Weekly Roundup: October 2, 2015

WooThemes emailed an interesting look into eCommerce platform marketshare this week, showing stats on WordPress eCommerce and eCommerce as a whole. I think the Squarespace number / marketshare is probably off, as that sounds closer to their total install number than the number of Squarespace sites using the eCommerce functionality, but it’s interesting to see eCommerce usage across several platforms.

New or Updated Plugins, Themes, & Services

• A free WooCommerce Coupon Generator plugin was released this week from Shop Plugins, which automatically generates coupon codes for your store.

• SiteGround has partnered with Automattic to create a WooCommerce Hosting Bundle — this bundle uses the GoGeek plan and preinstalls Jetpack, WooCommerce, and the Storefront theme, and includes Akismet, VaultPress, and a private SSL certificate for free.

• AffiliateWP has updated the Store Credit add-on to integrate it with the Easy Digital Downloads Wallet extension so that EDD affiliates can now be paid in store credit.

Reviews & Tutorials

• Chris Lema has an overview of notifying members of dripped content with MemberPress.

• If you use WooCommerce Memberships, here’s a tutorial on renewing a trial membership with a paid plan from SkyVerge.

• And here’s a more advanced tutorial on preventing repeat purchases with WooCommerce.

• New to shipping? Shopify has a Shipping & Fulfillment 101 ebook available.

Marketing & Conversions

• To improve customer lifetime value, check out these 21 tips for improving customer retention from Econsultancy.

• Receiptful has some great insights into using discounts and free offers to improve customer happiness and sales.

• Ever wonder why advertising just for the sake of “branding” works? ConversionsXL has details on the science of familiarity and how your brand can use it.

• Offering free shipping is a holiday promotion staple for eCommerce stores — here are some free shipping benefits from Practical Ecommerce.

Other Tips & Articles

• Ready for holiday shoppers? Not sure? Shopify has a 26-point holiday checklist for eCommerce stores.

• Self Startr published a great list of advice from several eCommerce writers and experts on choosing a niche for your eCommerce business (I’m there, but I don’t know about the ‘expert’ part 😉 ).

• Are your gift cards mobile-ready? First Data has insights into mobile shopping and gift card usage you may want to check out before the holidays.

• WooThemes has a beginners’ guide to creating an international WooCommerce store.

• Chris Lema has an overview of how to structure an online course for learning / membership sites.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!