netmeg - 3:36 pm on Dec 13, 2011 (gmt 0)

If you think about it, what's happening with e-commerce is not really all that different than brick & mortar. You *always* have to watch out for competition, both from new upstarts and traditional retail. Amazon moving in on us is not really any different than Walmart moving into a community.

So you have to be agile and nimble, and you have to be adaptable. Get used to the idea that people are always going to be gunning for your niche, and you always have to be a step ahead of them - either by doing what you do so clearly above and beyond everyone, or expanding your niche, or changing your niche, or adding new niches.

Complacency is your enemy here. There are always things the big guys can't do or can't do well, but you have to go out and find them. There's no build and build and build and sitting back and reaping the benefits anymore, because it's always a moving target.

Oh, and people who don't want email are just people who haven't been convinced yet what's in it for them. You have to give them a reason to want the emails, if it's sales and promo codes, or tips and tricks, or industry news, or whatever - and then you have to TELL THEM why they want the emails.

From where I sit, there are still tons of opportunities out there to be plumbed.

Every couple months I try to hit my main e-commerce clients' competitor websites and find five vulnerabilities. I've never found *fewer* than five. That includes Amazon. Heh, I find I now do it on sites where I'm shopping myself, just to keep my practice up. Occasionally I'll email them and tell them - I'm sure they don't appreciate it; I rarely get a response.