How to sustain and grow your Shopify business?

Our previous blogs explored how e-commerce is imperative to take your business to the next level. We shared tips and tricks on how to set up the store and get it off the ground.

While starting a successful online store on Shopify can be a rewarding experience, it takes more than just setting up a website to sustain and grow your business.

In fact, according to a recent survey, over 90% of e-commerce businesses fail within the first four months due to a lack of proper planning and execution.

However, you can set your business up for long-term success with the right strategies. This guide will provide you with actionable tips and statistics on increasing sales, driving traffic, and building a loyal customer base on Shopify. Whether you’re just starting or looking to scale your existing business, this guide will give you the tools you need to succeed.

Make Your Store Mobile Responsive

You cannot afford to overlook mobile responsiveness in your e-commerce business. As of November 2022, mobile devices drive 58.99% of global website traffic. This means that over half of internet usage comes from mobile devices, and 10% of that time is spent on e-commerce apps.

You need to unlock the huge mobile e-commerce market since:

  • Mobile responsive e-commerce will allow you to tap into the abundance of mobile visitors.
  • Visitors are less likely to leave your store quickly on mobile devices.
  • With mobile-responsive e-commerce, you will be able to drive sales on mobile.
  • Your store will have a better chance of ranking in Google search for mobile-specific queries.
  • Shopify has a responsive checkout, so users can easily convert on their devices.

Increase Sales by Offering More Products

To make more money, the key is to sell more products. Amazon used this strategy to become the juggernaut of retail it is now—and you can too! The trick is to identify what products will draw attention and engagement from your existing customer base.

Take, for example, Nykaa -the leading Indian skincare and cosmetics e-commerce giant. It began by selling makeup and skincare and is branching out further. Nykaa has recently begun selling clothing and accessories on Nykaa Fashion.

Nykaa’s complementary products pair perfectly – for example, customers can buy a dress from Nykaa Fashion and then purchase matching cosmetics from Nykaa! With these two product lines in tandem, customers will likely buy both items, elevating Nykaa’s average order value.

Improve Customer Retention

Research shows that repeat customers account for as much as 40% of an e-commerce store’s revenue. These statistics demonstrate the importance of focusing on customer retention to drive e-commerce sales and grow a successful online business.

Here are some tips for retaining customers:

  • Regularly surprise and delight customers with email communication
  • Improve packaging to create a positive customer experience
  • Offer repeat buyer discounts to incentivize repeat purchases
  • Utilize retargeting to target previous customers
  • Create a loyalty program to reward and retain customers
  • Curate product reviews to build trust
  • Be responsive on social media

Build an Email List

A study by Hubspot found that the email ROI is an impressive $36 for every $1 spent.

You can directly communicate with your potential and existing customers with an email list. Your communication is not dependent on Facebook or Google.

You can send personalized promotions, new product announcements, and special sales directly to your most engaged customers. This helps increase customer loyalty, repeat business, and ultimately drive sales.

Additionally, sending regular email newsletters helps keep your brand top-of-mind, which can lead to more impulse purchases.

iView Labs makes this easy by providing customized landing page pop-ups for your business. These can get people to sign up from inside your store and build a goldmine of email ids of potential customers.

Optimize Content for E-commerce

Content marketing is creating and sharing online material to draw interest in a brand’s products or services without promoting it directly. It’s important because it has a higher return on investment (ROI) than traditional marketing.

Some ways you can optimize your content are:

  1. Create relevant video content: According to a study by Hubspot, 81% of marketers feel that a relevant video has a direct, positive impact on sales.
  2. Curate catchy product descriptions: Engaging people in conversations about your product and its value may increase the conversion rate.
  3. Images: The higher the quality of the photographs you supply, the more appealing your product will appear. And the more appealing your product appears, the more sales you will earn.
  4. Product Reviews and Recommendations: Amazon’s product recommendations drive a whopping 35% of sales on the platform. This product recommendation strategy is one that you can easily implement.

There are a few ways you can go about doing this:

  • Recommend products to exist customers based on their previous purchases (email is the best platform for this technique)
  • Share positive reviews across social media or blogs to earn trust and highlight popular products.

How can iView Labs be a potential partner to help grow your Shopify store?

iView Labs provides e-commerce solutions for businesses looking to grow their Shopify store. We offer a range of services, such as website design and development, mobile optimization, search engine optimization, and marketing strategies that can help improve your store’s visibility and increase sales. Our analytics and insights can help you understand your customers’ behaviour and preferences. The team at iView Labs has experience working with Shopify stores of all sizes. We can help you identify the best strategies for your business.
If you are looking for a partner to help grow your Shopify business, iView Labs can be a potential partner. Contact us at https://www.iviewlabs.com/talk-to-us. Our team quickly responds to your queries, and if you are interested, we can get started in no time. Visit our website www.iviewlabs.com for more information.

Top 7 Shopify Plugins to boost sales and make your life easier

A study shows over 4.4 million e-commerce websites are built with Shopify.

As the number of Shopify stores has grown, so have the resources available to store owners. The Shopify app store contains over 8,000 apps and plugins that enhance the capabilities of the primary platform.

Installing the proper Shopify plugin will help you: 

  • Improve your search engine ranking.
  • Allow for an effective marketing campaign
  • Efficiently manage your day-to-day store operations.

Simply said, there are several ways to boost sales and profits by adding applications and plugins.

This post will cover 7 methods to up your e-commerce game with the finest Shopify plugins.

Let’s get started!

1. One Click Social Login

It’s no secret that creating an account is one of the most significant pain points for shoppers. 

Why bother filling out all those forms when ‘One Click Social Login’ solves this problem? With One Click Social Login, you can quickly and easily let your customers sign up with popular social networks like

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

One Click Social Login can also provide valuable insights into customer demographics and behaviour, as businesses can see which social media platforms customers use to log in.

2. Wishlist Plus

Who doesn’t love a nice Wishlist?

Everyone wants the convenience of having a list of favourite products easily accessible when you’re ready to purchase. Wishlist Plus is an excellent plugin that makes it super easy for your customers to do just that.

With Wishlist Plus, customers can bookmark their favourite items without even logging in! According to the plugin, this simple widget can increase conversion rates by 20-30%.

3. Free Shipping Bar by Hextom

This plugin shows customers how much more they need to shop to qualify for free shipping. This is in the form of a progress bar and is completely customizable. As customers shop and add items to their cart, the progress bar will update in real-time.

4. Returnly: Returns/Exchanges

Are you tired of dealing with the hassle of returns and exchanges on your Shopify store?

A study reveals that the average return rate is approximately 20-30% for e-commerce.

Using the Returnly plugin, your customers can initiate returns and exchanges directly from their accounts. They would not need to fill out any complicated forms or write emails. The process is intuitive and easy to use, ensuring a positive customer experience. Also, you can customize the return policy according to your store’s needs and even offer store credit or exchange options.

On the backend, Returnly provides store owners with a clear and organized overview of all return requests. This includes tracking information and status updates to efficiently process and manage returns.

5. Upsell & Cross Sell

This plugin gives businesses the power to hand-pick Cross Sell & Upsell recommendations on an individual product basis. This constantly presents customers with appealing and relevant products based on their search, wishlist and purchase history.

But the real magic happens when it’s done in a subtle and non-intrusive way with the Upsell & Cross-Sell plugin. It uses sophisticated algorithms to analyze customers and deliver relevant product recommendations in real time. This can increase the chances of a sale and make the whole process more natural and engaging for the customers and profitable for owners.

6. Socialphotos

Want to boost conversions and build trust on your e-commerce website? Try Socialphotos! It’s the leading solution for using user-generated content (UGC) to show off customer photos and videos on your website. This way, potential customers can see real-life examples of happy customers using your products, making them more likely to purchase. 

Socialphotos makes it easy to display these photos and videos, so you can start seeing results in no time. It’s a powerful tool to help increase conversions while building trust among your customers and website visitors.

7. Plug in SEO

Want more traffic and sales for your store? Look no further than Plug In SEO! This app gives you all the tools you need to boost your search rankings, get more page views, and make customers happy.

With features like

  • speed optimization
  • audit reports
  • broken link fixing

you’ll see an increase in traffic and sales in no time.

Plus, Plug in SEO provides easy-to-follow instructions on solving any SEO problems you may encounter. And with its templating feature, you can easily target specific keywords on your blog and pages. Say goodbye to complicated SEO and hello to more traffic and sales with Plug in SEO!

How can iView Labs help you install the best Shopify plugins?

Finding the right Shopify extensions can be a daunting process. With so many options available, knowing what will work best for your business isn’t easy.

If you’re overwhelmed trying to figure out how to choose and install the right plugins, iView Labs is here to help. We have a team of e-commerce experts to help you craft and optimize a Shopify store with all the bells and whistles. 

IView Labs are dedicated to partnering with SMEs to fulfil their needs and requirements that can deliver a successful Shopify website for any business. With a decade of experience in eCommerce, iView Labs have the right set of skills and experience to help you avoid common mistakes when building your Shopify website. Furthermore, iView Labs provide excellent customer service and after-sales support to ensure that your website functions smoothly.
So if you’re looking for a customized Shopify app for your business, contact us at https://www.iviewlabs.com/talk-to-us. Our team quickly responds to your queries, and if you are interested, we can get started in no time. Visit our website www.iviewlabs.com for more information.

Building a Shopify website? Here are 7 common mistakes to avoid

Did you know that 55.4% of internet users use their mobile phones to buy online? Often touted as “mobilegeddon,” this established that mobile search was no longer an afterthought. Given the data, imagine what you could be missing out on if you did not optimize your Shopify site for mobile users.

Building an e-commerce website can be daunting, especially if you’re new to the process. There is much to consider when building a Shopify website. From choosing the perfect template to having a clear navigation structure, optimizing for mobile, and using high-quality images, it can be easy to miss some key steps during the process.

7 common mistakes while building a Shopify website

Most eCommerce Shopify websites fail due to typical errors that you ignore. Understanding these common blunders and correcting them before going live will help you maximize the platform’s potential and create a successful online business. Let’s look at seven of the most common mistakes e-commerce entrepreneurs make when setting up their Shopify store so that you don’t have to learn them all the hard way.

1. Slow loading time

Shopify serves as a dynamic platform but only when optimized for high speeds. Unfortunately, Shopify websites that don’t take the steps necessary to speed up their loading times are far too common. Thus, resulting in poor user experience and low website traffic. Making sure that your Shopify site is running at maximum speed is critical not only for boosting revenue potential but also for increasing credibility. A few practical tips you can use to speed up Shopify include

  • compress your images
  • optimize the usage of Shopify apps
  • implement AMP

2. Poor user experience

Contrary to popular belief, The design and feel of a website have little to do with user experience. It is more about utility and experience.

An e-commerce store won’t get good conversions with a sub-optimal user experience.

A few issues to keep at bay for a good user experience are:

a complex website design

Confusing navigation

Slow load time

Complicated checkout process

Not enough payment gateway options

3. Poor clarity on your target audience

Without a clear understanding of who your target market is, you may struggle to effectively market your products and services, resulting in poor sales and low customer engagement.

A study found that businesses saw a revenue increase of up to 760% when they segmented their market and targeted specific customer groups.

Also, without identifying ideal customers, it is more difficult for companies to provide unique services like tailored product recommendations or personalized discounts – features that are crucial for standing out in an increasingly competitive market.

4. Not optimizing for mobile phones

  • In 2021, mobile commerce accounted for 72.9% of all e-commerce traffic worldwide.
  • By 2024, the mobile commerce volume is estimated to reach $620.97 billion.

Thus, paying attention to your website’s mobile purchase process is crucial for ensuring a positive client experience and lowering shopping cart abandonment.

5. Not using high-quality images

Not using high-quality images on a Shopify website can negatively impact an e-commerce business in many ways:

  • Reduced sales: Poor-quality images can make products appear unappealing and discourage potential customers from purchasing.
  • Reduced conversion rates: Images with higher quality and aesthetics are more likely to convert customers into buyers.
  • Reduced brand credibility: Using low-quality images can make your brand appear unprofessional and untrustworthy, negatively impacting customer perceptions of your business.

6. Not using clear, consistent branding

Inconsistent branding can make it difficult for customers to trust your business, negatively impacting conversions and sales. Clear and consistent branding helps communicate your unique selling point and what sets you apart from your competitors.

A study by HubSpot found that consistent branding can improve conversion rates by up to 33%.

Furthermore, inconsistent branding can make it difficult for customers to engage with your business, negatively impacting customer loyalty and repeat business.

7. Not using SEO optimization

Shopify is a great e-commerce platform with many features to help businesses succeed. However, keeping the default SEO settings can harm a business’s visibility and traffic. It could lead to poor visibility in search engines which could mean fewer potential customers find your website and spend money there.

Also, it can be difficult to target specific keywords related to your business and industry with default settings in your Shopify website’s SEO. To ensure your website is more visible online and attracts the right audience, you need to take control of Shopify’s SEO functionality and customize it depending on your needs.

How can iView Labs help you avoid these mistakes and build an efficient Shopify website?

iView Labs can be a potential partner to turn your Shopify vision into reality. IView Labs are dedicated to partnering with SMEs to fulfil their needs and requirements that can deliver a successful Shopify website for any business. With a decade of experience in eCommerce, iView Labs have the right set of skills and experience to help you avoid common mistakes when building your Shopify website. Furthermore, iView Labs provide excellent customer service and after-sales support to ensure that your website functions smoothly.
So if you’re looking for a customized Shopify app for your business, contact us at https://www.iviewlabs.com/talk-to-us. Our team quickly responds to your queries, and if you are interested, we can get started in no time. Visit our website www.iviewlabs.com for more information.

5 things to keep in mind before building a Shopify website

Over 4.4 million websites globally use Shopify as of 2023, making it one of the most popular e-commerce platforms for e-commerce businesses. Whether you’re a first-time business owner who wants to launch an efficient store quickly or an experienced pro looking to expand the reach of their existing website, building a Shopify platform requires thorough planning and strategy development.

This blog post will discuss five things to remember before embarking on your e-commerce journey with Shopify. So you can ensure 100% efficiency and maximum success with your online store!

1. Find a name, theme and target audience for your e-commerce

First things first, select a name for your store – a critical step in building a successful brand. Choose a name that resonates with your target audience. Then add a custom domain to your e-commerce site and guarantee instant audience recognition. By selecting the right name and domain name, you are giving your brand personality and visual appeal, which sets you apart from competitors.

Furthermore, carefully select a theme that relates to your products and is aesthetically pleasing to attract customers. With the number of US digital buyers estimated to reach 285 million in 2025, as per data by Statista, it’s even more important for retailers today to be able to reach buyers through multiple sales channels online.

To reap the benefits of multi-channel retailing for your e-commerce store, choose the top social media and marketplace channels that will work best for you, then add the available sales channels to your store.

2. Optimize photos and videos

Secondly, you must ensure your website is visually appealing. Use high-quality photos and videos to showcase your product. First impressions matter and potential customers should stick around long enough to learn more about your products or services. 

Shopify optimizes images and videos on your website for fast loading since speed is vital for online stores. Not only does it give your users a better experience, but it can also help boost your search engine performance and conversion rates. The platform ensures you get the best of both worlds: fast loading times and great visuals.

3. Easy navigation

Thirdly, your website needs to be easy to navigate. Customers should be able to find what they’re searching for quickly and easily. Use clear and concise labelling for your menus and keep the most important information above the fold.

While navigation techniques may seem like a breeze, there is much more to it than text links. Descriptive titles are incredibly important as your site’s navigation menu needs to give users a clear idea of what content they will access if they click on something. Moreover, navigation should be structured so that users can easily spot the navigation bars and properly understand their hierarchy. 

Finally, having an XML sitemap helps search engine bots index your site’s pages and ensure navigation appears correctly for all users. With this combination of navigation best practices, you’re sure to create an intuitive navigation system for your site!

4. Focus on e-commerce search engine optimization

49% of product searches begin with Google. Therefore, your Shopify website must be optimized for search engine ranking. This means using the right keywords and phrases and creating quality content that will help you rank high in search results.

Shopify helps you to begin with the following strategies built within the platform.

Keyword research is the first step in building effective SEO strategies: choose terms related to your product and optimize them on product descriptions, category descriptions, H1s, URLs, meta titles and file names.

Additionally, ensuring you have schema markup enabled on your website helps search engines find your content better. Then create a sitemap that provides information about your website’s content to Google. Lastly, optimize site speed by choosing more lightweight versions of codecs and minifying elements like JavaScript and CSS.

Finally, don’t forget to promote your website! Spread the word through social media, email marketing, and other channels. The more people who know about your Shopify site, the more likely you will get sales.

5. Providing Multiple Payment Methods

If you want your store to reach a broad range of customers and maximize sales, offering multiple payment options is key. It seems like a small detail, but research shows that 6% of shoppers will abandon their baskets if they cannot make an online payment in their preferred way. Services like Shopify provide multiple payment solutions, including credit cards, debit cards, Amex, and digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, Amazon Pay and PayPal. Offering multiple payment methods not only creates trust with consumers but can attract new customers and reduce cart abandonment due to the lack of available payment options.

How can iView Labs be a trusted tech partner for e-commerce businesses?

Whether you are an e-commerce company or a traditional company looking to expand into e-commerce, iView Labs has the skills and experience to help you build the best Shopify website for your business. With their decade-long experience, iView Labs can understand even the most complex challenges for SMEs. Plus, their excellent customer service and after–sales support ensures that your website is always performing at its best.
So if you’re looking for a customized Shopify app to tackle a specific problem, contact us at https://www.iviewlabs.com/talk-to-us. Our team quickly responds to your queries, and if you are interested, we can get started in no time. Visit our website www.iviewlabs.com for more information.

Why should companies look at pre-built teams instead of individual hiring?

The IT industry is on full throttle with an estimated increase of 7.10% annually (CAGR 2022-2027). The projected market volume is $1,570.00 billion by 2027. As the industry expands, there will be an increasing demand for tech talent. 

However, many companies need help hiring, training, and retaining talent. One solution is to hire pre-built teams tailor-made for their specific needs. These teams can provide the skills and experience required to meet the demands of the businesses. In addition, they can be hired flexibly, making it easier for companies to scale their workforce up or down as needed. 

This post will elaborate on this concept and why tech companies should rethink their hiring strategies for smooth and efficient business delivery. 

What are pre-built teams?

Pre-built teams are groups of professionals who have already been assembled and are ready to start working on projects immediately. These plug-and-play teams have all the necessary skill sets already in place. 

This can save time and funds while ensuring your project gets off to a good start. 

Why a pre-assembled team is the first choice of entrepreneurs

A Deloitte survey shows more than 54% of global companies outsource their IT functions. Rightly so. Sometimes, it can be daunting for CTOs to build an optimal tech team.

Pre-built teams offer several advantages over traditional individual hiring practices.

  1. Pre-built teams can be quickly assembled and deployed, which is essential in today’s fast-paced business environment.
  2. Pre-built teams are scalable, which means they can be easily expanded or reduced to meet the changing needs of the business.
  3. Pre-built teams are more efficient and skilled than individual hires, which results in better business delivery. As a result, pre-built teams offer a quick, scalable, and efficient solution for businesses that need to fill talent gaps quickly.

Who should hire pre-built teams?

A pre-assembled team is ideal for complex long-term projects that may extend further. Let’s look at when you should hire a ready-to-go tech team.

Start-ups

There are many reasons why start-ups should consider hiring pre-built teams. The most important reason is that it can help to save a great deal of time and money. The CEO of one major fintech unicorn stated that he spent one-third of his time on recruitment.

When start-ups are in the initial phase, they often have minimal resources and need to make every dollar count. Hiring a pre-built team can help get the start-up off the ground more quickly and efficiently without investing in costly recruitment and training processes.

Long term projects

Long-term projects can be difficult to staff. They often require specific skills and knowledge, and finding the right people can take time. This is where pre-built teams can be helpful. These teams can hit the ground running, which is vital for any long-term project. With a pre-built team, you can start your project immediately without worrying about recruiting and training new staff.

Projects with vague requirements

Projects with unclear requirements can be challenging to manage and often result in subpar results. This is because it can be challenging to define the scope of work clearly, and there is often a need for more communication between the stakeholders. As a result, it is often more beneficial to hire competent pre-built teams already familiar with the project requirements. This can help ensure the project is completed on time and within budget.

Short on tech talent

Many companies find themselves short on workforce due to various factors, including increased demand for their products or services or seasonal fluctuations. In these situations, finding the time and resources to source and train new employees can take time and effort.

Thus, by hiring a team that is already trained and experienced, companies can short-cut the onboarding process and quickly get new employees up to speed. In addition, pre-built teams can provide much-needed flexibility during periods of high demand.

In essence, whether or not to hire a pre-built team depends on the business’s specific needs. However, in general, companies can benefit from the flexibility and speed that a pre-built team can provide.

Get the best tech team with iView

If you wish to skip the hassle of building a tech team and get going with a plug-and-play model, iView can be a potential partner.

iView Labs is a reliable partner for finding tech talent and building an efficient tech team. With iView Labs, you can access hundreds of pre-assembled, specialized tech teams ready to work on your project. You can also find pre-packaged services with a clear scope of work, timelines, and costs. iView Labs is the perfect solution for your unique tech needs. We’ll assemble your team fast and deliver the work you need on time and within budget.

Footnote:

At iView Labs, we offer on-demand technical team talent to supplement or add to businesses’ current capacity and meet their needs for technical development. In accordance with the talents required by the business, we match, build, manage, and operate their technical teams for a more sustainable functioning. This broadly fits with the core principle of the digitisation movement, in which technology should ease your life and allow free creative minds to reach new heights. Rest assured that our team will continue to put our best foot forward to deliver astounding results. Want us to become a part of your growth journey? Get in touch today.To know more about iView Labs, kindly log on to our website www.iviewlabs.com and to get in touch with us with your queries and needs, just write us an email at info@iviewlabs.com and sales@iviewlabs.com. Download the latest portfolio to see our work.

What is the easiest and fastest way to find tech talent for your business?

Technology is a constantly changing puzzle that only the brightest minds can solve. Modern employers recognize that building a tech team is the first and the most crucial step toward the business’s success. However, there is a global tech talent shortage because of the shrinkage of the talent pool. You must have experienced that getting the best minds isn’t just a challenge now; it’s a chaotic race against the clock.

As global businesses go the tech path, qualified IT specialists are in demand more than ever. However, there is a widening skills gap. According to Gartner, 64% of new or emerging technologies could not be adopted due to a lack of qualified team members. This has serious revenue implications – a new Korn Ferry report shows that by 2030, the U.S. could lost out on at least $162 billion in annual revenue if they don’t find the right tech talent. 

Find the right tech talent 

Tech professionals roday understand their value proposition and how much impact they can make, which means that they hold significant leverage in hiring situations. Understanding their needs, anticipating their wants, and accommodating their aspirations are the keys to acquiring such talent quickly and with minimum hassle. 

Here are some strategies to make the tech talent hunt go easier and faster for your business:

  1. Find tech talent and make them choose YOU: In such a competitive market, ensuring that your organization stands out from the crowd is essential. One way to do this is by connecting with potential candidates during the hiring process. By getting to know them and understanding their goals, you can show them that they would be valued as team members, not just hired hands. This can go a long way in persuading them to choose you over other employers.
  1. Advertise Your Positions in the Appropriate Places: Advertising the role is one of the most critical steps in finding tech talent. You can look for a talent pool on job portals like Indeed or social media channels like LinkedIn. Non-traditional channels like GitHub are also where talented techies hang out. Or you can outsource the entire process to an organization with expertise in team building.
  1. Impact of Employer Branding: Employer branding can be a powerful tool when building a strong tech team. By shaping how prospective candidates perceive your brand, you can influence their decision to join your team. And because employer branding can produce immediate results in the hiring process, it’s an important strategy to consider when you’re looking to build a top-notch tech team.
  1.  Tap into your personal and professional networks for referrals: While job portals and social networks may be a great place to start, in today’s job market, it’s more important than ever to get the word out about open positions at your company. While traditional methods like job boards and classified ads can be effective, you may miss out on a large pool of qualified candidates if you don’t utilize social media to its full potential.

Common Mistakes to Avoid when finding tech talent

  • Complex Application Procedures: Long application processes can turn off potential talents. It also simply delays hiring.
  • Delayed Interactions: Act promptly and without delays. Delayed responses can imply to candidates that you are uninterested in their application. Meanwhile, other organizations may sweep off the top talents.

Integrating and onboarding a tech team 

Once you build a tech team, the new talent may seem self-sufficient initially, but the full potential will only be realized with training. So complete training – make sure your investment pays off by getting everyone up to speed. Scheduling training sessions ensure that the new team members and business owners are all on the same page. 

Before you begin your training program, some pointers can be of immense use:

  • Roll in the change: Employees must be able to grasp the larger picture and comprehend business drivers. Before you teach your personnel about the business requirements, prepare them “culturally” for the transition.
  • Allow enough time: With more new things to learn and busy work schedules, training may quickly become boring, so plan and allot enough time.
  • Ensure accessibility and availability: Using in-app training or just-in-time interventions using microlearning modules is ideal. Maintain contextual and customized training.
  • It’s an ongoing process: Use tactics such as meeting with the subject matter expert/project managers, tests, videos, mailers, Q&A, and follow-up sessions.

Make use of expert solutions

A lot goes into building the right tech team. It can make or break the organization. But what if you could find tech talent that is “plug-and-play”? A tailor-made team just for your business needs? That would make life so much easier. Fortunately, there is a way to do just that. 

By working with a company specializing in placing tech talent, you can build a team with the right skills and experience you need. And you can spend your time and resources on something other than hiring. These tech organizations will handle all the details, from identifying candidates to conducting interviews. So, working with an expert tech organization is quick and easy if you’re looking for a hassle-free way to build a top-notch tech team.

Find tech talent for your company with iView Labs

At iView Labs, we help CTOs build remote tech teams. With over a decade of experience and over 25 active partnerships, iView Labs helps you build, manage and operate tech teams.

iView Labs specializes in connecting businesses with the best tech talent. We take the time and effort your company needs. Then, we use our extensive network to find candidates who are a good fit for your business. With iView Labs, you can confidently find the perfect tech team for your business.
To learn more about iView Labs, kindly log on to our website www.iviewlabs.com and to get in touch with us with your queries and needs, write us an email at info@iviewlabs.com and sales@iviewlabs.com.

How non-tech founders can build great technology companies

If you’re a founder from a non-tech background, you may feel disadvantaged when building a technology company. You may need to figure out where or how to start. But with the right advice and resources, you can overcome these challenges and create a successful tech company. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some tips for non-tech founders and helpful resources that will guide you through the process. So don’t worry – you got this! Just follow these simple steps, and you’ll be on your way to success.

Building a product/service without understanding of the underlying tech can be tricky. You may face some challenges like:

Hiring a technical team

Building a tech team is the most challenging part of setting up a startup. You need to find tech talent that is suitable for your business needs. Sourcing, engaging, and hiring tech talent takes a lot of time. If you are looking to hire developers, you need to figure out the entire development pipeline. Assigning them roles and responsibilities can be challenging if you don’t know the tech. 

To overcome this, non-tech founders can benefit from the expertise of a reliable pre-assembled plug-and-play tech team. Instead of worrying about recruitment or team leadership, you can focus on developing your product or service.

Finding a co-founder with a tech background

While having a co-founder with the tech expertise is not mandatory, they can help build a tech team. They can also be critical players in business-related activities such as networking, pitching to investors, presenting your products at conferences, and gathering user feedback.

Many benefits come with finding such a co-founder. But recruiting a technical co-founder can be challenging too. Many non-technical startup founders need help figuring out where to start looking for such experts.

Solution?

Outsourcing with an external tech company means that you’ll be benefiting from the technical expertise of teams that may be located all over the world. This helps broaden your search and find people excited about your product. Plus, you can always leave the door open for bringing a tech co-founder on board when the time is right.

Non-tech founders have succeeded and how!

Wonder if you can succeed as a non-tech founder? There are plenty if you are looking for some inspiration. Founders with no education or work experience in the technology space have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs.

Brian Chemsky is one such name. He and co-founder Joe Gebbia famously built the 100 billion dollar business Airbnb without an iota of coding skills. The duo were industrial design/graphics design graduates from Rhode Island University. Today, Airbnb is over six million rooms strong in over 81,000 cities globally as of 2020. 

For another non-tech entrepreneur, the journey began in 2012. Falguni Nayar, the founder of the Indian online cosmetic marketplace Nykaa, was a banker for two decades before dipping her toes into entrepreneurship at age 55! Nykaa specializes in multi-beauty and personal care products. Today, the e-commerce giant is valued at approximately $13 billion after its recent listing on India’s National Stock Exchange.

Similarly, Alexis Ohanian, a non-technical entrepreneur, co-founded Reddit. As a prominent news aggregator, Reddit receives over 1 billion page views per month and can convert a news topic into a viral hit. Ohanian co-founded Reddit with co-founder Steve Huffman after graduating from the University of Virginia in 2005 with degrees in commerce and history.

We could go on and on. But the bottomline is, if they can do it, so can you. Let’s see how. Start by building a solid tech team.

How can you build a strong tech team?

Finding tech talent is difficult for many CEOs. After all, even if you know your business well, it might be tough to discern if the person you hire can truly accomplish what is required of him/her. According to a McKinsey survey, 61% of HR professionals believe building a tech team is the most challenging for them in the years ahead.

Regardless of the daunting hurdles in finding tech talent, established organizations can only expect to survive in the digital era if they are technologically strong. As a result, IT talent should be the CEO’s top focus.

Here are a few tips that will go a long way if you want to build a tech team as a non-technical founder/entrepreneur.

Multi-pronged approach

Filling your tech-talent demands is becoming a multidimensional competition. Companies must spend concurrently throughout the “hire to retire” life cycle.

This begins with creating a digital-talent engine; a dedicated team is tasked with managing the whole employee experience, from hiring and onboarding to generating new career pathways and continually upgrading capabilities.

Bridge the talent gap

Do your employees have the skill required to fulfill your business needs? Analyze the skill gaps of your employees periodically and develop training sessions to refresh their existing talent or upskill them.

Focus on candidate experiences

To find the perfect tech talent, a more effective approach is to focus on the candidate’s experience. You need to improve the virtual candidate experience since 70% of companies in a recent survey said their recruiting and onboarding was at least half virtual. Some ways of doing that include the following:

  • Tech talent want to meet other technologists, so ensure that engineers and other relevant roles are part of your interview team. 
  • Promising applicants are ambitious and have a wide range of possibilities. Create an interview and evaluation strategy that can result in a decision in as little as one day.
  • Because IT talent isn’t only going to job boards, be active in non-traditional channels like hackathons, open-source channels, and skill-specific curated sites. 

iView Labs as a talent partner

iView Labs can be a potential partner that helps businesses find tech talent. We have a team of experts who know how to find the best tech talent. This way, businesses can focus on building their product or service and not worry about the nitty-gritty of hiring. iView Labs is a reliable partner that you can trust to build a tech team for your business.To learn more about iView Labs, kindly log on to our website www.iviewlabs.com and to get in touch with us with your queries and needs, write us an email at info@iviewlabs.com and sales@iviewlabs.com. Download the latest portfolio to see our work.

How to build a remote team from scratch quickly and effectively

As more and more businesses start warming up to new ways of working, remote teams are becoming widespread. Needless to say, hiring remote teams is one of the best business decisions a leader can take today to keep pace with the changing corporate world. However, establishing remote teams also presents some peculiar difficulties. To ensure that you hire talented workers, engage extensively in their training, and actively seek to boost their morale, you must plan smartly. 

So, what does it take to build a productive remote team? Broadly, employers may ensure the following to build a productive remote working setup: 

  • A proven and effective hiring process
  • Open communication channels 
  • Productivity-boosting incentives 
  • A mechanism to measure and monitor progress

Hiring the right employees 

When you plan to hire remote employees, often the recruitment process will likely be remote as well. So you’ll need to adopt a different strategy than you would for employing regular employees. First of all, since your employees will be working alone for the majority of the day, recruiting self-motivated individuals is a wonderful skill set to look for. You can also look for employees who have already worked in a remote setup and are comfortable working and collaborating with remote teams. 

It often also becomes important for the business to hire individuals that don’t require to be trained extensively and can demonstrate proven expertise in the field for which they are being employed. Employers can test candidates by asking open-ended as well as specific questions to test both their attitude as well as aptitude.

Time-zone of your employees is another point to factor in. If you need to have in-person team meetings, target your geographical locations accordingly. On the other hand, if you’re looking to expand your team in a way that your business stays active 24×7, you can look at locations in time zones complementary to yours- this can also be based on where your client is located. 

For instance, we hire the right people to fulfil your business needs at the right time. Send us the tech team brief, and based on your requirements, our team will recommend the most suitable profiles. Once we receive a favourable response, our staff will present the profiles most compatible with the role.

Deciding your hiring model structure

One of the numerous benefits of remote hiring is to be able to choose staff members according to a project. You can choose to hire part-time employees, freelancers, full-time employees or mix and match in a contract-based setup. 

Decide the perks and benefits you wish to offer while also freezing the pay structure, schedule and modes. You can always take external assistance to help you manage the entire human resource planning for remote work. 

Based on the skills you need, the number of employees needed, and the length of the project, iView labs may assist you in finding the ideal tech team, and we’ll take care of the rest. 

Getting the tools right

Your business can employ a variety of remote work tools, in addition to MS Teams, Slack, and Zoom, to make these alternate work arrangements successful. For an added layer of security, you can also get dedicated white-labelled solutions customized for your business. 

To make remote-work easier, employers must also make sure that necessary tools, such as project management, time monitoring, and communication, are available to employees. Also, set sprint meetings to check on daily, weekly, monthly progress as and when required- having a SCRUM master could be quite effective in this case. 

And while you pick the right tools from those available in the market, also ensure you don’t overwhelm your employees with too many of these products. Security and privacy issues must also be taken care of with due diligence. The tools should work in assisting employees make their tasks easier and should not serve as an obstacle to speed and productivity. 

Maintaining high engagement levels

Remote employees are more prone to feeling isolated from the rest of the organisation. The impact of this issue on the business may be significantly greater if the entire team works remotely. Disconnected feelings can impact productivity and can lead to higher attrition rates, consequently impacting both top and bottom line. 

As a result, a business needs to invest in the right processes for engagement. Additionally managers, and human resources can take proactive measures to guarantee that workers are actively engaged, such as: 

  • Holding team meetings weekly or bi-weekly; 
  • Check-in with each employee one-on-one, especially those who live alone; 
  • Participating in enjoyable activities such as virtual games, quizzes or anything else that may foster a sense of teamwork. 
  • Rewarding milestones or sending a written note of appreciation to employees.

A system to monitor and track progress

As previously stated, implementing tracking tools is one method of holding employees accountable for respecting workplace standards. Building an integrated app that allows you to assign as well as track work can go a long way in building the right remote working culture. It should be easy for the higher as well as middle management to visualize progress towards a goal, set milestones and assess team and individual performance. This will lead to a streamlined and transparent way of working with business leaders feeling in control even when the organisation is scattered across geographies. 

If you are looking for a Technology Talent partner, we at iViewLabs will be happy to help. Just fill in this easy form to get in touch with us with your queries and needs. You can also write to us at info@iviewlabs.com and sales@iviewlabs.com. 

Why having a remote team makes good business sense

Without question, over the past year and a half, the workplace has changed significantly. Working from home all the time limits employees from seeing the subtleties of office interaction, such as birthday celebrations, water cooler chatter, or overhearing talks that could help you better understand the company. 

However, by hiring fewer people, a business may be able to reap numerous benefits. How? Think about a typical office situation: do you picture a bustling, active office, or do you picture some vacant desks while you wait for the new hiring of the following year?

According to a Standford University study of 16,000 employees conducted over a nine-month period, businesses can reduce their office space rent by roughly $2,000 per employee by simply making better use of the available space. 

Other advantages include 

  • Higher productivity levels
  • Lower real estate costs
  • Decreased absenteeism
  • Lower turnover

Employers should assess whether components of a role are best performed at home or in the office rather than how many days employees should be in the office. Creating a hybrid schedule can take many different forms depending on the role and industry. However, because the bulk of jobs in the future will be remote and hybrid, organisations must constantly enhance their operations. 

Wider talent base

Many people have dubbed the COVID-19 pandemic as the Great Resignation, which has devastated the global employment market. Over the previous two years, businesses and startups have had trouble attracting and keeping employees. Being an employer of choice is more crucial than ever since it is harder than ever to recruit and keep great individuals. 

The upshot has been a rise in wages and a sharp increase in labour market competition. According to numerous studies, firms can use a range of other tactics besides salary to persuade their top employees to turn down a job offer from a competitor. 

Greater flexibility, for instance, is thought by employees to be the second most important feature that would cause employees to reject a job offer from a rival company.  Successful businesses usually encourage remote work for all employees who are capable of it. Research from the previous 20 years has demonstrated that companies with strict regulations regarding remote work had greater output levels, employee engagement, and key performance indicators.

Smart savings 

One of the many advantages of contract and remote work for both organisations and people is cost savings. Businesses hire contract staff temporarily; they are not paid on a yearly basis. 

Similarly, companies are not obligated to invest significantly in staff training and development. Choosing remote and contract labour thus saves firms a lot of money.

Another way remote work may help businesses decrease costs is through executive mobility. Executives are free to work from their preferred locations. Because not everyone wants to stay in big cities due to higher living expenses, employees can move to tier II cities with reduced living costs. By building a diverse remote team and allowing staff to work in different cities across the nation and alter their salary accordingly, this move might save larger corporations thousands. 

Many large corporations, like Facebook, Twitter, and Stripe, have recently made headlines by announcing pay reductions for remote employees who choose to move to less expensive and centrally located places. Although one may disagree with this approach, most employees appear to be open to accepting salary reductions in exchange for additional effort.

Improved productivity outcomes 

Contrary to what is commonly believed, employees who have access to all of the modern amenities of home don’t actually result in lower production levels. Employees that work remotely benefit from flexible scheduling, a better work-life balance, and a more enjoyable working environment. In actuality, remote workers seem to be putting in long hours while still maintaining a better work-life balance and experiencing less stress. 

Furthermore, remote workers are putting in longer hours because extended in-person meetings and commute times are avoided. Remote workers have a better work-life balance, and finally, they are less stressed. Businesses may also profit from remote employment by permitting applications from around the world, attracting even more talent, despite the country’s extremely low labour costs. China, Brazil, and Romania are just a few nations that provide labour at a lower cost than India. 

The secret to happy employees

Employee feedback favours remote work. Several studies have revealed that the capacity to work remotely is substantially related to job satisfaction. Employee satisfaction, for instance, decreases as commute times lengthen, while an additional hour of sleep can improve workers’ all-around performance. On the other hand, unhappiness can lead to a reduction in sustainability and performance that is even more severe than in an empty office building.

Employees in remote positions “experience more positive effects on their daily work, are more engaged, and have a feeling of well-being more than those in non-remote positions with minimal flexibility,” according to a McKinsey study.

We are here to help

Coming back to our earlier question, can businesses genuinely save money by allowing employees to work remotely? The answer is unquestionably yes. Remote work is a fantastic alternative for businesses looking to reduce their costs, even after taking into account the additional investments required to set up an adequate remote office and technological infrastructure. It’s time for both employees and businesses to embrace the new workplace trends and think about the advantages of working remotely now that digitalisation is at its finest.

At iView labs, we often assert that while opportunities are unequally distributed, talent isn’t. For business owners trying to employ top talent, remote work is bridging that gap in a way that makes financial sense.

Whether you are a startup, an SME or a growing company, we help you to find the perfect tech team. All you have to do is send us a tech team brief outlining the skills you require, the number of people required, and the project duration, and we’ll take care of the rest.

If you are looking for a Technology Talent partner, we at iView Labs will be happy to help. Just fill in this easy form to get in touch with us with your queries and needs. You can also write to us at info@iviewlabs.com and sales@iviewlabs.com. Download the latest portfolio to see our work.

Why Every Finance Institution Has to Be a Fintech Institution

“Ignoring technological change in a financial system based upon technology is like a mouse starving to death because someone moved their cheese.” 

~ Chris Skinner

A study conducted by the American Bank Chase highlighted that 4 out of 5 customers prefer managing their money using a smartphone instead of going to an actual physical bank. As modern technologies, ideas and inventions shape the field of finance, the financial institutions that continue to resist this inevitable force are sure to get swept away. Advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT), mixed with an extremely volatile market and ever-changing customer demands, all play a critical role in redefining the services provided by financial enterprises. 

Fintech symbolizes the harmony between finance and technology that is changing the way we transact everyday. Fintech app development and fintech mobile platforms have become globally trending topics. As customer expectations increasingly hover around technology-led services, any bank, insurer or asset management organization looking to stay relevant and thrive in the market needs to become a fintech institution. 

Fintech Application Development

Finance companies aiming to compete in a highly digitized environment need to promptly develop and integrate fintech applications into their line of services. The ability to leverage devices such as laptops, tablets or smartphones to perform financial tasks and transactions has immensely shaped the modern user experience of the finance industry. 

A research conducted by Finder.com predicts that approximately 78% of the United States millennial population will become digital banking users by the end of 2022. Furthermore, a study published by The Fintech Times suggests that the mobile contactless payment market will rise by 40% to reach a staggering $3.516 trillion by 2023, further increasing to $4.6 trillion by 2025. These numbers strongly suggest that fintech mobile app development should be at the forefront of every finance institution.

Fintech applications can refer to a wide range of products; banking applications that allow money transfers and bill payments, stock trading platforms, loan apps and even applications with an integrated payment gateway system are all fintech subdomains. The cost of developing a basic fintech application with a simple user interface generally ranges between $30,000 to $50,000, a potential bargain given the limitless heights this industry is expected to reach.  

Starting a Fintech Application Development Company

In our post-pandemic era, the fintech market continues to grow year-on-year as digital money management, transfer and payment options gain greater relevance. According to a recently published Promontory Interfinancial Network survey, 76% of 543 senior management professionals in traditional banks fear the emergence and widespread acceptance of financial platforms such as Apple Pay, PayPal and Venmo. With the global economy embracing the wonders of fintech, now would be the ideal time to enter this blooming industry.

When you start your fintech company or begin developing an application fit for the fintech economy, there are a few integral steps that you have to adhere to.

  • Study Rules and Regulations: The fintech industry is heavily regulated by a number of complex laws, limitations and requirements. Being a part of this economy requires you to be well versed in privacy laws such as GDPR, the ePrivacy regulation and CCPA according to the state or country that you wish to provide your services in. In the modern fintech industry, there are a number of compliance practices such as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), AML compliance (anti-money laundering), KYC compliance (know your customer) and digital signature certificate that need to be considered as well.
  • Discover Your Niche: The fintech economy consists of a plethora of subdomains ranging from cryptocurrencies and blockchain solutions all the way to simpler personal finance apps. Choosing the correct niche according to the audience you wish to target can be the optimal strategy in finding success in this industry.
  • Choose the Appropriate Tech Stack: After you decide on the type of service you wish to provide, the next integral step is choosing the appropriate tech stack to get you started. Deciding upon the programming languages, frameworks and databases heavily dictates the overall cost and time required for development.
  • Embrace Modern Advancements: AI is tipped to power 95% of all customer experiences in the next decade. Similarly, blockchain business value is expected to surge to over $3.1 trillion by 2030. Embracing these wonderful technological marvels is integral to fintech companies looking to leave a permanent mark in the industry. The future of fintech lies within these advancements.
  • Provide Personalized Services: The fintech market is largely dominated by software powerhouses such as Microsoft, Stripe, Paypal and Venmo. In order to succeed amidst this competition, personalized services to your audience can become a competitive edge. Newer companies such as Mint and Robinhood have focused on carefully crafted experiences and convenient applications for their target audiences in order to gain relevance in the industry.
  • Ensure Optimal Security: Security is the single most necessary feature for a fintech application. Since these platforms deal with large sums of money, customers expect their transactions to be fully secure. Aspects such as data protection and safety can be ensured by utilizing encryption techniques and cloud services.
  • Look to Constantly Improve: To initially test the waters, it can be a smart idea to develop and deploy your minimum viable product (MVP). This basic version of your app can be used to gather public feedback and recommendations. Constantly improving upon this basic product can yield immense benefits.

Key Takeaways

The future of finance is predominantly governed by technology. As modern advancements sweep across the finance industry, embracing this inevitable change is the only way to stay competitive. Transitioning from legacy systems to sophisticated technology-enabled fintech companies is critical for every finance institution. 

With smartphones, laptops and tablets taking over all age segments, developing fintech applications and fintech mobile platforms has become a necessity. Customers demand increasingly fluent digital experiences and catering to these demands is the only way to remain relevant. Ultimately, this technological boom in the finance economy can provide immense opportunities for enterprises aiming to leave a mark, but those who continue to ignore this change are the ones to surely be left behind.

To know more about iView Labs, kindly log on to our website www.iviewlabs.com and to get in touch with us with your queries and needs just write us an email on info@iviewlabs.com and sales@iviewlabs.comDownload the latest portfolio to see our work.