Articles - Page 38

Bland Brands Beware: Optimizely’s New Identity Brings Human Creativity to its Agentic AI and AEO Ambitions

matt-garrepy

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ipad-820272_1280-1-2-e1466076927587-1024x538.jpg" alt="ipad-820272_1280 (1)" />
Why do organisations need to consider a digital transformation?
Organisations need to do more than just consider a digital transformation. It is a vital step when you need to kick start your company’s digital strategies overlooked during its evolution.
Being left behind and forced to play catch-up is an expensive gamble that will allow your competitors to gain a significant advantage over you. Digital transformation is not just an empty phrase, it is a true philosophy for defining a content strategy that charts the needs of your target audience by establishing the kind of content they should find engaging, by identifying the channels and schemes for reaching them and formulating the KPIs necessary to measure it effectively.
Only by defining the touch points you want to track across all channels, both online and offline, and then optimising the customer journey accordingly, can you determine the tools essential for you to capture and gather the data required for optimising your content strategies. In this way, you can achieve a marketing performance that goes way beyond just satisfactory.
Also, segmenting your customers using their behaviour or character traits and making sure you are integrating your e-commerce strategy with your multi-channel strategy, makes it possible for you to achieve customer delight and boost your sales revenue.
By delivering a consistent user experience that exceeds customers’ expectations across all devices and channels through things such as having a responsive web design, your digital presence can achieve a true single customer view.
These tools are vital parts of your digital brand marketing strategy, as well as ensuring that the client data you gather fully integrates with your email data through your CRM. Plus, when you are keeping your corporate vision in line with a thorough understanding of both your customers and current digital trends, you can help your company resonate as a brand-leading multi-channel business. This in turn will assist you in achieving your strategic objectives.
<h3>Can you point to examples of large organisations with traditional business models that embraced digital transformation, as well as the results they’ve seen?</h3>
Groundforce (part of the Vibroplant group) have been offering total solutions to the construction industry for the last 30 years in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. They had an obsolete CMS and it was crucial to improve the speed, functionality and usability by incorporating all websites into a one-domain strategy on a fully-responsive website. The challenge was to import products, users and technical documents to the new site and unify them into a consistent user experience.
As Claire Locker, Account Director at NetConstruct explains, “Our client, Groundforce, was very forward thinking… Rather than the website branding being born out of the existing marketing requirements, the website has been the driver for their branding and marketing. These aspects are now found in all their communications, from brochures to presentation formats.” Since that digital transformation, there has been a rapid upturn in results. Several large orders were placed on the UK and German sites shortly after launch and there is now a drastic reduction in page load time. These are precisely the ways in which digital transformation can improve the customer experience, promote brand advocacy and boost ROI.
By keeping an eye on how your customers relate digitally to their interaction with your company, you can actively continue to enhance and refine the customer journey, garnering favourable responses from your users.
<h3>What are the consequences for companies that don’t embrace digital transformation?</h3>
Ignoring digital transformation can be perceived by customers as you having a lack of interest in them. Clunky and awkward customer experiences quickly result in customers looking elsewhere. Users are no longer limited to where they can access online content, and they know it. With mobile phones, tablets and laptops affording consumers access on the go, it is necessary to keep your site fast and efficient, regardless of the device on which it is viewed. It is essential to understand the way in which your website is accessed as it is a defining factor in understanding your customers.
Claire Locker goes further to illustrate users’ perceptions of a bad digital experience. “Any obstacles in their way such as poor usability, poor navigation, links which don’t work or poor design are held against the company.  The website is possibly the first point of call for a potential client – if they do not like what they see, the chances are that they never contact the company at all – a missed opportunity.” It is then a tough, if not impossible, task to try and win that visitor over again. So, consider this when implementing digital transformation without a proper understanding of whom you are attempting to engage with.
<h3>What is the value of approaching digital transformation as a coordinated strategic programme as opposed to through separate digital initiatives when individual needs arise?</h3>
Coordinated strategic plans must be based on an understanding throughout all areas of the organisation. This means knowing what the goals and expected outcomes are, and what they mean to the people involved. They should have an clear understanding of the transformation process, and how their roles fit into it. Creating measures that in turn unify the look, the feel and the perceived identity of the company is an essential part of making sure that digital transformation has a consistent and homogenous quality.
Welcome the constructive input of all staff in the process, and gain an understanding of how the customer will relate to your changes – determine whether this reaction is favourable for your digital business model and your users’ needs. Implementing digital transformation based on deliverables and a realistic schedule means regular departmental meetings to assess the process, the project’s progress, measuring the real-time effect and checking that the vision is still relevant and being implemented correctly.
Claire Locker has done a lot of work with clients performing such transformations. In her experience, having a, “holistic and recognisable approach to all the marketing channels – website, social media, advertising campaigns, brochures and development internationally – serves to strengthen the design aesthetics and build customer loyalty and recognition.”
Making sure all processes are fully supported through the correct structure and tools will ensure the transformation promotes the digital maturity of your company.
After all, businesses need to grow and develop. A badly implemented digital transformation that generates a misaligned digital experience and loses customer loyalty will result in a King Midas in reverse effect, and nobody wants that.
<hr />
This post is <a href="/advertising/">sponsored</a> by Kentico. Find out more at <a href="http://www.kentico.com/">Kentico.com</a>

The Importance of Digital Transformation for Large Organisations

mike-johnston

A departure from the normal CMS and software related posts I normally do but I recently managed to acquire a <a href="https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb" target="_blank">Google Nexus 7</a> Android tablet, one of few that are available worldwide and I thought I'd take a few minutes to share my opinion of this new Android tablet in this Nexus 7 review. The Nexus 7 Android tablet contains a quad core Tegra 3 processor, 16G of storage (in the model I have anyway), 7” 1280×800 HD display (216 ppi), 1 GB RAM and the usual wifi and Bluetooth connectivity options. It has a front facing camera as well which can be used for apps like Skype or Google+ Hangouts.
What makes this Android tablet unique is the amount of power that you get the for overall cost of the tablet. Weighing in at around $260 if you buy it new here in Canada, this is a crazy cheap 7″ tablet. Obviously, it was brought to market to help compete with Amazon's already popular Kindle Fire tablet. What makes the Google Nexus 7 different, however, is that Google has made it available in Canada and other countries straight from launch. The Kindle Fire, however, is still not available in Canada and some other countries which I consider to be a huge mistake on Amazons' part.
If buying the tablet new, you get a $25 credit to Google Play (the Android store) which can be used on any of the following: books, movies, music, apps or games. This makes the value of the Nexus' $260 price tag feel even better. &lt;informercial voice&gt; But wait! There's more! &lt;/infomercial voice&gt; you also get a free digital copy of the movie, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399103/" target="_blank">Transformers: Dark of the Moon</a> as well as a free ebook edition of <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Robert-Ludlums-TM-Bourne-Dominion/dp/1455510300/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1343662634&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Bourne Dominion</a>. Not bad for $260 is it?
Now, I know a lot of people love hacking their devices and I'm certainly one of those people who frequents places like the amazing  <a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1673" target="_blank">Nexus 7 development forums @ XDA </a>but in this case, I chose to keep the tablet stock so I could experience things as Google intended them. I would strongly recommend that if you do end up getting a Google Nexus 7, you bookmark the above forums as there are tons of great threads on apps, accessories and usage that I frequent and found helpful.
On with the Nexus 7 review!
<h2>Battery Life</h2>
First off, let's talk battery life since this tends to be what most people concern themselves with first when it comes to these types of devices. This tablet has been running with WiFi connected and an intermittent Bluetooth connection to my phone (a Samsung Galaxy Note) for <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apdroid.tabtalk" target="_blank">Tablet Talk</a> for about 2 days now. I am at 41% battery life and haven't charged the tablet at all.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/screenshot_2012-07-30-09-03-29-620x992_zjzcjt.png" alt="Nexus 7 review" />
I'd consider that pretty good given that I've spent that time checking email, updating apps via the Play store, web surfing, reading news and playing some seriously sweet games like <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DefiantDev.heroescall.THD" target="_blank">Heroes Call THD</a> (highly recommended if you are a fan of games like Diablo). I'd consider this pretty decent for an Android tablet and certainly have no complaints here.
<h2>Interface</h2>
The interface is, in my opinion, pretty attractive. I'm a fan if minimalism so I don't have a ton of widgets on the home screen and like to keep things simple. I'm a huge fan of how smooth Android feels. Moving between menus and the home screens is literally just like they planned and I can understand why they called the interface “Project Butter”.  It certainly impressed me.
The fact is, to me, everything simply feels faster and more fluid on the Google Nexus 7.  It feels the way a tablet should feel and the integration of Google's amazing array of services is something I've been longing for for quite some time. The interface is so smooth that it makes me want to use it, even if just to flick between screens every once in a while.
Here's how my home screen currently looks:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot_2012-07-30-08-10-28-620x992.png" alt="Nexus 7 review" /> 
Another impressive feature with the interface is the improved Google Search and the introduction of Google Now. Google Now brings with it a number of “cards” that show up when you click in the search bar.  These cards can give you anything from the local weather to sports scores and traffic details.
Here's an introduction video explaining how Google Now works:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pPqliPzHYyc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Here's how the Google Search with Google Now integrated looks on my Nexus 7:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot_2012-07-30-08-57-06-620x992.png" alt="Nexus 7 review" />
As you can see, it shows my last web searches (these come from my desktop but since I have web history enabled, I get them on my device as well), the current weather conditions (can be configured to use AccuWeather or Google for forecasting) and the Traffic conditions for my commute home.
The notifications pull down has changed as well with Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.1) and is much more visually appealing. For emails, it shows excerpts and if you take screenshots like I did for this review, they show up as well.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot_2012-07-30-09-05-03-620x992.png" alt="Nexus 7 review" />
As you can see in the screenshot above, the words Screenshot Captured appear, followed by a preview of the screenshot and a share button which, when clicked, allows you to share via a number of services (depending on what you have installed). In my case, I have the option to share via Bluetooth, DropBox, Evernote, Facebook, Flipboard, Gmail, Skitch, Google+, Picasa, Skype or Twitter.
Using the tablet day to day, I've found Android 4.1.1 to be fluid and well implemented. This is something that was definitely missing in previous versions of Android but I'm happy to say, I think they are making the right amount of progress and are definitely distancing themselves from the competition with this latest release.
<h2>Hardware</h2>
The Google Nexus 7 was designed in collaboration between Google and Asus. The latter has been a top tablet manufacturer since they started to get popular and I'm glad to see that Google chose Asus as their partner for the Nexus 7.
The screen on the Nexus 7 is a 7″ 1280×800 HD backlit IPS display designed using scratch resistant Corning Glass, which, in my opinion, is nicer than those found on the Galaxy devices. Having said that, there are some who would argue that Super Amoled Plus is better. I've personally always found IPS more appealing to my eye but it's something you are going to have to try for yourself. I'd recommend taking a look at a Nexus 7 and then a Galaxy Tab and seeing which suits you more. I also like the idea of running on Official Google hardware myself, but that's just me and others may feel differently.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/tablet-gallery-front-620x390.png" alt="Nexus 7 review" />
I find the colors to be clean and bright enough to satisfy my needs and haven't had much issue seeing the screen outdoors. In direct sunlight, of course, it certainly isn't easy to see but I don't normally try to read my tablet under the blazing sun so this doesn't bother me at all.
Build quality feels excellent. The tablet is light (weighing in at only 340g) and the 7″ form factor really is exactly what I've been looking for in a tablet. The back of the Nexus 7 is covered in a nicely textured rubber that makes it easy to hold and grip and doesn't make me nervous about putting down on a counter. With other devices such as my previous Asus Transformer Prime, I was always worried about scratching the tablet whenever I put it down.  With the Nexus 7, I don't think about it at all given the rubber backing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/tablet-gallery-back-620x390.png" alt="Nexus 7 review" />
The Nexus 7 has volume rockers on the right side below a power button (which You can see in the screenshot above) and a micro usb charging port on the bottom with a headphone jack. So far, I've got no complaints with the way things are laid out.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this Nexus 7 review, this tablet packs a powerful quad core Tegra 3 processor and it's definitely proving itself to be no slouch, as far as I'm concerned. I haven't found any instances where things have become slow and I'm a fairly heavy user. It's also the top of the line as far as current processors are concerned so I'm not feeling unsure about future performance either.
Overall, I have to say that I love this tablet. The Nexus 7 is exactly what I was hoping it would be and much more. I've had a hard time putting the thing down and, when paired with my phone, it makes for the perfect setup for my needs. If you were on the fence before reading this, I hope I've convinced you to try one out. Obviously, given the worldwide shortage of these devices, there is definitely a demand for them and I think you can see why. If you get the opportunity, pick on up. You can also order from the Play Store here: <a href="http://www.google.com/nexus/" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/nexus/</a>
Questions about this Nexus 7 Review or the tablet itself? Drop me a comment and I'll do my best to answer them. Have one yourself and want to share your experiences? I'd love to hear your thoughts below.

Nexus 7 Review - An Amazingly Good Tablet for an Amazingly Good Price

Reflections from Sanity's Structured Content 2022 Conference

paris-tuzun

Image of Structured Content logo against yellow background

Welcome to yet another featured week here on CMS Critic! For the next five days, our focus will be on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ecwid.com/">Ecwid</a>, the cloud-hosted shopping cart that integrates with your existing website or social media page. Impressively, over 900,000 merchants make use of Ecwid to power their online stores.According to Internet Retailer, 42% of all mobile sales generated by the world’s leading 500 retailers came from mobile apps during 2014.Furthermore, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/">number of smartphone users is forecast to surpass 2 billion</a> by the end of 2016 – meaning that the demand for mobile shopping experiences is only increasing.With these statistics in mind, Ecwid recognized that they couldn’t rest on their laurels as just an eCommerce solution. They needed to be an eCommerce solution that give merchants the power of the app.<h2>App Power</h2>Thanks to Ecwid’s recently released ShopApp feature, Ecwid users can now launch their very own native iOS and Android retail app.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ios-img.jpg" alt="ios-img" />ShopApp’s store content, such as inventory, prices and product descriptions, is fully synchronized and integrated with a retailer’s online store and includes one-touch checkout with Apple Pay, providing a seamless omnichannel ecommerce solution.And perhaps best of all – the ShopApp is available for free to all Ecwid Unlimited users.<h2>Your Store In Your Customer’s Pocket</h2>This goes beyond simply adopting responsive design to meet the needs of mobile device users. By having a native app, you give your online store a whole new shiny layer of professionalism.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sync-img-1024x684.jpg" alt="sync-img" />With your store in your customer’s pocket – a mere finger tap away – sales are bound to increase.Ecwid’s President, Jim O’Hara, called the release of ShopApp a “huge leap”:<blockquote>“With ShopApp, Ecwid is making a huge leap in how native ecommerce mobile apps are created and operate for smaller retailers globally.Similar to how the dramatic innovation in web development introduced by DIY sitebuilders like Wix, WordPress and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a> democratized website creation, Ecwid now allows our merchants to create their own ecommerce apps instantly.”</blockquote>For me, this release is nothing less than exciting. In fact, I almost want to start a brand new store with Ecwid just so I can launch my own app.But for now, I’ll be keeping tabs on it to see just how much of an impact it has on the bottom lines of Ecwid’s merchants.To find out more about Ecwid’s ShopApp, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ecwid.com/">check out their website</a>.

Launch Your Own Retail App With Ecwid’s ShopApp

<a href="http://designmodo.com/?u=1182" target="_blank">DesignModo</a>, the company behind Startup Framework, has released a new version of their WordPress plugin, Qards.
Qards 1.1 adds to the plugin's ability to bring drag-and-drop website building to WordPress. Users can combine pre-designed cards (or Qards!) to create a variety of one-page-style website types. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/reimagine4700x0.png" />
No coding is neccessary of course, and the interface works nicely with the standard WordPress backend, making for a relatively smooth website creation and management process. Here's a short video detailing Qard 1.1.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uj2rOm8Jdx8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
According to their announcement, DesignModo claim to have added new Qards and “spiced up the process of site created on WordPress and now you have a completely new fun and simple experience.”
To get the full breakdown of Qards 1.1, checkout the official features page.
Also, you can check out my <a href="/startup-framework-review/" target="_blank">review of DesignModo's Startup Framework</a>.

DesignModo's Qards 1.1 For WordPress Released

<a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly</a>, one of the world's most popular website builders, has released Weebly for Enterprise.
Chosen to be one of our recommended website builders over at <a href="https://www.websitebuilderscritic.com" target="_blank">Website Builders Critic</a>, Weebly offers a simple drag-and-drop interface enabling users to customize sleek templates.
Weebly for Enterprise combines comprehensive content management, robust APIs, and Weebly signature drag-and-drop editing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weeblyenterprise700x0.jpg" alt="Weebly for Enterprise" />
<h2>Scalable, Powerful, Professional</h2>
Weebly for Enterprise has been launched to simplify the process of building and managing hundreds of websites, providing a flexible content management system for a wide variety of applications across industries including technology, real estate, healthcare, and education.
Weebly for Enterprise features include:
<ul>
<li>Powerful Site Creation and Editing: Weebly for Enterprise extends Weebly’s popular creation and editing experience to large organizations giving employees the freedom to design high-quality websites. Organizations can customize site design to match their brand identity and empower users to create and edit sites on their own with ready-made building blocks such as text, images, buttons, contact forms, maps, and videos. They can then publish those sites online in minutes.</li>
<li>Scalable and Customizable Site Management: Weebly for Enterprise offers a powerful CMS to administrators and can be easily scaled to the needs of any organization, streamlining the process of managing a large number of websites and setting up user accounts and permissions. It is fully customizable so that customers can define, limit and build on top of Weebly to meet any specific need.</li>
<li>API Support Simplifies IT Implementation: Weebly for Enterprise comes equipped with full API support, easing the process of integration with existing IT structures and protocols. No need to re-work supporting systems such as billing, CRM software or security protocols.</li>
<li>Central Cloud Hosting: Weebly for Enterprise provides remote site hosting with exceptional site speed, reliability and redundant data centers on Weebly’s servers, letting users access company sites from anywhere and saving time and money on server setup and maintenance when compared to internally hosted sites.</li>
</ul>
<h2>“It Shouldn’t Be So Difficult &amp; Expensive To Build &amp; Manage Hundreds Of Websites.”</h2>
Regarding the release of Weebly for Enterprise, I managed to get some questions answered by Nick Dellis, Weebly's Vice President of Business Development. Here is our full discussion:
<h3>1) What has spurred Weebly into moving into the Enterprise space?</h3>
The idea for Weebly for Enterprise grew out of organic demand. Organizations of all types regularly approach Weebly to leverage our intuitive consumer experience for a wide-variety of applications.
The main requirement they had was for enterprise features like the ability to manage staff and clients, permission control, APIs, automation and things like that. We already have thousands of companies of all sizes using Weebly in this way in a pilot program we kicked off to understand these use cases.
When we dug into the reasons people reached out, the main driver was that the expectations of the average employee are changing, and they want to use enterprise software that’s intuitive, effective and easy to use, just as they can at home. It shouldn’t be so difficult and expensive to build and manage dozens or hundreds of websites, but surprisingly most enterprises are using a costly internal CMS or open source solutions that don’t scale effectively and are extremely resource intensive. We heard horror stories from IT managers who had dozens of requests for simple marketing and content changes to sites that couldn't be done for months. Marketing departments and staff were frustrated because they couldn't just do it themselves.
With Weebly, we can provide the same intuitive site creation and editing experience every customer gets, while also integrating the tools, controls and scalability required in the Enterprise space.
Weebly for Enterprise is the end result, and is a simple, turn-key solution for any organization to build and scale their business on top of the Weebly platform. It’s an off-the-shelf solution that’s fully customizable and has enterprise level controls and robust APIs for easy integration into existing IT structure. We already have customers in over 15 verticals and there is huge opportunity for expansion.
<h3>2) In a nutshell, what are the key differences between “Normal” Weebly and “Enterprise” Weebly? </h3>
The “normal” consumer version of Weebly is a product more intended for a person or a small company who wants to build their own website, blog or eCommerce store — they can choose a theme, drag and drop elements like images or video and enter text quickly and effectively, publishing a site in minutes. It’s perfect for a person or organization who wants to build just one or a handful of sites.
However, for an organization that needs dozens of websites (or hundreds), things get complicated quickly. You need to manage staff members, admins, control branding elements and assets, integrate into your internal workflows and systems, add your own themes, develop your own apps/elements and so on. Weebly for Enterprise is the core Weebly consumer experience with a “layer” on top designed for enterprises to easily do those things.
<h3>3) What does the future hold for Weebly Enterprise, both short term and long term?</h3>
We see expansion into new verticals, where we use Weebly for Enterprise as a base and add components that are specific to certain industries on top.
For example, we are pretty sure that hosting companies who want to sell 100,000 websites to their clients are going to have different needs than a large hospital who is using Weebly for Enterprise to create and lock down 1,500+ physician sites. When you think about digital agencies, universities, franchises and dozens of other use cases, we have a lot of work ahead of us.
To find out more about Weebly Enterprise, check out their official website.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/weebly/" target="_blank">Weebly through our CMS Directory</a>.

Weebly For Enterprise Announced

Business users of WordPress.com were today treated to the eagerly awaited arrival of ecommerce integration. 
 The release allows <a href="http://store.wordpress.com/plans/business/?ref=ecom" target="_blank"> WordPress.com Business</a> users to connect their website to three popular online store solutions – <a href="/shopify" target="_blank">Shopify</a>,  <a href="http://open.ecwid.com/3htsZ" target="_blank">Ecwid</a> &amp;  <a href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/shoplocket/" target="_blank">ShopLocket</a>.
 Using the new ecommerce integration system, you can showcase, promote, and sell products to your customers directly from your WordPress.com site.
<h2>A Quick &amp; Easy Ecommerce Connection</h2>
Alongside features like live-chat support, unlimited storage, and free access to all WordPress.com <a href="http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/sort/premium/">premium themes</a>, Business users of WordPress.com can turn your site into a sleek online storefront, and let visitors shop from any post or page..
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2014-02-25-at-10-31-51-am700x0.png" alt="WordPress.com Ecommerce" />
Connecting to your store is supremely quick and easy. All you have to to is head over to ” eCommerce Plugins” on the left-hand side of your WordPress.com dashboard, and then simply select your desired service from either <a href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/shoplocket/" target="_blank">Shopify</a>,  <a href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/ecwid/" target="_blank"> Ecwid</a> &amp;  <a href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/shoplocket/" target="_blank"> ShopLocket</a>.
<h2>Endless Possibilities</h2>
Once your WordPress.com Business site is connected to your online store, the possibilities are endless. 
 Although each of the three services is slightly different, you can feature your products by simply embedding a link to your product into the editor, pasting in a shortcode from the services’ back end. Furthermore, in some cases at least, just copying over the embed code into the editor will suffice. It's just that easy. 
 Regardless of the method you choose, the WordPress.com platform is ready to automatically convert each link into a highly professional product image.
Options to tweak your products’ appearance are also available. You can modify the look and feel of the products on your page by customizing the shortcode, from image size and background color to “Buy” button text. 
Also, depending on the ecommerce service you’re using, you can add products to your sidebar with a designated widget, or even have a shopping cart on your page. 
 All three ecommerce options are now available, so if you're a WordPress.com Business user, you can <a href="http://wordpress.com/landing/ecommerce-plugins/?ref=ecom" target="_blank"> try out the new ecommerce integration feature right now </a> .

Ecommerce Integration Arrives for WordPress.com Business

<a href="http://www.blueconic.com/" target="_blank">BlueConic</a>, the digital marketing platform, has announced some new and notable integration options.
The platform collects and unifies user actions, decisions and profiles, thereby activating relevant interactions accordingly. Founded in 2010, and headquartered in Boston, more than 70 brands including Volvo, Boston Globe, ING and Ahold make use of BlueConic to drive their marketing campaigns.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.jpg" />
BlueConic’s new “Quick Connections” feature, the main proponent of this update, connects previously separated marketing applications into a single, rich view of the customer that is actionable in real time. 
Built on a flexible Rest API structure, Quick Connections enables marketers to integrate BlueConic with platforms like Salesforce, Google Universal Analytics, Facebook Connect and a host of customer relationship management systems (CRM), data management platforms (DMP) and content management systems (CMS).
The integration allows for a direct exchange of information and data between previously compartmentalized components within the marketing stack. 
Bart Heilbron, the CEO and Co-founder of BlueConic, made these comments upon the release:
<blockquote>
“We’ve built BlueConic to help marketers identify, understand, and interact with customers on an individual basis. This release is another step in our commitment to improving marketing outcomes at a faster rate, without the need to rip and replace existing marketing applications and without reliance on IT organizations.
With this latest release, marketers can quickly synchronize and leverage their existing marketing ecosystem within the BlueConic platform, to drive richer, more meaningful customer engagement.”
</blockquote>
To find out more about BlueConic, <a href="http://www.blueconic.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>.
Furthermore, the official announcement for this piece of news <a href="http://www.blueconic.com/news/blueconic-delivers-unparalleled-marketing-outcomes-synchronizing-data-across-siloed-ecosystem/" target="_blank">can be found on the BlueConic blog</a>.

Digital Marketing Platform BlueConic Announces Enhanced Integration Options

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

#000000

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7.png" alt="sshot-7" /> Website security is a concern for one and all. Content management systems are fighting a constantly evolving battle against hackers and malware producers by releasing regular security patches to keep our data as safe as possible.
Still, for further protection, we install plugins and rely on third party applications to build a secure digital perimeter around our websites as a first line as defence – and rightly so.
But what about your last line of defence; the worst case scenario of total data loss?
Backing up your data is supremely important, as anybody who has endured the pain of having their website hacked or compromised will testify to.
Let’s take a look at how <a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/view/backup-pro">Backup Pro</a> can help.
<h2>CMS Agnostic Backups</h2>
Backup Pro is the first – and so far the only – CMS agnostic data backup tool that will save your skin in the worst case scenario.
At the time of writing, it supports the following five content management systems:
<ol>
<li>WordPress</li>
<li><a href="/concrete5-marketplace-gets-backup-pro/">Concrete5</a></li>
<li>Prestashop</li>
<li>Craft</li>
<li>ExpressEngine (2 &amp; 3)</li>
</ol>
Although, further support for other content management systems is in the works.
Launched in 2011 by <a href="http://blog.ericlamb.net/">Eric Lamb</a>, Backup Pro has built a reputation for being feature-rich and flexible in the face of disaster recovery.
<h2>Backup Pro: The Solution to the Risks of SaaS Backup Platforms</h2>
SaaS backup platforms are popular because they handle all the heavy lifting in a remote location. But such solutions come bundled with risk.
What happens if you change FTP or database credentials? What happens to your data should you cancel or miss a payment? What about losing access to the account? What about the general security of those backups?
The point is; SaaS solutions are a relatively hands-off way of handling the data that is most vital to your business but isn’t without very real risks. The questions above easily illustrate that.
Alternatively, Backup Pro provides a solution that eradicates all of the risks outlined above.
How? I’m glad you asked.
Backup Pro allows for abstract and redundant storage of your backups through any combination of Local Storage, Amazon S3, Rackspace, Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox, FTP (with SSL), SFTP, and even an Email Inbox
Furthermore, you can create your own Storage Engines for complete control over your backups. Talk about flexible.
What’s more, Backup Pro further outdoes SaaS solutions by offering itself as a product that only requires one initial purchase, with no extra running costs, and no expiry date. Install Backup Pro, set it up, and walk away.
On top of ALL that, Backup Pro will even let you know if there are issues in missed backups (missed scheduling, for example), or worst case, even if a backup archive file is corrupted and not usable in disaster recovery. All automated.
<h2>Customizable &amp; Developer Friendly</h2>
Backup Pro is also a highly customizable tool. It comes with over 70 configurations out of the box, allowing you to configure things like:
<ul>
<li>Exactly what you want to backup, and what you don’t want to backup</li>
<li>Notifications and alerts</li>
<li>File size limits</li>
<li>Backup frequency/amount limits</li>
</ul>
As for catering to developers, Backup Pro is scriptable through console commands, has online database restoration, and allows for  configurations to be overridden in a file for VCS (git, svn, mercurial, etc) love.
Plus, thanks to the new REST API support (added in 3.3), administrators don’t just have total access to their data, they have absolute control over it, too.
To find out more about Backup Pro <a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/view/backup-pro">visit their website</a>.
Also, be sure to check out the <a href="/backup-pro/">Backup Pro hub</a> here on CMS Critic.
<hr />
This post is <a href="/advertising/">sponsored</a> by Backup Pro. Find out more on <a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/view/backup-pro">their website</a>.

Backup Pro: CMS Agnostic Backups

<a href="http://buildwithcraft.com/" target="_blank">Craft</a> has made itself accessible in a new, faster, and much easier way.
Recently, Craft came out on top as the <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-php-cms-for-small-to-midsize-business/" target="_blank">2014 Critics' Choice Award Winner for Best PHP CMS for Small to Midsize Businesses</a>. This news comes just a few weeks after <a href="/craft-2.3-arrives-with-flurry-of-features/" target="_blank">the release of Craft 2.4</a>.
The all-new <a href="https://demo.buildwithcraft.com/" target="_blank">Craft Demo Website</a> allows users to try out the dedicated demo site is called, “Happy Lager”. Each user who signs up will get a personalized version of the site — so there's no having to share the demo with the rest of the community. All users need to provide is a name and an email address.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.jpg" alt="Craft" /> 
Essentially, it's a super-easy way to try out Craft for yourself, and perhaps introduce it to friends or co-workers.
Furthermore, <a href="https://github.com/pixelandtonic/HappyLager" target="_blank">Craft have open sourced Happy Lager via GitHub</a>, so you can freely tinker with it on a deeper level.
To find out more, c/dir/products/craft/heck out <a href="http://pixelandtonic.com/blog/meet-happy-lager-crafts-new-demo-site" target="_blank">Craft's blog announcement</a>, and of course <a href="https://demo.buildwithcraft.com/" target="_blank">the demo website itself</a>.
Plus, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/craft-cms/" target="_blank">Craft via our CMS Directory</a>.

Craft Launches New Demo Site

With the number of ecommerce platforms out there, how does one determine which ones work as intended and offer the best bang for the buck? Today, we're going to help answer this questions by sharing with you our Top 5 Ecommerce Solutions for your Website.There's no doubt that ecommerce is playing a strong role in the content management market of late. Products and services are consistently being sold online more and more and traditional brick and mortar retailers are quickly discovering that without an online presence, they are sacrificing valuable opportunities to their competition.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bigcommerce.png" alt="Bigcommerce" /><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bigcommerce.com/">Bigcommerce</a> is one of the largest and most popular ECommerce providers out there. With a number of offerings including the recently announced <a href="/bigcommerce-launch-bigcommerce-next-beauty-brawn-brains/">Bigcommerce Next</a>, they should definitely be considered as a major player.Check out this video showcasing Bigcommerce Next that was just introduced today: We recently did a <a href="/bigcommerce-review/">Bigcommerce Review </a>, which highlights some of the advantages to using their system. Check it out or <a href="/products/bigcommerce">visit their website directly </a> to get the skinny on this great solution for your business.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magento-go-logo236x0.jpeg" alt="magento go" />Magento Go is the hosted ecommerce edition of Magento, the powerful enterprise ecommerce suite. With Magento Go, you get tons of power and configurability for a reasonable cost. It's intended for customers who are new to ecommerce and offers an app store, marketing tools and tons of options for the price.This video showcases (in less than a minute) what you need to know about Magento Go:http://youtu.be/2_1vPLB23LcIf you want to learn more, <a target="_blank" href="https://magento.com/">check out Magento Go</a> and see if it's the right fit for your business needs.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3dcart-logo236x0.jpg" alt="3dcart" />3dcart is another excellent platform for ecommerce. Unlike several of their competitors, 3dcart does not charge transaction fees and offers 24/7 free technical support. With costs that are certainly within reason, they are an excellent option. You won't be sacrificing features either, 3dcart is loaded with all of the features you'd expect from a great online store builder / ecommerce solution.Here's a quick video introducing the product: If you want to learn more, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.shift4shop.com/">visit the 3dcart website</a> and see if it's the right fit for your business needs.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/shopify-bag-and-logotype236x0.png" alt="shopify" />Shopify is another popular ecommerce solution. While it doesn't have as many years on the market as some of it's competitors, the company and the product have developed a very good name for themselves since coming to market. Shopify is a great solution that's very easy to use and chock full of features. By comparison, Shopify isn't as strong on the feature set as say, Bigcommerce but it offers a far more attractive set of themes and is more visually appealing. You can check out our in-depth <a href="/shopify-review-ecommerce-only-simpler/">Shopify Review</a> to learn more.Here's a quick video introducing the product: If you want to learn more, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.shopify.com/">visit the Shopify website</a> and see it's the right tool for you.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ecwid-cart236x0.png" alt="ecwid" />ecwid has been making a great name for themselves recently. Having <a href="/ecommerce-integration-arrives-for-wordpress.com-business">recently been selected by WordPress.com</a> as an ecommerce integration partner, along with Shopify, the ecwid brand has seen a big boost in adoption. Setup is very simple and the costs (aside from their free plan which is available for up to 10 products) is quite low and very competitive considering the features you get in return. With unlimited storage and bandwidth, ecwid is a great option to consider. You will find, however, that when compared with some of the bigger ecommerce players, there are some gaps in both feature set and visual appeal.Visit the <a target="_blank" href="http://open.ecwid.com/3htsZ">ecwid website</a> to check it out and learn more.Do you know of an ecommerce solution that you feel should be on this list? Share it with us in the comments below. Have you had experiences (good or bad) with any of these vendors? We'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to share in the comments.

Top 5 ECommerce Platforms for Your Website

<img alt="Inbound-Marketing-Report_465x475-thumbnails" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/inbound-marketing-report_465x475-thumbnails.png" />
A joint study between Act-On Software and Demand Metric has shown that 84% of marketers are moving away from inbound marketing.
Instead, what we're seeing is a merge between inbound and outbound marketing – forming something that Act-On and Demand Metric are calling ‘Allbound Marketing'.
<h2>The Emergence of Allbound Marketing?</h2>
According to Act-On and Demand Metric, marketing across the buyer's journey now requires an “Allbound” strategy to be effective. 
Their finding indicate that a campaign should be tailored to a persona or account, and needs to go beyond attracting a visitor to the site. Marketers must engage buyers to help them come to an educated decision. 
A balanced approach puts the right content in front of the right person at precisely the right time. Survey respondents underscored the value of an “Allbound” marketing strategy, with 84 percent agreeing that it’s the combination of inbound and outbound that drives their business.
Their study also debunked the notion that marketers perceive inbound marketing as more valuable than outbound. 
In fact, most surveyed marketers assigned near-equal numerical values to each approach. On a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 = very unimportant and 10 = very important, they gave outbound a score of 7.3 and inbound 7.4.
<a href="http://mktg.actonsoftware.com/acton/fs/blocks/showLandingPage/a/248/p/p-0860/t/page/fm/0">The study</a> also covers:
<ul>
<li>Which tactics are driving business, leads, and revenue</li>
<li>Average annual percentages of inbound and outbound spend</li>
<li>Top inbound and outbound marketing tactics</li>
<li>Where marketers plan to invest their marketing spend in the near future</li>
<li>Benchmarks so you can compare approaches</li>
</ul>
<h2>Inbound for Buzz, Outbound for Results</h2>
Act-On Software's CMO, Kevin Bobowski, also chimed in with some insights:
<blockquote>
“While Inbound Marketing generates buzz, combining Inbound and Outbound Marketing produce real business results.
And as more marketers adopt Account-Based Marketing and the outbound tactics that support it, it will be time to rethink the role of Inbound Marketing.”
It’s time to rethink Inbound Marketing and understand that a balanced approach to marketing drives the business.”
</blockquote>
Get your hands on the study <a href="http://mktg.actonsoftware.com/acton/fs/blocks/showLandingPage/a/248/p/p-0860/t/page/fm/0">here</a>.

Allbound Marketing: Study Shows Inbound & Outbound Marketing Merging

<a href="https://www.netlify.com/" target="_blank">Netlify</a>, a modern hosting and development platform for web applications and static websites, <a href="https://www.netlify.com/blog/announcing-headless-commerce-summit-2022" target="_blank">announced</a> its third annual Headless Commerce Summit in London on May 23-24, 2022. The big news: this year's event will be live and in-person. But even if you can't make it in the realverse, you can also <a href="https://headlesscommercesummit.com/" target="_blank">register for free</a> and attend virtually. 
The Headless Commerce Summit will take a deep dive into the fast-growing <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/#:~:text=Headless%20Content%20Management%20Systems%20(CMS,and%20services%20in%20digital%20storefronts.">headless commerce</a> ecosystem. Featured speakers – including digital leaders, web development experts, and top agencies – will share real-world case studies of how the headless commerce model has transformed their organizations. They will also provide tactical advice about building world-class e-commerce sites using a headless architecture.
Netlify was an early advocate of separating frontend design from backend business processes. By unifying the elements of the modern decoupled web, Netlify enables a 10X faster path to more secure and scalable websites and apps. 
As further evidence of the company's drive towards a composable, API-first future, Netlify <a href="https://machalliance.org/newsroom/mach-alliance-announces-mongodb-and-netlify-as-first-members-of-new-enabler-category" target="_blank">joined the MACH Alliance</a> as one of the first members of the organization's new "Enabler" category.
<h2>Headless Commerce: e-commerce on the Jamstack</h2>
So, what exactly is this headless commerce thing? We'll cover it at a high level below, but <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/">we've got a great article</a> that goes deeper – and includes some of the top platforms on the market. 
Headless commerce is an architectural approach where, much like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/" target="_blank">headless CMS platforms</a>, the frontend "head" is separated from the backend "body." Content in a headless platform is delivered through APIs, displaying it across different devices and endpoints. A headless architecture enables teams to build and deploy faster, increase conversions, and differentiate their brand by decoupling backend services such as product information from the frontend experience.
<img style="max-width:555px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/headless-commerce-platform-digital-experience-platform.png" alt="headless commerce platform-digital experience platform diagram" />
 
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/">Jamstack</a> is a modern web architecture pioneered specifically as a companion to headless backend systems. It focuses on three core components: Javascript, APIs, and Markup (the "Jam" in Jamstack). For commerce companies, the benefits of a Jamstack architecture can include improved personalization and customer experience, better site performance, and the ability to iterate faster.
Originally coined in 2015 by Mathias Biilmann, CEO of Netlify, Jamstack has changed the trajectory of the web. Jamstack technologies provide nearly limitless choices to developers for designing rich customer experiences in web applications. Netlify unites different services to deliver MACH solutions, making it an ideal fit as an Enabler within the organization's ranks – delivering the workflow, expertise, and choice of tools for building solutions that reflect the MACH principles. 
<h2>Speaker lineup</h2>
At the upcoming event, speakers will discuss risks, concerns, and opportunities that commerce teams face today and use real-world case studies and stats to share best practices for shifting to and operating a headless commerce site using the latest technology. Sessions will explore modern headless journeys of famous brands, including <a href="https://www.prettylitter.com/" target="_blank">PrettyLitter</a>, <a href="https://en-us.sennheiser.com/" target="_blank">Sennheiser</a>, and others – including a noteworthy session given by  <a href="https://www.bigcommerce.com/" target="_blank">BigCommerce</a>, <a href="https://www.akqa.com/" target="_blank">AKQA</a>, and Netlify on "The Business Case for Headless Commerce."
Here are a few of the speakers on the agenda:
<ul>
<li>Chris Bach – co-founder, Chief Strategy and Creative Officer, Netlify: "The Rise of Composable Commerce"</li>
<li>Debbie Ellison – Chief Digital Officer, VMLY&amp;R Commerce: "The Future of Brands"</li>
<li>Steve Jenkins – Tech Lead, Tile: "How Tile's Migration to Headless with Netlify Enabled them to Customise the Customer Experience"</li>
<li>Nicolas Le Pallec – Executive Technology Director, Europe, AKQA: "Sennheiser's Large-Scale Migration to Headless Commerce"</li>
<li>Massimo Pegoraro – Technical Director, Atoms Studio: "How Salvatori Internationalised Their E-Commerce Store with Headless Commerce”</li>
</ul>
The Headless Commerce Summit is designed for anyone interested in building or learning about the future of e-commerce. Netlify will be joined by a number of industry-leading sponsors including Algolia, BetterCommerce, Builder.io, Commerce Layer, commercetools, Crystallize, Kin+Carta, Last Rev, Magnolia, Shogun, Storyblok, Swell, and Uniform.
You can register for the event at <a href="https://headlesscommercesummit.com/?utm_source=press-release&amp;utm_medium=press&amp;utm_campaign=hcs" target="_blank">headlesscommercesummit.com</a>. Also, if you're curious about what to expect from this year's shindig, you can check out a summary of <a href="https://www.netlify.com/blog/2021/06/16/e-commerce-jamstack-stories-from-headless-commerce-summit-2021/" target="_blank">the 2021 Summit.</a>
<h2>About Netlify</h2>
Netlify is the platform for building highly-performant and dynamic websites, e-Commerce stores, and applications. By uniting an extensive ecosystem of technologies, services, and APIs into one workflow, Netlify unlocks new team productivity levels while saving time and money while improving sustainability. 
As pioneers of the Jamstack movement, Netlify brings together all modern web frameworks, serverless functions, and edge computing into one platform to deliver unmatched user experiences. Millions of developers and businesses build with Netlify, from Fortune 500 companies like Unilever and Verizon to companies changing our digital experiences like Peloton and Twilio.

Netlify to Host Headless Commerce Summit for Talks on Building World-Class E-Commerce Experiences

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