Before we get into the top stories for the week, I want to ask you something.

At times like these, running a business is hard, right? Watching the pennies is even more important. Aside from the products that you sell, what are the top 1 or 2 things that cost you the most? Think outside the box and tell me what services or supplies put the biggest dent in your budget? Reply to this email and let me know.

Now … here are this week’s top eCommerce stories AND the top new Shopify discounts in TaskHusky Lead.

Happy Selling,
Zachary

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Top Shopify Stories of the Week

When “POS” Means It’s a Good Thing

Maybe it’s because I have the sense of humor of a high school sophomore, but the acronym “POS” still makes me giggle. But of course, we’re talking about Shopify’s “Point of Sale” system. They just announced an all-new update and it’s FREE until October. Check it out.

Is It “Arrive” or “Shop” or “Pay” or What?

About two years ago, Shopify released their Arrive App. It let customers of Shopify merchants get real-time deliver tracking and alerts, just like the big guys. And they also had the Shop Pay system that streamlined checkout … which as cool. Now, they’re merged and improved the two systems. Take a peek.

Klaviyo Releases COVID Stats for eCommerce

So, this is helpful. Klaviyo is a respected member of the Shopify ecosystem. They updated and released a lot of cool data on the trends and impacts of the COVID nastiness on eCommerce. Dig into the data and figure out where you stand.

Shopify SEO: Lesson from the #1 SEO App Developer

We all have a love/hate relationship with Search Engines. And by “Search Engines” I mean Google. In this episode of the Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Kurt Elster talks with Shopify SEO expert Rhian Beutler to answer common questions.

Gary Vee Host Tobias Lütke, CEO of Shopify

You can’t be on social media without knowing the eminent Gary Vaynerchuk — Gary Vee. Gary did a Facebook Live session of Coffee & Commerce where they talk about all things eCommerce. And you can watch it here.

Top New Discounts from TaskHusky Lead

We are always trying to build more value for you guys. Well, we haven’t talked about that in a while, so there are three new special discounts for TaskHusky Lead member that I want to share with you.

Lifetime 15% Discount on Essential Product Analytics
Real performance KPIs for real products like yours.

20% off for LIFE on Weglot Translation
Display your products in more than 100 languages!

Get 15% off for Life on Customer Fields by Helium
This has got to be one of the BEST ways to get customer data and micro-target customers.

A lot of folks are starting to go a little crazy. It’s not just working from home either. Things like arbitrary executive orders on top of staring at the same four walls for weeks on end can make the best of us feel a little wacky. Hey … the struggle is real.

But let’s see if we can pass a little time together with this week’s merchant spotlights and a reminder the puppies are like the best things on the planet.

Happy Selling,
Zachary

P.S. We love you! Click reply and check-in to let us know you're doing alright!

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What better way to spend the time at home than to color a bunch of our favorite fur-baby friends in the cutest poses. Just download the Color-A-Pup coloring book and print it out at home. You and your kids will have 35 fun and playful images to fill in with colors together.

Shopify Merchant Spotlights

Poster Hanger

The official store for The Original Posterhanger by danish designer Jørgen Møller. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

Special Offer

Get 10% off everything with promo code: THEZACHISGREAT

Reeta Juneja

We are a vegan, all-natural aromatherapy skincare brand that’s ethically made in the UK and verified by Etho as complying with fair trade standards. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

Special Offer

15% off on sign up and 20% off on select products. 30-40% off hand balms and creams.

AFM THREADS

AFMThreads is an affordable fashion-forward curated boutique styling men and women from head to toe. With looks that range from casual to red carpet. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

25% off any order of $50.00 or more with the promo code: turnitaround

Katari Beauty

We travel the world and source elemental and pure beauty staples for a clean and eco-friendly beauty routine. Find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Get 25% off with promo code: beauty25

Mobile Protect

Cell protection, emf protection, and security protection for cellphones along with other mobile accessories. Find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Would you like to be included in our Merchant Spotlight? Share Your Store here.

We are starting our series of “Merchant Spotlights” — to help merchants like yourself be found. eCommerce is going to be one of the saving graces that gets everyone through all this social distancing, and there is nothing better than supporting your peers in the process.

We also have a few great stories this week, including a list from Shopify on some of the government funding programs coming online to help small businesses like us keep things rolling.

Let’s get started.

Happy Selling,
Zachary

Shopify Merchant Spotlights

Everything Truck Parts

Everything Truck Parts offers a complete line of parts and accessories for Jeeps, Trucks, SUVs, 4WD, and Off-Road vehicles and equipment. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Use Coupon Code SAVE5NOW during checkout to receive 5% Off your total purchase.

Social Fiber

Social Fiber s a humanitarian apparel brand dedicated to sharing the gospel and serving our community. Follow them on Facebook.

20% off your entire order. Use the code: New Friend

Fair Tribe

Fair Tribe is your online destination for artisan-made home decor, jewelry, and gifts designed to create cherished memories and special moments. Follow them on Facebook.

15% off site-wide with code: TASKHUSKY

Barn Burner Hockey

Barn Burner Hockey makes all-natural, chemical-free hockey products for players of all ages and skill levels. Follow them on Facebook.

Use the offer code “Save20” for 20% off first order!

Cattie Coyle Photography

Cattie Coyle Photography has a wonderful selection of coastal fine art photography prints. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Get 10% off first order when you subscribe to the newsletter.

Would you like to be included in our Merchant Spotlight? Share Your Store here.

This Week’s Top Stories

Government Relief Programs for Small Businesses Affected by COVID-19

Shopify put together a list of worldwide government programs that are either launched or in-process to help small businesses. Things are changing in real-time, but this list is a good starting point.

How To Get Sales In An Economic Downturn: The Kind Of Email You Could Be Sending Now

There are a LOT of terrible emails out there — especially right now. Our friends at Privy have some thoughts on how to do it right, right now.

Promote Your Store on Ethercycle Too

Our friends at Ethercycle are doing something similar. So not only can you promote your Shopify store here, you can promote it there too. Not a bad deal, right?

Special Offer from TaskHusky

Looking to save some money? We are giving away a FREE year of Lead Plus ($99 value) for each new task approved between now and March 30th. Get started by creating a task now. 

Customers Are More Valuable Than Ever

I thought it was crazy two weeks ago! Since our email last week, things have gotten weirder. When things are crazy, maximizing conversion and retention are more important than ever. So, that’s what we are going to focus on this week.

Let’s get started.

Happy Selling,
Zachary

Latest Discounts Available on Lead Plus

Lead Plus offers a ton of value, including great discounts on Shopify stuff. Here are the three latest discounts for Lead Plus members:

• 20% off ANY Cloud Search plan for Life!
• 20% off ANY TaskHusky Marketing Task!
• 30% off FLEX Theme by Out of the Sandbox!

Check out all the Lead Plus discounts here — and more are on the way. Remember that membership is only $99 per year and includes everything you see here.

Facebook Retargeting: How to Win Back Your Almost-Customers

If the most valuable customer is a repeat-customers, then the second most valuable customer is the one who ALMOST purchased. Retargeting is a core strategy to do just that, and this article from the content team at Shopify tells you have to use Facebook retargeting ads right.

Shopify Conversion Rate Optimization: 25 Ideas to Boost Revenue

When it comes to Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), our friend Kurt Elster at Ethercycle dashed off a bunch of things to look at and test to smooth your customer’s journey to consumer success.

Shopify CRO: How to Make More Sales from Your Current Traffic

When the markets get rocky, getting more traffic is harder. So, maximizing your existing traffic is job #1. That means a well-built sales funnel and tweaking. This article is a good place to start.

How to Find and Plug the Leaks in Your Conversion Funnels

So … you’ve read the blog posts and watch all the videos about building a sales funnel and thing ain’t just go’in the way you’d hoped. It’s time to troubleshoot. And this how-to from the Shopify content team talks about how to do the hard work of fixing the funnel.

25 E-Commerce Experts Share Their Best Tips for Driving Repeat Sales Online

Once you have your conversion rate moving in the right direction, the next step is to get those same customers to come back for more. Believe it or not, it’s an entirely different thing. Once you wade through the pop-ups and nag screens, Neil Patel assembled a list from a bunch of industry pros.

What the Heck Happened Last Week?

Last week was crazy. I mean seriously … when you're an entrepreneur you have some crazy weeks, but last week was some special kind of crazy. Half the world is freak’in out about the coronavirus CV19 thinking it’s going to march through humanity like PacMan. And all that scariness is freak’in out the stock market because China is closing down entire cities.

You remember China, right? It’s that far-off place where a lot of our eCommerce merch comes from.

Anyway … in the middle of all that, we did NOT send out an email and everyone thought that the Corona-PacMan had got me too. But no … I’m still here. So, sorry about the miss. Business travel and red-eye flights got the best of the content team and we woke up Tuesday morning and said, “holy crap!” But I’ll make up for it with a complete set of awesomeness email right now.

Speaking of pandemics and supply-chains, here are this week’s stories.

Happy Selling,
Zachary

Latest Discounts Available on Lead Plus

Lead Plus offers a ton of value, including great discounts on Shopify stuff. Here are the three latest discounts for Lead Plus members:

• 20% off ANY Cloud Search plan for Life!
• 20% off ANY TaskHusky Marketing Task!
• 30% off FLEX Theme by Out of the Sandbox!

Check out all the Lead Plus discounts here — and more are on the way. Remember that membership is only $99 per year and includes everything you see here.

Coronavirus Threatens To Disrupt eCommerce Supply Chain

We’re not about to diminish the impact of all the sick folks, but the economic and financial risks here are real. This viral outbreak will pass in time. Read this article and think about your supply chain. Diversifying your product sourcing is just good business.

12 Trending Products to Sell in 2020

Sometimes we see these “top trending products” posts and they turn out to be nothing but click-bait crap lists. But this one from the content team at Shopify actually does a good job, has real search trend stats, and marketing tips. So if you're looking for new product ideas give this article a look-see.

The Death of the Third-Party Cookie: What Marketers Need to Know

Marketing is tough enough. Why does Google keep changing the rules of the game? The answer is … because THEY CAN. Anyway … TONS of marketers use third-party cookies to manage ad campaigns that the decision by the Dark Lords of Google to take them away from the Chrome browser is gonna leave a mark.

Instagram Content Insights

If you don’t know about Gary Vaynerchuk — GaryVee — then you're just not paying attention. The guy is everywhere, and he’s best known for three things:

1. His Hustle and dedication to Hard Work
2. Cursing … a lot … ‘cuz he’s from New Jersey
3. His team’s ability to generate a huge volume of content across multiple platforms

This article shares some of his easy Instagram tips.

Which of My Competitor's Keywords Should (& Shouldn't) I Target?

All’s fair in love and SEO Wars. That’s why we're all looking at our competitors to see what they’re working on. Heck, you KNOW that they’re looking at you, so it’s time to return the favor.