eCommerce Marketing

Why do ecommerce businesses fail?

A recent research study of failed e-commerce businesses found that 37% cited poor online marketing, while 35% listed a lack of online search visibility.

That's consistent with our own research, which found that attracting more customers is one of the biggest challenges for NZ eCommerce businesses.

That's why we've refreshed and relaunched our training course all about eCommerce Marketing.

According to research by NZ Post, nearly 2.2 million Kiwis (about 50% of the population aged 15 and over) shopped online in 2024. That's a healthy dose of prospects for your products -- but you still need to market to them if you want to attract them to your online store.

And marketing to Kiwi consumers is more challenging than ever.

These days, consumers search for products across a variety of media (not just Google Search). They use AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok or DeepSeek. They are also searching on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Trade Me, GrabOne, Temu, Amazon and a zillion other places. They ask for recommendations on WhatsApp, Messenger, Snapchat, Telegram and other DM channels. They read reviews and ask their friends and family for validation before clicking “add to cart”.

And, as we fight our way towards better economic times, many consumers take longer to decide on purchases and need more information to ensure that they are spending wisely. Oh, and wherever possible they’re looking for deals and discounts — or, at least, great value.

So how do you attract more customers?

Our online course, ECOMMERCE MARKETING, tells you what you need to know in a ten-part programme that steps you through the principles and practices of marketing your New Zealand ecommerce store.

The course has been created by Michael Carney, longtime marketer and author of the top-selling book “Trade Me Success Secrets” (now in its Second Edition) which tells how to sell effectively on this country’s largest and most successful eCommerce platform. Michael is also the creator of a number of other digital marketing courses and consults on many digital business initiatives.

This is an online course, conducted on a web-based e-learning software platform, enabling course participants to proceed at their own pace, anytime 24/7, accessing materials online.

This particular online training course provides content in a variety of multimedia forms, including videos, slideshows and PDF files. No special software is required to participate: you simply access the course through a web browser, on desktop or mobile devices.

Course lessons will be provided in ten parts, for participants to access in accordance with their own timetables.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

Any Ecommerce Store operator who wants to attract more customers and close more sales.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

Here’s what some of our students have said about our related Mastering eCommerce course:

Really informative course, definitely helping us whilst we start out on our first ecomm project in NZ — Rob. T
Thanks for another great course. I found it insightful, in-depth and I know our web presence and web sales will improve because of it. — Bruce H.
I have somehow managed to develop over 80 pages of my own notes to complement the course ones. I look forward to participating in another in the near future. — Mark J

COURSE CONTENT

Course Content for ECOMMERCE MARKETING includes:

Introduction

We start by examining today's ecommerce environment.

Online spending now represents 10.8% of total NZ retail expenditure.

But Kiwi businesses are facing more online competition than ever.

Today, we find ourselves facing competition from more and more online stores and from traditional bricks & mortar stores as well -- not to mention aggressive international sellers like Temu.

So how are YOU expecting to attract more customers in this environment?

Lesson One: Create Sizzling Product Listings

The first step in attracting more customers begins with your website.

It would be tempting to think that all you have to do is toss your products onto a website, with a few attractive images and a brief description, and your job is done.

Alas, the reality is otherwise. In this lesson, we discuss the fact that to serve up your product listings to potential customers, Google needs words that match the keywords and keyword phrases for which people are searching. That's your first priority.

Those words also need to be compelling to humans, because if you can't convince them that your product will meet their needs then you've just wasted the time and effort you put into attracting them to your product listing page.

And your words need to be tailored to show up in AI search results, as well.

But wait, there's more. You also need gorgeous photographs that show off all the features and benefits of your products, because when customers can't inspect your goods in person, they need to be able to properly check them out online.

Oh, and if there is any complexity about your product and how to use it, a video showing off its various attributes has really become a must-have in today's environment.

In Lesson One, we also talk about:

the vital importance of the headline
what matters most to consumers when deciding whether or not to buy your product
what makes a great product image
the five big questions that should shape your offer
11 types of irresistible offers that you should consider
How AI is dramatically transforming content creation (words, pictures and videos)

Lesson Two: Understand Your Customers

No matter what you're selling, the key to your success is understanding your prospective customer. If you don't understand what makes them tick, what their needs are and what they want, how can you serve them effectively?

In this lesson, we discuss ten things you need to know about your customers, including:

Who they are (age range, gender, location)
What they do (their interests and their online behaviours)
Why they buy
When they buy
How they buy
How much disposable income consumers have
What makes consumers feel good about buying
What they expect of you
What they think about you
What they think about your competitors

Lesson Three: Master Google Organic Search

We made the point in Lesson One that search engines need useful text descriptions so that they can understand your website. Turns out that there’s quite a science to being found online (and an industry has grown up around the challenges of what’s now known as Search Engine Optimisation, SEO). In essence, if you want your prospects to find your web pages, those pages need to contain content that prospects are looking for.

Not only that, but each page also needs to be structured effectively to take advantage of the (current) requirements of Google and its AI-powered competitors.

In this lesson, we'll be exploring the key functionality of Google Search, along with advanced capabilities of which you should attempt to take advantage, including:

how keyword search is giving way to User Intent as the most meaningful search signal
why and how zero-click searches can be both deadly problems and great opportunities
what AI search takes into account
how Voice Search is transforming the ways in which consumers gather information, and how that in turn requires a whole new approach to keyword optimisation
what you need to know about Topic Clusters, to ensure your priority placement in search engine results
the opportunities (and problems) inherent in Featured Snippets and AI Overviews
the dramatic growth in Natural Language Search
the increasing importance of structured data as Google uses AI more and more to handle search results
why E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) is now an essential content metric
the convergence of SEO and Content
why speed is now vital to your search success
how Location, Location, Location is now a search engine mantra as well

Lesson Four: Optimise Paid Search

Not every page can be Number One in search results. So if you want to hit the top of the search engine rankings (especially for the most popular search phrases), sometimes you have to pay. In this lesson, we talk in detail about Google Ads and other Pay Per Click advertising tools.

We discuss long-tail keywords and share tools to help you understand exactly how to compile lists of keywords and keyword phrases for your advertising.

And we'll also be exploring these key topics and strategies:

Use extensions for more dominance
Always Be Testing: test your ad copy 24/7
Go beyond Google Ads (check out Bing, etc.)
Create dedicated campaigns for voice searches
Should you really focus on being #1?
Measure. Measure. Measure.

Lesson Five: Leverage Google Shopping

It has long been essential to be well represented on Google Search, using appropriate keywords on your webpages.

More recently, however, Google has introduced its own Google Shopping facility. If consumers search for a particular product by name, advertisers can pay to offer their products directly on the Google search results page.

According to Search Engine Land, Shopping ads account for roughly 75% of clicks from non-branded product searches. All queries considered—branded and non-branded—Shopping ads drive around 52% of ecommerce advertisers’ clicks. Elsewhere, Smart Insights reports that American ecommerce vendors who advertise on Google drive 85% of their paid clicks from Shopping ads.

In this lesson, we explore:

How Google Shopping works
Setting campaign priorities
Tracking conversions from Google Shopping campaigns
Using negative keywords
Ensuring that your product listings meet Google's data feed quality standards

Lesson Six: Master Social Media Advertising

You probably already have a business page on Facebook and perhaps even an account on Instagram. If your audience is predominantly female, you may well be using Pinterest to showcase your products. Maybe you're even dabbling with the hottest social medium of recent times (at least for younger audiences), TikTok.

But if you're not paying to advertise on your preferred social medium, you really won't be getting much traction. The social networks are commercial enterprises and advertising is how they make money. So they've dialled back dramatically on the amount of content they will share with your followers.

Want to reach the people who've liked your page? Mostly, you'll have to pay.

In this lesson we introduce you to the principles and practices of social media advertising, and take you on a tour through Meta Ads Manager (which is the tool that some six million advertisers use to advertise on both Facebook and Instagram). We also discuss:

why you shouldn’t just boost your posts and expect to get effective results
the key differences between Google Ads and Meta Ads and why they matter to you
the limitations faced by New Zealand advertisers compared with our foreign counterparts
how (if you’re not careful) you can end up competing with yourself and drive up your social advertising costs
an analysis of the New Zealand Facebook & Instagram marketplaces
why mobile is so important (and why that matters to you)

Lesson Seven: Just Add Video

Online Video is a powerful way to communicate your brand story, explain your value proposition, and build relationships with your customers and prospects. This lesson introduces you to the basic principles and explores some of the available tools.

Not all videos are created equal, however, and we look at the demand for Vertical Videos (thanks, TikTok & Instagram), Square Videos (preferred by the social networks) and other permutations and combinations now on offer.

Along the way, we’ll discuss:

the implications of the new reality that videos are replacing photos as the primary way we create and share memories
how AI and the use of closed captions are making video content more searchable
videos are getting shorter (because consumers are quick to skip)
videos are getting longer (as more longform entertainment content is made available online)

Lesson Eight: Involve Influencers & Influentials

If you are new to the world of ecommerce, and don't already have a substantial following, then you might consider reaching out to influencers and influentials to help you connect with prospective customers.

We have deliberately differentiated between the labels "influencer" and "influential", largely as a result of the arrival of Internet-based influencers, whose voices can be heard across social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

By our definition, those are "influencers" whilst the more traditional "influentials" tend to be found amongst the likes of journalists, neighbourhood leaders, industry analysts, business networkers and academics.

Both influencers and influentials could potentially have a place in your marketing, depending upon your product category and/or the types of consumers to whom your products appeal.

Why involve influencers or influentials? Because, according to a report by Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from individuals over brands. And, let’s face it, many brands have brought that fate upon themselves by their own less-than-trustworthy behaviour.

In this lesson, we consider the importance of Influencer Marketing — and explore how to identify effective Kiwi micro-influencers who will be good ambassadors for your brand.

Lesson Nine: Maximise Email Opportunities

In Lesson Nine, we turn our attention to that perennial marketing mechanism for online retailers, email.

As HubSpot notes:

Despite the amazing advancements in social media and on-site user interface design for communicating with customers, email is still one of the best tactics eCommerce marketing professionals can use to leverage prospects and past customers to increase eCommerce sales.

Email is popular because it still works. According to the US Direct Marketing Association’s Power of Direct economic impact study, email marketing is currently the top performing marketing channel in terms of return on investment (ROI), with a projected return of US$39.40 for every dollar spent.

In this lesson, we:

explore the sixteen key elements of an effective email programme for eCommerce operators
discuss key legislation that impacts on the use of email (including the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act and the 2020 Privacy Act)
ponder the power of personalisation
consider marketing automation as a viable tool

Lesson Ten: Accelerate Through Remarketing

Remarketing is one of the most powerful tools in the ecommerce operator's arsenal.

So what exactly is Remarketing? Here's how Webopedia defines the term:

Remarketing refers to the techniques, strategies and often the automated email systems used by marketers and online merchants to follow up with Web site visitors who do not make a desired action on the Web site—usually when they abandon their shopping cart.

Think of it like this: you market to bring a visitor to your website, and if he or she doesn't make a purchase, you then use remarketing tactics to bring the visitor back to your website and convert him or her in to a paying customer.

In this lesson, we talk about:

the power of remarketing
remarketing through email
remarketing through Meta
remarketing through Google
best practices to maximise profit and improve conversion rates

Conclusion

We review what we've covered and suggest strategies to implement relevant learnings.

TIMING

This course begins on Thursday 25 September, 2025

INVESTMENT

This ten-part online training course is available for $797+GST per person. However we offer an Early Bird Discount of $100 -- pay just $697+GST for bookings received and payment made by 18 September, 2025.

Bookings are confirmed on receipt of payment, which can be by bank deposit or credit card. We can raise an invoice in advance if you need it.

To reserve your place in this course, please enrol by clicking here:

If you would prefer to pay by bank deposit, or require an invoice, please send an email to bookings@netmarketingcourses.co.nz with your requirements.

(The service provider will be shown as Netmarketing Courses in your transaction and on your credit card statement).

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Your booking will be confirmed by email (if you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours, feel free to email bookings@netmarketingcourses.co.nz).

On the first day of the course you will be supplied by email with login details and Course Notes for Lesson One.

Your instructor for this course is Michael Carney, one of New Zealand’s most experienced digital marketing practitioners and educators. As the founder and director of Netmarketing Courses, Michael has dedicated the last fifteen years to researching, creating, and delivering practical, relevant online training designed specifically for the Aotearoa market. His mission is to empower Kiwi organisations and marketers with the skills they need to thrive in a competitive digital landscape. To date, he has trained over 3,000 students through partnerships with leading industry bodies including the NZ Marketing Association, NZ Retailers Association, Tourism Industry Association NZ, and Hospitality NZ.

Course participants range from absolute beginners just starting to come to grips with digital marketing through to senior marketing professionals looking for Continuing Professional Development and seeking to stay up-to-date with the latest changes in the ever-evolving digital environment. Specific courses are offered for organisations of all sizes, from solopreneurs and small businesses through to local and central government bodies and large corporate businesses.

Michael has practical, hands-on experience with all aspects of digital marketing, from website creation to social media advertising, from strategic guidance and trend analysis to thought leadership. He has been online since 1987 and involved with digital marketing in all its aspects since the mid-1990s. He was an early adopter of Generative AI when ChatGPT launched in late 2022, and now has extensive experience with using AI for research, brainstorming, content creation, design, video creation and editing and what's become known as "vibe coding", using AI to develop web applications.

Michael’s expertise is built on a career spanning more than four decades, during which he has developed marketing and advertising strategies for many of New Zealand's most iconic brands. His extensive client list includes The Warehouse, ANZ Bank, Lion Breweries, Griffins Foods, Sony New Zealand, Honda New Zealand, and Heinz Wattie. This deep, hands-on experience at the highest levels of the industry ensures that every course is grounded in real-world application, not just academic theory. He has held senior strategic roles in major advertising agencies, including National Media Director at HKM Advertising and Strategic Planning Director for The Media Counsel. He currently also is Digital and Strategic Director of the creative agency Good Gravy.

Beyond his client work, Michael is a respected thought leader, published author, and industry contributor. He wrote the bestselling book "Trade Me Success Secrets," which sold out its first printing in just six weeks, and has ghost-written several other business books on topics like digital transformation. For years, he chaired the Network of Digital Marketers for the NZ Marketing Association and he has been a regular magazine columnist for Marketing Magazine and other titles. This unique combination of in-the-trenches experience, proven teaching ability, and strategic insight makes him the ideal guide to help you master digital marketing.

Feedback from previous digital marketing training course and workshop participants:

It is great that we have managed to get an external perspective on marketing in the digital space – your expertise in this area is greatly appreciated. – Hazel T.
I really enjoyed the [Digital Marketing Workshop] today and got a lot out of it – Nikki H.
Thanks for a great [Digital Marketing] session yesterday, really enjoyed it and learnt lots – Izi W
“this was the best professional development course I have done in many years” – Mark R, senior Agency Exec responsible for social media
“thought the information within was outstanding” – Ed P, General Manager
“What I loved was that I started with a fairly rudimentary understanding of social media but have learned a lot – including where to find more information as I need it.” – Fiona W, Marketing Manager
“I found it relevant, informative, topical, insightful and a bloody good read. It’s never evangelical, too techy, patronising, assumes that you know too much or too little about digital and has a warm sense of humour in the communication throughout which helped faciliate the learning process for me.” — Adrienne B, new media senior executive
“Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this course! It’s been extremely enlightening” — Shayne P, design agency director
“Rapt with what I have seen of the course” — Julia R, fashion editor
“I’m really enjoying the course – learning a lot – and I know the two friends I persuaded to join us are also loving it.” — Lavinia C, designer
“Am thoroughly enjoying the content!” – Kara B, magazine co-ordinator
“I was already engaging with social media and have been doing so for about 6 years or so. But, did I know how to use social media in a marketing and business sense? No, I simply did not. This course was a great way to show me how to do that.” — Sheryl K, online marketer