Ideas, thinking and expertise from the Blackpepper team

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What Is Google's New AI Ranking Model, and Why Should You Care?

Google DeepMind just published a new way to rank search results, called Autoregressive Ranking. It's early, it's not live in Google Search yet, and nothing about your rankings changed because of it. Here's what it actually is, why it's still worth understanding now, and what (if anything) to do about it.

Luzelle Botha

Ecommerce

New Customers vs Returning Customers: Why Your Ecommerce Store Needs Two Playbooks, Not One

New shoppers and repeat customers want different things from your store. Here's how to speak to each one, and win both.

Deanna Pillay

EcommerceDevelopmentConference

Shopify DotDev 2026: Key Takeaways

Blackpepper's CEO Alain Russell and Creative Director James Lammas recently attended the highly anticipated Shopify DotDev conference in Toronto, Canada. Their big takeaway: Shopify isn't just building an ecommerce platform anymore, it's building the infrastructure for the next generation of commerce, AI included. That matters if you sell online, because the tools you'll be using a year from now look nothing like the ones you're using today.

James Lammas

EcommerceDigital MarketingPPC

ChatGPT Ads Have Officially Landed in New Zealand.

ChatGPT Ads are officially here - and your customers are getting curated recommendations directly in conversations. Here's what ecommerce brands need to know.

Ashleigh Petrie

EcommerceUX/UI

Your “Best Sellers” Page Is Doing Less Work Than You Think

Best Sellers pages are one of the most clicked links in ecommerce navigation. But most of them rely on a simple idea that doesn’t hold up anymore: that what’s popular works for everyone. Here’s why that’s a problem and how to fix it without a full rebuild

Deanna Pillay

EcommerceDigital MarketingAnalyticsPPC

What is Google Tag Gateway and why it matters for your tracking

Google Tag Gateway offers a high-impact, first-party solution to bypass these restrictions using your existing infrastructure. Here is why it’s becoming the new standard for resilient measurement in 2026.

Ashleigh Petrie

SEODigital Marketing

Why Every Business Needs a Google Business Profile

Most customers decide whether to contact your business before they ever visit your website. Your Google Business Profile is where that decision happens. Here’s how to make sure it’s working for you, not against you.

Luzelle Botha

EcommerceAnalytics

The Missing Metric in Ecommerce Growth Strategy: Cost Per Fulfilled Order

Ecommerce growth often focuses on demand generation, but operational economics tell a different story. Learn why cost per fulfilled order may be the most important metric many retailers still aren’t measuring.

Deanna Pillay

EcommerceDigital MarketingAnalytics

Why Brand Awareness is the Ultimate Growth Lever for Ecommerce

With customer acquisition costs surging, relying solely on paid ads is draining your profit margins. Discover why brand awareness is the ultimate growth lever for your ecommerce store, the four stages of customer recall, and the exact playbook you need to

Luzelle Botha