course the Add to Cart button.

Shopping Cart

All the products that made your customer click the Add to Cart button will be listed down on the Shopping Cart page. Here, give them the option to edit the quantity or remove items from their cart.

Other relevant information to include is the price for each item, the total cost of each product [if buying more than one unit], and the total amount of all the products in the cart. An order summary that lists down shipping and delivery fees and taxes must also be present.

Checkout

To push through the purchase, the buyer’s details must be provided, including contact information, delivery address, and billing address. In this page, they should also choose a delivery option that they find appropriate depending on the delivery date and fees. Assure users that you’re using Security Cues [SSL].

Payment Confirmation

The last step is confirming the purchase, so make sure that your SSL certificates are still highly visible. Include contact information as well in case of any issues or questions. Most importantly, make the order number visible for your customer to see should they need to reach out to your customer support team.

Get the help you need in putting up an online store for your business through design, support, and IT outsourcing, and make sure to optimize it for the best shopping experience. Learn more about what makes a successful ecommerce website in this infographic.

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Almost everyone checks out reviews on social media before buying anything today. Brand messages combined with those from influencers can do wonders for businesses. They have been known to increase purchase intent 5.2X. No wonder why influencer marketing is said to be one of the most effective methods of customer acquisition.

Image Source

However, you need thorough planning to get outstanding results from your influencer marketing campaigns. Here are a few strategies to help you get phenomenal results

Discount Codes

Discounts have always been effective in boosting sales and conversions. If you combine this strategy with influencer marketing, it can be even more effective. All you need to do is share a unique discount code with each of your influencers and ask them to share it with their followers.

This can drive more conversions and also help influencers woo their audiences more easily. For example, watchmaker Daniel Wellington provides unique discount codes to their influencers and asks them to share them in their sponsored posts. This strategy helps them get greater brand awareness and also increase their revenue.

Brand Mentions

When an influencer mentions your brand in their content, you get to grab more eyeballs and be seen by a relevant audience. This can help you build trust, generate greater brand awareness, and can make their followers buy from you as well.

Giveaways

Giveaways can help to increase your engagement drastically. After all, who doesn’t like free goodies? You can partner with influencers to host giveaways in which you give away some of your products as a reward. This can help you build brand awareness and encourage people to buy.

Takeovers

57% of marketers believe that influencer-generated content is more effective for marketing than the content they create. So, seasoned marketers often allow influencers to take over the brand’s social media accounts and post content on their behalf for a limited period of time.

Influencers promote such takeovers on their own accounts which can help brands gain more followers and engagement.

Long-Term Collaborations

In a long-term collaboration, an influencer becomes the face of a brand. They both have a vested interest in the partnership and work together for the growth of the company. This way, the brand as well as the influencers can gain more followers and get more visibility.

An influencer can help you enhance your brand’s personality and get you quality traffic. Long-term partnerships with influencers can help to enhance brand advocacy and awareness too.

Freebies

An influencer creates quality content and spends their valuable time engaging with their followers to drive traffic to your website. One way of collaborating with them is to offer free products or services in exchange for their hard work.

You can also offer such freebies in addition to their monetary compensation to thank them for their efforts. Such gestures go a long way to improve your relationships with influencers.

Influencer Challenges

When you challenge your influencers, they get motivated to put in their best work. You can arrange a little contest during which the influencer who can get you the maximum number of likes, comments, or shares, wins a prize.

Challenging influencers is a great strategy when you want to launch a new product. It can also help to boost brand awareness and drive more traffic.

These are just a few strategies that can help you run profitable influencer marketing campaigns. For some more ideas, check out the following gifographic

The ROI of Influencer Marketing Infographic

About the Author

Brandon Brown is the CEO of Grin, an influencer marketing software solution for brands. Grin’s software helps customers identify, recruit & activate the world’s most engaging influencers. Prior to Grin, he led marketing for the #1 energy drink market in the world, Los Angeles & Orange County, at Red Bull North America. You can know more about Brandon Brown here.