11 Feb Interview with Paolo Boz, SEO & E-commerce Consultant and Founder of Dot Business
Some time ago we had the pleasure of meeting Paolo Boz, a digital communication professional who specializes in creating web and e-commerce sites with integrated SEO.
We asked Paolo to answer a few questions on the highly topical subject of online stores and e-commerce strategies.
1. In today’s world, is an online store a valid and effective tool for small and medium-sized businesses as well? Is e-commerce still seen as an alternative to physical stores or has the time come to conceive integrated multichannel strategies regardless of company size?
E-commerce has always been a good option for micro, small and medium-sized companies. Since this technology became available, everyone has been able to use it to improve the shopping experience for their customers.
Therefore I feel bound to say that yes, it is a valid tool for small to medium-sized businesses as well, although in some sectors the competition is hotting up and they might struggle a little to stand out from the crowd, but there is always the option of geo-localized e-commerce sites that act as a natural extension to a physical store.
I feel it makes increasing sense to talk about an omnichannel approach, because users/customers don’t care much where they can complete a purchase. If they want a product/service from a particular company they just want it and that’s it. Clearly there are companies, such as watch-making micro brands, that operate solely as e-commerce businesses because it allows them to cut marketing costs. But these are very specific cases, the omnichannel or multichannel approach remains the right one for traditional companies.
2. One of the main concerns for businesses deciding whether to launch into e-commerce might be the issue of competing with retailers. How do you go about protecting your sales network when launching an online store?
It’s a non-issue.
They are different channels used by different segments and audiences, so there is no competition if the parent company uses the different channels correctly. Companies often integrate distributors into their online sales system, turning them into a kind of distributed warehouse and allowing them to take charge of online sales. It’s an effective way to streamline logistics and distribute the work load across a wide network of partners.
In the simplest cases, when budgets are limited and certain integrations are not possible, we should nevertheless consider that some customers prefer online shopping while others will prefer to make purchases in store. Depriving yourself of one of the two channels simply means losing sales opportunities. An e-shopper will hardly want to waste a day going to a physical store, they will probably just buy an alternative product. Equally, people who prefer the typical service provided by a traditional store are unlikely to buy online.
The problem therefore needs to be solved upstream with good strategic planning.
3. Having a multilingual e-commerce site is undoubtedly fundamental for companies wanting to grow in foreign markets. Based on your experience, how important is it today to have an e-commerce site translated into the language of the target country and how important is the quality of the translation?
It is fundamental, F U N D A M E N T A L!
I’m not saying this because you’re here. It’s an issue I frequently encounter and I can assure you that the quality of the translation plays a fundamental role in the success of an e-commerce site that also wants to operate in foreign markets. Firstly because of the user experience, because if I want to make the customer fall in love with my brand, my shop, I will at least have to speak the same language. Otherwise I’m doomed from the start.
Secondly, there is the question of SEO (which is dear to me). Search engines “understand” languages and will obviously prefer local language content over foreign language content. Technically as well, if we want to position a page for a query in German, we have to write it in German. There are no two ways about it.
The third aspect is quality, which is a significant factor for both the user and the search engine. The ability to write content that correctly uses nuances of meaning is an advantage that directly affects the conversion rate. At Dot Business we are fastidious about this, if a multilingual site is required, the work has to be done properly, otherwise we refuse the request and offer mono-language solutions instead.
4. It seems reasonable to think that for a small to medium-sized company that is thinking of launching an e-commerce site logistics would be an obstacle to realizing the project. Is that the case?
It is a crucial factor that requires a lot of thought. There are many logistics services nowadays and the sector is growing steadily, so somehow a solution is always found. But clearly it is a vital consideration, we cannot think that any courier will do and we cannot even assume that everything will go smoothly.
The first aspect to focus on is the choice of packaging, which must be sturdy enough to protect the product throughout its journey. Products all have their own particular features so it’s hard to generalize. But of course the integrity of the goods needs to be preserved, knowing that they will be knocked about and transshipped several times during the journey.
The second aspect to focus on is the choice of courier or logistics partner. There are many specialized operators in Italy, including Dotlog, a Netcomm partner, which offers high quality logistics services, or Qaplà, which simplifies the management of shipments.
5. When we think of online shopping, our thoughts immediately turn to the big generalist marketplaces like Amazon or eBay. With this in mind, what would you recommend to a company that wants to start selling online? When is it a good idea to rely on these platforms?
Ebay is an excellent solution for technical products, including spare parts, or to have an online space that allows us to sell all over the world with a certain degree of security. If I’m not mistaken, Ebay operates in around 50 countries and therefore provides a truly huge market. So I recommend it for people who want to try to selling abroad, perhaps with items that are easy to ship and relatively cheap.
Amazon is a good solution for big companies that don’t want to engage in e-commerce but want to have a presence in it, and can therefore delegate everything to Amazon, using it like any other mass distribution customer. Having said this, I believe that rather than investing in an Amazon presence, it is better to invest in creating your own e-commerce site, without a shadow of a doubt. In this respect, we should remember that Amazon has grown by exploiting a lack of competition and will clearly continue to engulf any sector until companies begin to dominate the market with proprietary e-commerce sites.
Paolo Boz: SEO & E-commerce Consultant – Founder Dot Business s.r.o.
e-mail: info@dotbusiness.biz
official website: dotbusiness.biz
