E-commerce Services

E-commerce for the blind

2008-09-26T22:43:00.004-07:00

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires “public accommodations” to be accessible to the disabled as well as the able-bodied. That's why stores, government buildings and churches have elevators and ramps, not just stairs. But when the National Federation of the Blind urged retail giant Target Corp. three years ago to modify its website to aid the visually impaired, Target balked. The disabilities act applied to its brick-and-mortar stores, not its branch in cyberspace, Target's lawyers argued.

And so began a legal battle that ended Wednesday, when Target announced that it would pay $6 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by blind shoppers who'd struggled to use its website. Target also has agreed to change the site in ways suggested by the federation, making Target.com fully accessible to the blind by the beginning of March 2009. Most significantly, perhaps, a federal judge's pretrial rulings in the case held that the disabilities act and California law did apply to the online counterparts of physical stores and services.

As is so often true, Target will end up spending a lot more to modify its site than it would have spent to design it to be accessible from Day One. There's plenty of help online for companies trying meet the needs of the disabled. The World Wide Web Consortium, a group that develops voluntary standards for the Web, has been publishing accessibility guidelines for almost a decade, including to help designers make their sites work with the specialized equipment used by the disabled. The blind rely on expensive software that reads aloud the contents of each Web page, so images and forms on the pages must include some identifying text. They also can't navigate with a mouse -- try using one with your eyes closed -- so pages need to be designed for navigating with a keyboard. That's not much to ask.

The problem is that, like Target, too many companies didn't focus on accessibility when they made the leap into e-commerce. If they had, they would have found an underserved audience of disabled shoppers. A website can be a far more inviting place for a blind person than a crowded mall, if the site is designed the right way. And the number of vision-impaired Americans (at least 1.3 million are legally blind) is expected to grow as the population ages and the incidence of diabetes climbs. With more commerce and services moving to the Internet, it's increasingly important that companies make accessibility a part of everything they do online. If that's not clear in federal law, it should be. And although Target may have needed a push to embrace the disabled, at least it's showing the rest of the retail world how it's done

Ecommerce Software: Recommendations For Business Solutions

2008-09-26T22:43:00.003-07:00

Each and every day hundreds of ecommerce websites open for business and every day hundreds shut shop. All of them are out to do business ethically and all of them offer good products worth buying. Yet, some are forced to call quits and some are successful and are able to expand their activity.

How does one differentiate the successful from the unsuccessful? There are many factors to consider, such as customer service, popularity of the products, and efficient upholstery cleaning equipment techniques on the business side; however, on the technical side one also must consider aspects such as having a good internet shopping cart, attractive web site design, and ease of navigation.

These essential features should be taken care of by good ecommerce software solutions, and then some. Do not begrudge the time and effort required cleaning upholstery in a quality ecommerce software package that delivers results; it will prove to be an enormous boon to your business. It will help you design eye-catching web pages, while at the same time making them easier to navigate by visitors to your online store.

Make it clear and very obvious to the customer that he is entering an ecommerce site, by displaying your products on the first page itself. He should never have any doubts whether he has come to the wrong place and leave your and upholstery cleaning inc Instead, he should be made to feel he is entering a shop that looks like it would provide what he is looking for.

The design throughout the site must be user-friendly and easily navigable, never making the customer feel confused or unsure as to what he should be his next step. The ecommerce software acts as a salesperson at the counter and holds his hand and guides him right up to the checkout counter and payment and upholstery cleaning in In short, your products may be unique or niche varieties but your ecommerce solution should be a tried and tested package, used by many successful entrepreneurs.

There are many varieties of shopping carts, created by using different programming languages. Find out the more popular types of shopping carts, amp; upholstery cleaning in as those that are created with php script. The internet shopping cart you select should not present any obstacles to the visitor in his shopping experience with your site. It should also be scalable any time in the future as your business grows.

Any ecommerce software package should provide the best possible shopping cart, as this one of the most important aspects of an online store's success. The cart should have all the shopping features, payment options, shipping upholstery cleaning equipment tax calculations and compatibility with the backend database. It should also be fully secure so that the customers credit card details and other personal data is safe and secured.

SuiteSuccess for ERP, CRM and eCommerce Now Available from NetSuite

2008-09-26T22:43:00.002-07:00

NetSuite (News - Alert) Inc., a vendor of on-demand, integrated business management software suites for mid-market enterprises and divisions of large companies, has announced the launch of SuiteSuccess.

A comprehensive new program of professional services, training and customer support, SuiteSuccess is designed to address the unique business and economic requirements of mid-market companies deploying NetSuite’s on-demand solutions for ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and eCommerce.

SuiteSuccess offers the first methodology expressly developed for implementing on-demand ERP applications and has enabled NetSuite to “crack the code” on how to deliver on-demand business management software suites for mid-market companies that are repeatable, cost-effective, timely and targeted to ensure rapid ROI.

NetSuite is considered an industry pioneer of on-demand business management software suites with thousands of mid-market implementations to its credit. The company has focused on continuously improving the unique customer service and support experience of fast-growing, mid-market companies that compete across a range of diverse industries.

SuiteSuccess is the result of ten years of experience delivering on-demand solutions that move the needle toward higher business process efficiency without breaking the bank.

"Mid-market companies face a number of unique services challenges," said Tim Dilley, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at NetSuite, in a Thursday statement.

"They have business processes and customization and integration requirements that are every bit as complex as those found in much larger companies, but they have limited budgets and significant constraints on IT resources.”

“The SuiteSuccess program really breaks new ground in how on-demand business applications are implemented and serviced. Mid-market companies now have at their disposal a complete program of professional services, training and customer service that will get them live quickly with a customized solution and then scale with them as their needs grow," Dilley added.

"In a previous life, I led many software implementations as a consulting partner for Deloitte (News - Alert) and so I know something about what is required from a software partner to be successful," said Tom Thistleton, Chief Operating Officer at Domin-8 Enterprise Solutions, in the Thursday statement.

"NetSuite's Professional Services team was knowledgeable and helpful. They worked together with us to find answers to all our questions, while giving us options and recommendations so we could reach the expected result.”

“Often, especially in high growth software companies like NetSuite, you'll get inexperienced consultants who are a few days ahead of you in terms of application knowledge. That wasn't our experience with NetSuite as their consultants proved to be very helpful throughout the process," added Thistleton.

To ensure that it is capable of meeting the immediate and future needs of its clients, the SuiteSuccess solution offers SuiteConsulting; SuiteTraining; and SuiteSupport.

NetSuite has built its strong reputation by being plugged into the industry, understanding the challenges that businesses face while trying to remain competitive. As a result of this insight, the company is able to deliver powerful solutions that help to drive successful business processes.

This latest release is keeping in line with this history, focusing on ensuring clients have the tools they need, when and where they need them by offering the solution on an on-demand platform. Such an approach ensures stronger adoption for NetSuite and better ROI for the customer.

Jagger to work on e-commerce report

2008-09-26T22:43:00.001-07:00

Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger is set to help the European Commission (EC) draw up a report on e-commerce and online shopping.

The 65-year-old will advise the EC on issues surrounding the online shopping sector, along with several other high-profile names.

Steve Jobs, head of computing giant Apple, and telecoms expert Ben Verwaayen are also on the committee which will look at ways in which the e-retail market can be improved.

One issue set to be discussed is the availability of online music through e-commerce websites.

European Union competition commissioner Neelie Kroes told the BBC the question of why it is not as easy to buy music files online as it is to have a CD shipped around Europe from an e-commerceonline shopping website will be under investigation.

Meanwhile, it was announced earlier this week retailer Best Buy is set to purchase e-commerce music sharing company Napster in a $121 million (£67 million) deal.

This news feed has been brought to you by Direct Response Limited, the award winners for voice, data and call centre services.

Kesko and Itella to expand their e-commerce cooperation

2008-09-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Kesko and Itella have made an extensive cooperation agreement for developing electronic business operations. The aim is to use the service packages offered by Itella to help Kesko’s divisions launch their online trade projects. The agreement now signed will first be leveraged in Kesko’s home technology and sports trade. The new cooperation agreement is a further step in the long-established cooperation between Kesko and Itella.

"Our aim is to offer the K-Group customers new, interesting and convenient e-commerce services. The new cooperation agreement will enable us to enhance and accelerate online store openings and thereby to generate cost benefits and more sales to both companies" says Kesko’s Niina Ryynänen.

"We are excited about this new kind of extensive e-commerce cooperation with Kesko. The trading sector and the development of its online services are important for Itella. The agreement on e-commerce cooperation now signed is a new stage for the whole sector in Finland. Online shopping is growing strongly. Its undeniable benefits for customers are reliability and the speed and ease of shopping, because the stores are open on 7 days a week and 24 hours a day" says Senior Vice President Tarja Pääkkönen of Itella Group.

Electronic customer communication and related services are developed intensively in the trading sector. The availability of Internet services is highlighted in the service offer of the K-Group stores. Kesko has designated the development of electronic customer communication as one of its strategic projects. The online retail services for customers produced by Kesko’s divisions are part of this project. Itella’s e-commerce service package is unique as it covers services for both information and material flows

XML e-commerce standard expected in March

2008-08-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

The United Nations CEFACT and the Organization for the Advancement of Structural Information Standards (OASIS) today announced that they will be ready to deliver the Electronic Business XML trading standard this coming March. It was originally slated for release next summer.
The ebXML standard will establish transport, routing and trading-partner protocols for businesses looking to trade with other businesses on the Internet.
OASIS President Bill Smith, who also serves as the engineering manager for Sun Microsystems Inc.'s XML center, said he views ebXML as a necessary step in bringing small and medium-size companies into business-to-business networks.
"It's bringing the benefits of [the electronic data interchange standard] over the Web," Smith said.
Smith said ebXML would complement rather than replace EDI - still the most popular business data exchange format, according to Giga Information Group Inc. analyst Ken Vollmer.
EbXML is designed to provide a simple way for companies to find one another and conduct business over the Web, allowing those with different platforms to speak a common language.
Smith estimated that global adoption of the ebXML standard will take a year. He said he believes that UN/CEFACT's backing of ebXML will help speed the adoption. That organization was also instrumental in creating and promoting EDIFACT, an international standard for EDI.
IBM has been among the numerous companies supporting the new standard. IBM Technological Evangelist Steve Holbrook said his company's next line of Websphere business products will come out next year with full support for ebXML.
Other emerging standards in the next IBM Websphere line include: Universal Description Discovery Integration (UDDI), which will create a global phone-book-like registry for business-to-business commerce, and Web Services Description Language, which will let businesses describe themselves and the platforms on which they operate inside a UDDI directory.
"We hope this becomes as ubiquitous as a [domain name system] server," Holbrook said. "HTTP and HTML are what made the Web take off. We think these new standards will make online B2B commerce take off."
Vollmer remained skeptical that any one new standard will revolutionize the business world, noting that it will be cost-prohibitive for established companies to scuttle their existing infrastructure.
"It will be an enhancement, not a replacement," he said.
He also said translation software is blurring the lines between EDI and the variant forms of XML.

E-Commerce and Legislation: Consumer Protection and Digital Signatures

2008-08-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

One of the significant distinctions between E-Sign and ETA is that E-Sign includes detailed consumer protection provisions not found in unified ETA. See 15 USC §7001(c). Because of the exemption to preemption mentioned above, a state adoption of the uniform version of unified ETA arguably preempts E-Sign's consumer protection provisions. The Oregon Legislature made a policy decision to adopt the consumer protection provisions of E-Sign into Oregon law. Consequently, 2001 Oregon Laws, chapter 535, section 24 contains the consumer protection provisions found in E-Sign with no substantive change. Those provisions contain certain criteria, which must be met before various statutory notice requirements can be satisfied by electronic means and preclude the use of electronic notice for actions such as termination of utility services or residential eviction.

It should be noted that unified ETA does contain more general requirements regarding the presentation of electronic records. According to section 8, if certain information is required by law to be provided, sent, or delivered in writing, an electronic record must be capable of retention by the recipient at the time of receipt to satisfy that law. Capable of retention upholstery cleaning la the ability of the recipient to print or store the electronic record. Any specific format or presentation requirements specified in a law must also be complied with in the electronic record. If any sender inhibits the ability of a recipient to store or print an electronic record, the record is not enforceable against the recipient.

In discussing "electronic signatures," one should note the important distinction between this term and "digital signatures." As mentioned, any electronic sound, symbol or process may be deemed an electronic signature international adoption requisite intent to sign is present. Digital signatures, on the other hand, are technology specific forms of electronic signatures, which offer additional advantages such as authentication and encryption. Documents executed with digital signatures provide greater assurance of the identity of the signatory and are more difficult to alter and forge.

Prior to the passage of 2001 Oregon Laws, chapter 535, Oregon had adopted an Electronic Signature Act, which thinly addressed the enforceability of electronic and digital signatures and provided an infrastructure for registering companies, which issue digital signatures (Certification Authorities). Sections 31 to 36 of 2001 Oregon Laws, chapter 535 significantly amend the Oregon Electronic upholstery cleaning kansas city Act by renaming it the "Digital Signature Act" and reconciling it with UETA. The amendment limits the Digital Signature Act's application to digital signatures only and makes appropriate reference to the newly adopted Unified ETA provisions, which govern the enforceability of electronic signatures.

IBM Positioned in the Leaders Quadrant for E-Commerce Magic Quadrant

2008-08-23T08:51:00.002-07:00

The Gartner Magic Quadrant for E-Commerce defines Leaders as "technology providers that demonstrate the greatest degree of support for B2B and B2C Internet sales." According to the report, "These providers lead the market in e-commerce by consistently demonstrating customer satisfaction, strong support and professional services, leading to the implementation of a successful e-commerce site." In addition, these leaders should also have "demonstrated longevity in the e-commerce market, as well as a commitment to new product innovations for Internet sales. In addition, leaders represent technology providers with the strongest capability to meet Internet selling requirements."

More than 1,000 companies worldwide, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Harry and David, Staples and Home Depot, are using WebSphere Commerce as a powerful platform for cross-channel, online and mobile commerce -- supporting all of a company's business models while providing a rich, differentiated customer experience. For example, the IBM WebSphere Commerce solution is a critical component in Harry and David's initiative to grow Internet sales.

"The world of e-commerce has gone through several major transformations over the past decade and we've always tried to keep our clients ahead of the competition," said Tom Rosamilia, general manager, IBM WebSphere. "WebSphere Commerce provides retailers with a wide range of features and capabilities to help sell goods and services through various channels to an increasingly global and mobile marketplace."

WebSphere Commerce is designed to enable deployment and management of multiple e-commerce sites through a single, unified platform, thereby maximizing performance, scalability and adaptability. Last year, IBM enhanced Web 2.0 functionality in WebSphere Commerce, and also added the capabilities to track and analyze cross-channel behavior to gain insight for sales and interactive marketing to increase conversion rates, basket size and return visits. The latest enhancements also extend search functionality, protect online shoppers' credit card information and ensure compliance to the latest Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards.

Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses and Zombies

2008-08-23T08:51:00.001-07:00

Few aspects of computer security have achieved the notoriety of malicious software that preys on unsuspecting computer users. Viruses, worms, Trojan horses, logic bombs, zombies, password grabbers - the list gets longer and longer. The different types of malicious software work by a variety of methods, and they have different potentials for causing damage.

The Chernobyl and Melissa viruses and the Worm.Explore.Zip program caused extensive PC damage after spreading themselves around the world through e-mail last year. The denial-of-service attacks that brought major e-commerce Web sites to their knees earlier this year were launched by malicious software hidden on hundreds of Internet-connected computers without their owners' knowledge.

A mini-industry of organizations, professionals and volunteers has sprung up to categorize malicious software, issue warnings and market software designed to detect, locate and eradicate such programs. New malicious code appears monthly, generated by an underground community of programmers apparently motivated by the desire to cause damage, steal information or sometimes just prove their technical prowess.

Viral Threats

Viruses are the best-known type of malicious software. These programs secretly attach themselves to other programs. What makes them dangerous is that, before they do whatever damage they may be programmed for, they first copy themselves to additional program files. Thus, computer viruses infect and reproduce in a fashion somewhat analogous to biological viruses.

The scope of the threat has changed significantly in the past few years, says Sal Viveros, director of McAfee Active Virus Defense at Network Associates Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor that develops programs to protect against malicious software.

"Five or six years ago, viruses were spread by floppies," Viveros says. "They were called boot-sector viruses because they booted off the floppy drive. At that time, virus infections were very regional; they spread, but (they) took longer than they do today.

"Then came the applications with macros - programs like Microsoft Outlook or Word - that attracted a huge number of macro viruses," he adds.

"Last year came Melissa and the other mass-mailing e-mail viruses," Viveros notes. "And at the end of last year there was a virus called BubbleBoy that you could get just by opening your e-mail because it used the Visual Basic scripting language in the e-mail."

Viruses are still the biggest computer security problem. According to The WildList Organization International, an independent group that tracks viruses, there are more than 300 viruses "in the wild" that represent a threat to computer users. That's only a fraction of the 50,000 known malicious software codes, Viveros says.

MAVRIC Media Revolutionizes E-Commerce Delivery of Games and Huge Digital Media Files Enabling Companies

2008-08-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

MAVRIC Media, a provider of web-based digital asset management and content delivery tools, today announced that Noesis Interactive, a developer of training tutorials for the video gaming community has adopted MAVRIC Media’s SalesBOOST electronic delivery service to enable consumers to digitally download Noesis products. This technology will facilitate all e-commerce related delivery of these massive files.

“SalesBOOST facilitates digital downloads of huge files through our e-commerce engine, and for the first time, we have the ability to electronically deliver our tutorials to the video gamer who does not want to wait for their DVD to arrive in the mail,” said Dave Larson, Chairman of Noesis Interactive. “Hard media delivery can take from several days for U.S. customers to one or two weeks for international shipments, so SalesBOOST is a huge financial benefit for us and the customer because we both save time and money, further, it eliminates the daily hassle involved to produce, package or ship hard media. The technology in SalesBOOST accommodates huge files and delivers extremely fast downloads over the Internet to our consumers – this streamlines the sales process and positively impacts our profit margins.”

SalesBOOST is designed to provide easy-to-implement order fulfillment for companies who sell digital media content such as game titles, films, music videos etc. Whether using e-commerce engines or traditional sales methods, SalesBOOST streamlines the sales process, eliminating the cost of producing, packaging, shipping, and time wasted in delivering content to customers, and is up to 100X faster than FTP. Companies using SalesBOOST simply upload titles to their hosted account once where it is securely stored in the MAVRIC Media datacenter for unlimited number of single purchase downloads at accelerated transfer rates. SalesBOOST features a full tracking mechanism with download notification and return receipt so the electronic delivery can be efficiently managed. Traditional shipping methods can be eliminated altogether, saving tremendous cost for both the merchant and customer.

“MAVRIC Media has chosen to call on industry veterans like Dave Larson to help us design and implement our product strategy so we can solve real world problems for real customers,” said Donald D. Smith, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for MAVRIC Media. “SalesBOOST accommodates video files which typically range from 300MB to over 10 GB, and is an ideal solution for anyone who is selling content over the Internet, but has been inhibited by slow internet connection speeds, unreliable FTP transfer services or delays in shipping hard media.”

After setting up a SalesBOOST account with MAVRIC Media, companies can upload content to secure servers where it is stored for purchases. When an item is selected and purchased through the company storefront and shopping cart, the order can be fulfilled automatically using an API, or manually by simply logging into a SalesBOOST account that contains pre-loaded content. The selected sales item is then authorized for a single download delivery and an activation email is sent to the purchase recipient. Upon completion of the download, a return receipt and confirmation of delivery is sent to the merchant. Implementing and managing a SalesBOOST merchant account can be handled exclusively through an easy-to-use browser interface where content is typically uploaded using MAVRIC Media’s self-serve high speed file transfer service called BOOST. Content for uploading can also be shipped on hard media directly to MAVRIC Media if the merchant’s bandwidth connection is slow and limited.

“I have known and worked with the founders of MAVRIC Media for many years and I am excited about the direction they are going and that we have participated in helping develop products and services which increase my company’s efficiency and profitability,” explains Larson. “Our business is about developing tutorials, not spending our time on shipping, so we appreciate being able to deliver content so easily – and, MAVRIC Media’s download connection speed of 100mbps makes our clients very happy too.”

SalesBOOST gives both small and large companies a better way to monetize content over the Internet, to track it, and to integrate it into their sales process no matter what Internet connection speed is available. MAVRIC Media creates lower cost of sales while facilitating increased sales to both domestic and international markets without having to increase overhead, DVD production, shipping and logistics costs. SalesBOOST dramatically shortens the delivery cycle to the consumer, gives a merchant the ability to store once and sell many times, and provides immediate sales income. It truly brings e-commerce to the digital age.

What is 3G

2008-08-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

Chennai, Aug 1 Short for third generation, this technology marks a quantum jump in mobile services.

3G technology helps users quickly access a range of multimedia services, including video telephony, e-commerce and television, on mobile devices like handsets, smart phones and palm-tops.

Networks supporting 3G would have the potential to support data transfer speeds of up to 3 Mbps while the average 2G networks allow for 144 Kbps. Simply put, it means that a song in MP3 format of 3 minutes’ duration would take 15 seconds to download over a 3G network but would take 8 minutes over existing networks.

In the near future, mobility will become a fundamental aspect of many services. We would expect high-speed access to the internet, entertainment, information and electronic commerce services wherever we are — not just at our desktop computers.

While GSM-based cellular operators will use WCDMA technology, CDMA operators will offer 3G services using EVDO. In India, 3G technology can play a dual role.

In urban India, there is a spectrum crunch and 3G can treble voice capacity and can solve the spectrum issue.

For rural India, 3G will be a boon for e-governance and specific applications for farmers, fishermen and small traders.

ADR picking up in internet and e-commerce law

2008-08-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

ADR is particularly desirable in the context of e-commerce, because a lot of internet transactions involve relatively small amounts of money — even when they’re business-to-business transactions — which means litigation is not very useful. In theory, ADR solves geographical issues, reduces cost, and enables a speedier resolution.

For businesses, confidentiality is an important plus, as it keeps problems with their site, security system, etc. out of the media.

It also reduces a lot of the uncertainty inherent in going to court.
“The courts sometimes have not displayed a good understanding of e-commerce from a consumer perspective,” says Philippa Lawson, director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.

“Because it often involves people in multiple jurisdictions, litigation [in internet disputes] is often very difficult. Where do you sue people? So alternative dispute resolution is useful,” says Erdle.
Of particular use are online dispute resolution programs, or ODR, says Erdle, which are a relatively new phenomenon in internet commerce.

For example, in 1999, eBay Inc., the operators of an online auction and shopping web site, introduced an online mediation program provided by SquareTrade, which attempted to resolve disputes between buyers and sellers. The idea was that the complaining party filled out a form identifying the other party to the transaction, what the problem was, and what they would like to happen.

Then SquareTrade contacted the second party through an automatically generated e-mail, and created a “case page” to which it and both parties had access. Then the buyer and seller contacted each other directly through the case page and negotiated online.

If they failed to reach an agreement, SquareTrade would select a mediator from its roster, who would look at the materials on the case page and attempt to facilitate a resolution. Users had nothing to lose by filing a complaint, as the process was free if they settled without the services of a mediator.

“I think online businesses in particular will learn that there is an advantage in having systems in place that create or improve trust in their system,” says Erdle.

“I just think that they will benefit in the marketplace. I think eBay already has benefited from its efforts to try to prevent ripoffs and to police its own system and to resolve disputes.

“As they learn how to do that more effectively, that will improve and that it will spread further. So I think there will be more.”

As another example, Cybersettle Inc. is an American ODR company operating in the field of insurance. It has used a blind bidding system, where the parties agree ahead of time if the offers fall within a certain range the dispute will end by splitting the difference. When the offers are far apart, the machine can keep the offers secret and negotiations can continue.

The dispute resolution mechanism for the domain-name resolution system, the uniform domain-name dispute resolution policy, offers another well-known and effective example, this time of an arbitration-based ADR system for settling online disputes.

“The reason the domain name system works is that everybody who registers a domain name has to agree to this process up front,” says Erdle. “Otherwise . . . you’d never get people to voluntarily do it if there was a dispute.”

A business-to-business online marketplace could adopt that model and, as part of its terms and conditions, impose a mandatory mediation/arbitration system that would be fairly effective, says Erdle, as could online networking sites such as Second Life or Facebook.

“They have different systems in place now, but they could certainly establish, if they wanted, a mandatory arbitration system, and it would be entirely internal to that world, but it would prevent what happens now if somebody has a dispute on Second Life with another participant.”

Online dispute resolution systems continue to change rapidly as the price of the software drops, he says, and to incorporate newer technologies, such as video conferencing.

“The systems that are in place now are showing people what works well, what doesn’t work so well. Those systems I think will be refined over time to make them more effective.

Stanley Korshak to Launch E-Commerce

2008-08-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Stanley Korshak, the independent luxury emporium here, plans to begin selling merchandise on its Web site in October, owner Crawford Brock said.

“There are a lot of challenges,” Brock acknowledged. “You have to take the pictures, do the updates, the fulfillment. You have to give it the same level of service as our stores.”

The site will initially feature handbags, jewelry and cosmetics — merchandise that is not sized. Eventually, it might offer clothing as well.

“I think it could be as big as we are,” said Brock, estimating the company’s annual sales at $44 million. “We’re going to treat it like another store with the same level of service.”

The Internet business will be managed from the mezzanine of the Shak, a women’s contemporary boutique located across the courtyard from the main store. The space formerly housed a department of young men’s clothing and denim that wasn’t profitable.

Sales associates are already using the Web to e-mail pictures of merchandise to customers, Brock said, so it was logical to hire a developer to expand the store’s Web site beyond branding and information.

Gartner: 90% of Ecommerce Sites Will Use SaaS by 2013

2008-08-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Even with the benefits from e-commerce SaaS solutions, commitment to upgrading e-commerce Web sites appears to outpace commitment to the SaaS model for e-commerce during the next couple of years. Gartner analysts believe several factors are contributing to this trend:

- SaaS e-commerce may not be appropriate for some Web sites, and may not provide a differentiated experience — Because the SaaS model has a low barrier to entry, some organizations feel that competitors can sign up quickly and easily with the same SaaS e-commerce provider, and deliver an equal online customer experience. However, organizations that are challenged in their e-commerce IT capabilities (such as lack of budget for people, hardware and software), and organizations that can have e-commerce capabilities without having to obtain hardware and software, find SaaS e-commerce appealing.

- Current SaaS e-commerce offerings can’t support business-to-business (B2B) — All SaaS e-commerce vendors support B2C online selling; however, for vendors with B2B requirements (such as quoting, proposal generation, lead management and purchase order payment processes), or for organizations that sell into a multilevel network of partners, SaaS e-commerce offerings won't be able to meet the necessary requirements.

- Concern about the impact of SaaS e-commerce on the total IT portfolio —Organizations are often concerned about the management of a mixed-application environment (SaaS and non-SaaS applications). Many IT people fear that they'll be held responsible for site outages or performance issues when they actually have no control over the SaaS e-commerce application or its operating environment, and can control only part of the systems that contribute to the overall customer experience.

- Uncertainty of SaaS e-commerce integration with other applications — Organizations that aren't familiar with SaaS offerings are uncertain how to integrate SaaS e-commerce with their existing applications and the stability of the integration over time. Although SaaS vendors don't operate in a stand-alone vacuum, some are able to loosely couple with an organization's applications via application programming interfaces, Web services or XML interfaces, while others have specific and tightly coupled integration requirements.

- Concern about data collection and data ownership issues in a SaaS e-commerce environment — Many vendors claim that all data associated with a client site is owned by the subscriber, but that aggregated data isn't. This belief may vary by vendor, so organizations should ensure that they cover this issue before entering into a contract.

- Some vendors have technical limitations, such a shortcomings in Web 2.0 capabilities — In some cases, vendors focus on providing commodity e-commerce functions (enabling organizations to have basic online stores) to a large audience, while other vendors focus on providing enterpriselike e-commerce solutions for large organizations, which are more aligned with Web 2.0 capabilities.

- Organizations may need IT and non-IT resources to support the Web site — This varies by the vendor selected, because some vendors require the organization to have some IT resources for integration support with back-end systems, and to have business users to manage the products and the site's user interface. Other vendors may provide both of these supportive services; thus, clients must understand their commitments before entering into a contract for the service.

- Various SaaS e-commerce payment models are creating confusion — Payment for SaaS e-commerce can vary by provider, so organizations must run test models to determine what they'll be paying for SaaS e-commerce in the short term (less than three years) and the long term (greater than five years).

“SaaS e-commerce is a viable solution for some organizations, however, they must make that determination based on the SaaS vendor’s capability to meet their technical and functional requirements, and on the type of subscription payment model that’s offered,” said Mr. Alvarez. “Before pursuing SaaS for e-commerce, organizations should develop a SaaS strategy that accounts for the scoping, evaluation, selection, operation and different architectures or SaaS solutions, as well as determines the organizations comfort level in leveraging externally provided IT applications.”

Govt. to Work with Financial Sector to Safeguard Electronic Commerce

2008-07-29T08:59:00.002-07:00

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Reginald Budhan, has said that the Government would continue to work closely with the financial sector, to safeguard the integrity of the country's electronic commerce framework.

He noted that the sustainability of the electronic transactions, particularly e-commerce, is contingent on a "supportive and responsive" infrastructure, in which "both buyer and seller have confidence." This, he added, must be supported by a financial sector that "fully participates in and embraces electronic commerce solutions."

Delivering the keynote address at the launch of Den Tronix Limited's Accounting Information Systems Suite and Web Site, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston on July 23, Mr. Budhan said that the growth of electronic commerce had the potential to offer substantial benefits to consumers, including increased choices leading to greater competition; lower prices through the removal of intermediaries between producers and consumers; more information on products, and improved after sale services.

He pointed out that electronic commerce would be beneficial to individuals unable to participate in the "traditional marketplace."

"For example, those who live in rural areas, will have access to a range of goods and services, normally only available in urban areas. In addition, people who have an illness or a disability, will also have the benefit of on-line shopping," Mr. Budhan explained, pointing out that e-commerce would only realize its full potential if it has the consumer's confidence.

"This (confidence) will be supported by public education and public and private sector co-operation, buttressed by a clear, consistent legal framework," he added.

In this regard, Mr. Budhan said e-transactions must become standard characteristics locally. He noted that wider international access within the existing credit card system has resulted in the imposition of risk premiums for non-secure transactions. Further, that the recent passage of the Electronic Transactions Act, and the Cyber Crimes Legislation, currently being promulgated, "have signalled to the international community that Jamaica is developing a more secure electronic environment, which will result in a reduction in risk premium."

Mr. Budhan also stressed the need to address a number of key issues that would ensure a safe and efficient on-line environment that consumers would trust. These include: providing consumers with adequate information; establishing secure methods of online payments; and protecting personal information in the online environment.

"The Government will encourage the private sector to adopt self-regulatory systems and codes of practice in electronic commerce, so that regulatory intervention by Government in the electronic market is minimal. Further, the Government will seek to promote alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, which will allow the consumer fast, effective and fair redress for fraudulent, deceptive or unfair business practices online," he informed.

Government, Mr. Budhan further advised, would continue attempts at boosting confidence in e-commerce and address the digital divide, through public education campaigns and the important "transformational value" of information and communications technologies, adding that private sector partnership with Government would be essential in this process.

Den Tronix Limited is a fully-owned Jamaican company, specializing in the development and production of computer software systems, electrical and electronic, and solar products.

iSOFT wins NHS e-commerce contract extension

2008-07-29T08:59:00.001-07:00

NHS Supply Chain has awarded a contract extension to iSOFT to host its e-commerce and logistics operations until 2010. This contract extends a ten-year arrangement with the supplier, initiated by NHS Supply Chain predecessor NHS Logistics.

Operated by DHL Logistics, NHS Supply Chain manages over four million NHS orders a year and aims to provide savings of over £1 billion to the NHS over ten years. NHS Supply Chain is overseen by the NHS Business Services Authority and delivers equipment and supplies to 600 NHS hospitals, GP surgeries and other healthcare organisations from six regional distribution centres. Its e-commerce services include e-trading, e-ordering, e-cataloguing, e-billing and online forecasting.

iSOFT, which was acquired by IBA Health Group in October 2007, offers a fully hosted managed service and a dual data centre operation. The company says that its applications are run in tandem at two separate data centres to guarantee a disaster-tolerant solution. And its warehouse management and distribution applications are developed and supported by IBA subsidiary iB Solutions under a separate contract.

iSOFT UK and Ireland managing director Paul Richards commented: "We have an enviable record of providing a consistently reliable service over many years. Importantly, the long-standing relationship with NHS Supply Chain is built on a true partnership in which we constantly review and develop our service model with the customer to ensure we continually meet its evolving business requirements."

The company has an established relationship with the NHS, having worked with the organisation in relation to the National Programme for IT and having won a number of contracts, including one to upgrade laboratory information systems at a number of NHS trusts in Wales.

NHS Extends Contract With iSOFT To Host e-Commerce And Logistics Applications

2008-07-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Alfreton, Derbyshire-based NHS Supply Chain has extended its ten-year contract with iSOFT that was initially signed with NHS Logistics (the predecessor of NHS Supply Chain), for hosting NHS' e-commerce and logistics applications until 2010.

NHS Supply Chain is operated by DHL Logistics, on behalf of NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), through a 10-year contract, to provide procurement and logistics services for more than 600 NHS trusts, hospitals and other healthcare organizations from six regional distribution centers.

Delivering end-to-end supply chain services, including procurement, logistics, e-commerce, and customer and supplier support, the organization aims at achieving over £1 billion ($1.98 billion) savings for NHS over ten years. The organization leverages expertise from the NHS Logistics Authority, NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency, DHL, for healthcare logistics, and procurement experience from Novation.

iSOFT will offer its fully hosted managed services, with applications operated in conjunction at a dual data centre, for disaster-tolerance. iB Solutions, a subsidiary of IBA Health, develops and supports the warehouse management and distribution applications for the organization, under a separate contract.

iSOFT has been a major supplier to NHS since the National Program for IT (NPfIT) was unveiled in 2002. Some of the recent contracts awarded by NHS include a £1 million contract in 2007 for the upgradation of laboratory information systems at nine NHS trusts in Wales; and a deal by NHS Connecting for Health in 2007, whereby iSOFT was appointed as national supplier of choice to provide clinical systems and services, meeting the national program for IT standards, for GPs across England.

Oxfordshire, UK-based iSOFT, a global leader in delivering advanced software applications for the healthcare sector, was acquired in October 2007 by IBA Health Group, the largest information technology company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. iSOFT provides patient administration, clinical information and medical practice management and laboratory, radiology and pharmacy management products to more than 8,000 organizations in 27 countries

Digital River Signs E-Commerce Agreement with Shure

2008-07-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

We are in business to help our clients navigate and manage the complexities involved in running their e-commerce operations,” said Don Peterson, Digital River’s senior vice president of global client development. “Leading electronics manufacturers like Shure continue to rely on our global e-commerce expertise and comprehensive solution to create seamless online shopping experiences for their customers and help grow their businesses.”

To help Shure expand its online business for its growing personal listening and accessory product lines, Digital River is providing end-to-end e-commerce services. For the new store, Digital River is managing online store orders, physical product fulfillment, fraud prevention screening and 24X7 customer service. Digital River also will provide online marketing tools to help Shure implement marketing programs and online product promotions designed to convert traffic into sales and build customer loyalty.

“We selected Digital River as our e-commerce partner because of its global experience and demonstrated success working in online markets,” said Mark Karnes, executive director of global marketing. “The company’s scalable systems and e-marketing expertise and services not only met our technology requirements, but also will provide an important foundation for driving future growth for our business.”

Digital River Signs E-Commerce Agreement With Shure

2008-07-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Digital River, a provider of global e-commerce solutions, has signed an e-commerce agreement with Shure Incorporated, a manufacturer of microphones, earphones and audio electronics.
Digital River recently designed and launched a new online store located at its website to support the marketing and sales of Shure's consumer and professional audio equipment in the US.

To help Shure expand its online business for its growing personal listening and accessory product lines, Digital River is providing e-commerce services. For the new store, Digital River is managing online store orders, physical product fulfillment, fraud prevention screening and 24X7 customer service. Digital River also will provide online marketing tools to help Shure implement marketing programs and online product promotions designed to convert traffic into sales and build customer loyalty.

Don Peterson, Digital River's senior vice president of global client development, said: "Leading electronics manufacturers like Shure continue to rely on our global e-commerce expertise and comprehensive solution to create seamless online shopping experiences for their customers and help grow their businesses."

OS Commerce Watch: New Magento 1.1 Released

2008-07-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is one in a series of columns on the open-source commerce (OSC) industry.

Those Magento boys and girls are at it again, kicking butt and taking names by releasing a brand-new, expanded 1.1 release of their already feature-rich open source e-commerce program. The company claims to already be the fastest growing e-commerce platform on the market – and not just open source e-commerce — with over 400,000 production downloads in only 16 weeks. This latest release will boost the world’s acceptance curve sharply with new features that will pique international interest.
The team's marketing messages, already good from the start, have become laser-focused and clearer than any open source e-commerce team I've seen. They have positioned themselves as the competitive solution for shops ranging from the mom-and-pop-type shop, through the medium-size shop selling up to $150 million per year, and their features make them ideal for an enterprise shop. The company is aiming this latest release squarely at world expansion.

This new release includes hundreds of bug fixes and performance improvements including SEO-related fixes, improvements in the Admin components, and also adds support for Canadian and European taxes. Expanded product options will win over the hearts of those who sell customized products, with custom product options, personalized products, and virtual or downloadable products. And an exciting new feature is a Web services API, which opens the door for Magento to be integrated with any application via a Web Services API.
Performance Issues Addressed
The company says one of the main goals for Magento 1.1 was to examine bottlenecks in the platform and improve performance. This new release addresses the key concerns of many 1.0 users, including many bug fixes and slow page-loading times. Changes have been made to the Admin so that data are loaded only when necessary, improving the responsiveness of the Admin significantly.
The company claims a 40-percent performance improvement. Some 1.1 alpha users reported performance improvements of 70 percent in their tests, while others complained that while the new version is much faster, it remains relatively slow. Many factors can influence the speed of the program, including server and caching settings, so if a store remains slow after upgrading, the store owner should seek out additional measures to improve the store's performance.

International Support Increased
Magento Version 1.0 was a US-centric product. Version 1.1 will see the expansion of Magento into many additional new countries where it was previously impossible to use the program due to tax law limitations. Complex laws in Europe and elsewhere for Value Added Taxation (VAT) formerly required programmers to extend the code. According to Varien's Chief Technology Officer, Yoav Kutner, the team has redesigned the tax module so it is more flexible for international use, as well as for changing taxation laws in the US. Already there are active user forums in nearly 50 languages. Translations of over 60 languages and dialects have been initiated by volunteers with varying degrees of completion, and 23 locales are 85 to 100 percent complete. As a result of these activities and changes, the number of version 1.1 product downloads should spike sharply with significant world-wide interest.

First Hindi e-commerce site

2008-07-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

Unveiling the new vertical, hindi-ezeego1.com, here, the chief operating officer of Ezeego1.com, Neelu Singh, said there was a huge market in north India that was comfortable with both English and Hindi, but preferred transacting their business in Hindi.

'The site has been designed specially for them,' Singh said. She cited herself as one of those who was comfortable with Hindi despite knowing English.

Singh said Hindi was the second most preferred language in India today. 'There are a very few multilingual and bi-lingual sites today. However, most of these sites offer content, but do not allow transaction,' Singh told reporters. According to her, a Hindi e-commerce site would inspire confidence among customers.

The entire booking process right up to the payment option on Ezeego's portal is in Hindi. And the target audience at the inception is the vast populace in the income group of Rs.300,000 to Rs.500,000 per annum in towns like Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bhopal and Indore.

'The inspiration behind the Hindi portal was our call centre where most users requisition support services in Hindi. They would look for somehow who could explain ravel-related queries in Hindi. We realised that there was a huge market waiting to be tapped,' Singh said.

Studies by the government show that the number of internet users in India stood at 32 million in January 2008. The country has more than three million broadband connections and 40 percent of this market is in the tier II cities.

Sequim Chamber of Commerce audit finds red ink

2008-07-23T08:08:00.001-07:00

An independent audit of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce shows a net loss of $10,242 last year, plus a loss of $10,150 on the 2007 Irrigation Festival.

The chamber took in $214,116 in membership dues, and other income, including the city of Sequim's $44,000 for the chamber's operation of the Visitor Information Center at 1192 E. Washington St., and the city's $9,945 payment for "economic development" activities.

The chamber's operational expenses amounted to $224,358 last year.

That included $91,547 in payroll, and $17,573 in member services, according to the audit conducted by NFP Accounting of Bremerton.

The chamber's Irrigation Festival spending included $11,329 on the parade float, $4,817 on the festival queen and princesses, $12,674 on the logging show and $47,262 on "other Irrigation Festival expenses."

The costs of the May events totaled $110,671, while the income amounted to $100,521.

Chamber board president Bill Littlejohn did not, however, express dismay.

Instead he emphasized that his board is poised to hire a new executive director.

It could happen this week, Littlejohn said, when the board holds a special meeting to interview three finalists.

A selection could be made after the meeting on Thursday.

Step forward
The audit, expected to cost $6,000, is in one sense a step forward, Littlejohn said, that allows the chamber to move beyond recent trials.

The board ordered the audit after a group of angry business people, who named themselves the Concerned Chamber Committee, demanded it in February.

After the board fired executive director Lee Lawrence Jan. 18 — without supplying enough reasons to satisfy some chamber members — the CCC formed to call for greater accountability from the organization.

A months-long uncivil war between the CCC, led by Gil Simon of Sequim Village Glass, and the board led to the chamber membershipwide election of eight new board members in April.

Later, Littlejohn replaced interim board president Walt Schubert, who'd replaced Joe Borden, the president of the board that fired Lawrence.

When asked how the chamber might improve its financial health, Littlejohn said, "Hopefully we can increase our membership.

"There's things we can do . . . and I'm encouraged. I know we have a good board, a responsible board.

"We have a good staff," led by office administrator Jeri Smith and interim executive director Carolyn Cooper.

The current 12-member board is a blend of people from diverse professions: Borden, a retired military man who's chairman of the Irrigation Festival, real estate broker Ron Gilles, Olympic Music School director Deborah Rambo Sinn, Blue Whole Gallery artist Lizbeth Harper and attorney Ron Bell among them.

Ecommerce Packaging the Green Way: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

2008-07-23T08:07:00.001-07:00

Online auctions exemplify "the three Rs" of the green movement. Many sellers recycle or sell previously used goods, new owners reuse the old goods, and theoretically at least, consumption of new goods is reduced. But beyond the goods, there are also several ways to incorporate the green R verbs into the whole shipping package. And often, the greenest package choices are also economical ones.

Reduce
When it comes to the art of packaging, reducing materials is perhaps the most difficult of the R actions. Experience and clever thinking are often required to use less, rather than more, packaging material while still adequately protecting an item. However, generally, you can reduce packaging material by packing smarter, including using tape only where needed, using light weight filler and selecting the appropriately sized box for an item.

Korean E-commerce Website Boosts Ethernet Routing and Security With Juniper Networks

2008-07-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:JNPR), the leader in high-performance networking, today announced that Seoul-based Gmarket, one of the world’s largest consumer e-commerce websites, is paving the way to scale Web-based transactions with Juniper Networks MX960 Ethernet Services Routers. The MX-series routers boost Gmarket’s network capacity and manageability by consolidating multiple gigabit Ethernet switching solutions into an easily-managed topology that leverages innovative JUNOS software, Juniper’s single-source code network operating system. The MX960’s Access Control List (ACL) capabilities also fortify Gmarket’s network security.

In addition, Gmarket deployed Juniper Integrated Security Gateways (ISG) – purpose-built, high-performance firewall and VPN gateway – to secure against network threats.

This upgrade follows Gmarket’s previous deployment of Juniper’s NetScreen-5400 firewalls, designed to deliver best-in-class performance capabilities and configuration flexibility for large enterprise, carrier and data center networks. The NetScreen-5400 can scale to 30 Gbps of firewall and 15 Gbps of VPN throughput, and handles up to one million concurrent VPN user sessions to provide secure access to Gmarket’s Web servers, network applications and databases, which host highly sensitive e-commerce data.

“JUNOS was the key differentiating feature for our purchase decision,” said Kiseok Lee, group manager of Gmarket’s System Operation Group. “Its proven reliability, excellent CLI tools, and powerful filtering functionality enable us to provide more reliable and secure services to our customers. The cflow and port-mirroring functions offer real time traffic visibility and detailed analysis. Additionally, the MX-series seamlessly interoperates with our NetScreen and ISG firewalls.”

“We’re confident we selected the best platform to meet our current and future requirements,” added Lee. “While our initial assessment pointed to the MX480, with six interface card slots, we decided to go with MX960 routers – which provide up to 12 – to accommodate future expansion. The Juniper network infrastructure is already delivering superior network performance and return on investment. We are now considering future expansion with the new Juniper Networks EX-series Ethernet switches.”

The MX960 platform delivers up to 960 gigabits per second (Gbps) of switching and routing capacity, which enables more revenue per platform and provides the scale to help maximize Gmarket’s return on investment. Purpose-built for the most demanding network applications, the MX-series establishes a new industry standard for capacity, density, and performance.

Gmarket’s ISG 1000 and ISG 2000 gateways integrate best-in-class Deep Inspection firewall, VPN and DoS capabilities into a single platform. They enable secure, reliable connectivity, along with network and application-level protection, for critical, high-traffic network segments. The ISG series can be upgraded to support full Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDP) capabilities to provide robust network and application layer protection against current and emerging threats.

“Network-based businesses such as Gmarket depend on highly scalable infrastructure that performs at a high level and without unnecessary complexity or overhead,” said Tim Kang, vice president of Korea for Juniper Networks. “The Korean market recognizes the unique value of the MX-series in delivering high-performance, innovative routing and ease of management.”

About JUNOS Software

JUNOS software is the trusted, secure network operating system driving Juniper Networks leadership in high-performance networking. It provides carrier-class continuous systems availability, automated network operations and the open innovation that businesses demand to quickly align the network with changing business requirements, while reducing complexity, cost and risk. This maximizes flexibility and efficiency to fuel competitive advantage.

Selling Online with Drupal e-Commerce

2008-07-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

The first chapter serves as an introduction to Drupal and the e-Commerce module, and also explains how to download the two of them, as well as the additional module (Token) upon which the latter depends. The author explains the purpose of each area within Drupal's "Site configuration" section, and what changes the reader should make, if any. Also, he provides the background story for the sample e-commerce Web site that is built throughout the book — in this case, a dinosaur model shop. It should be noted that the diagram on page 6 does an effective job of explaining the basic idea of how a CMS works (better than the similar figures seen in other CMS books), and it is followed by an explanation of what e-commerce is. However, it is doubtful that any developer who purchased this book would need to be told what are CMSs and e-commerce.

In the second chapter, the author briefly reviews the steps for adding content and navigation to a Drupal-powered site, by adding pages and menus, respectively. Also, some additional modules are enabled, for creating a contact form and a blog, for the sample site. Up to this point in the book, readers will have become accustomed to the author explicitly guiding them through the steps necessary for creating the sample site. Thus it may come as a surprise to such readers when they see the second figure on page 40, showing the navigation menu, including new sections for dinosaurs and the museum, and a link to a contact page. The two new sections were briefly mentioned three pages earlier, but the steps for creating them were not; the steps for adding the contact page link were apparently not mentioned anywhere. However, any experienced Drupal developer should have no difficulty figuring out how to add these navigation menu items.

With the third chapter, the book shifts focus from Drupal basics to implementing an e-commerce site. Aspects of running an online business — such as site accessibility laws, legal issues, and privacy laws — are mentioned, though readers outside of the United Kingdom will most likely not be pleased by the UK-centricity of the material. Other topics covered include product types, groupings, details, photos, and advertising, as well as customer service.

In Chapter 4, readers learn about the e-Commerce product types and their corresponding modules, and how to add products to the store catalog — including specialized types of products, such as apparel, services, and bundled products ("parcels"). Chapter 5 briefly covers users, rules, permissions, settings, rules, registration, e-mail messages to users, users' pictures, taxonomy, requiring registration, customer management, user orders, contacting users, and adding your business's staff to your site. It also touches upon taxonomy and how to use it for controlling user access to content. But the author fails to explain why this is needed for the online store. Providing such a rationale up front is especially important when asking readers to work their way through potentially daunting subjects such as taxonomy, and implementing them in their own test sites, if they are following what the author is doing.

The sixth chapter begins with an unneeded review of the themes built into Drupal version 5.x, with even more space taken up describing three red-based color schemes. This is followed by a discussion of how to modify whichever of those themes is enabled, and, very briefly, how to create a new theme. In this chapter and many others, the author frequently reminds us that the hypothetical client, Doug of Doug's Dinos, is "really pleased" with the "great looking site." Readers can judge for themselves just how great is the site's design. Admittedly, in a book such as this that does not focus on Web design, a sample site can be quite basic. But the constant praise is unwarranted.

Allowing customer checkout and payment are critical to any e-commerce site, and those topics are explored in Chapter 7. The topic coverage is fairly complete, though occasionally the author does not make clear where in the Drupal administration section the reader will find the particular topic under discussion, e.g., the global anonymous purchase policy. Chapter 8 offers a lot of valuable information, including how to: add shopping cart and search elements to every page, automatically create user accounts, add images to product listings, offer discounts based on customer role, provide coupons, allow bulk purchasing, set up auction and donation products, and automatically adjust charge prices based on various conditions.

Chapter 9 delves into the particulars of calculating taxes and shipping costs, as well as accepting payments through various gateways, including PayPal, which is explored in detail. The only part that will be misleading to readers, is the claim that PayPal's IPN "pings" your server for each customer transaction. Actually, their server does not ping yours, but instead posts transaction data that you can use for updating your online database.

Chapter 10 presents a number of modules and techniques for making an e-commerce site more secure, and also covers domain name, Web hosting, and site maintenance issues. The security modules discussed are definitely worth considering. Some readers may be confused by the Backups section of cPanel mentioned by the author, since not all cPanel installations offer it.

The last two chapters of the book address invoicing, CRM, and marketing one's site. The discussions of search engine optimization, viral marketing, newsletters, etc., are quite cursory, and readers interested in those topics would fare better by consulting books, online articles, and other resources that are much more thorough. The chapter's topic that will probably be of most value to e-commerce developers, is the demonstration of how to significantly customize the layout of invoices, using CSS. The book's sole appendix explains how to install WampServer.

All the chapters conclude with brief summaries, which, without exception, are a waste of space — especially considering the brevity of most of the chapters. The old oratory principle of "tell them what you're going to tell them; tell them; tell them what you told them" may be terrific for speeches, but not for books. That is primarily because someone in an audience listening to a live speech does not have the luxury of looking into the past to hear a portion of the speech again, nor of looking into the future to anticipate what the speaker will say next. Readers of books, on the other hand, can of course jump backward and forward quickly to review or preview material, as needed.

The quality of the book's writing is noticeably weak, with countless awkward phrases and run-on sentences. Some are downright puzzling, e.g., "Thanks for your custom!" (page 125); did the author mean "order?" Throughout the book, one finds a remarkable underuse of commas, frequent mixing up of "that" and "which," misplacement of commas and parentheses, misuse of commas in place of semicolons and even periods (e.g., page 124), semicolons in place of colons, and missing hyphens from adjective phrases. Most noticeable — and at times laughable — is the excessive use of exclamation marks, reflecting a common misconception that they jazz up otherwise dull material. For example, page 49 contains three completely unnecessary exclamation marks, not counting the two contained within a customer testimonial. In addition, the book contains several errata, such as: "loose" (should read "lose"; pages 8 and 195), "leads customers" (should read "leads to customers"; page 57), "products" (should read "product's"; page 62), "customers' role" (should read "customers' roles"; page 88), "to mentioned" (should read "to mention"; page 131), "its does" (page 159), "If a more" (should read "If more"; page 202), "businesses" (should read "business's"; page 221), and many more.

Italy shows increase in e-commerce companies

2008-07-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

Telecompaper is the leading news source for the telecommunications industry. We keep busy telecoms professionals across the globe up-to-date. Our comprehensive news service covers topics such as fixed communications, mobile, wireless, internet services, satellite communications, etc. We offer several different options allowing you easy access to our daily news coverage such as emailed news feeds, website access, or customised solutions.

BuySAFE launches beta of e-commerce rating tool

2008-07-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

The company launched a free desktop application on Tuesday called buySAFE Shopping Advisor that offers ratings on U.S.-based e-commerce sites.

The sites are rated based on whether they are using valid SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption for data transmission, whether the sites are regularly inspected for security vulnerabilities, have a published privacy policy, and whether the merchant is bonded.

The integrated browser tool also offers a portal to 3,000 shopping sites where purchases are guaranteed with a bond of up to $25,000 and are protected with identity theft insurance for 30 days.

Arlington, Va.-based buySAFE partners with underwriters Liberty Mutual, Travelers, and ACE on these services.

Romanian e-commerce reports EUR 26 million in volume for H1 2008

2008-07-21T19:46:00.001-07:00

Data indicates that in the first half of 2008, almost EUR 26 million changed hands using online payments by means of card transactions based on the 3D Secure system in Romania.

The figure constitutes a threefold increase from 2006, a year that ended with a total transferred sum of nearly EUR 9.5 million. The total e-commerce volume reached EUR 35 million in 2007. Estimates indicate that at the end of 2008 almost EUR 52 million will result from online payments via cards based on the 3D Secure technology.

Most transactions are generated by cards issued in the Romanian currency (RON), although their average value is the smallest. More specifically, the first half of 2008 registered nearly 220,384 transactions made in RON, with an average value per transaction of RON 158 (EUR 43.90). Nearly 75,500 transactions were generated by cards in EUR, with a considerably higher average value per transaction (EUR 208). The cards in USD have generated 3,081 transactions with an average value of USD 249 (EUR 160).

Of the EUR 26 million processed within the first half of 2008, nearly 16 EUR million were generated by cards issued in the euro currency. This indicates that most transactions made in euro are generated by cards from abroad. A research executed at Romanian airline BlueAir.ro indicates, the total number of transactions registered until 12.00 PM, only 8 percent were made by cards issued in RON. The remaining 92 percent were transactions made in euro, made by people from Italy, Spain and Cyprus. Statistics also indicate that the top e-commerce categories in Romania are: tourism services and booking tickets, mobile phone bills, IT & C products and electronics.

At present, there are 148 Romanian stores that have adopted the 3D Secure security system, up from 112 stores registered in 2007. The statistics were published by RomCard, the provider of services for card payment systems in Romania.

INTTRA Expands Senior Management Team

2008-07-21T19:45:00.001-07:00

INTTRA, the leading e-commerce portal for the ocean freight industry, today announces that Valerie Rainey has joined the Company’s senior management team as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Rainey brings forth significant experience in areas such as e-commerce, strategic alliances, operations and finance. As CFO, Rainey will be responsible for budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, financial modeling and process improvements.

With an evolving global suite of e-commerce solutions for the ocean-shipping industry, INTTRA continues to grow and innovate its product line. Rainey’s appointment affirms the Company’s commitment to providing its customers with comprehensive technologies for simplifying collaboration and increasing supply chain visibility.

“In growing the INTTRA senior management team by recruiting from various industries, we are putting in place a leadership team that will continue developing our current growth strategy while also providing new perspectives that will influence INTTRA’s new direction,” said Ken Bloom, CEO of INTTRA. “We are thrilled to have Valerie on board and look forward to her contribution to INTTRA’s innovation and rapid growth moving forward.”

Prior to joining INTTRA, Rainey was director of finance at Pitney Bowes in its international mail services division where Rainey successfully integrated acquisitions, streamlined processes, instituted internal controls and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance testing. Prior to joining Pitney Bowes, Rainey was with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for twelve years and held several different positions in finance and operations, strategic alliances and the international arena. Rainey also has previous experience in public accounting with BDO Seidman and Ernst and Young.

“INTTRA’s growth over the past eight years can be attributed to its innovative product line, dedicated senior management team and strategic growth initiatives,” said Rainey. “I look forward to helping continue these trends by developing corporate strategies that will foster INTTRA’s growth for years to come.”

Rainey is a Certified Public Accountant and received a Bachelor of Science and a Masters in Business from Fordham University.

GSI Commerce Platform Used to Launch iRobot's European Direct-to-Consumer Business

2008-07-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

GSI Commerce Inc. (Nasdaq: GSIC), a leading provider of e-commerce and multichannel solutions, announced today that iRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT) is utilizing GSI's e-commerce platform to power its direct-to-consumer business in Europe through online stores in the U.K. (www.iroboteurope.co.uk) and Germany (www.iroboteurope.de).

"We are pleased with the full-service GSI e-commerce platform," said John Elordi, interim general manager of the Home Robots division for iRobot Corp. "GSI has been a involved in iRobot's online business growth in the United States, and we expect our e-commerce partnership to continue to flourish as we look to build on new opportunities presented by our international direct-to-consumer business."

iRobot replaced its U.S. e-commerce operation with a GSI e-commerce solution in January 2006 when the Bedford, Mass.-based robotics manufacturer launched a completely re-designed U.S. e-commerce store (www.irobot.com). The multiyear international agreement provides iRobot with e-commerce technology, order processing, and integration to third-party fulfillment and customer care services.

"We're proud to provide the e-commerce platform and services that meet iRobot's needs as they expanded into the direct to consumer business internationally. As international e-commerce becomes more of a strategic priority for our partners, we are committed to helping them grow and expand the reach of their direct-to-consumer businesses," said Steven Davis, executive vice president, international, and president and managing director of GSI Commerce Solutions International, S.L. "There are complexities to international e-commerce that present challenges for brands and retailers. GSI's e-commerce platform supports major European currencies, payment systems and tax collection, which helps to ease our partners' expansion into international e-commerce."

About GSI Commerce

GSI Commerce(R) (www.gsicommerce.com) is a leading provider of services that enable e-commerce, multichannel retailing and interactive marketing for large, business-to-consumer (b2c) enterprises in the U.S. and internationally. We deliver customized e-commerce solutions through an e-commerce platform, which is comprised of technology, fulfillment and customer care. We offer each of the platform's components on a modular basis, or as part of an integrated, end-to-end solution. We also offer a full suite of interactive marketing services through two divisions, gsi interactive(SM) and e-Dialog Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements made in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Actual results might differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Additional information about potential factors that could affect GSI Commerce can be found in its most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports and statements filed by GSI Commerce with the SEC. GSI Commerce expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

New Report Forecasts the Market Size of IT Consulting Service Over the Period 2007-2010

2008-07-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

The need to rationalize IT expenditure, align IT with business objectives, meet regulatory requirements, choose the right solution and the rise of eCommerce and new technologies such as SOA and virtualization are driving the IT consulting service market.

Further, the total market is segmented into various geographic regions and verticals. The report also presents markets size for major countries in various regions. In addition, the report identifies major selling drivers for the IT consulting service for the major verticals.

This report can help IT vendors identify target geographies and verticals. Furthermore, the identified sales drivers can be used to penetrate the identified vertical or increase current share of the customers wallet.

TechNavio Insights is a set of reports based on TechNavio - a market intelligence platform for the IT industry. It builds on the intelligence available within TechNavio, and leverages on the custom research experience of the Technology Navigators. TechNavio is built on years of experience of the authors in deep dive custom research and consulting for over 30 Fortune 500 companies and numerous large and mid-sized companies.

Key Topics Covered:

Market Size & Forecast

Geographic Segmentation

IT Consulting Services Market in Americas
Americas - Market Size by Country
IT Consulting Services Market in APAC
APAC - Market Size by Country
IT Consulting Services Market in EMEA
EMEA - Market Size by Country
Vertical Segmentation

IT Consulting Services Market Size by Vertical
Sales Drivers by Verticals

Banking, Financial Services & Insurance
Manufacturing
Communications
Government
Retail

Successories Chooses MarketLive as eCommerce Solution Partner

2008-07-21T19:42:00.001-07:00

MarketLive, Inc., the leading global eCommerce software and service provider for retailers, today announced Successories, the leading source of motivational media, has selected MarketLive as the company's eCommerce solution. Together, the two companies will build a more robust eCommerce website that will allow Successories to better market its products and services, strengthen its brand, and improve the online experience for its customers.
"Our goal is to methodically shift Successories from a catalog-centric to a web-centric business allowing our company to grow, but with much lower-cost advertising costs," said John Carroll, President and Chief Operating Officer of Successories. "Clearly, our website is integral to making this happen. We selected MarketLive because they understand our business and have the experience required to help us reach our goal. They were also the best at understanding how to clearly convey the intangible, motivational nature of our products which is critical to differentiating Successories from the competition and building our brand."
As Successories' transition to a web-centric business progressed, more demands were placed on the existing website. "This year, it became clear we needed to search for a more robust and flexible platform to accomplish our goals for the site," added Carroll. After a thorough search and evaluation process, Successories selected MarketLive.

How to Choose an Ecommerce Storefront for Your Business

2008-03-17T00:44:00.000-07:00

Choosing an ecommerce storefront drastically affects your sales. Choose wisely and sales double, triple, or more. Choose poorly and you waste your time and money.

Selecting the right ecommerce storefront begins with determining which features you will need. Doing some research and finding out about the different features available will help you select the services designed to target your individual business needs.

If you already have an existing website that is drawing traffic, adding an easy-to-use shopping cart may be all that you need. Deciding whether or not you want the capability to add html code to your existing website or if you want to be able to restructure your product pages completely are questions you should ask yourself while doing your research. Figure out what additional services you may need. Some ecommerce services offer search engine optimization to increase your traffic, website design to give your online business a new look, email delivery for your client base, and inventory control to help you track your merchandise.

If you need a domain name, server, and client management system in addition to the ecommerce service, these features may not be offered by every service. Decide which features might benefit your company the most. Search for a company that offers everything you need.

How user-friendly the service is should be important to you. You may not want or have time to learn HTML in order to use the features you are paying for. Make sure you know how much of your time is required to set up your ecommerce storefront. Many ecommerce solutions are set up in a way that allows you to use the features even without knowledge of HTML.

These services also vary greatly in price. Setting a budget and sticking to it helps you sort out unnecessary features to select a product that you can live with easily. Another consideration is billing. Some companies will charge one flat fee where others you'll receive a monthly bill.

Studies have shown that customers prefer a speedy checkout. Choose software that allows you to customize the number of clicks needed to check out. You may want the capability to customize other aspects of your service, like providing a consultant or a translator to customize your website further.

One important aspect to consider when choosing an ecommerce storefront service is the shelf life of the software. You do not want your current software to become obsolete in six months. Select one that offers research and product updates on a regular basis to keep your features and software fresh.

Any reputable business offers a satisfaction guarantee. You should thoroughly research the cancellation and refund policies before signing up with an ecommerce storefront. Be wary of any company that does not extend a money-back guarantee.

Read through the customer testimonials available for review. Find out what your competitors have to say about the product. Look for any complaints filed with the online better business bureau.

Customer service is important when deciding on this storefront service. If the company is in a different time zone, check to see that they have adequate customer service representatives available to assist you during your regular business hours. Learn if the company has a service available to help walk you through the setup of your new website.

The company should offer training seminars, videos or troubleshooting guides to help get you through the setup of your new site. As new features become available, training materials should be released to help you learn about these new features.

Getting answers to these targeted issues is the first step toward finding an ecommerce storefront solution that is right for your business. Knowing what you need before you shop gives you the advantage of quickly narrowing down the choices to find the perfect solution.

E-commerce Hosting Solution

2008-03-15T03:16:00.000-07:00

E-commerce is basically running an online business. To be more precise, buying/selling of goods/services over the internet denotes e commerce.

For trading goods online, you need a virtual online store or shop.

All the features of this shop will be more or less similar to a physical store with the only difference that is it is online.

A typical e-commerce website is also called as shopping cart site or online retail/wholesale store. Products are displayed on the screen, where users can select & put it in the shopping cart or basket. The program takes note of factors like number of products, quantity & price. The products are displayed from the inventory that is lying in the back-end.

Virtually, this is called a database. You also have option to search for a particular product or feature of a product from the database. Based on your inputs, the program fetches the product from the database & displays it to you. You can then drop it in your shopping cart. Once you are done with your shopping, you head for a check-out process, which basically allows you to enter credit card information for the price you are paying & gives you the details of shipping the product at your doorstep. This procedure is called a transaction. Usually, any e-commerce system contains all these features plus any other advanced features depending upon the requirement.

Building an e-commerce system is a complicated process; therefore it is not really advisable to build your own e-commerce system, especially if you are running a smaller business. The best solution is to find a hosting provider that offers a complete e-commerce hosting solution.

While looking for a provider who can offer e commerce web hosting services & solutions, you need to ensure many factors such as how this system handles orders, shipping, inventory, security, billing etc.

The above factors are just the basic few; depending upon your level of requirements, you will find anything from very simple to very complex features available from variety of hosting providers.

In a nutshell, to start an online store, you first need to have inventory of products that you intend to sell online. Then, you can approach any web company offering you a complete package of e-commerce hosting services & solutions, to develop & host your website. Once your e commerce site is ready, it is hosted on a dedicated/shared server sometimes fully managed where all the server administration tasks are handled by the hosting company.

Ecommerce Threats & Solutions

2008-03-12T00:15:00.000-07:00

eCommerce has forever revolutionized the way business is done. Retail has now a long way from the days of physical transactions that were time consuming and prone to errors.

However, eCommerce has unavoidably invited its share of trouble makers. As much as eCommerce simplifies transactions, it is occasionally plagued by serious concerns that jeopardize its security as a medium of exchanging money and information.

Major threats to present day eCommerce include

Breach of Security:

Money Thefts

eCommerce services are about transactions, and transactions are very largely driven by money. This attracts hackers, crackers and everyone with the knowledge of exploiting loopholes in a system. Once a kink in the armor is discovered, they feed the system(and users) with numerous bits of dubious information to extract confidential data(phishing). This is particularly dangerous as the data extracted may be that of credit card numbers, security passwords, transaction details etc.

Also, Payment gateways are vulnerable to interception by unethical users. Cleverly crafted strategies can sift a part or the entire amount being transferred from the user to the online vendor.

Identity thefts

Hackers often gain access to sensitive information like user accounts, user details, addresses, confidential personal information etc. It is a significant threat in view of the privileges one can avail with a false identity.

For instance, one can effortlessly login to an online shopping mart under a stolen identity and make purchases worth thousands of dollars. He/she can then have the order delivered to an address other than the one listed on the records. One can easily see how those orders could be received by the impostor without arousing suspicion. While the fraudsters gains, the original account holder continues to pay the price until the offender is nabbed.

Threats to the system

Viruses, worms, Trojans are very deceptive methods of stealing information. Unless a sound virus-protection strategy is used by the eCommere Solutions firm, these malicious agents can compromise the credibility of all eCommerce web solution services. Often planted by individuals for reasons known best to them alone, viruses breed within the systems and multiply at astonishing speeds. Unchecked, they can potentially cripple the entire system.

Solutions

There is but one solution to all issues that at times dent the security of eCommerce services. Strict vigil on malicious intruders.

Easier said than done? So is every preventive measure. However, with online transactions, progress in security has been overwhelming.

Authentication

Most notable are the advances in identification and elimination of non-genuine users. Ecommerce service designers now use multi-level identification protocols like security questions, encrypted passwords(Encryption), biometrics and others to confirm the identity of their customers. These steps have found wide favor all around due to their effectiveness in weeding out unwelcome access.

Intrusion Check

The issue of tackling viruses and their like has also seen rapid development with anti-virus vendors releasing strong anti-viruses. These are developed by expert programmers who are a notch above the hackers and crackers themselves.

Firewalls are another common way of implementing security measures. These programs restrict access to and from the system to pre-checked users/access points.

Educating Users

eCommerce is run primarily by users. Thus, eCommerce service providers have also turned to educating users about safe practices that make the entire operation trouble free. Recent issues like phishing have been tackled to a good extent by informing genuine users of the perils of publishing their confidential information to unauthorized information seekers.

Small Business E-Commerce

2008-02-26T03:54:00.000-08:00

Are you prepared for a new way of doing business? Do you want some activity that will not take up most of your time, but will enable you to generate income? Do you want to earn more money while staying at the relative comfort of your own home? If your answer to these questions is a resounding YES, then settle down and let me explain to you the concept of small business e-commerce.

The concept of Electronic Commerce, or e-commerce has been around for many years now, ever since the inception of the World Wide Web. Basically, it is simply the process of buying and selling, even trading goods and commodities over the Internet. E-commerce has many advantages, the most well-known is the ability to do business without even leaving the comforts of your own home. So imagine the convenience of earning money while not having to go out and having control over your own time!

So why is this relevant to you? If you have read the entire article up to this point, I can assume that you are either a small business owner who is looking for ways to expand your client base or an individual who is interested in starting up a small business to earn money. Probably you are asking: what do I need to set up a small business online?

There are no concrete rules in e-commerce, but like any business, virtual or not, the following steps would be very helpful to us:

identify your customer base know the marketability of your products make sure that you have a steady supply of the products you are selling reach out to potential customers

For e-commerce, having a website for your business is very crucial. Your website is essentially your store front, and just like any good store, your website should be clean, appealing to look at, and easy to navigate. Imagine a dirty grocery store, with mismatched colors and maze-like shelves! You wouldn't want to buy products from such a store, would you? So the same goes for your e-commerce website.

Online Marketing Course

2008-02-26T03:45:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in starting an online business and have no idea how, why not enroll in an online marketing course? There are lots of educational opportunities out there that cater to this specific aspect of E-commerce, and believe it or not, most of them are free over the Internet.

The reason why some people fail in business is the lack of proper marketing for their products and services. This is especially true for online stores where the strength of your web presence will make or break your business. Failure of a business due to low sales is usually a sign of poor marketing strategy.

Why is enrolling in an online marketing course good for you? For one, if you have a business, you need to advertise it. But as every store owner knows, advertising takes up a large part of a store's operational cost. This is due to the fact that more often than not, you have to let someone do the actual advertising for your store. You have to hire graphic artists to do your ads and other promotional materials. For small businesses this can really hurt profits as most of your income has to go to advertising fees. A primer on marketing your products could actually help you do these things yourself, essentially teaching you how to "sell" your business. You could reduce and even possibly eliminate the payment for advertising if you learn how to do this yourself, thus earning more profits.

Another advantage is that you don't actually have to go to school since the course materials are available over the Internet. You can learn marketing from the comfort of your own home. This is practically very advantageous since you can study while having the freedom to do other things, like running an online business. For a virtual store owner, this is a win-win scenario.

Who Needs An Internet Merchant Account?

2008-02-25T04:02:00.001-08:00

The term offshore usually makes people think that something illicit is currently, or going to happen in the future. Not true; in fact, going offshore is a great way of streamlining an international client base and getting better rates, while doing it. The term offshore simply put, means that you are doing your banking in a country other than the one, your company is physically or legally registered in. For many businesses, that do a lot of business in one particular country, that is really the main option.

Merchant Service Providers specializes in finding merchant accounts for businesses throughout the world and links them with the right bank for them, depending on their geographical market and type of business. Ecommerce based businesses differ as widely as any other type of business. Five years ago, a popular, high volume, internet based retail business was Ebay. Today, Ebay is still the leader in internet based seller to seller simple transactions. Most of the business is transacted through Paypal, which is in a sense an escrow service, or entity that holds money, only to be released under terms of a pre-determined agreement. I've heard of them described as an organization that lets you send money to someone else's email. I guess it's not that easy; like all bank transactions, these are funneled through banks, while secure, simply through some bank, somewhere; maybe domestic, maybe offshore. I guess we'll never know. The point is that when you give a business your credit card numbers, they're processed through a number of channels that provide security, transfer funds and deliver them securely to their final destination.

Today, internet based businesses have grown from a merchant supplementing their storefront with taking orders online and over the telephone, to entirely internet and telephone based businesses. These online merchants don't have it as easy as we may think. With the kind of exposure that the internet creates, combined with the relative ease of creating an internet based business, prices are driven down, while volume drastically increases. A good complaint? If your supply lines and logistics are in place. Maintaining and growing a profitable online business is so much of the battle today and the saying is true that the hardest test is the test of time. While good service and accessibility to your vendors and customers are key, sustainability and survival are just as important. Behind the scenes, product fulfillment and good banking keeps you out of court and out of your banker's office applying for a second mortgage. Using a merchant service provider cannot help you with your supply chain management; however, it can help with your online banking needs, as well as specialize in not only high volume credit card processing and online check processing, but also high risk accounts, which are mostly just categorized as, "Card not present" transactions by domestic banking institutions.

Stradefee Limited, for example, works with merchants ranging from low risk, low volume, to high risk, high volume and everything In between. Just as every business owner has specific needs, merchant service providers like them have specific solutions. They can offer merchants services such as virtual terminals, third party fraud scrubbing, aggregator accounts, account signatory services and processing gateways. As not all online merchants offer hard goods, service industry vendors are very much a part of our portfolio. Companies from law firms, large event caterers and concessions providers to online music download websites and travel companies can all benefit from services that internet banking facilitators have to offer. Today, nearly any product that you can purchase in a store, from sporting goods, clothing, large home electronics, appliances and automobiles to services you can obtain like law and medical advice (usually not professional), business consulting, banking and media purchases are all mainstream internet transactions and they're almost all high volume. In an economy, where bottom lines get smaller and personal time is at an all time and coveted low, your business needs to run more efficiently with the ability to grow and maintain that growth. Your banking needs cannot be the bottleneck of your business plan.

Adding Merchant Accounts Is Easy and Profitable

2008-02-25T03:53:00.000-08:00

For some e-business people the idea of navigating the process of adding credit card processing seems as byzantine as divining the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids. In reality, however, the learning curve is very short, the process itself has been simplified and the benefits can be enormous.

What most e-business people need to know is that after they are approved by a merchant accounts company they will be given access to software that will allow them to accept/process credit cards, accept checks by phone/fax/internet and provide them the wherewithal to give their customers a Web shopping cart to use while navigating their site.

All of the above should come for free from the provider. If you run across a company that puts a price on any of these, it should be considered a red flag, insofar as doing future business.

There are some fees/charges that legitimate - or as many say, these are "the cost of doing business." These will include internet/mail/phone order discount rate, internet/phone/order transaction fee, retail discount rate, retail transaction fee, statement customer service fee and internet processing software gateway fee.

The gateway, by the way, is the virtual version of the point-of-sale terminal your credit card is run through when you make a purchase at a retail outlet. These gateways have safe and secure connection/communication processes that allow the transmission of card numbers and expiration dates without putting the customer's information at risk.

It should be noted at this juncture that no good processing company will charge you for technical support, and that support should be available 24/7 to secure your ability to accept payments online.

The process of applying for merchant services, thanks to heavy competition among provider companies, has never been simpler. The online application takes about 15 minutes, and the information requested should be available at any e-business owner's fingertips.

The approval process should take no more than 24 hours. Indeed, some e-stores will be processing plastic in less than 24 hours. Any provider that needs more time for approval is likely dealing with a third-party vendor, which will slow down the process and add to your costs.

Upon approval is when your e-business should experience some growth and expansion. Numerous retail studies have shown that having credit card processing tends to bring more traffic to a site, more sales, more profits and more repeat business. And any store owner will tell you that any of the above are nothing but positive.

An intangible benefit of card acceptance is that today's consumer is more and more used to shopping with their credit card. As such they view any site that accepts credit cards as more legitimate. Indeed, they also look at a site without card acceptance with suspicion.

The bottom line is that anyone doing business over the internet needs to strongly consider adding credit card processing. The benefits will far outweigh the costs.

Ecommerce and the Blue-Collar Peasants

2008-02-19T02:25:00.000-08:00

In medieval times the common laborer was thought to be less able to understand certain elements of civilized society. These men and women were not allowed to learn to read nor could they attend houses of worship because they were considered incapable of understanding what they heard.

Yes time after time these peasants were the basis for stories of renown and wonder. It is said that a peasant who listened to a sermon outside a church gathered bits and pieces of the Christmas story to write a carol that is still sung today.

Even in recent memory there has been a prevailing thought that only certain individuals are capable of developing a business. This is usually linked to the social standing of the individual or to the accumulated wealth of his or her family.

In business success has typically been tied to who you are, who knows you and how deep your pockets are. If you didn't have the 'name', if you weren't recognized and you didn't have much money then your business would likely fail.

Ecommerce views every business owner as equal. There is no distinction and no preconceived ideas about the background or abilities of the business owner.

The link for all good online businesses is the ability to develop trust. If you are conscientious about providing exceptional customer service and superior products you may likely discover an improved customer base no matter what your personal background is like.

A blue-collar worker with a big idea has every reason to believe they can succeed online. A hard working rancher can develop an idea from their land of wide-open spaces and it may succeed. A single mom struggling to make ends meet might just come up with an idea that contains all the elements for a hit.

Rules that have always seemed as if they are designed for the 'haves' and 'have nots' no longer seem valid in an online business environment. The role of cyberspace is to equalize the impact of business ideas.

How does it do that?

In an online world you are going after customers on a global scale. You are no longer judged on your past failures or successes you are simply judged on your ability to deliver and provide quality products or services - now. If you can do that most customers would not even think to inquire about your lineage or stock portfolio.

An online environment can be one of the least discriminating places on earth. Your online presence is what speaks most to your product offerings and ability to fulfill your promises.

So, in a barn in Utah, a kitchen in Harlem or a neighborhood garage in New Jersey there are likely online businesses that are being developed to improve the quality of life for families that have struggled long enough.

Perhaps the most interesting irony in this is that some of the customers who frequent these 'great idea' sites may be white-collar workers who are less interested in the dynamics of the online business and more interested in receiving what they need.

Thinking Of Selling Goods Over The Internet?

2008-02-19T02:24:00.000-08:00

Online Sales (E-commerce) has a huge number of benefits mainly being that you are opening your shop/ services up to the whole world, and with a well designed system can be easy to manage and maintain. One of the main downfalls is the set up cost an e-commerce system can cost a considerable amount of money, and once it is set up usually you must pay for maintenance costs in case issues arise with the system later down the line.

Another cost that people often over look is actually marketing your online store, if no one knows that your stores exist it will be redundant. Then you have to take on the cost of paying an internet marketing expert who will help your store get online visibility.

Before opening your online store why not test the market place by using companies such as Amazon or even eBay? These are great places to see if there is a demand for your products with out taking on heavy overheads. eBay the online market place is not the perfect solution for this problem, eBay is losing its good reputation due to the amount of people using E bay for the wrong reasons. This is where Amazon steps in, in my opinion Amazon is the best online store available on the Internet.

Amazon is safe secure and reliable and also has numerous offers available on a wide range of goods. Amazon has a brilliant feature, it allows you to open a dedicated shop within Amazon, where you can style the pages and sell all of your goods. Using Amazons online shop has a number of benefits mainly being that you can build your online store yourself and will benefit from a secure system.

You can then add links to your own web site straight into your Amazon shop allowing customers to buy your products. You will also receive the promotion for your goods ! The only real downfall will be that Amazon takes a small cut of your profit, but considered this against the money you could spend on an online store it is a small fee.

If your store then becomes a success then considered opening your own online store, maybe with the profits you made from Amazon. Good luck !

B2Bs Are Rendezvous for Megabuck Deals

2008-02-18T04:02:00.000-08:00

In international trade, one business house to find another business entity of related trading need is of paramount importance. History indicates that prior to the existence of Business to Business (B2B) web portals; the whole business process was a long-drawn-out one, which involved a lot of time, money and energy. The arrival of B2Bs in the world of e-commerce has eventually transformed the way businesses are done around the world today.

The concept of B2B portal should be termed as the most amazing invention in the world of business. While they sprout one after the other in the web world, no one doubts about the success of the concept, but perhaps which one would remain among them in the long run. All the leading B2B portals are vying with one another by providing customized solutions for their clients' international trade needs. B2Bs are not just portals with a vast database of exporters and importers alone but also as that of transporters and other related service providers.

Conventional channels of international trade involved massive financial outlay. Therefore, most of the domestic traders as well as others who wished to enter exim business used to ward away from such ventures. But B2Bs allayed such fears by enabling them to use the provided platform as a testing ground to gauge the interest of their product or/and services in the international market. Hence, B2Bs allowed, especially the new player to de-risk oneself from incurring enormous blind investments before making serious plunge into those markets straight away.

During the early days of B2Bs, they used to have only the data base of exporters, importers, transporters and service providers. But today they have a section dedicated to provide information about trade shows happening across the world. Besides, they have subsidiary services like latest news, and forums to exchange one's concerns and experiences of international business.

Some of the leading portals has a mechanism to clean up or/and screen profiles deemed as spammers and fraudsters. Yet deals on B2Bs should be given the same diligent care that you give to do any business, to avoid any kind of disappointment. As a safety measure, one should try to deal with the premium members because some of the leading B2Bs, approve the paid up members company profile after making a back ground check.

Successful converts of B2Bs have started utilizing the services of multiple B2Bs instead of being listed in just one of them for ensuring quick business response. Even conventional international traders and those traders with self networks admit that a giant share of the future overseas businesses would be through B2Bs. Incidentally, various governmental organizations with exim arms too make use of the services of B2Bs.

Ecommerce 101 - 5 Tips on What Your Customers Want

2008-02-18T04:01:00.000-08:00

Getting inside the head of an e-commerce shopper can be a daunting task. There are many variables when it comes to the question of conversions; including product cost, professionalism of your website, shipping factors, payment options and much more. With the rise of e-commerce comes increased competition. Don't think that your customers won't search out your exact same product on your competitors site to find the lowest cost. With seemingly endless availability, how can you ensure your business gets the attention and the customers it needs to survive?

Today, online shoppers want to deal with a credible business and buy a product that will last. Assuming your website receives a healthy flow of traffic, you need to take those prospects and convert them into sales. Because shoppers can find what they're looking for in a variety of places, you need to provide them with the additional information, the extra mile that makes them comfortable with an initial purchase, and keeps them coming back for more. With that being said, the most important factor in the purchase decision is by far one word; trust. And not only trust in the company they're purchasing from, but trust in the product they're purchasing. Without this, your competitor is more likely to garner your business. Here's some tips on how to ensure your website isn't losing business due to lack of trust:

1. Include your business and contact information on your website (including your phone number), and any organizations that you belong to that have to deal with credibility. Shoppers may research you before making a purchase and definitely want more than an email address in case something goes wrong.

2. Showcase positive customer testimonials. Nothing is more powerful than another consumer giving their recommendation on a business or product.

3. Highlight the fact that shopping on your site is secure. Whatever layer of encryption or method your merchant account uses, make sure your customers know it's safe to give out their credit card information.

4. Give your business a voice and personality. Let people know who you are, why you're in this business and how important customer service is to you. People want to know who they're buying from.

5. Professionalism. Make sure your site is easy to navigate, designed well, and conveys the idea that it's a real business so customers know how to find what they're looking for. There's a standard that people are used to, and you need to be at or above that line when it comes to your website.

The easiest way to meet all these requirements is to implement a business blog. This will provide a forum for you to give your shoppers what they need when it comes to trust, and it will also ensure they have the best opportunity to become your customer for a lifetime. A blog allows you to post testimonials, reviews, company information and also give your business that all-important voice. When it comes down to a decision on whether or not to purchase from your site or a competitors, a business blog that conveys professionalism and trust could be the deciding factor that allows those sales to start rolling in.

How To Make Sure You Don't Get Ripped Off When Shopping Online

2008-02-14T01:56:00.000-08:00

Ignore Product Emails

Anyone with an email address is aware that spam is very much prevalent especially when it comes to shopping times such as holidays. Ignore any unsolicited email that you may receive because many of these will lead you to websites that may look real but can in fact be clever fake websites specifically setup to steal your private information. Even if an email seems like it is real, you should never click on a link sent to you in an email. If you feel that the email is real, physically type in the link and go from there.

Bait and Switch

A bait and switch is a scam that has been around for decades in offline stores and it works by a store promising to sell an item such as a radio for $50 and when you go to buy the item, you will find they either claim to be out of stock and instead lead you to a more expensive item or the product that they are selling is a cheaper version. With online stores this is a real concern because unlike an offline store in which you can look at the product immediately, with online stores you don't know what you will get until the item is delivered.

Use a Credit Card

In the case of a bait and switch or other problem that may occur with online shopping, you should always try to make a purchase with a credit card. Your bank will usually help take care of any problems or scams and you can cancel a payment and have other proof that you are being cheated or intentionally ripped off.

Check for Security Authentication

Most of the larger online retailers will have had audits done to check the integrity of their site. Companies such as ScanAlert run security checks on a site to determine if it is safe from hacker attacks. If a site is showing a ScanAlert logo you can be certain it is secure against any potential threats.

Pay Attention to Shipping Prices

If a deal seems too good to be true you could be right. There are many scams running online at auctions or stores and one of them involves the shipping price of an item. To make money a store will list a product cheaply and then when you add it to your shopping card and go to checkout, you are charged a ridiculously high shipping price.

Remove the Mystery from the Credit Card Processing Choice

2008-02-14T01:55:00.000-08:00

If you're a Web business person that is new to the credit card processing world, it can seem too complicated to be worth pursuing. But with the explosion of credit-card use for internet shopping, e-retailers can no longer afford not to process plastic. However, with hundreds of companies offering merchant services, how do you choose.

One way to sort through the scores of providers is to find sales reps willing to take their time and talk you through the process and relevant fees. This is a great way to separate the great companies from those who are just trying to hit a sales quota. Plus, it gives you multiple chances to hone your expertise as a merchant account services consumer, thus, make a wiser decision.

However, before you cogitate over some of the processes, as well as the fees you will be paying, regardless of what company you choose, let's spend some time looking at items you should never have to spend money on.

Merchant Account Application Fee - This is a fancy way of saying you're submitting an application for credit card processing services. It's not radically different from applying for a credit card. The company you're applying to will look at your financials, as well as your business, and make their decision from there. Some of the more established companies will be able to have some approved e-retailers processing plastic within 24 hours. Others may not be processing that quickly, but the approval should come in a day or so.

Internet Credit Card Processing Software with Web Terminal - Another tumble of words that basically says they have you set up, via your computer, to handle credit card transactions. Some of the lesser players have a price tag of as much as $150 for this. Again, why pay for this when there are some great companies that provide it for free?

Checks by Web/Phone/Fax - Allows you to process checks as payment for those customers that don't want to use their credit cards or simply want another way to pay for their purchase from your Web store. This means you don't have to take a check, deposit it into your account and wait for it to clear. Some vendors price this fast-approval ability set-up at $300, while the established companies provide it gratis.

Web Shopping Cart - A valuable tool that allows people shopping your site to select a product, then keep browsing and pay for all items in one transaction. If this didn't exist, customers would be more likely to buy one thing and leave. This feeds into the internet shopper's profitable habit of making impulse buys.

Technical Support - You hope you never need it, but it is a lifesaver when you do. Some companies charge for this, which makes some e-merchants hesitant to call on a small problem, which means what might be a minor glitch might grow into a major issue if it doesn't get the immediate attention. Nothing should ever get between you and the smooth operation of your Web-based business - certainly not having to worry about the meter running while you're trying to solve problems and keep your business running.

One non-financial merchant services qualifier is the length of the approval cycle. Any company that needs a week or more to reach a decision on your application is not competitive. Indeed, that long a window for approval usually means you're dealing with a company that outsources everything, which means you'd be "dealing" with several companies, and that means a lot of costs will be getting passed along to you.

Benefits Of Check 21 Remote Deposit Capture

2008-02-13T02:11:00.000-08:00

# API Software Interface. Rolling out RDC is easy with quick integration with existing software.

# Multi-function platform. Check21-RDC, ACH, credit/debit card processing can all accommodated on the same platform.

# Banking Independence. Customers can use any financial institution desired as a depository account for the ultimate in flexibility. No new bank accounts are required. If the customer wishes to change banks at any time, continuity of RDC clearing (and smooth operations for customers) is assured.

# Online check image archives. Easy search and retrieve for any image transaction. All checks are archived online for fast and easy access making it simple to recover and share any payment documentation to customers.

# Automated resubmission of returns. XML/SOAP eliminates the need for manual handling of returns increasing productivity and cash flow.

# Full online reporting. The entire clearing and settlement process for each transaction is available online. Management reports can be compiled quickly through the manipulation of any variables.

# Faster access to money. Remote Deposit Capture fosters speedy check clearing resulting in drastically decreased settlement times. Depending upon underwriting criteria of the customer, funds can settle to accounts as quickly as the next business day. Faster settlement means increased cash flow and quicker availability of working capital for your customers' business.

# Reconciliation and management is infinitely easier. With RDC, checks are transmitted electronically eliminating the need for multiple depository accounts. Customers' finance departments will no longer be burdened with the time consuming administrative functions required to manage multiple accounts. Consolidation also enables customers to take advantage of volume based transactions discounts and will save them money on account maintenance fees.

# Saves time and money. Electronic image transfer means fewer trips to the bank, saving transportation costs and eliminating courier and/or mail fees. And, since checks are archived online, there is no need to photocopy checks before taking them to the bank saving money on copying and storage.

# Increase productivity. Much of the error-prone manual labor of check preparation is eliminated with RDC, freeing customers' employees to concentrate on other projects. Streamlining of check deposits management accelerates the smooth flow of your customers' business operations.

# Expanded banking hours. RDC expands the banking hours in your day by 50%. In an amazing gift of time, RDC deposits can be made up to 8 pm EST freeing customers of worries about meeting a 4 pm cutoff time. Additionally, RDC offers convenient 24-hour deposit capability. Deposit checks anytime, including nights, weekends, and holidays; after hours checks clear the next banking day.

# Decreased fraud risk. RDC gives customers the protection of computerized anti-fraud programs which are not available with paper check transactions. Electronic clearing includes anti-fraud algorithms and systems for customer security. In addition, shorter clearing times offer better protection against check fraud.

# Clear file delivery. In the rare case where a poor quality image is received, customers receive notification via email. They can immediately resubmit the information assuring near 100% clear file delivery.

# Geography disappears. Flexible online reporting means data can be rapidly shared with customers' management team, no matter where they are physically located.

How Does Your Landing Page Measure Up?

2008-02-13T02:10:00.000-08:00

You managed to entice your email reader or web surfer to click your link or your ad. In today's cluttered web marketing world, that's quite an accomplishment. But don't start celebrating yet. It's what happens after the click that determines the success of your campaign.

And unfortunately, according to a recent SilverPop study, up to 50% of visitors leave your landing page within the first 8 seconds. So, what can you do to increase your conversions after the click?

First, don't panic, and don't feel too bad. A MarketingSherpa survey revealed that conversion rates for email campaigns average only 5.67 percent (11.31 percent for free offers). So you're definitely not alone in less than optimal campaign results. But if your conversions are significantly below these averages, you may want to take some time and implement a few of these changes:

1. Ensure that the text and promotional copy on your landing page match the text and promotional copy of your email campaign. Often times, the email message is written by a copywriter and the landing page is created by a web developer and the two messages are not in sync. One of the quickest fixes is to use the same headline on your landing page as you used in your email message.

2. Create a dedicated landing page for your campaign. If you are offering a widget on sale for $14, take the readers to the widget page. Do not dump them on your home page and expect them to crawl around looking for your widget.

3. Use the same look and feel in your email message or display ad that you use in your landing page. Landing pages that do not match the original ad end up confusing the visitors. They think they are in the wrong place and they end up clicking away from the page altogether.

4. Reduce your form fields as much as possible. Forms that require more than 10 fields result in significantly reduced conversions.

5. Eliminate navigation bars or other linking elements that might distract the visitor and cause him to click away.

How About An E-Commerce Business?

2008-02-11T02:56:00.000-08:00

There are numerous ways to make money online. If you are the type who has always wanted to own your own store, but cannot afford the cost of starting a brick and mortar shop, an E-commerce website may be right for you. Even beginners who have never run a business before can handle these types of sites. Typically with this type of business you don't directly deal with products. That all gets handled for you by a distributor or parent company. All you have to do is set up the site, promote it, and then handle the profit from sales.

One option for E-commerce is to find distributors who will drop ship the type of goods you want to sell. After you find your distributor(s), you need to select how you want to set up your website. You can go with an all inclusive E-commerce hosting package (like Yahoo Merchant Solutions or similar system), which is nice because they give you tools for site design, catalogue building, and checkout tools. You can also design your own site, have it hosted through any web hosting solution, and incorporate checkout and catalogue tools yourself (checkout OScommerce.com for some cool open source solutions). Either way, you decide the items to list on your site. This method can be more time consuming to get up and running, but gives you more flexibility in the items you can carry.

Another form of E-commerce is where you partner with an existing company and they provide you with a "mirror" website. The downside to this type of system is that your inventory selection is typically limited to what is being carried by the parent company. If you are the busy type and are looking for something that is quick and easy to start up, this would be a good option. Everything is typically set up for you and automated, even the payment system installation. All that is left for you is to possibly tweak the site (in allowed) and promote it.

If you already have a website, a third option is affiliate advertising items for other companies. Many big name companies have affiliate programs you can join for free. You post links and banners to items and you get money for each item sold through your link. Companies like Amazon and Barnes & Noble only pay a small percentage for each sale, but have common and very popular consumer goods. Companies like Clickbank generally pay much more per sale, but tend to deal with informational products. The type goods you advertise should be determined by the nature of your website. If you already have steady traffic coming to your site and a target audience, this can be a good option for you.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Working With a Dropshipping Wholesaler

2008-02-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

The benefits of using a dropshipping wholesaler are plentiful:

1. You don’t have to invest in inventory; this saves you a ton of money and additional headache in case the goods are not selling well.

2. You don’t need to worry about a proper storage of your goods and/or investing in a warehouse, simply because you have no goods! In fact, you may never even touch the product you are selling!

3. You are not restricted to one type of a product only and are free to switch to other types as often as you want to. This gives you an opportunity to find your niche without much of a hassle.

4. You can offer unlimited number of products, without the need to open separate specialty shops for each product type, unless you want to.

5. You have no leftover items, which you would need to store and find ways to get rid of, compromising on the price.

6. The flow of cash starts with the very first item you sell. In a simplified way, the process looks like this: the buyer pays you, you pay to the dropshipping wholesaler, and the difference between the two prices makes your profit.

7. You are spared of the trouble to pack, handle and ship the items. You save money as well, even though your dropshipping wholesaler charges you for the delivery. But in case you handled the delivery of the product yourself, you would have spent much more, leaving little room for profit.

8. With most dropship suppliers you qualify for the wholesale price without the need to place a minimum order.

However, like in any business there are certain risks involved as well:

1. You have little control over the entire process, and can’t help if mistakes and delays happen.

2. You are held responsible for the item’s lousy quality, shipping damages, poor packaging, slow delivery and other problems that may occur thanks to a poorly chosen dropshipping wholesaler. All this affects your market reputation and can kill your business in no time, especially if you operate on such platforms as eBay, where the customer’s feedback is vital.

3. You are normally not informed when a certain product is sold out, so you may continue to offer it in your shop until you get angry inquiries from your customer on the reasons why the purchase hasn’t arrived yet.

Choosing a dropshipping wholesaler you may need to make a couple of test purchases to evaluate the quality and overall service, find out what policies the company has, and get a feedback from its former or current partners.

Ecommerce - Some Ways To Profit

2008-02-08T02:28:00.000-08:00

With the advent of Internet and the Information Technology, doing business online has become an all time favorite to almost everybody today. Almost all online businesses need some transactions to happen which are also done online. In order to carry on such transactions a wide choice of media is available to people. One such popular and widely used media for online transactions is Ecommerce. Online transactions are made possible by combining the technology involved in the internet along with the methodology of Ecommerce. It is actually believed to be the most effective tool and also a potential income generating tool. Interested in learning more about Ecommerce? Continue reading...

A facility of a 24 by 7 i.e. 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, online store is offered by ecommerce. Hence it is believed to be a blessing for most of the entrepreneurs as the customer service offered by it round the clock. Also this facility of round the clock customer service helps in providing support systems to a number of clients.

Staffing solutions, which are believed to the most expensive for any business, are made easy and inexpensive by Ecommerce as the number of people needed to work for it is less. This in turn is believed to save a lot of money for investors.

The factor of higher reach to people across the world is high when it comes to Ecommerce. A wider geographical means is made possible by Ecommerce. Because of the facility of internet, the geographical and demographical reach of ecommerce is more.

3 Steps Of Ecommerce Web Site Development

2008-02-08T02:27:00.000-08:00

When it comes to ecommerce web site development the ultimate goal of the web site is to lead customers to buy products from your site. There are three steps for affordable web design with your ecommerce web site:

Step 1: Design Your Web Site
One must at the very beginning decide on the amount that is to be spent on getting the web site designed. Only after this is done should one start to choose a Web site designing firm. Thus the affordability analysis should be also taken into consideration while making the final decision. Regardless of the price of the web site design you are paying for, it is advisable to look at all possible options before making a decision and choosing a company. Good web site design is when there will be an obvious return on investment, over a set term.

Designing an ecommerce web site is quite different than designing other types of web sites. Most stores use an online catalog type of format organized by category. You will need crystal clear pictures of each item you're selling, as well as a detailed description to tell customers everything they need to know. An ecommerce web site must not only present the merchandise effectively, it must provide a safe and easy way for customers to order.

Step 2: Set up Your Store
Your customers will browse at your web site, select some items, and then pay for them. When you set up an e-commerce shopping cart, you're providing a way for your customers to bring their purchases to the cash register. The program you choose will allow you to enter your products in the database and allow shoppers to choose products when they click on "Add to cart" or something similar.

There are elements for a installing ecommerce web site:

* Domain. Domain names are very essential aspects of any web site business. These may have been the most overlooked areas but the impact that they can bring about to any business is so immense. It is for this reason that the name you choose should be carefully studied and analyzed before they are purchased and used.

* Web hosting. After you have determined that your future web site host is a reliable, well established company, let's look at their offer's technical details and understand what they stand for. There are many factors that determine a good and reliable hosting company such as: Reliability, Bandwidth, File Storage Space, Reputation, Statistics, Control Panel, Support, Backups, Range Of Services, Cost, and more.

* Ecommerce script/ software. Store owners can set up their online stores using ecommerce script/ software with either free or paid ecommerce script/ software. For small stores, it has all the features you need for an online store. For example: OScommerce, Zen Cart, PHP Auction, Cube Cart, Open Realty, Miva Merchant, etc.

* Payment processor gateway. When customers arrive at the checkout counter, you need a way for their payments to be transferred from their credit card accounts to your bank account. The method you choose may depend on your sales volume. There are popular payment processor companies: PayPal, 2CheckOut, Authorize.net and WorldPay.

Step 3: Promote Your Web Site To Worldwide
Here are some ways you can get web traffic to your web site. A new website might get 10 - 20 vistor's daily. If your web site is good and improved frequently it will give you up to 100 - 200 vistor's daily. Some websites will have up to more 1,000 vistors daily. Then its essential you promote your product or service. Some ways have proven as the most efficient in generating traffic to your web site: Pay Per Click, Article Submission, Press Release, Link Exchange, Directories Submission, and more.

What a Free Dropship Wholesaler Means and How You Can Find One

2008-02-07T02:21:00.000-08:00

Finding a reliable dropship wholesaler is half work done, when you are setting up an online reselling business. It spares you tons of efforts, time and money, bringing a regular flow of profit from virtually nothing. You never even get your hands on the products you sell, not to mention storage, packaging, shipping costs, and unsold leftovers. In other words, you are just a retailer who finds buyers for a manufacturer’s goods and benefits on the difference between the wholesale value and the final sale price.

Some resell business owners assume that free dropship wholesalers are those ones who don’t charge for shipping the goods to the buyers. If this is your idea of a free dropshipping company, then you may get disappointed – they simply don’t exist. A free dropship wholesaler is one that doesn’t charge you for utilizing its services; however, that doesn’t apply to shipping costs.

Bear in mind that not all distribution companies are free – many of them do charge an additional fee for using their services. As a result, this adds to your overall expenses, cutting from the potential profit. The fee may vary significantly and can be applied monthly, annually or per transaction, so in your search for good wholesale suppliers you also need to take this into an account.

Of course, ideally, your dropship wholesaler should be free. This can give you an opportunity to come up with lower prices than what your competitors offer and draw clientele in no time. Consequently, if your sales show a clear tendency to increase, the company may provide you with additional discounts, meaning more profit in the long run.

However, a free dropship wholesaler doesn’t always mean the best, and you have to estimate a lot of factors when choosing one. Don’t focus on money matters only – a good reputation, quality of goods and fast delivery are just as important. After all, your own reputation and the fate of your resell business largely depend on the supplier you choose.

To find a good distribution company that is also free may be really hard if you are just starting off. The Internet has plenty of resources, but to sort out which are genuine and which are just middlemen, waiting to chop off their share, can be daunting. By simply clicking on the top sites a Google search page returns you are very unlikely to find what you really need. You may have to rummage in hundreds of websites in order to find at least one dropship wholesaler that is a genuine company and not a middleman.

Online directories of suppliers may or may not be a good source. Almost all of them are paid and scam risks are plentiful. In case you don’t want to use the directories, you have no other choice but relying on somebody else’s experience.

Cashback On Your Groceries!

2008-02-07T02:18:00.000-08:00

I think the most appealing thing for me about Cashback Websites and Cashback Shopping is the fact that you are shopping whenever, wherever and however you want. Most of my Cashback Shopping is done on my laptop whilst watching the TV, which cant be said of the old days when I used to spend a whole Saturday shopping for stuff only to come back tired and (as it is the UK) often cold and wet!

But cashback shopping is not only about buying the little pick me up's that you buy at the beginning of the month or when you feel like a splurge on a new outfit. Its also, and probably most importantly, about the mundane things that we buy, like groceries for example.

Although, the average offers on Cashback Websites are between 2-5%, which make some people believe that its not worth it, think about how it can add up and the extra incentives that you get from the retailers as well to make it a brilliant money saver.

Take Tesco's for example. If you do your weekly shop of approximately £100 a week through a Cashback Websites, then with 2% cashback on top, it is £2 a week, which then multiplied by 52 weeks a year equals £104 a year. That is also just through grocery shopping without taking into consideration that there are often higher percentages of cashback for electrical, audio items, clothing, insurance etc.

As mentioned above, there are also the incentives that the stores offer directly, such as Tesco Clubcard Points which reward you for every pound you spend, which at the end of the quarter, can then be multiplied up to 4 times to spend on days out, holidays, restaurants, pampering and the list is endless!

The example that I give above is just through one retailer and is incorporating the everyday items we have to buy. But what about the annual outgoings such as house insurance, credit cards, car insurance and travel insurance. If you consider how much money is spent on these items, for example my house insurance is £280 a year with £58.50 cashback, then once again you are getting rewarded for the crucial things that you have to do in order to protect you and your family. Cashback is even available when applying for a credit card, which really is brilliant as you are getting paid for filling out some forms!

Find Wholesale Product Sources Made Easy

2008-02-06T02:29:00.000-08:00

Wholesale ecommerce businesses can be a tough job especially when you are dealing with global vendors. From managing the logistics to delivering quality goods you have to do it right everytime. It is a tough job if you do not have proper applications in place and your processes are not streamlined.

The margins in a wholesale business can be high but you need to drive volumes for your business to reach the plateau. At this point a businessman starts to wonder how he can achieve this with his business and turn over inventory. E-business holds the key to this problem. If I spoke about E-business with a trader a decade and half ago I may have been considered as a far fetched technology geek who does not understand business. The scenario has reversed completely and today any business without an Internet presence is not considered seriously by many people. If you are in a business meeting always be ready for someone asking you the address of your website and your email. If you are able to respond immediately and show your website to the customer on the screen the impact you make is tremendous. If your newly created website has features of ordering and receiving payments you can consider that the customer is almost certain to give you the order. It is important that you create a website that list all your wholesale products which has all the features required for an end user to browse through different categories of goods and also place an order if he is interested. Once you have developed a user friendly website you can start marketing it by adopting the many Internet marketing techniques. There are many wholesale B2B market places where the site can be listed and you can take your business global if you have the right resources. Nowadays, distances have shrunk and advance communication and logistics have made it easier for supplier and seller enterprises to trade with the global community.

If you are seriously contemplating to make your business web-enabled the first thing that needs to be done is to build a feature rich e-commerce site. It should have a listing of all your products and services and have a basic search option to enable users to quickly find the wholesale items that they are searching. User Experience management (UXM) is a buzzword nowadays and leading portals are going all out to give a pleasant experience to visitors who visit their site. UXM can present your wholesale categories in a clean uniform manner. When your wholesale product listing website is being designed the developers should ensure that they incorporate the best ideas from leading portals such as Amazon and Ebay because these portals have changed the landscape of business in general and e-business in particular. It is always good to do a search on these sites to find what new products are selling like cameras, DVD, camping equipment etc

Remember, if your wholesale product website has great content in your product descriptions, it will help search engines find your wholesale products more readily. In addition, many wholesalers have a robust backend functionality to will ensure that the deliveries are done as per schedule and customers are satisfied with the service levels.

Selling Your Intellectual Property Online - The Independent's Guide (Part One)

2008-02-06T02:27:00.000-08:00

We live in a time of tremendous opportunity: if you have the skills to build a piece of software, write a book or devise a business strategy, then you have all the tools you need to sell it and make a living. Gone are the days when you absolutely had to form a big corporation, grub for investment money and dedicate yourself to 20 hours a week of win-or-go-home-broke.

Every day, tens of thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are making a very comfortable living doing what you do as a hobby: building software, books or strategies that they sell online. Some of them grow and become full companies, going through all the growing pains that that entails. Others, however, simply focus on what they're good at, and at living their lives without the stress and demands of building the next Microsoft.

But the actual selling bit can be a bit harder than it looks. Sure, we all know that 'anyone' can accept credit cards over the Web - heck, haven't we learned that the easiest way is simply to hook into PayPal and get money sent via email?

The answer is no. Everybody can't take credit cards, PayPal won't let you sell whatever you like to whoever you like, and it's not necessarily as easy as it looks.

As a small firm - potentially consisting of you and your spouse and a potted plant in the garage - you don't have time to be building, maintaining and updating an e-commerce engine that gives you the best shot at staying independent. And every customer who can't, or won't, buy from you owing to your e-commerce setup is another step closer to going back to the corporate workplace.

The simplest way to make e-commerce work for you - rather than the other way around - is to employ an e-commerce service provider, like Plimus, Inc. You take care of developing the products to sell; Plimus takes care of putting a robust e-commerce platform in place that makes it nearly impossible for a shopper to object to buying from you. Plimus makes sure the shopper can

* Use whatever payment method they like

* Transact business in their local language

* Get online support 24/7/365

* See that they are protected against hackers and fraudsters

* Always get the information they need to feel good about closing the deal

You simply upload copies of your product, set the price and have Plimus design the look-and-feel for your order pages. If you want to change the prices, add coupons or cross-promote products, you can do so any time of the day or night through a web-based portal. Then you add a URL to your website and you're ready to go - you can sell, with all the bells and whistles large corporations spend millions of dollars a year to build and maintain.

80,000 Members at My Power Mall

2008-02-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

My Power Mall is one of the fastest growing online business opportunities on the internet today. With over 80,000 members in over 1000 countries world wide its hard for other programs to match the success that they have already seen in its only 3 years of existence.

My Power Mall offers its members millions of products from thousands of stores all at highly discounted prices all at no cost to you for membership. And the stores you buy from will even go as far as donating a percentage of all sales to charities. MPM will save you a lot of money. But they can also make you a lot of money too. Many members of My Power Mall have already quit their day jobs to pursue their online business with the help of this program.

When you sign up with My Power Mall you'll be provided with your very own website full of stores and their products. Every time somebody buys something from one of these stores you get paid a percentage of the sale. But the best thing is that you don't actually have to provide a product, ship anything out, or anything like that. They can handle everything for you. All you need to do is get people to your website. But how do you get the visitors to your online mall? Don't worry about it. After you've signed up for free you'll gain access to personal business trainers and you'll be gives plenty of resources to promote your business, from ebooks to flyers. MPM offers many ways to keep an eye on your business. From toolbars with live web site stats to in depth sales statistics, you'll know at all times exactly how your business is running.

Every time a MPM member gets a friend, family member, whoever, to sign up they get cash. And you'll then receive a percentage of any sales they make through their mall forever! But theres more. Every time one of your referrals signs someone up you'll get paid again.

So in total thats 3 different ways to make money without the stresses of a day job. Many online businesses are hard to survive off of. But thats because they only allow one stream of income. Not only does MPM have 3 ways to make money but they also save you a lot of money in the process.

Credit Card Processing Is A Wise E-Business Investment

2008-02-05T00:59:00.000-08:00

If you're in business for yourself on the internet you've probably been told that to make money you have to spend money. A more accurate way to think about it would be to make money you have to invest money -- as in investing back into your Web-based business in the form of services that will increase sales and profits.

This brings us to the decision whether or not to add credit card processing service to your e-store. It would seem to be a no-brainer. Studies have shown that e-stores processing plastic see increased traffic, repeat business, sales and profits. More than 80% of all purchases made over the Web are paid for with a credit card. In the last two months of 2007, the holiday shopping period, close to $30 billion in sales were racked up by e-retailers.

Those numbers are hard to ignore. And while there are going to be some expenses involved with the ability to accept payments online, with a little research you can make a cost-effective choice that helps you maximize the investment.

Indeed, before you even get close to making a decision on a merchant account company, spend some time cruising through a half-dozen provider Web sites. Most sites will include a list of charges and fees associated with doing business with them - and you might be surprised at the differences. Compare charges for things like transaction fees, internet processing gateway fees and statement/customer services fees, among others.

Be cautious of credit card processing companies that charge an application fee, which can vary from $100-300. The major players, as a rule, do not feel the need to levy this. These are the companies whose reputation for service and support mean they don't need to boost their bottom lines with a lot of add-on fees.

Indeed, when it comes to the costs associated with merchant account services the ability to offer discounts can be attributed to one of two factors. Some companies say they're cheaper, but make the money with hidden costs and fees. Great providers are able to come in at a lower price point because their customer retention allows them to do so, and those are the companies you'll want to talk to when you're ready to accept payments online.

And speaking of costs be wary of doing business with any concern that charges for calls to the technical support department. Good service after the sale should not have a price tag, and this applies to getting help when something's not working properly and slowing the progress of your business. Plus, unfettered access to support insures that small problems are dealt with before they have a chance to grow into big ones.

Make sure the company you sign up with is also the company that will be processing the transactions. Some use third-party processors that can slow down the amount of time it takes money to be put into your account. And improved cash flow is one more advantage of allowing card processing on your Web store.

A preferred way to sleuth out the good credit card processing companies is to get references and make some calls. A satisfied customer will tell you all you need to know, and should be more believable than what a company will say about itself.

Another good indicator is what the industry says about a provider. Companies like Apple and America Online have ratings for e-commerce providers that give unbiased third-party reviews for companies that give a Web business an avenue to accept payments online.

An Easy Website Split - Testing Schedule You Can Use

2008-02-02T02:12:00.001-08:00

I am a testing fanatic! I firmly believe that there is no way to know if your marketing is performing at its absolute best unless you test. You should be testing your display ads, your sales letters, your email messages and yes, even your website.

I don't seem to have any trouble convincing my clients to test their copywriting and their ads. But, when it comes to website testing, many of my clients shy away. It's easy to look at your site and get totally overwhelmed and unsure of where to start your testing. So I thought I'd share the schedule I plan to use with one of my clients during the upcoming year. What follows is an outline of the website elements I will be testing in 2008. You can use this list to kick off your own split testing campaign.

Remove The Reset Button

The first test I will be performing - because it is one of the easiest - is to remove the reset button from my clients' forms. If you are using a WYSIWYG html editor to create your forms, the reset button is probably generated automatically. And, it's usually placed extremely close to the submit button. Unfortunately, all this does is present your visitor with a distraction and the opportunity to accidentally hit the rest button instead of the submit button. For most forms, there is really no need to have a reset button anyway. In past tests, I've seen this simple change increase conversion rates by as much as 22%. Since it is so easy to create a new page version without the reset button, this is a great place to get started with you're A/B testing.

Make The Submit Button Bigger

After testing the rest button, I'll be moving on to the submit button. Most online marketers agree that when it comes to submit button, bigger is better. So I'll be tested various sizes of graphical buttons until I land on the perfect size. You'll want to keep a close eye on this test as I have a suspicion that a phenomenon similar to "banner blindness" will probably come into play. That is, at some point, the submit button will become so large that it will be overlooked as just another page graphic.

Test The Font Size

Testing your font size is extremely important if your market is older adults or younger children. In the past I have found that a 12-point sans font for body copy converts the best on line. I'd suggest testing that against a 14-point font for kids or seniors. And after you test your body copy, be sure to test your headline. Here is an interesting piece of test date that might give you some useful ideas: http://www.modernimage.com/small-font.htm

Reduce the number of columns

The number of columns on your webpage is another easy element to test. Past test data indicates that a one-column page layout performs the best, often yielding over 40% increased conversions. Since my client is currently using a multi-column newspaper page format, I plan to create a test page with only one column of body copy. If your audience is heavily from Asia, I recommend you weight your one column page a 25 or 30% during the testing phase. I've recently come across data that suggests visitors from Asian countries might prefer a more cluttered page layout.

Add dynamic content to your landing page

I'll admit, for the novice this is not an easy element to perform, but since it can have such a huge impact, I am presenting it as an option. One online merchant experienced a 71% increase in revenue simply by adding dynamic data to his landing page. If you're not comfortable with script programming, you might need to get your "tech guy" involved in this one, or search the internet for a ready-made script.

How To Find Proven Methods That Will Make Money Online

2008-02-02T02:10:00.000-08:00

There are proven methods that can empower you to be your own boss. You can work on your own terms. Do you need flexibility in your work schedule because of children or caring for an elderly parent? Do want to be available for your daughter's softball game and your son's baseball game? Do you want the freedom to travel and not worry about rushing back to the office because your office will be your laptop? If you are set to make money online, you can work from your home office, the corner coffee shop or even the beach. You are as free to roam as technology will allow.

If you are looking for a get rich quick scheme then give up now. There is no such thing. If you are looking for a way to make money online by doing absolutely nothing then quit. You will not find what you are seeking. On the other hand, if you are looking for a way to make money online by giving a bit of effort while still enjoying time with your family, then there is a packet of information ready to guide you. If you are looking for solid income that does not require an MBA or any other kind of degree then you will find what you are looking for.

Make Money Online

The internet is in nearly every home, library, office and school. It is in the coffee shop down the road and the hotel off the interstate. No matter where we go, most Americans are connected. 75% of Americans have regular internet access. Top rated television shows do not even get 75% of the viewing public.

Holiday Money Crunch-No More!

The only thing more hectic than the holiday gift buying crunch is the money crunch that comes during the following months. Many Americans find themselves heavily in debt at the end of the year. With the right steps, you can avoid the need for holiday debt.

Creating a Small Business Online Store

2008-02-01T01:39:00.000-08:00

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of online opportunities on the internet. The internet has literally changed the way millions people across the world do business. And for a few savvy entrepreneurs, the internet has been a virtual goldmine. And for a few, crating a small business online store has been their path to massive success. In this article, we'll explore how to create a small business online store with relatively little working capital.

First of all, the number of small business online stores is steadily increasing across the internet. There are a number of reasons for this, and it is partly due to the number of advantages that this type of opportunity provides. For instance, with an online store, you don't need a lot of money for start-up costs, nor do you need a lot of money to pay for on-going business expenditures. Furthermore, an online store is open to the global market which extends up your profits potential by huge margins.

So how do you start creating small business online store?

First, as the title suggests, you'll build an online store. There are a number of ways to do this. You can get started right away by creating a yahoo store for instance. Or you might create an eBay storefront. Both of these methods a relatively low cost, but can get your product or service out to the masses very quickly.

After you've decided on which avenue to create your store, you'll then need to decide upon all the things you're going to sell through the store. To speed your research up, you may look to see exactly what people are buying online. In this case, you'll let the market dictate your offerings. If, however, you have a hobby or passion you'd like to turn into profits, you might consider selling that via your online store. In other words, the sky is the limit to what you might sell via you online storefront.

What if you don't have your own products to sell?

If you don't have your own products to sell online, you can always promote other people's products or services. This is known as affiliate marketing. Now affiliate marketing has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. However, one huge advantage is that you don't have to worry about product development, shipping, taxes, returns, or questions from the customers. No! You simply have to worry about sending traffic to your affiliate products and services. Forget about inventory, payments, complaints, delivery and other business matters. You only need to worry about getting traffic to your site.

How to generate more profits to your small business online store?

To generate more profits from you small business online store, focus on acquiring your prospect's email addresses so you can follow up on them with other offers. Additionally, focus on providing excellent customer service and make your site very user friendly and easy to navigate. By focusing on "your customer's needs" and providing an excellent customer experience, you'll gain their repeat business, and may even gain referrals from them.

A small business online store has many advantages. With the right product or service and a good amount of traffic, your small business online store is sure to be a success. Good Luck!

An Easy Website Split - Testing Schedule You Can Use

2008-02-01T01:38:00.000-08:00

I am a testing fanatic! I firmly believe that there is no way to know if your marketing is performing at its absolute best unless you test. You should be testing your display ads, your sales letters, your email messages and yes, even your website.

I don't seem to have any trouble convincing my clients to test their copywriting and their ads. But, when it comes to website testing, many of my clients shy away. It's easy to look at your site and get totally overwhelmed and unsure of where to start your testing. So I thought I'd share the schedule I plan to use with one of my clients during the upcoming year. What follows is an outline of the website elements I will be testing in 2008. You can use this list to kick off your own split testing campaign.

Remove The Reset Button

The first test I will be performing - because it is one of the easiest - is to remove the reset button from my clients' forms. If you are using a WYSIWYG html editor to create your forms, the reset button is probably generated automatically. And, it's usually placed extremely close to the submit button. Unfortunately, all this does is present your visitor with a distraction and the opportunity to accidentally hit the rest button instead of the submit button. For most forms, there is really no need to have a reset button anyway. In past tests, I've seen this simple change increase conversion rates by as much as 22%. Since it is so easy to create a new page version without the reset button, this is a great place to get started with you're A/B testing.

Make The Submit Button Bigger

After testing the rest button, I'll be moving on to the submit button. Most online marketers agree that when it comes to submit button, bigger is better. So I'll be tested various sizes of graphical buttons until I land on the perfect size. You'll want to keep a close eye on this test as I have a suspicion that a phenomenon similar to "banner blindness" will probably come into play. That is, at some point, the submit button will become so large that it will be overlooked as just another page graphic.

Test The Font Size

Testing your font size is extremely important if your market is older adults or younger children. In the past I have found that a 12-point sans font for body copy converts the best on line. I'd suggest testing that against a 14-point font for kids or seniors. And after you test your body copy, be sure to test your headline.

Reduce the number of columns

The number of columns on your webpage is another easy element to test. Past test data indicates that a one-column page layout performs the best, often yielding over 40% increased conversions. Since my client is currently using a multi-column newspaper page format, I plan to create a test page with only one column of body copy. If your audience is heavily from Asia, I recommend you weight your one column page a 25 or 30% during the testing phase. I've recently come across data that suggests visitors from Asian countries might prefer a more cluttered page layout.

Add dynamic content to your landing page

I'll admit, for the novice this is not an easy element to perform, but since it can have such a huge impact, I am presenting it as an option. One online merchant experienced a 71% increase in revenue simply by adding dynamic data to his landing page. If you're not comfortable with script programming, you might need to get your "tech guy" involved in this one, or search the internet for a ready-made script.

Before you start split testing, be sure you have adequate points of reference to measure against. Study your log files over the next few weeks to determine your current traffic levels, click through rates and conversion rates. This will become your benchmark to gauge all future tests against.

Common Press Release Mistakes: Include your Contact Information

2008-01-31T02:46:00.000-08:00

Contact information is by far the most important part of your press release and you need to make sure that you provide enough information so that a reader of the press release will be able to reach you. There are some news publications that will take your press release and write a news story without contacting you; however, most news sources who want to base a story off of your press releases will attempt to contact you before they write an article to get more information and their own quotes. If their request is not met in an appropriate time frame, they will go with another company. As a result, it is very important that you include a phone number and / or e-mail address that you check frequently so that writers and journalists will be able to contact you and get the information they need quickly.

I know that some will not want to give their personal information as any one will have access to your e-mail address or telephone number and as a result, I suggest that you create a new e-mail account for press releases where journalists can contact you. pr@domain.com is a very common e-mail address for the public relations department of a company or web site. Many companies who are large enough to have their own public relations expert or press release staff use the business e-mail address of their PR personnel to handle all requests for more information.

I know that when many people register at a new web site, they often give fake or incorrect information but a press release distribution web site is the last place you want to do this. If these distribution services realize that the information you gave does not match up, they may not even send out your press release and terminate your account.

Bottom Line: Most journalists and writers who want to write a press release about you or your company will request and require further information before publishing your release so it is vital that you provide correct information in the “Contact Us” section of the press release. If a journalist can not contact you within a reasonable time frame of sending a press request, your news will not be covered and the purpose of the press release will be defeated. Simply put, make sure you can easily be contacted by those who are interested in writing a story based off your press release.

Proprietary And Confidential Information and Franchise Disclosure Documents

2008-01-31T02:43:00.000-08:00

A franchisor must be concerned with their proprietary and confidential methods of doing business in business secrets. The confidential operations manual must be guarded and kept away from competitors in the marketplace, who will he immediately use such knowledge to hurt up to franchise system and team. It is for this reason that you should pay special attention in the franchise agreement with regards to proprietary and confidential information. In my franchisee company by chose to insert a special clause, which I had designed personally, you'll find a below;

3.19 Proprietary And Confidential Information

The System includes valuable confidential information. Franchisee agrees to not communicate or divulge the contents of our Confidential Operations Manuals, our Confidential Marketing Manuals, our Franchisee Forum intranet system or any other information related to the System or to the operation of the Franchise or The Car Wash Guys or the WASH GUY.COM franchise system to any person or entity except those Franchisor authorizes in writing to receive the information. Franchisee agrees that those contents and information are confidential. They are Franchisor’s exclusive property, and Franchisee may only use them in the Franchise subject to the provisions and duration of this Franchise Agreement. Franchisee agrees to fully and strictly adhere to all security procedures Franchisor prescribes for maintaining the secrecy of the information. Franchisee agrees to disclose information to their employees only to the extent necessary to perform the franchise business.

Franchisee will assure that Franchisee and all their agents, employees, consultants, partners, owners, officers, directors, and shareholders and other persons in their control, to whom any information is communicated, keep, preserve, and protect all confidential information.

Franchisee acknowledges that during the term of this Franchise Agreement, Franchisee will have access to, become acquainted with and have disclosed to Franchisee by Franchisor confidential information, programs, devices, methods, techniques and processes that are not generally known to the public pertaining to the promotion, marketing, operation and management of a business that offers the cleaning, washing and waxing of automobiles and fleet vehicle washing including the information contained in the Confidential Operations Manual and on the Franchisee Forum intranet system.

Franchisee will not, during the term of this Franchise Agreement or thereafter, communicate, fax, e-mail, post on an internet electronic bulletin board, divulge or use for the benefit or any other person, persons, partnerships, associations, companies or corporations any confidential or proprietary information, knowledge or know-how concerning our methods of operation of the franchised business Franchisor has licensed to Franchisee or any information Franchisor has communicated to Franchisee in written, verbal or electronic form, including intranet passwords, for the operation of the Franchised Business.

Right Tools For Right Jobs

2008-01-30T01:26:00.001-08:00

When choosing a Content Management system or a shopping cart for your web site it is usually a good idea to ask yourself - what is the problem you are trying to solve?

Choosing the right CMS (Content Management System) is very hard. Most people (as noticed on quite a few message boards) make same mistake - they try to figure out what software they need to make money online. "I want to create a community, what software do I need?". First of all - what kind of community is it going to be? Writers? Photographers? Make-up artists? Everyone has different requirements, and different level of knowledge. Photographers are a little easier to please, as they are used to complicated and cumbersome camera controls, but try to cater same interface to a community of models and make-up artists (same industry, after all) and you will be hit with an outcry for mercy.

Choosing a shopping cart is just one notch easier. First - customers already knows that he wants a shopping cart solution. Second - he is aware that whatever choice he makes is going to affect him in the future. Uploading or entering inventory is a time consuming task and not many people have time to experiment with that. But the ultimate question remains the same - what kind of problem the customer has? What is he/she selling and in which quantities?

There are customers who's only reasonable solution would be an eBay. Some people can use quick shopping cart options, like PayPal's shopping cart or BuyNow buttons, or even CafePress. Some could benefit from ZenCart, osCommerce, VirtueMart or peers. Sometimes company grows out of bunch of Excel spreadsheet and starts using CRM, sales and inventory tracking systems, such as RegKeeper, some flavor of QuickBooks, Configure One's electronic catalog software or other platforms. Certain clients order a custom web site with integrated CMS and shopping cart.

Using full-blown shopping system if you only need to sell two flavors of your widget is unwise. Using PayPal for web store with thousands of clients may cost you significant percentage of your business. Each tool has its own (limited) scope of use. Management 101: Before offering a service think - what is the problem the service is going to solve. If you have the answer to this question - you will find tools in no time.

Getting Started In E-commerce

2008-01-30T01:25:00.000-08:00

The hardest thing about starting anything new is knowing where to start. The amount of resources available on the internet for getting started in ecommerce can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing as there is help at hand and a curse due to the amount of sites that provide information and some of the 'advice' conflicts.

There is an easy way to start without the head ache. Look at your idea as a business from the start. This way you won't be unpleasantly surprised by what needs to be done to both get your idea off the ground and manage it successfully.

The starting point is an idea. Should you not necessarily know what the 'idea' for you is yet, then a great place to start is to list out the things to love to do, the subjects your are passionate about. Having a list of two to three ideas is far better than just one.

The key advantage of looking at your ecommerce idea as a business from the outset is that there are activities that you can undertake to measure and plan to verify if the idea is worth investing money in.

It does take money though to conduct the research thoroughly. Free research tools can provide part of a story. However it is far better to spend a bit of money here, than find out later the ugly side of the story. You can spend the time, greater amounts of money and effort required to get the site up and going to later find out that other side of the story and the up hill battle that may lay ahead to get a return.

There are two tools that I would recommend.

1. Wordtracker.

Wordtracker is a purpose built keyword search and research tool. As such the information available is superior than what is available on free tools. Another great aspect to Wordtracker is that they offer a free trial period, meaning you can begin researching for free to complete the majority of your research prior to having to spend any money.

2. SBI Brainstorm It!

Should you be in a position of little doubt that you are going to start an ecommerce venture I would highly recommend SBI or Site Build It! This is a full host and domain registration service that massively over delivers. An example of this over delivery is the Brainstorm It tool that comes with your subscription. It is a high quality tool, easy to use and has some fantastic user friendly features.

So to get started in e-commerce make sure you treat the process like it's your new business. I would recommend 4 first steps.

* One, get organised. Have a clear space to work in and free of distractions.
* Two, list your ideas. Have two to three ideas that you are passionate about.
* Three, research. Conduct research on your idea to attain keywords, keyword demand and supply statistics to realistically evaluate if your idea is a flyer.
* And four plan your activities to get your site or blog up and running.

Using Your Internet Business To Create Wealth

2008-01-29T23:37:00.000-08:00

Many people seem to create wealth and money easily while others struggle just to make ends meet. Too many people are looking for the easy or quick way to do things. Fast profits, fast food, easy money... Many of these seemingly easy roads to quick profits turn out to be worthless gimmicks. The only one that makes money is the promoter. Those who struggle to make ends meet seem to be attracted to this type of program and lose money time after time.

What are some of the real requirements to create wealth using your online business?

1. Develop a plan.

You need to develop a solid plan. Develop your business plan using successful individuals as a model. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. Do what you know works.

2. Work your plan!

The key word here is work. It is the rare business indeed that requires no work and pays big dividends. Almost all successful businesses require some sort of work. And most successful business owners started out working long and hard. Many of them started out by working 12 to 14 hours a day. If you feel that it is not worth it making that kind of effort, maybe you weren't cut out to create wealth. Maybe that is the reason that you have been struggling just to make ends meet.

2. Use technology.

Whenever possible, use technology to perform mundane repetitive tasks. In almost every case, it is much cheaper to spend a few bucks upfront and get a computer to do a routine task than it is to do it yourself time after time. This frees you up to work on more important and more productive parts of your business. Spending time on the most productive parts of your business will create wealth and make you money!

Do you want to learn more about how I make money? Get my Free ebook entitled, How To Make Money Every Day!

eBay Stores and e-Commerce Website Choices - Build It In-House or Hire a Professional?

2008-01-29T23:36:00.000-08:00

When you have made the decision to get your products online via eBay and/or your own eCommerce website, what is the next step?

First Question: Build it in-house or hire a professional?

Yes, you can build your companies eBay store and website with talent already existing within your organization.

Website design is taught at most high schools or community colleges these days so, chances are good that your employee pool may have budding web designer talent. Are you ready to trust your company marketing and image to that in house talent is the real question?

eBay provides numerous tools and a great deal of information for anyone to accomplish the task of getting a store up and running. The question is... does eBay provide these tips and tricks to help you as a business or to help their business? Obviously, if you are a seasoned business professional you will soon realize that a company such as eBay does nothing without a reason.

eBay Stores

Most of eBay's teaching tools and to a certain extent, eBay's entire growth strategy is based upon making the process of setting up an eBay selling account and consequently an eBay store easy for home based businesses. eBay wants mom & pop to go garage sale shopping with an eye towards making a few extra bucks for the cookie jar. To that end they want to get mom & pop up and running with an eBay store as soon as possible (and funneling fees into eBay).

Just because eBay has based a majority of their marketing focus on home based businesses does not mean that an eBay store is not a valuable asset for any established brick and mortar retailer or other "real" business concern. eBay is simply going after the largest number of potential users of their products. Unfortunately this also leads to numerous eBay store failures...

These home based eBay store owners do not have the prior background, sources or resources to take advantage of the world wide marketing giant and revenue producer now known as eBay. Therefore, while getting your company eBay store up and running may seem to be an easy in-house task for any intern, or kid just out of college with a great computer science degree... the real nuts & bolts set up and operation of an eBay store or e-commerce solution or both in tandem (the best option) is better left to professionals who work with eBay and e-commerce each and every day. If you are reading this because you are interested in moving your business more into an Internet sales based program you should consider the wisdom of hiring eBay and Internet marketing professionals to help you and your company get a head start toward those goals.

Still Thinking About Doing it yourself?

Building an online business requires ability in several completely different arenas: graphic design, programming, database development, Web design, copywriting, photography, and online marketing. This is just a short list of what is required to start from scratch or to add Internet marketing to your sales operation. If you have these skills in-house or if you plan on learning them yourself, please take this advice to heart.

Make a list of your employees' available skills as well as which skills they can learn. When you have a choice between learning a skill that will directly translate into making more money for your company or learning a skill that will let you do cool stuff on the Web, make a careful choice. Decide how much time you really want to devote to learning and doing things that really don't help you sell more products. Do you want to be an online retailer, or do you want to be a Web developer? The highest and best use of your available time & resources probably isn't learning the ins and outs of XHTML, but taking care of customers, finding new products, and promoting your business.

Making it Happen

Anything you can do yourself on a website design or to a eBay Store can be delegated or outsourced. You can hire eBay Stores Certified design professionals to design your eBay store from the ground up, create a custom logo, develop a corporate identity with unique colors and fonts, build your store product database, take product photos, write sales copy, perform search engine optimization on your site, custom-build XHTML templates that do almost anything you want them to do, and even manage your orders and perform customer service. It all depends on your budget.

After you've decided that you need help, you have lots of choices to make. The first decision is the size of your budget, which determines who you can hire. You can find prices for "building a eBay Store" that range anywhere from $300 to $5,000 and up. You can get a bargain using offshore designers (working anywhere from eastern Europe to India), college kids, or even professional designers moonlighting out of their basement. If you want a more "professional" experience, expect to pay up to $15,000 for a complete branding, marketing, and design package from top-drawer eBay store and Internet marketing firm. Both your web e-commerce site and your eBay store should present your branding and image as you expect them to. Getting the eBay image and your website image to mesh almost seamlessly is your goal, this can be quite difficult for even experienced web designers.

Using a CMS or Content Management System type of website design can significantly reduce your web design costs. There are a huge amount of new and exciting options available for web development, do not think you must use a "hand coded" html site to get your branding and image in front of the public. Some companies are even using simple blogging platforms like Wordpress or Typepad as the basis for corporate websites. These blogging platforms are very inexpensive to set up and the software is free. These CMS or Blogging platforms may also be used in conjunction with an eBay store or a with an eCommerce plug in (or both) to craft a unique Internet marketing funnel for your company.

You get what you pay for...

eBay store designs can run between $2,000 to $5,000 from a qualified eBay Stores designer. eCommerce website designs sometimes run in the tens of thousands of dollars with continual maintenance costs and webmaster fees. If your budget makes you choose between the two options, an eBay store is the more economical and faster route to success when managed correctly. Subsequently an off eBay eCommerce site can be developed for your best selling items. This allows you to use the power of eBay for marketing and SEO purposes while saving eBay fees on sales made through your own eCommerce website.

The best part of an eBay stores set up is that once it is installed as you want it, you have very few outside maintenance costs. Your company will have complete control of the products presentation (with the use of a template) and the inventory management is a simple to learn affair on eBay. Advanced tools are available to help with the management of large inventories and to help you create a listing just as you would within a word processing program or text editor.

When you get a quality eBay Stores design, sometimes the results are more than just superficial. Qualified designers improve the shopping experience, which can dramatically increase sales from your existing traffic by increasing your conversion rate. Also, many designs, when set up correctly improve the way your site looks to search-engine spiders, too! (This is the power of an eBay stores "me" page and other exclusive features and benefits of eBay stores packages).

After you determine what parts of the store building process you can do and what you can't do or would rather not do, you're ready to look for some help with the heavy lifting. First, you have to decide what type of vendor you want to work with because there's a big difference between working with a freelancer or independent consultant and working with a large design company or eBay Stores certified design specialists StoresDesigner.

eBay Stores certified design specialists - eBay Stores Designer

eBay Stores certified design specialists (certified eBay stores designers) provide the best overall experience. Your company will get the personalized attention it deserves and you will know that the design is based upon eBay marketing principles. Look at the portfolios of these certified eBay stores designers and decide which firm best represents your companies' image. Stay away from home based eBay stores designers with frilly eBay templates and flashy bouncing mouse pointers. You should be looking more for a corporate image that sells product and more importantly, cross sells more products for your company.

Look at the online stores you frequent in your daily life, think about the type of image and features you would like to emulate for your eBay store. Look at the designer's portfolios and or ask them if the features you think are most valuable are available in their design packages? Some eBay stores designers can deliver very advanced packages designed to promote more than one primary product at a time. If you are looking for growth in your Internet sales segment, these are the designers to contract with. Talk with several designers to find the one you are most comfortable with and the one who you think will represent the image of your company best with an online design. If the same designer can also develop your off eBay website e-commerce design, you should place that designer high on your list of candidates.

Having a web presence for your company which flows from eBay to your own website with the same "look and feel" is very important. Your goal should be to make your customers feel confident in your products and your company. If you (and your design company) have made an effort to create a nearly seamless shopping experience between eBay and your own e-commerce website, the confidence of the buyer will increase and your conversion rate will as well. Drawing eBay shoppers to your website from within eBay is not only possible, but very probable with a eBay store design done correctly.

Ask your prospective design firm the right questions and you will know immediately if you have made the best choice. Example Questions:

* Are you a certified eBay Stores Designer?

* Do you have examples of cross marketing designs?

* Can you create an eBay stores design which matches my existing website or can you create an e-commerce design to match your eBay stores design?

* Is SEO important for eBay?

* How important is a eBay about me page?

* Do your templates appear correct on all of the major browsers?

What kind of changes can be made to the design after your job is complete? (Can I offer a special sale item in my listing template?)

If your chosen designer is not informed in these questions you should look further. Not every eBay or Internet design firm has the necessary skills or background to help your company effectively cross-market your products. Find the right design firm which will give your firm a solid foundation from which to grow and prosper in the new world of Internet retailing.

Right Tools For Right Jobs

2008-01-29T00:09:00.002-08:00

Getting Started In E-commerce

2008-01-29T00:09:00.001-08:00

Online Shopping: Legal Challenges for Taxing Authorities

2008-01-18T04:25:00.000-08:00

E-commerce offers customers the chance to eliminate many stages in the sales/distribution chain. The mark-ups that occur between manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers and consumers can add the cost of goods purchased by consumers. In contrast, when consumers deal directly with manufacturers on the internet, the process whereby intermediaries between the manufacturer and the final consumer are eliminated from the supply chain is known as "disintermediation".

E-commerce differs from mail order and telephone solicitation, the two most traditional forms of business using remote sellers, because these involve the delivery of goods by common carrier to and from a specific physical location. In short, there is still a physical delivery of property from an identifiable seller to an identifiable buyer. States jurisdictions have wrestled with the issue of collecting taxes from out-of-state mail order sellers and telephone solicitors for decades; e-commerce enables almost any business large or small to sell to customers in different states and countries.

Out-of-state vendors engaged in e-commerce do not have an obligation to collect sales taxes if traditional remote sellers, such as mail-order and telephone solicitation vendors, do not collect sales taxes. Sales tax cannot be levied on a transaction just because the purchaser uses e-commerce to access the seller's computer to acquire property, goods or service. Also, states cannot use an "agency nexus" theory to claim that a purchaser's ISP is an in-state agent for the seller.

Commerce Defies Traditional Tax Jurisdictions

Using the internet, a company can, in theory, move its e-commerce business to a tax-haven country and conduct e-commerce outside the jurisdiction of any country that would otherwise tax the transaction.

Also, because of the speed in which transactions occur and the frequent absence of a traditional paper trail, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to apply traditional notions of tax jurisdiction. This is especially true with intangible property transmitted by computer such as software, digital music or electronic books and services.

While governments which depend on an income tax might have difficulty taxing e-commerce, states and local jurisdictions that rely on sales and property taxes to fund their operations could be in deeper trouble.

Lack of a Paper Trail

Unless a tangible product is delivered by common carrier, it is impossible for a taxing jurisdiction to determine that an e-commerce transaction occurred. For instance, if a consumer downloaded a computer game from a computer located in a foreign country for $19.95, paying by credit card, how would a taxing jurisdiction discover that such a transaction occurred? How would it determine the physical location of the seller? What if the purchaser had an internet service provider (ISP) in a foreign country as well?

Transmitting Property from Tangible to Intangible

Consider the following issues: Would the receipt of a computer game in electronic form convert the game into a non-taxable intangible item, whereas the purchase of the same game at a local computer store would be taxable because it is a tangible product?

Also, if a newspaper has an exemption from sales tax will a newspaper that is downloaded in electronic form receives the same exemption? If not, would the tax levied on the electronic version of the newspaper be a discriminatory tax in violation of the commerce clause?

E-cash Issues

Electronic money is a type of debit card similar to a telephone calling card where the card itself keeps track of the remaining balance, rather than a third party bank. This could emerge as the preferred medium of exchange for e-commerce. E-cash will have the same anonymity as cash does in the current "underground" economy. Use of e-cash will further frustrate states and local jurisdictions on taxing e-commerce.

Multiple Taxes

Multiple taxes on the same transaction or service, either in the same taxing jurisdiction or two or more taxing jurisdictions, are prohibited. This could occur if a state-taxed internet access services as telecommunications and then taxed located telephone services as well. Unless a credit is given to eliminate any double-taxation, such a tax would violate the prohibition against multiple taxes.

Electronic Commerce - An Overview

2008-01-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

The benediction of science and technology are so many to describe. But the invention and application of internet services deserve special mention. Internet services are being randomly used throughout world. Right from shopping to fixing a business deal, everything is being done with the click of a mouse. People have become computer savvy. Their lives have been shaped by various electronic gadgets. With their dependency of electronic gadgets, terms like e-book, e-cards, e-commerce etc. have evolved.

The term ‘e-commerce’ is now a very well-known word. The word ‘e-commerce’ itself signifies ‘e-commerce through electronic medium’. It can also be described as the selling and buying of goods and services on the internet. A new term e-business has also evolved to mean the same thing. We can say it is commerce conducted electronically or simply interpret as an online business. It includes customer service functions, sales, marketing, advertising and many more. It also conducts exchange of goods, information, products or services via electronic medium.

Through this medium a buyer can make his purchase just with a click of a mouse, sitting at home but the seller had to crack hard nuts. So conducting e-commerce is not that easy as the word sounds. To start an online business a big and proper planning is the first thing. There should be an adequate source of production. Proper funding also plays a crucial part in any kind of business to keep it going. But that’s not all. To create markets for the products and to collect customers for selling those products are also vital points to remember. To taste the pinnacle of success, a strong customer service should be there.

E-commerce is also advantageous to other traditional businesses in many respects. If an e-commerce site is implemented well, the cost of transaction is quite lower than others. Moreover an online shop never closes. They always remain open and this provides the customers the opportunity to shop anytime of the hour. With the advent of e-commerce, the concept of shopping from home has emerged. Information about any article is available on the net. Customers can search and gather knowledge according to their needs. Before making any kind of purchase, the customers could widen their frontiers of knowledge so that they did not repent later. Geographic limitations are no more a hindrance in commerce. E-commerce makes the products and the services easily available to the customers without any geographical hurdles. Through this type of commerce the sellers of the goods and services are reaching easily to a wide range of customers, both inland and abroad. The buying process in this type of commerce is also advantageous. It provides the customers with a platform to search product information through global markets with a wider range of choice. They can tally the prices also to buy the cheap but the exclusive article. Delivery time and costs are saved when such purchases are made like e-books, audio clips, software games etc. Distance education is delivered via internet. Global reach of internet able different organizations to send messages worldwide, exploring new markets that traditional markets have difficulties accessing.

But there are also various disadvantages in this kind of commerce for both the buyers as well as the sellers. Expenses of getting popular server for the organization are very high. It is difficult enough to get people know about the product of the company and to made them visit the site. The demerits involved from the buyer’s angles are mainly the touch and feel factor. You cannot smell the product, nor can you take its warmth. You are only guided by feature list and the visual impression. Above all to get all these, rather to enjoy the beauty of the product you have to count days for its arrival. If the shipping is lengthy, certainly it will take the test of your patience. And when you come to realize what you purchased is not what you were looking for or the quality is not at par, there is no easy way to get it exchanged or return it to the seller.

With all these merits and limitations, E-commerce is here to stay. Because it is powered by the most precious thing in modern world, yes, it is time. In future it may change its color, can shift or penetrate into a different media, but the purpose will never be eradicated. In this fast paced world, people want to buy time so that they can invest it in earning money and E-commerce targets that. So, you know who will win.

E-Business and Its Significance in Today's Marketplace

2008-01-11T03:01:00.002-08:00

Although it may seem like a new word, the term e-business was hatched back in 1997, making it no spring chicken. Considering the fact that it describes an entirely new way of conducting business, however, it is safe to say that it’s still in its early stages of use. With every turn of the page you’ll see the term defined in a different way, shape or form. Perhaps this is because it describes such a large scope of processes, ranging from sending out a newsletter to selling an Audi online. So, what exactly is e-business and what does it mean to the future of a business owner?

E-Business Defined
The United States Census Bureau defines e-business as "any process that a business organization conducts over a computer mediated network. Business organizations include any for profit, governmental, non-profit entity. Their processes include production-, customer-, and internal or management-focused business processes." In a shorter broader sense, e-business is the process of conducting business electronically or over the internet. Electronic mail is e-mail, electronic commerce is e-commerce, and following this formula, electronic business is e-business. Every time business is conducted over the internet, e-business takes place and as the internet grows, so grows e-business.

Where Does E-Business Take Place?
E-business is offered to all users via the internet, to internal users via an intranet (similar to the internet, an intranet is a smaller network of computers usually within a single organization), and to specified users via an extranet (an intranet partially accessible to specified users from outside an organization via a valid username and password).

Three Main Types of E-Business

1. Business to Consumer (B2C)
The most widely recognized form of e-business, B2C is the exchange of information, products or services taking place between a business and a consumer over the internet. As the internet develops, B2C is continually changing the way consumers acquire information, the way products are compared against one another and the way in which they are purchased.
An example of a B2C only site is amazon.com. Ae.com is an example of a B2C site housing a physical location as well.

2. Business to Business (B2B)
The largest form of e-business in terms of money spent is B2B. Business-to-business allows trading to take place between businesses, using a low-cost sales channel for the sale of goods and services and is responsible for constantly changing corporate buying habits.
An example of a B2B site would be a car part company selling parts to a car dealership, another company, rather than directly to consumers.

3. Business to Government (B2G)
B2G is the online exchange of information and transactions between businesses and government agencies, also known as e-government. B2G allows government agencies and businesses to use electronic means to conduct business and interact with each other over the internet.
An example of a B2G site would be one that offers electronic tax filing.

E-Commerce and its Relation to E-Business
The United States Census Bureau defines e-commerce as "any transaction completed over a computer mediated network that involves the transfer of ownership or rights to use goods and services. Transactions occur within selected e-business processes (eg. selling process) and are ‘completed’ when agreement is reached between buyer and seller to transfer ownership or rights to use goods or services." So while e-business covers the entire range of online business dealings (from customer service to selling), e-commerce refers specifically to one entity paying for goods or services from another entity via the internet. With this in mind, remember that e-commerce can relate to all types of e-business involved in the transfer of goods or services, including but not limited to B2C, B2B and B2G

Ecommerce - Boost Your Business ROI

2008-01-11T03:01:00.001-08:00

Did you know that over 90% of all online orders are processed by credit cards and that web sites that offer customers the ability to pay with credit cards can achieve up to 300% more sales than those that do not?

It's a fact. Not only do more customers buy, statistics prove that customers actually buy more when given the option to pay with their credit card. Here are some recent trends that will reinforce the need to sell your product or service on the internet- if your business is not yet doing so:

•At the end of 2000, over 400 million people- world-wide- had Internet access. That number passed 1 billion in 2005!

•Almost 100 million people in the U.S. are now making a purchase after using the internet to conduct their research.

•A study conducted jointly by Goldman Sachs, Harris Interactive and Nielsen/Net Ratings pegged holiday season sales up 25% from the previous year. This comes at a time when traditional retail sales are growing in the low single digits.

•Forrester projects that total e-commerce sales in the U.S. will increase by approximately 20% per year, growing to $229 billion in 2008, making online retail transactions 10% of total U.S. retail sales by 2008.

In addition, in a survey conducted among more than 500 businesses with e-commerce enabled sites, the overwhelming majority indicated that they were either very satisfied or at least somewhat satisfied with their company's e-commerce return on investment (ROI).

It's no wonder- when compared to traditional forms of direct marketing such as mail order catalogs, the cost of establishing and maintaining an e-commerce website is more cost-effective. Additionally, user-friendly storefront applications simplify the task of establishing and maintaining a professional e-commerce enabled site.

What’s more, if your company sells products to consumers or businesses and you don't have a fully automated e-commerce website, your business is simply not operating at its full potential and you're sending customers to your competition!

It is no longer a luxury for businesses to have an e-commerce enabled site-but a necessity to stay competitive in the marketplace.

Rick Caraballo is Director of Business Development for e-volution Digital Marketing, a multicultural full service interactive agency with offices in Europe, Latin America, and the US. In his current role, Rick is responsible for the acquisition and retention of Fortune 500 accounts that target the US Hispanic Market, as well as, the markets in Latin America.

Frustrated With Website Marketing? Use This 4-Letter Word

2008-01-02T04:47:00.000-08:00

When I set up my very first website, I must admit I used some 4 letter words. Struggling with HTML, tracking down an elusive web designer, wondering who really had answers...yes, I had many reasons to expand my vocabulary of colorful words.

And when I had slow weeks, I agonized. I asked friendly acquaintances. I paid consultants. Which domain name would be best? Which headline?

Everybody had an opinion.

"Your web colors are too bright."

"Jazz up your headline."

"Forget the website and market off-line."

But nobody ever yelled the 4 letter word I needed to hear: "Test!"

When I first heard of testing and tracking, I must admit I didn't pay attention. It seemed so complicated..something only the gurus did.

But after dipping a cautious toe into the Pay-Per-Click water, I was shocked. It wasn't that hard. It's not that expensive (if you do some homework ahead of time). And it was cheaper and more accurate than the opinions of acquaintances, including some pricey self-proclaimed gurus.

Now I believe testing is an essential part of website marketing. I've adopted the fanaticism of the new convert.

What to test? You can test headlines, specific words used on a website page, background colors and a whole lot more.

(1) How do I name my book, product or website?

Tim Ferriss used Pay Per Click to choose a title for his best-selling Four-Hour Workweek. You can test your domain name, e-book title, keywords and more, all with google adwords or another pay per click system.

Even a small change can make a huge - and surprising - change in response from website visitors and Internet surfers.

For example, I tested two versions of a title for a product targeted to men and women in the 40-60 age range. I found "mid-life" attracted 3 times as many clickthroughs as "midlife."

Hyphen-power!

I also compared 2 sales letters with identical content, headlines, body copy, font -- everything. I just tested two different background colors. One color pulled twice as any signups as the other.

(2) Do I need more traffic or better conversion rates?

On some web pages, I find the conversion rate surprisingly high -- but almost nobody comes. On others I get great traffic but few clicks.

The results help you figure out your next step: do you need to attract traffic or work on the copy to increase conversion rates. When you guess, you just waste time, energy and (usually) money.

(3) Do I need a picture here?

Should you add a graphic with your book cover? Your own photo?

You've been told you'll get more sales if you had a photo. Or you consider adding a graphic of your book cover to your sales page.

But no rules hold 100% of the time. Sometimes adding a picture actually reduces buyer interest. You have to test.

And after you realize you can sell your product or service, it's time to test price. Some product actually sell more if you raise prices. Some die if you add a penny to the price. That's another article.

Two facts you don't have to test.

(1) Testing takes time. Some professionals fine-tune their marketing materials over a period of months and years.

(2) It's worth it.

Turnkey Internet Business - Is it Right for You?

2008-01-02T04:46:00.000-08:00

If you want to get involved in internet marketing but don't know html or how to set up a website, then a turnkey internet business may be your answer.

With most turnkey internet businesses you don't even need a website. Instead you receive a special link that you drive traffic to. Here is how it works: You join an affiliate program that the turnkey internet business promotes and receive an affiliate code. This affiliate code is included in the link you receive. When visitors click on your link and purchase something, you receive a commission.

Your affiliate link usually leads to a professionally designed sales page. If the sales page has a high conversion rate this can help you make more sales. Of course, this will also depend on the amount and type of traffic you send to the sales page.

When your visitors make a purchase through your affiliate link, you don't need to worry about processing the order. Why? Because the vendor you sent your visitor to processes the order, which usually consists of an ebook or software package that is downloaded. The vendor also takes care of any customer service issues as well.

So with a turnkey business your primary focus will be driving traffic to your affiliate link. There are a number of "free" and "paid" methods to accomplish this. Some free methods include: Article marketing, link exchanges, posting on forums, etc. Examples of paid methods include" Pay-per-click (PPC), ezine advertising, advertising on specific websites, etc. There are many more but this at least gives you some methods to research further.

So if you want to leave the technical aspects of setting up and maintaining a website to others, don't want to worry about processing orders and dealing with customer service issues, then a turnkey internet business may be your answer. If you plan to pursue this route, then my suggestion would be to research the various ones on the market today.

If you own your business or are just starting out it is wise to get a merchant account. If you don't, then how are you going to get paid? Are you goin

2007-12-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

It's no secret. More and more buyers are shopping online. The trend hasn't yet reached its peak nor has the number of online catalogs. More and more sellers and buyers are using the Internet to complete their transactions.

What does this mean to you as the owners of a catalog?

Online shopping means three things for catalog owners:

1) You'd better have your catalog online.

2) Your direct mail catalog should point to your online catalog.

3) Your online catalog copy must do more than just make the sale for the reader.

Let's take a closer look at each of these three items. While direct mail will remain a portion of the catalogers' incoming retail sales, for most catalogers the online sales will far outweigh the offline sales. With increasing postal prices, some catalogers are making the decisions to do less direct mail. Does this mean you should delete your direct mail? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

IT does however mean that to stay competitive you must make changes to your catalog in both content and style. Gone are the days of the general interest catalogs. Many direct mailers are now realizing that in order to obtain and retain market share their catalogs must be much more specific. No longer will catalogs similar to the Old "Sears" or "Penny's" style be effective. In fact, finding and marketing to the niches of your niche market is the best likely choice for success...online or off.

Direct mail catalogs must be must heavily point heavily to your online store. Think of your printed catalog as the attention grabber, while the online store closes the sale. That's what we're hearing more and more from major catalogers. Once a potential buyer reaches your store online, you must provide easy navigations, do lots of cross promotion, and make the checkout process easy. Fail in any one of these areas and you will lose sales.

Designing your online catalog must also include optimizing content for the search engines. Yes, your direct mail catalog will send visitors to your online site. Still you don't want to overlook those coming from the search engines.

By maintaining product descriptions that are optimized for the search engines and by omitting duplicate content where you find it, you'll get your products organically listed on the search engines without additional cost. Duplicate content can be difficult to eliminate, especially when there are several items that are the same product, yet in different sizes, colors, or models. In these instances, it is a good idea to have a catalog copywriter make suggestions on the best way to eliminate the duplication.

In summary, the internet is forever changing the world of direct mail and the catalog industry. As long as you accept those changes and make the necessary adjustments, your catalog business will thrive. Ignore and you're doomed.

What Is Merchant Account? How To Accept Credit Cards And Accept Credit Card Payments?

2007-12-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

If you own your business or are just starting out it is wise to get a merchant account. If you don't, then how are you going to get paid? Are you going to wait on checks to come in that may bounce or do you want to have the ability to accept credit and debit cards? Chances are you would like have all options of payment available when someone wants to purchase an item they can do so any way they like. It will be easier on you and them.

How To Accept Credit Cards?

Did you know that when you accept credit cards online, you can expect your sales to increase by an astounding 50 to 400%? You simply can't compete if you don't accept credit cards. With our free online application, you can start on your web site in less than 24 hours. In addition to accepting credit cards on your web site in real-time, you will also receive our simple-to-use, web-based credit card processing terminal so you can process transactions manually. With our versatile e commerce software, you have a complete solution.

Accept Credit Card Payments

Are you ready to accept credit card payments for your business? Accept credit card payments at industry lowest rates. If you are not accepting credit card payments you are loosing your customer to your competitors. As you know today larger number of customers prefers to pay through credit card and if you do not have the capability to accept credit card payments you are lagging behind the market rends.

A merchant account will help you to accept credit card payments by providing you with the means to have free credit-processing equipment. You can get a combined terminal and printer, a wireless unit, or a debit and electronic check processor. Auxiliary equipment, like pagers, also is available through your merchant services account. It is important to contact a merchant account provider with your business plan as well as a budget for managing the expenses of your new commercial status. An underwriter will want to see that you have thought out your expansion plan and that you are in a position to make it work.

You may think that the process of accepting credit is expensive and you will have to share your profit as transaction fee. But it is not so. There are companies that offer inexpensive merchant account services and lot of free stuff like credit card terminal, payment gateway software for your e-business etc. Just send you query form to us and we will help you set up a merchant account that is lowest in the industry. You will get free merchant account quote to compare and choose. There is no obligation in the process. If you like it - accept it. But we can guarantee you for the industry lowest rate credit card processing rates. Accept credit and debit card and pay minimum processing fee.

Backing a Business with a Quality Online Storefront

2007-12-18T00:06:00.000-08:00

For those who sell various types of merchandise over the Internet, an online storefront can be one of the most important aspects of the business. With an overwhelming number of sites to compete with, it is important that an eye catching but pleasant setup be the first thing a customer sees. It should always be well organized, easy to maneuver and easy to read.

For those who shop online on a regular basis, quality is an important factor. A site that looks disorganized with broken links or a checkout process that takes too long is the best way to lose customers forever. In order for an online shopper to be pulled into a site he or she will need to feel that they, and their sensitive information, are safe and secure.

Unlike shopping at onsite stores, customers do not have the opportunity to see or feel the merchandise for themselves. They are instead required to place trust in the site on which they have chosen to shop. Sites that offer poor descriptions and do not display merchandise in the most flattering manner are less likely to earn that trust and will therefore see little traffic.

This is why having a well-organized online storefront can mean making or breaking an online business. Even if one is selling something intangible over the Internet, it is important to be able to create something a consumer can buy into. Just like a brick and mortar store front, an online site should be tidy, well lit and free of clutter.

There are a number of things that go into creating an attractive storefront. While color schemes are extremely important, the software that keeps the storefront up and running is very important too. The main concern is always providing a pleasant shopping experience for the customer.

There are many services available that are in the business of providing online storefronts. Though many promise great deals, it is imperative to remember cheapest is not always best. Going with a service strictly based on price can result in inferior, boring storefronts that use less than reliable checkout software.

By opting to invest in a reliable setup, one can expect to make up that difference since an attractive, dependable storefront is destined to attract more customers. Plus, once an individual has a pleasant experience with a site, he or she is likely to become a repeat customer. This often leads to word of mouth recommendations that bring even more traffic.

Services that provide online storefronts will either offer their customers the chance to subscribe to their service for a certain amount of time or pay a one-time fee and use the storefront indefinitely. Those in the startup stages of business usually only subscribe to the service until their business is more established. Those who have been in business longer are more likely to pay the one time fee.

With quality storefront services, individuals have the chance to arrange their storefront in any way they see fit. Quality storefront service providers make an effort to ensure that customers can do this with ease. Otherwise, a storefront program that is difficult to maneuver means lost customers for them as well.

Many online storefront service providers offer schemes that work not only to create a pleasing format but one that accommodates the number of items sold. Those selling one to five items simply do not need the same type of space as a person selling one hundred items on their site. Both, however, should offer easy to use checkout systems that allow a variety of payment methods.

Best Work At Home Opportunities

2007-12-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

Daily I get emails from visitors to my work at home web site wanting to know what are the most popular types of work at home opportunities. In this article I am going to give the types of programs that are most popular on my site. Others may get different results, but these are the ones that I have found to be the most popular.

In my articles I always mention that research is the key to being successful in the work at home work place. You either need to use a website like mine, but not necessarily mine or be prepared to do a lot of research yourself.

Now to the nitty gritty. I have listed below the types of work from home programs that I have found most popular over the past (6) months.

1st Place - Data Entry Programs
I have found two programs, one for people who have basic computer skills up to advanced typing skills and another for people with minimal experience to expert level. Both of these are very popular.

2nd Place - Type At Home programs
I have found 3-5 good programs that fit this criteria.

3rd Place - Processing Rebates
I found one program that is very popular in this niche of the market place. I have only had it on my site for over a month and it may very well take over the number one slot in the next 6-month window. I had a doctor who resides in Germany recently tell me this " With your help I bought the program rebate processing and for my opinion it is one of the best for people who wants to work at home". Only time will tell if it will over take the number one slot.

4th Place - Online Paid Surveys
I found (6) six good companies, but two that really stand out above the rest. I wanted Survey Directory companies here that would allow people to choose whether they wanted to take surveys for cash and / or sweepstakes. In my opinion the survey directory companies are the way to go, but it's also important for a user to be able to pick and choose the money surveys as desired. You want to have control and not let them force you to take surveys that may simple give you an entry into a contest.

The above programs do not include the programs that I found for Home Based Business or Moms and Dads programs. I found many good programs to fit what I believe to be all skill sets.

If you have a computer, access to the Internet and your reading this article than you more than likely have everything that is required to work from home.

Several important things to remember are as follows:

1. Either do the research your self or use a site that has done some research.
2. Remember any good program requires that you do some work from home.
3. Put forth the time and effort to be successful.
4. Setup a separate email for you work at home work if possible.

Productive E-commerce - 8 Tips to Get Started Quickly With E-commerce

2007-12-13T23:03:00.001-08:00

Electronic commerce or Ecommerce or to some Electronic business or Internet Business is the newest avenue of people to conduct business and earn profitable money the easy way. With the massive turn of events in the online industry, many people are venturing into this avenue because of the bigger potentials to earn and profit more. Below are some of the quick tips on how to get started:

1. Choose the right kind of business venture. The decision to choose the right kind of business may involve the current passion that you have and what you like to do the most.

2. Know what people are interested about. The interest of the people will benefit your whole plan of business. The consuming public are your immediate patrons. Therefore, you need to make sure that you take into consideration what they have to say.

3. Check your resources and be smart in making an allocation. Venturing in a business requires a smart plan of allocating your resources. You need to make sure that all aspects of the business get to have equal partitioning of the company resources.

4. Create a marketing plan that fits your business venture. With the numerous types of marketing tools that we have, choose the best that answers your business need.

5. Develop a site that will serve as your portal to conduct all your business transactions. This will allow for an easy access on your company offerings.

6. Make a payment method that is comfortably accessible to all types of buyers and consumers. This will enable your business to attract more potential buyers.

7. Little by little venture into expanding your business when it begins to pick up. The expansion will allow you to benefit more and learn more about Ecommerce.

8. Lastly, stay focused and determined. These are the traits that are needed in order to attain success in Ecommerce.

Online Jobs - The World Has Shrunk

2007-12-13T23:01:00.000-08:00

Before the onset of the internet, our access to the global market was limited. We had to wait for our relatives and friends who visit other countries to get us curios and gifts. Who wouldn't mind assorted miniature bottles of rich colognes or scented creamy soaps from the perfume factory in Grasse, France? I know I wouldn't.

Well, all that was before, now what ever item you desire is just a click away. You just have to log in to the website and order the item you require and get it delivered at your doorstep, with some extra shipping charges, of course. It does not matter whether the item you have ordered is manufactured at the other end of the globe or right next door, it can be delivered to you.

As expected this advantage of internet did not limit itself to the material market, now it has grown so expensively that the job market too had developed to the realms of a global domain without barriers.

Not only can a job search be made internationally, with the rapid development of the concept of online jobs, the global job arena has become accessible to anyone anywhere in the world, the only requisite being an internet connection and a personal computer.

This means that we all can sit comfortably at home, legs propped up on our table with a coffee mug on the coaster nearby, working busily on you PC on a project provided to us by a person or company from a country a couple of timelines ahead of us. How do we get access to this project? We certainly do not have to get a visa and attend an interview in a different country in order to bag it. It is just a couple of clicks away. Online job sites are not only a safe platform for the service seekers and providers to meet, but these sites make it a steady and simple process.

It doesn't matter that the project owner lives two hours ahead of you unless it is required in the project that you need to work the same hours, otherwise it just means that you have to get the work done within a time frame no matter which hours of the day you work or if you do not work a day at all. The main requirement is that you satisfactorily complete the project according to the directives within the stipulated period mentioned.

The concept not only has shrunk the world figuratively, it provides access to talent across the world and becomes a dais for providing equal opportunity to job seekers on a global level. The color, breed, creed and all other barriers cease to exist. Online jobs are open to anyone who is willing to offer a competitive service as per the requisites of the guidelines set by the project owner.

Credible Source for Incredible Result

2007-11-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

It is human to get excited about anything new on the horizon. Naturally, e-commerce did create an excitement when it first dawned on the business scene. Many felt it an all-pervasive tool and quite a few an aid to business. The result: the former lot failed miserably, and the latter made a rich harvest. The moral of the story: technology and business practices, however great, demand market-orientation.

Can both business practices and technology be made market-oriented internally? Business Practices, yes, and Technology, no. Technology requires special knowledge and this knowledge rests with specialists. Trying to devise technology applications internally may divert your focus from the core vision: Business Practices.

Specialists are those who integrate individual business practices with e-commerce tools. This task enables an e-business to invite, offer and engage its target market on a mutually-fulfilling drive. Any mismatch between the offers on e-shop front (as perceived by visitors to your e-Shoppe) and the physical or factual delivery of the offers at rear front (as experienced by the visitors who turn out be your customers).

4 Ways to Accept Credit Cards Directly to Your PayPal Account

2007-11-26T05:04:00.000-08:00

Accepting payments through credit cards online is a huge plus factor for any online merchant. Customers and potential clients, first and foremost, look for convenience and credibility when browsing websites they want to buy products or get services from. To gauge these factors, potential clients and customers look at one of the most basic components any reliable online merchant should have - an efficient and secure payment system.

When people talk of payment systems, nothing is more reliable than a PayPal account. Online merchants like you can benefit from setting up a PayPal account in order to accept credit card payments directly online. Below are the steps in setting up and accepting credit cards directly to your PayPal account:

1. Sign up with PayPal.

Register for a PayPal Business Account to get started. Signing up is easy as PayPal will walk you through the registration process.

2. Verify sign up information details to activate your account.

You will need to verify your information by clicking the link sent to the email address you provided during registration. This is done to ensure the website's security.

3. Opt for the Website Payments Standard option.

This is the basic option for most online merchants. You can look up information on the other payment options to see which best suits your website's needs.

4. Choose your shopping carts and buttons.

PayPal offers custom-designed shopping carts that are free and a variety of HTML buttons you can put on your website to facilitate the payment process. You can choose from a variety of buttons for different functions like "Buy Now," "Add to Cart," "Subscribe," "Donate," and "Buy Gift Certificate."

5. Start accepting payments online.

PayPal accounts work this way: Customers browse your site and look for products they want to purchase. When they have added all the products they want in their shopping carts, they will proceed to the checkout counter where they will be directed to a secure and encrypted PayPal page designed to match the look and feel of your own website. The credit card payment transactions as well as those for PayPal are done here. After the transaction, the customer is directed back to your website.

One advantage of accepting credit card payments through your PayPal account is letting go of the things you do not really need to attend to: customer problems (they do not need a PayPal account to use your service), separate gateways, fees for setting up, application, or monthly rates, long-term contracts, and security of financial information. PayPal can solve and manage these tricky areas for you with additional benefits of efficient monthly sales reports.

Implications Of E-Commerce For Tax Legislation

2007-11-15T23:46:00.001-08:00

As e-commerce develops ambiguities in the current tax code in which it may be exposed. It would not be regarded as too early to take premature steps for undertaking such a review at a time when detailed international legislation are going on to promulgate acceptable standards laws for imposition taxation in this regard. The Central Board of Revenue should take active part in promulgation of conducting research on this subject in hand and should propose any changes to tax law in the light of what emerges in development in e-business. In the meantime, Central board of Revenue will do two things:

o Make sure that e-commerce taxation requirements are fully considered when recommending amendments are made to existing laws, and

o Such changes should be made to national tax laws that are needed as unforeseen legal obstacles to the growth of e-commerce emerge to subject to tax revenue constraints.

If there is a difficulty in fitting any of our existing tax legislation to e-commerce transactions, then CBR should look at these emerging legal problems connect with its execution and administration. Uncertainty is bad for business. Taxpayers should not be left in doubt as to the applicability of a particular provision of tax laws. This is not to say that all of the existing tax legislation should be made applicable to e-commerce. However, the fact remains that e-commerce is just another way of doing business and it should normally be subject to the same tax requirements as any other method of doing business. The development of e-commerce may require some fine tuning of our tax laws in consistent in international legislative trends.

Web Hosting for E-Commerce Sites

2007-11-15T23:45:00.001-08:00

If you’re going to pursue an e-commerce site, hosting is going to be an issue. Here’s a primer on web hosting for your site.

E-commerce web hosting is the technology of storing, servicing and maintaining files for one or more web sites selling products or services online. Web site owners who pay for a web host (generally on a monthly basis) upload their web pages to a shared or dedicated web server through an ISP (internet service provider). The web host should ensure a fast and consistent connection. Experienced web entrepreneurs desire flexibility, security and high performance from an e-commerce host. An e-commerce web server also stores information, images, videos and just about any other content that can be retrieved from a web site. Security is a priority for e-commerce web servers.

E-commerce web hosting can be divided into two major components, the site and the host (where the site is stored for access on the web). Web hosts are computers that offer storage space and Internet connectivity. Web hosts make your web site work with and connect to the Internet. E-commerce, or web commerce, allows people to buy goods and services online. On the Internet, one can buy almost anything, at any time.

E-commerce web hosting must support e-commerce software. Often a web host will provide the tools that handle online transactions and sales. In other cases, the web business owner is on their own to ascertain e-commerce software. Common tools that are provided with e-commerce web hosting are shopping carts, business account services, SSLs (secure socket layers), secure transactions, web promotion applications and advertisement packages.

While choosing a web hosting company for your E-commerce business, it is helpful to decide how much data storage is required and the data transfer rates you require for your site. A web host is the physical location of a web site, so you must be confident in the connection and security of the hosting company. Doing some research to make sure that data reaches the end-user quickly and efficiently can payoff in a big way. Backup systems should be in place so that data is routed even if there is a router failure. Web hosts should be able to accommodate a client’s web traffic (measured in volume of data transfer) in peak hours as well.

Security is a major issue for E-commerce transactions. Private information needs to be kept safe from unauthorized parties. SSL, from Netscape, helps a lot with secure transactions. SSL is an encryption technology that encodes a message that a receiver decrypts by using RSA security. For integrity and authentication of messages, digital signatures, or certificates, are required. Digital signatures ensure that sensitive information is not picked up by any other party, by posing as a legitimate e-business or in any other way. A digital certificate is a document, issued by a certificate authority, which recognizes a legitimate online business. To ensure security, many web companies store confidential information on offline disks or on a separate PC. E-commerce web hosts should also maintain multiple backups of vital information. SSL uses PKI (public key infrastructure) and digital certificates to ensue privacy and authentication. Bear in mind that security can be an expensive and complex business.

In short, when selecting an e-commerce web host it is often best to look for a pre-packaged solution that allows you to create a shopping cart, an online catalog and a secure credit card transaction and storage system. Selecting an e-commerce web host with a broad range of tools and a solid reputation is an important step for just about any e-business.

10 Ways Your Chamber of Commerce Can Help Your Business Grow

2007-11-05T00:49:00.001-08:00

Joining your area's Chamber of Commerce can be a smart move for your home business. Because businesses that participate in this group promote each other and work together, your own business can grow and prosper quickly. Here are just a few ways you can benefit by joining your local Chamber of Commerce:

- If you make it known that your product or service makes great client or employee gifts, you could wind up with a very nice flow of business from your fellow Chamber members.

- You may be able to line up some lunchtime sales or parties featuring your products at local businesses to help employees with gift shopping (especially at Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day).

- You may qualify for less-expensive health insurance and business insurance available to Chamber of Commerce members.

- You can find out about local events where you might set up a booth and promote your business.

- You'll meet good, reliable sources for products and services like accounting, printing, computer support, etc.

- You'll be referred to other Chamber members' contacts.

- You have a good chance of meeting local retailers who may be interested in carrying your products.

- You'll have an opportunity to do joint ventures with other local businesses, such as cooperative advertising or trunk shows.

- Your business name can be associated with improving your community, since Chambers of Commerce generally work on civic improvement, legislation favoring local businesses, and economic development.

- You may have access to mentors who can help you develop your business; or you may be able to serve as a mentor to someone else.

These are just a few of the many ways your area's Chamber of Commerce can give you access to a valuable networking and marketing system. You can find your local Chamber of Commerce in the business listings of your phone book.

7 Key Steps to Make More Money With E-commerce

2007-11-05T00:45:00.000-08:00

E-commerce has helped traditional businesses to grow further by using the Internet as their marketing and selling tool to reach more clients. Today, giant businesses from different industries are taking advantage of E-commerce because it is easy to use and more profitable. In this article, you will be guided on how you can succeed in E-commerce.

1. Make sure that search engines recognize you. Your domain name must be unique and keyword rich so online users can pull up your site in just few clicks on their mouse.

2. Make it easy for online users to purchase products from your site. Accept major credits cards, charge small shipping and handling fee, and make your web site user-friendly.

3. Pay attention to your customers' online security. Assure your clients that your web site is secure so they will be confident to provide their billing information.

4. Offer value-added services. The competition in E-commerce cannot be tighter this days. To attract more clients throw in some freebies or features like next day delivery, 24/7 live customer service, or a gift that comes with the purchase.

5. Send your customers weekly newsletters. Keep them updated with new products and services, promotions, discounts, and web site's new features. Sending newsletter can also be one effective way so customers will not forget your sites or products.

6. Advertise your site and company. Employ marketing and advertising techniques to promote your site so it will get the exposure it needs. Affiliate marketing is a good start to make your web site known.

7. Post genuine testimonials of your satisfied clients. This is one of the most effective advertising mediums to persuade your client to make a purchase.

Widget Bucks Not Performing

2007-11-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Widget bucks is the newest PPC program on the web. Just like adsense it can compliment your website and bring in extra cash. The widget used by widget bucks rotates ads through the banner. These are not your typical text based ads but nice looking graphics that show products based upon your selection or you can choose to have widget bucks scan your site and show relevant ads.

To Use or not to Use?

While this product is good it's not for every site. After installing it on several of my sites I noticed that some sites did excellent and got me a higher click through rate and more income per click then adsense. On other Blogs of mine it did horrible. After watching it for a week it really hit me. The sites it worked great on were sites that were very product specific. Blogs about electronic device or cell phones and other related electronic devices were tearing it up while sites that were more socially based and not product driven I saw poor or equal income.

It was only one week of testing so I took it to the next level. I started to mix some smaller widget bucks ads and kept my header adsense. Yes you can have both on the same page. It is not against the adsense TOS. I used the 160X300 in my top side bar and placed my adsense large banner on top of the blog. In between posts I kept the smaller adsense ads. The widget code made my site a liter brighter while not taking away from my adsense ads and the content on the site. My income did not double from this but I was making good PPC on my widget and the same amount of average clicks for my adsense ads. If you have the room in your side bar you can also try the larger 300X250.

If the ad looks too noticeable you should consider removing it. You do not want your site to scream I'M ABOUT THE ADS. Another recommendation is to swap the ad content around a little. If you hear about a hot new product in a select category you may want to swap over to that category for a week or so. Doing this will switch up your add content.

As always you want your site to be about the reader. Having ads all over will hurt you in the long run. You need a balance. Ads really do help consumers find products they want and need. When you click on an ad you do it because you want to know more about the product or service. The balance can be hard but if you look at it from your readers point of view often times the answer will stand out.

Compare Merchant Accounts

2007-11-02T23:28:00.000-07:00

To get the best merchant account, you need to compare merchant accounts. The following are the reasons that will help you compare merchant accounts competently:

Compare Merchant Accounts for the best lenders: You need to find a reputable lender that will work with you to grow your business. Check how long the company has been in business. Get to know about the management, services that are provided, and the company's standing.

Compare Merchant Accounts for services: The main advantage of a merchant account is ability of a company owner to accept credit card payments. You need to find out which credit card payment method is best for your company.

Compare Merchant Accounts for the associated costs: Some lenders may ask you to pay an online application fee. Others may want you to join and pay an annual membership rate. There can be print statement fees, gateway costs, and other expenses associated with your merchant account. In addition, you will have to pay for the actual service that may be calculated on a per-transaction basis costing perhaps a few cents per payment or a low monthly overall interest rate that may or may not impose certain minimums. Read the terms and clarify all your doubts. Do your homework before signing on the deal. A merchant account may be the single most important decision you will need to make on your company's behalf.

Compare Merchant Accounts for the services of the company: Know if the company provides easy access to personnel who can answer questions or help you understand the process. Ask others whether the company associates courteous and knowledgeable. In case you face any problem, see whether the company is prompt in responding to issues and resolving problems.

Zed Miller, an expert business writer, regularly contributes his articles to various websites just to help merchants, small businesses and retail houses to expand their market base by accepting the prevailing mode of payments.

Is It Easy to Build An E-commerce Web Site?

2007-10-29T23:03:00.000-07:00

--Online Commerce--

E-Commerce website is all about selling products and services over the Internet. Amateurs may think that it is easy to build your own e-commerce system and our advice to you is to stay away from these amateurs. Building an e-commerce system is a complicated process and it requires web professionals who know the intricacies of building secure systems. Building an e-commerce system comes with the potential for a lot of errors and it is advisable to find security and database experts for the job.

Resource-consuming tasks such as order and supply tracking needs to be automated for e-commerce websites. Automated billing, invoice handling, accounting, and report generation tools make your e-commerce web sites easier to manage and handle sales. These are essential features to look out for in e-commerce websites.

--Building One Yourself--

Sure, you can try to build a basic E-commerce web site. But, an E-commerce web site without the tracking and automated is quite useless when you are trying to determine how your sales are derived and business expansion.

Ecommerce Solutions

2007-10-25T04:57:00.000-07:00

E-commerce is also known as electronic commerce consists primarily of buying, selling, marketing and service and service of the products. This is just as the same as normal day life commerce but all the happenings are through distance electronic media and this needs a very high end security and genuinely trust worthy in an another word this is a electronic business with an aim to reach commercial transitions.

As this electronic commerce involves funds transfers certainly it needs a complex security system we at Nimble Technologies does meet the same standards understanding the needs of E-Commerce wearing customer’s and clients shoes. Our special fund transfer portals are under constant monitoring enabled this provides a special zing of security.

Meeting all the categories in this line is little tough job but our special team who has been employed for this purpose design and update the solutions for e-commerce day–to-day understanding the market.

Supply chain management, e-marketing, online marketing, online transaction process, electronic data Interchange, Automated inventory management all this things are very complex in nature and need keen attention even on the minute aspects to run e commerce solution, we are in constant work to make all this possible with easy operation and user friendly in nature.

Looking for online payment processing and/or an internet merchant account? You can fine many online web sites which can provider of e-commerce solutions to consumers and commercial companies. Their specialists help you build and customize the online store that will take your business to the next level. Choose Nimble Technologies for trusted and affordable e-commerce solutions.

E-commerce - Advanced Tips for E-commerce

2007-10-25T04:56:00.000-07:00

Internet has made it relatively easy for everybody to do transactions online. No need to leave your house and drive at least an hour to get to the mall to shop just to find out that what you came for is out of stock. With more and more people turning to the Internet to buy their needs, E-commerce becomes the new “it” business that offers huge profits and convenience. I am sure you are now eager to learn more about E-commerce, read on!

1. To make it to E-commerce, you must have an interesting, attractive web site. You must present all the products and services in a way that will entice online users to click the “buy now” button. In addition, you must stand out by offering products and services not commonly found in the Internet.

2. Your web site must be equipped to accept several kinds of payment method especially credit cards.

3. Market research also plays an important role in E-commerce. You must study the buying patterns of online users and what exactly they are looking for. Offer products that have high demands but has low supply.

4. Come up with killer product descriptions. Include the benefits of the products and its value. Convince your customers that what you are offering is the best in the business today.

5. Throw in some freebies. This is especially effective for start-up business. Free items will surely attract attention that can lead to business relations in the long run.

Keep in mind, you may need to think outside the box to excel in ecommerce.

Free Ecommerce Hosting

2007-10-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

Finding the right ecommerce host that will match your company’s needs, wants and demands is quite a challenge. Due to the overwhelming demands for web hosting, numerous ecommerce hosting service providers offer many options to choose from, and you should look for the best and most cost-effective ecommerce hosting company out there. Do some research and compare as many ecommerce web hosting service providers as possible.

Ecommerce hosting is one very potentially profitable business. The hosting charge varies based on the services, supports and the types, quality and quantity of the features provided. Even though some of the hosting companies do offer their services for free, there are many varied ways for them to make a profit – the most popular being that of selling ads to the prospective clients that are hosted on their websites. However, this type of ecommerce hosting offers no security and/or guaranteed service. Records of free ecommerce hosting show the instability, as they tend to close down within weeks, months and first year of operation. There are even those that close down within a span of a day or two. In such cases, the free ecommerce hosting proves to be effective for personal advances such as the posting of personal information, family photographs, and profiles, and for individuals who seek the fundamentals of web hosting by experimenting with programming scripts.

It never fails to verify how quite dependable a certain ecommerce hosting service provider can get by checking out the various websites that are currently owned and being maintained by the company or companies.

Affordable Ecommerce Solutions

2007-10-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

Stop! Don't read any further if you are not seriously looking for a really good, effective but affordable e-commerce solution, a package that will let you relax while your sales are being taken care of by your E-commerce website. This article will provide you an insight into the do's and don'ts of selecting an e-commerce package suitable for you.

1) What not to look out for?

Most people who search for "affordable e-commerce solutions" will input "cheap e-commerce solutions" as their search phrase on yahoo/msn/google or any other search engine and end up with a lot of websites providing cheap e-commerce packages. But one should keep in mind that everything good comes at a price. Cheap website hosting providers will advertise their website as "cheap & easy", but beyond the advertising lies the 99% failure rate of old-fashioned Web hosting. If you still want to trust a cheap e-commerce service provider please check their track record before you sign-up.

2) What to look out for?

It has been rightly said, "If we fail to plan we plan to fail". This holds true with every project small or big. So lets chalk out what we will to decide which is the best e-commerce solution for your website. Take a pencil and paper and list these points:

1) Product and Customer: Keeping your product/products in mind think of what your customer will be looking for. Not and highlight the points that come to your mind. Do you have an international market for your product?

2) Payment Options: What payment options you will be required to provide the customer. There are many available like paypal, firepay, xoom etc

3) Shopping cart: Do you need one? It's a necessity if you have more than one product if you have a single product then you might opt out of this feature.

4) Advertising & Promotion: How you are going to advertise and promote your website for attracting customers and increasing sales. There are a number of ways of doing this like banners, advertisements etc you will need to hole in on a few.

5) Your Budget: There are a lot of e-commerce solution providers available on the Internet but you should be having an idea of the dollar that you are ready to spend on them before you take the big leap as some of them have hidden costs. You may choose a package and then know that a few features that were not included cost you a lot when you buy them.

Depending on these points we can shortlist some basic features to look out for in our e-commerce solution service provider

1) Payment Options: What are the payment options available with the e-commerce service provider (ESP)?

2) Shipping: For international trade this is a necessity. Is your ESP providing it to you?

3) Web design/Hosting: How would you like the over all design of your store? Is the layout provided by the e-commerce service provider easy to use and understand for the customer?

4) Features: What extra features will you be looking for in your e-commerce package? Will you be content with payment, security, tax and shipping solution only or do you require more? This will require a thorough review of at least a few e-commerce solution providers and what you really need.

If you are a corporate body you will need to bring all your departments together to get their ideas on sales/promotion/advertising etc. It will be a day's hard work but the rewards will be substantial if proper planning is met with efficient execution.

These are a few different scenarios that you will find yourself in after you have listed all the points.

Should you opt for:

1) A ready to use e-commerce package.

2) Rent a space/store in a network-based e-commerce solution.

3) Ask a web designing company to build you a website from scratch

Most of the e-commerce solution providers will have a basic scheme where you can add a product/category, delete a product/category, check the order status, calculate shipping cost deducting taxes if any, owner can see all the list of purchases, he can make the item shipped, out of stock, credit card denied, etc.

All About Ecommerce Implementation

2007-10-23T00:38:00.001-07:00

New ways of doing business online are being market tested all the time, but consider these new possibilities with in a framework that minimizes risk for your business. E-commerce as well known as electronic commerce generally refers to selling your products and services over the Web. Electronic Commerce simply means buying and selling of goods and services across the Internet using web sites.

The benefits are often viewed from views such as benefits to organizations, benefits to consumers and benefits to the society at large. The benefits of E-Commerce for your include nominal costs, faster and more efficient processes and expanded markets. By using e-commerce solutions, you can offer customers convenient shopping methods, maintain strong customer relationships, and Stay competitive ahead. This is one of the easier methods to capture online customers.

The Asia Pacific is home to two-third of the world’s population presenting a large and lucrative e-commerce market. Some countries in the region have documented this opportunity and have taken the lead role and are now some of the influential in e-commerce from the world outlook. An ecommerce site can be as simple as a telephone index, can range all the way to a real time credit and processing site where customer can purchase downloadable goods and receive them on the spot.

The region being so diverse in many aspects presents certain challenges in the implementation of a successful e-commerce strategy. In spite of these challenges there are economies in the region that are so well advanced in the deployment of e-commerce strategies while at the same there are still economies in the region that are yet to fully enjoy the benefits of e-commerce in either the supply and consumption chain. The available evidence suggests that there is indeed a divide emerging between Asia Pacific member countries in so far as e-commerce initiatives are concerned.

E-Business is the formation of new, and the redesigning of obtainable value chains and business procedures by way of the application of information technology. E-Business is actually more than e-commerce. It in turn expands the extent of e-commerce to change the company and the industry itself.

E-commerce Gets A Boost

2007-10-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

A vast number (and an increasing proportion) of people have successfully started up an online e-commerce business. The software, training and backup are all easily, and relatively cheaply, available. But how expensive is the software and where can you go for the best platform or advice?

E-commerce is becoming one of the most successful internet business categories online today. As with everything, products and services need to constantly evolve and upgrade to meet demands and competition.

Microsoft’s programming language, the .NET Framework, has quickly become a hit with the E-commerce industry. The language lets programmers quickly write programs to connect, securitize, modify, and create E-commerce features or services. The ease of use, power, and security Microsoft can offer through this language has led it to become one of the leading E-commerce languages to program in.

Surprisingly, the language can be downloaded absolutely free - not bad at all. There are some 3rd party modifications that cost money, but aren’t required in making the next best E-commerce application. The integration of web service programming is what has made the language a hit- letting programmers program web services amazingly fast.

The .NET framework also has the capability of communicated with other languages, such as Visual C++ and Visual Basic. Overall, the language is rivaled by no other- both from its list of features and from its distribution as a free software from the good people at Microsoft. Prospective programmers will most likely be expected to learn the framework in the future, as it is rapidly growing and evolving.

The e-commerce business is set to continue its expansion in the coming years and the .NET framework will no doubt be of great benefit in this growth.

E Commerce is a Hot Career Choice

2007-10-18T23:38:00.002-07:00

Electronic Commerce or E Commerce is exactly analogous to a marketplace on the Internet. E Commerce consists primarily of the distributing, buying, selling, marketing and servicing of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks.

What it is:

E Commerce covers a wide range of business activities and processes. E-Commerce professionals plan, manage, supervise, and market electronic business operations, products, and services provided online via the Internet. To be successful, businesses have to keep pace with the wants of consumers and offer their products or services online. Today’s global economy depends on those who have training in e commerce.

Training:

E-Commerce degrees and certificate programs combine conventional business disciplines with specialized courses in electronic commerce. Since e commerce is largely linked to technology, you will find that coursework will consist of things other than traditional business fundamentals. In E commerce training you will take classes such as database management, web design, systems analysis and Internet technologies. Other areas such as HTML, computer programming, cyber security and networking, routing will also be introduced. You will also take courses in customer service, business planning, marketing and financial management. This kind of curriculum can prepare you to succeed in the world of e commerce.

Outlook:

When you have solid e commerce training, job opportunities will present themselves. Those who are best qualified and have earned a degree in e commerce are in great demand. For many businesses in fact, employees are required to have knowledge of e commerce and e business.

* The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that $1.6 trillion of shipments, revenues and sales in the U.S. in 2003 were E-commerce activity. What's more, E-commerce grew 11.2% from 2002 to 2003. E-commerce, by the U.S. Department of Commerce's definition, encompasses goods and services sold online, via open networks like the Internet.

What is Mobile Commerce (M-Commerce)?

2007-10-18T23:38:00.001-07:00

Overview : Internet now can be browsed by PDA and Mobile devices. Mobile Screens are increasing day by day. Mobile users love to check e-mails and many other applications on their mobile devices. e-business or e-commerce turning into mobile commerce.

What is Mobile Commerce (m-commerce)?

E-commerce will coming soon become Mobile Commerce (m-commerce) because mobile devices are more user friendly than computer. Peoples checking movies details and many other useful information on their mobile devices. Many companies accepting payment by SMS payment system. In future Mobile Commerce (m-commerce) will be sales and marketing showcase, educational application for companies.

Why Mobile Commerce (m-commerce)?

Companies can use Mobile Commerce (m-commerce) to increase sales of their products and services. Mobile commerce can bring huge buyers for companies.

Benefits of Mobile Commerce (m-commerce)

* Buyers can access products catalog on their mobile devices.
* Companies can do promotions
* Companies can show products.
* Customers can price details from any palce.

How Mobile Commerce (m-commerce) can help Companies?

Companies can make websites for mobile devices, which is popularly known as WAP or Wireless Application Protocol. Companies can make online catalogs of products and services so that mobile users can access that catalog from their mobile devices. Companies can offer their services for mobile users bigest community.

3 Article Marketing Tips You Must Not Miss

2007-10-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

Before we go into the top 3 article marketing tips, you need to know that article marketing is a powerful website promotion strategy that can be used to your advantage. Search engine provides the best traffic – both targeted and warm. And they exist to provide good information to their searchers. As such, articles with good content carry much weight in the search engines. So without delay, let us take a look at 3 critical article marketing tips that will get you what you want – traffic, credibility, subscriber and sales.

Article Marketing Tip 1 – Write For Your Readers

Did I say you need to write what your readers want and not what you want? Article marketing is good for ranking in the search engine for targeted keywords for traffic, building your credibility as an authority, and getting subscribers and sales. But you must not forget that in order to achieve that, you need to give them what they are looking for.

Search the forums and search engines to read up some of the posts and comments made by your targeted audience. What do they want? Offer that in your article and they will read your content.

Article Marketing Tip 2 – Promote With Your Articles

Many online authors do not fully understand the power of article marketing. Using articles, you have a piece of good online advertisement to presell your prospects. At the same time, the resource box link gives you a good backlink from a reputable article directory with high PR. This is a SEO technique that boosts your chances of ranking top in the search engines.

Another advantage is that other webmasters may find your article well-written and publish it on their websites, giving you more backlinks and indirect traffic from their websites. They may even publish it to their email newsletters, giving your content and website more exposure. So the trick is to craft your article to presell, and submit your articles to as many article directories as possible.

Article Marketing Tip 3 – Improve the Quality of Your Content

There are two kinds of online writers. One that writes low quality articles just for backlinks and the other focuses more on providing excellent quality articles. What is the difference between the two?

Writing simple articles take a short time and probably, you can be churing out such articles within 20 to 30 minutes per article. But these are not going to get lots of readers but since you have dozens of them, they could all add up.

Spending time doing research for the content takes time but the result is a piece of fine work that gets a lot of attention from readers and the search engines. I personally have written articles that get 1000s of visitors every month so I can understand the power of research and creating reader-worthy content.

If you ask me which is the better option, I will tell you that writing a quality article is the best choice.

I hope you have learnt much from these 3 article marketing tips. Discover more powerful techniques in article marketing as well as other free website promotion strategies from my free report.

Automating Your Online Business Ecommerce Services

2007-10-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

Automated services as they relate to e-commerce operations are quickly redefining the way entrepreneurs can conduct business online. Quite simply, automation involves replacing the finite processing capabilities of the entrepreneur with the virtually infinite processing capabilities of his or her computer. In this regard, automation is making it possible for ambitious individuals everywhere to run a fully functioning e-business from the comfort of their own home.

There are many Automated Services available that you can find throughout the Internet, but when it comes to running your own e-business, finding a top solution as an absolute necessity. Even with the slightest temptation to settle for a merely average solution can end up costing you dearly in time and money down the road. You can easily avoid this scenario simply by taking the time from the start to identify a great solution now.

Today's Automated Services: Integrating and Synchronizing

As you research the many automated services for e-businesses that are available, you'll find many that only offer a sort of fragmented solution. In other words, you might find a service offering an automated ad tracking system, or another service offering automated affiliate management, or automated mailing list management, and so on. These programs are effective in their own right, but assembling an entire automated solution from these diverse parts is going to be anything but effective.

Essentially, you'll end up spending far too much money to compile a total system, when all along you would have had the opportunity to buy a fully integrated solution from the beginning. These solutions are quickly catching on among enterprising individuals simply because they address so many of the aspects of e-business development. Email programs, ad tracking, affiliate programs, virtual shopping cart systems--these processes and more are all incorporated into today's leading automated solutions.

When you combine all of these processes into one solution, the results in terms of efficiency, order processing, and overall sales can be quite dramatic. Essentially, you're able to do the work of a full staff of marketers, sales reps, programmers and more all by yourself, and there's no limit to the level of sales that you can generate. Basically, a leading automated solution will accommodate your ambition, no matter how far you wish to take it.

Automating Your E-Business: It's Easier Than You Think

Automating your e-business is not going to be some complicated, time-consuming process that turns out to be more trouble than it's worth. In contrast, leading automated services are going to make the process as easy as signing up for an account with that service. From that point on, you'll be able to take advantage of all the benefits that an automated e-commerce solution can provide.

If you've been working extremely hard to grow your online business, but are finding that you're having to spend too much time either trying to develop each process of your business, or trying to get your various systems to work together, automated services could be the perfect solution. More and more online entrepreneurs are beginning to find that working hard can produce exceptional results, but only when the full complement of today's leading e-commerce technology is utilized. If you've grown frustrated with your current solution, it's the perfect time to at least take a closer look at what today's advanced automated technology has to offer.

Focusing on the Bottom Line

The bottom line for any e-business is sales, and with a leading automated program in place, sales are exactly what you can expect to generate. Those sales will be simple product of streamlining and integrating every aspect of your business to achieve the maximum level of efficiency. It's a relatively simple process, all in all, that is well within your capabilities when you move to a cutting-edge automated e-business solution.