The GPeC Evaluation Criteria

A guide on how to have a well structured and well optimized online shop

  • For 16 years, the GPeC evaluation criteria have represented the most detailed guide about how an online shop website can be structured and optimized, so that it can offer the ultimate browsing experience for the user and increase conversions / sell more.
  • 30 E-Commerce & Digital Marketing experts evaluate the websites of the online shops through over 200 essential criteria targeting: User Experience (website usability on Mobile and Desktop), Online Marketing Essentials (website promotion areas optimization, Cross-Sell, Up-Sell, Product Bundles, loyalty programs etc.), Website Functionalities (verifying all the forms and the checkout process), Search (internal search functionality according to international best practices), SEO (search engine indexing), Security (website, client information and database security level), Email Marketing (the quality of Newsletter campaigns), Content & Social Media (owned content quality and Social Media presence), Customer Service Quality (we test this by Mystery Shopping), Legal Aspects (compliance with legislation in the field and good practices).
  • Each of the online shops registered for the GPeC Competition receives a detailed report containing scores, comment and recommendations for each of the over 200 criteria. Thus, the online shops receive a complex Benchmark for their websites in order to know how and where to optimize them. 
  • In case one criterion is not relevant for the shop’s business profile, it will be marked N/A (not applicable) so that the shop would not be penalized for no reason.

GPeC Competition explained

What it means and how can the CPeC Online Shops Competition actually help you

For 16 years, the GPeC evaluation criteria have represented the most detailed guide about how an online shop’s website can be structured and optimized, so that it can offer the ultimate browsing experience for the user and increase conversions / sell more.

Watch the following video - it will only take 1:30 minutes - to understand what is the GPeC Competition, what benefits it brings to online shops and which are the stages that shops must pass through during the Competition.

 

Your website will be evaluated for 7 months

GPeC Competition evaluation steps

  1. Right after registration, we evaluate each online shop to ensure that they fully meet the pre-selection criteria (the evaluation is made throughout the registration period, that is until 31 May 2021).
  2. Once these are met, each online shop is analyzed by the GPeC Jury through over 200 evaluation criteria essential for any online business. (14-30 June 2021)
  3. The online shops receive the evaluation report (the Benchmark) and have the opportunity to discuss it with the Jury, during the Mentorship consulting sessions. (8-9 July 2021)
  4. After the discussions with the Jury, the online shops have dedicated time to rectify the problems reported by the Jury members (the time dedicated for optimizing, implementation and fine tuning is scheduled between 12 July - 14 September 2021)  
  5. At the end, the GPeC Jury reevaluates each shop going again through the 200+ criteria, observing and marking the shop’s evolution (15 September - 4 October) 
  6. Once again, the online shops receive the resulting evaluation report and have the chance to discuss it with the members of the Jury (14-15 October 2020).
  7. Depending on the average scores received during the 2021 GPeC Competition, we will award the winners during the 16th edition of the eCommerce Awards Gala (1 November 2020).
Sesiuni de Mentorship intre Juriul Competitiei GPeC si magazinele online

Advised consulting from 30 E-Commerce & Digital Marketing experts

The GPeC Mentorship Sessions

After the first evaluation stage, we invite the online shops signed up for the Competition to have a face-2-face discussion with members of the Jury during the Mentorship sessions and get details and recommendations about the scores they received, ask questions and receive free consulting from the specialists. 

The sessions will take place online on Zoom, between 8-9 July 2021.

  • The shops will be scheduled and will receive and e-mail with the time and date at which they are expected to join the meeting.
  • The GPeC Jury will explain the main issues encountered during the evaluation and will give advice on fixing them.
  • Within the allocated time (approx. 120 minutes/shop), each shop can request extra advice or ask about other issues beside those in the audit report.

After the Mentorship sessions the shops have time at their disposal (between 12 July - 14 September) to apply the Jury’s recommendations and prepare for the final evaluation stage. 

At the end of the second evaluation stage (15 September - 4 October), the online shops have the opportunity to meet again with the members of the Jury to receive the last recommendations and conclusions following their participation in the GPeC Competition. The second Mentorship stage is scheduled for 14-15 October 2021.

Note: The dates set for the GPeC Mentorship sessions may be subject to minor changes, depending on the availability of the location and the number of the online shops confirming participation. Participants will be announced in due time if any changes occur.

The Jury Component

Meet the experts that will analyze the online shops signed up for the GPeC Competition through over 200 evaluation criteria. All of them are specialists with vast experiences in E-Commerce & Digital Marketing and will act as mentors for the online shops throughout the 7 months of the Competition.