12/16/2022

Posted By: Tripti Rijhwani

Introduction

Web accessibility is a critical technology solution in the digital world today. Web accessibility makes web content available to all users, including those with disabilities. Brands can achieve this compliance by following the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design (ADA compliance). The goal is to ensure that people with disabilities can access all electronic information and technology.

Most web users expect that a website they visit will be ADA-compliant, ensuring they are not being excluded or discriminated against due to disability. It is vital for public sector bodies, commercial facilities, and any private entities that receive federal funds, as they must maintain digital accessibility to comply with the WCAG 2.0 requirements.

Web accessibility guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities purchase goods and services. Web accessibility is a way to deliver a high standard of usability, level the playing field and ensure that no one is excluded from great web experiences.

Why is it important?

By creating a website that is accessible, users can benefit from features such as properly marked-up semantic structure, well-labeled links and images, and the ability to access the same content that all other users do. It helps make the website more discoverable by search engines, and more importantly, it ensures that people with disabilities can access all of the available content. The solution improves the brand's business by allowing them to comply with federal and state laws and provide equal access to all users.

How can we become compliant?

The solution to improving website accessibility can be complex as there are many things to consider. Brands can use accessibility checker software on a website to get a detailed audit report that can be actioned. High-level items that the software evaluates include:

1. Ensure that the formatting of labels, images, and navigational elements adhere to heading hierarchies and have alternative descriptive texts.
2. Poor contrast text is another challenge brands can avoid using a color contrast checker when designing the website.
3. Keyboard accessibility and navigability are also essential, as visually impaired users or users with mobility disabilities may find it challenging to use a mouse or trackpad to navigate the website.
4. Brands should also consider mobile-first design, as businesses must ensure websites are optimized to accommodate accessibility requirements.

Without remediation, businesses risk litigation, a decrease in traffic, and problems with search discoverability. To make PCI compliance happen, brands best work with software partners like Dreaming Code, who consistently maintain compliance for their products and services.

Next Steps

Web accessibility and ADA compliance are essential steps for any eCommerce brand. It is important to understand the steps needed to make your website ADA-compliant to maintain a successful online presence.

Dreaming Code provides the tools and services to ensure that eCommerce brands are ADA-compliant. The Dreaming Code product and user interfaces are designed with ADA compliance in mind, and our team of experts can provide a comprehensive website audit to detect any issues that may be present. This audit will provide an accessibility score and outline any issues that need to be fixed. Brands can start to fix the problems or advise their partners of the updates required.

Our team of experts understands the importance of ADA compliance and can help you with any questions. If you are an eCommerce brand and have questions about ADA compliance and how it could impact you, feel free to contact us to set up a consultation with us today.

To learn more about how we can help your business, schedule an appointment with one of our solution experts today.

To learn more about the Dreaming code eCommerce platform visit: http://dreamingcode.com.

12/13/2022

Posted By: Tripti Rijhwani

Returns management is an essential process for any eCommerce business. It manages customer returns, including receiving, processing, and repackaging products for resale. As eCommerce continues to grow, returns have become an increasingly important part of the logistics process for retailers. The average eCommerce return rate hovers around 20-30%, and according to a survey by Pitney Bowes, the cost of online returns can be as high as 21% of order value.

For online merchants, returns management involves finding cost-effective ways to manage the process while providing a stress-free experience for customers. To help manage returns, retailers are turning to technology solutions that can improve the returns process. These solutions can help retailers reduce the cost of returns, improve customer satisfaction, and create a better overall shopping experience.

Technology solutions for returns management include SaaS solutions that allow customers to quickly initiate returns and track the status of their returns, third-party vendors who manage the process end to end, and analytical tools that provide insights into customer behavior and help retailers prevent returns before they happen. By using technology solutions to streamline the returns process and gain insights into customer behavior, retailers can turn returns management into an opportunity to improve their bottom line.

Data on why returns happen is important

Returns are an inevitable part of eCommerce, but with a sound returns management strategy, you can design a pre-purchase and post-purchase process that will maximize the economic potential of returns.

Online merchants need to understand why people are returning products, such as if they purchased with the intent to return, the product didn't fit or work as expected, the product didn't match the description, they're returning a gift, and more. Returns management provides insights into customer behavior, allowing brands to understand their needs and preferences better. With this data, brands can create a personalized shopping experience that encourages customers to purchase items they will keep. Data can also recognize fraudulent activities and implement measures to protect your business.

Returns management gives you the power to make informed decisions that will positively impact your business. By leveraging data insights to design an optimal pre-purchase and post-purchase process, you can ensure customers have the best shopping experience while maximizing the economic potential of returns.

Building a solid returns strategy

Understanding the reasons behind returns is integral to building a proactive strategy focused on improving the pre-purchase and post-purchase processes. Brands can target online experience updates that prevent and simplify returns.

Here are two strategies that brands can implement to reduce returns:

Pre-Order Support: Product descriptions should be updated to include more missing detail and a symptom of returns for that product. Additionally, having helpful sizing charts and featured product reviews can help customers make informed decisions before they buy. Offering free and straightforward returns is also an excellent policy to have in place.

Post-Order Support: A live chat or a simplified customer support system is essential. Merchants should also consider offering alternative products to customers if their original choice needs to be revised. Live chat can be an excellent opportunity to engage customers to turn returns into opportunities for loyalty and upselling.

These recommendations are relatively simple to implement but will demonstrate to customers that an online brand is committed to their satisfaction. These updates can help build loyalty and excellent word-of-mouth referrals.

Conclusion:

Brands should use data on why people are returning products to improve the pre and post-purchase experience. This data should be analyzed regularly to improve and continuously improve the online experience for your customers. Dreaming Code can provide strategy and product solutions that can help guide you through the solution's selection, implementation, and ongoing management. Feel free to contact us to set up a consultation with us today.

To learn more about how we can help your business, schedule an appointment with one of our solution experts today.

To learn more about the Dreaming code eCommerce platform visit: http://dreamingcode.com.

12/09/2022

Posted By: Tripti Rijhwani

E-commerce is a catalyst for growing a business, and Dreaming Code is a leader in helping businesses make digital transformations. As online merchants seek to grow by delivering great digital experiences, a solution must have key features to deliver personalized customer experiences, support flexible inventory and order management, and solid financial integration.

Customers want personalization, transparency, and the ability to move seamlessly between channels to buy. The benefits of the Dreaming Code solution are increased revenue, increased customer loyalty, and increased share of wallet. Here is a quick view of the key features of why customers choose our platform.



Personalized Catalogs

When deploying a B2B business, online merchants must deliver great experiences for direct buyers, resellers, and your internal sales team. Dreaming Code has prebuilt user experiences for all of these types of buyers, supports personalized catalogs, and enables dynamic pricing to allow customers to order easily and accurately. This is important because if buyers cannot access a product catalog based on their business terms and the correct pricing, they will not trust or use the digital system. This can impact buyers' confidence in the merchant and result in them not continuing to order from the system. Conversely, merchants can reduce the time and cost to get sales from the buyers and use that to focus on new growth strategies.

Inventory and Order Management

Dreaming Code's flexible inventory and order management system helps online merchants manage their product catalogs, pricing, and availability in a more accurate and streamlined manner. With this feature, they can create a B2B storefront tailored to their buyers and offer tiered pricing for preferred customers. The system also allows for simplified SKU management for online stores that carry a large number of items. This feature ultimately provides customers with accurate catalogs, real-time pricing, and up-to-date availability. The delivery of a more personalized experience instills confidence in customers that they are getting the right product, at the correct price, and available when they need it.

ERP Integration

ERP Integration can be a vital component of a successful eCommerce business. Using an ERP agnostic platform, merchants can reduce the burden of disconnected systems. This lack of integration leads to system slowdowns, poor performance, and other errors that can impact the customer experience. With cloud-based, API-first eCommerce solutions like Dreaming Code, integration is flexible and cost-effective so in-house teams have more time to focus on critical business tasks instead of getting tied up with daily system maintenance.

Conclusion

When selecting a B2B eCommerce platform, businesses need to ensure that the solution can scale with their growth. Dreaming Code has the experience and expertise to help merchants grow their eCommerce operations and maximize sales. With a personalized experience, flexible order and inventory management, and an ERP agnostic platform, businesses can focus on scaling their business. Schedule a 30 min assessment with our solution experts to learn how Dreaming Code can help your business grow!

To learn more about how we can help your business, schedule an appointment with one of our solution experts today.

To learn more about the Dreaming code eCommerce platform visit: http://dreamingcode.com.