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.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
E-commerce - Advanced Tips for E-commerce
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Free Ecommerce Hosting
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.
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
All About Ecommerce Implementation
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.
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
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 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.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
E Commerce is a Hot Career Choice
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 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)?
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.
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.
Monday, October 15, 2007
3 Article Marketing Tips You Must Not Miss
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.
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
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.
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.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Ecommerce Software And The Changing Utility Of The Internet
The Internet proved to be extremely promising from the very start. At first, people respected it for its wealth of information. When the first e-mail service began operations, it became a new sensation in the communication world. Then search engines happened upon the scene and made it infinitely easier for people to sift through all the information on the Internet in a matter of seconds.
As the Internet evolves, it is now frequently used today for e-business and e-commerce. Clarification of the buzzwords e-business and e-business is important. Electronic commerce is the buying and selling of products, services, and information on networks such as the Internet. Electronic business encompasses any business conducted via the Internet, including e-commerce, dealing with customers, working with business partners, and other business to business communication.
The difference between e-commerce and e-business can be rather tricky to define in neutral terms. We might say that e-commerce involves the buying and selling of goods, services, and information over the internet. E-business, on the other hand, also includes other aspects of business conducted over the internet, including customer service and business collaboration. An ecommerce based website functions exclusively with ecommerce shopping cart software. There are so many quality options out there, designed specifically to make starting your online store as simple as possible. You really need to find a multipurpose ecommerce store platform that comes with built-in features to organize inventory, deal with credit cards, and doling out offers and discounts.
The shopping cart program utilized by ecommerce software should be dynamic and expandable. It should have a powerful templating subsystem to allow for unique and comfortable design development, allowing for creativity. Additionally, custom development and web design services at a decent price point are highly desirable and will provide clients with a top-notch custom commerce solution. Not only that, any ecommerce software should be scalable too with various extension add-ons available to allow start selling online with basic functionality extended later. Add-on development like API is open, so any additional modules can be designed freely and then uploaded when needed on the website.
It is important that ecommerce software be easy to use. Such software should permit simple management of an online shopping site using a web browser and quick switching of the overall look of the storefront by changing templates.
As the Internet evolves, it is now frequently used today for e-business and e-commerce. Clarification of the buzzwords e-business and e-business is important. Electronic commerce is the buying and selling of products, services, and information on networks such as the Internet. Electronic business encompasses any business conducted via the Internet, including e-commerce, dealing with customers, working with business partners, and other business to business communication.
The difference between e-commerce and e-business can be rather tricky to define in neutral terms. We might say that e-commerce involves the buying and selling of goods, services, and information over the internet. E-business, on the other hand, also includes other aspects of business conducted over the internet, including customer service and business collaboration. An ecommerce based website functions exclusively with ecommerce shopping cart software. There are so many quality options out there, designed specifically to make starting your online store as simple as possible. You really need to find a multipurpose ecommerce store platform that comes with built-in features to organize inventory, deal with credit cards, and doling out offers and discounts.
The shopping cart program utilized by ecommerce software should be dynamic and expandable. It should have a powerful templating subsystem to allow for unique and comfortable design development, allowing for creativity. Additionally, custom development and web design services at a decent price point are highly desirable and will provide clients with a top-notch custom commerce solution. Not only that, any ecommerce software should be scalable too with various extension add-ons available to allow start selling online with basic functionality extended later. Add-on development like API is open, so any additional modules can be designed freely and then uploaded when needed on the website.
It is important that ecommerce software be easy to use. Such software should permit simple management of an online shopping site using a web browser and quick switching of the overall look of the storefront by changing templates.
How E-Commerce Works
The first thing that you need to understand is how e-commerce works: A consumer, or potential customer, accesses the Internet and navigates to your Web site. If you have a brick-and-mortar business, you'll want to have vital information on your Web site so that your customers can find you; this would be a static Web site. This may include current products that are on special as well as other product listings that make consumers believe that your business is where they want to make their purchase and is both appealing and a good value to the consumer.
Likewise, if you have an online business, you'll want to convince your potential customers or Web site browsers to make a purchase for the products you are selling from your Web site. Once consumers decide that they're ready to make a purchase, they'll need to be guided to an online transaction or secure Web server so that you can collect their personal and payment information using a secure encryption method. It is possible to create a Web site that can collect credit card and other sensitive data without offering encryption; however, most savvy shoppers will never enter credit card information into a nonsecure Web site. Therefore, we highly discourage any attempt to create a simple shopping cart that does not include secure socket layer encryption of personal or sensitive data. Operating a Web site without encryption for personal or credit card data is a sure-fire formula for disaster and loss of potential customers.
To enable your Web site for e-commerce, you must install and configure your products in a shopping cart. It is important to recognize the elements of a credit card transaction: your Web site contains the product pricing, description, and images, and the shopping cart is embedded into your Web site and stores the dynamic data regarding your product. When he or she is ready to "check out" from the Web site store, the customer typically clicks a "checkout" button and is taken to the encrypted version of the company Web site. The customer will typically continue with the checkout process by calculating shipping costs, entering personal information such as credit card data and a shipping address, and securely completing the transaction. All credit card companies charge a percentage of the sale as an overhead fee for using their credit processing services. The added service layer between your credit card processor and your Web site is known as a transaction service or gateway service. This layer recognizes an e-commerce transaction, performs immediate credit card authorization, and processes the transaction. While this service is not uncommon, it does add a layer of cost to operating your Web site. There are two distinct possibilities that account for how your order may be processed: after the order has been placed, all of the necessary information travels through a private gateway toward the "transaction/gateway processing network." This processing network is where the transaction is approved or denied, depending on the credit history of the consumer and the funds available. Although this may seem like a long process, it takes only a few seconds to complete. For the business owner, offering an e-commerce service is an added service and an added fee.
Another lower-cost option is to eliminate the transaction/gateway processing network. Many Web site owners prefer to manually "run" credit card payments through their desktop credit card processing/authorization systems and merely use the shopping cart as an order processing and retrieval system, where the credit card is processed manually after the online session is completed. This low-cost alternative eliminates the cost of the middle-tier authorization and does not affect what the consumer sees after completing the checkout process. With both options, the consumer should be sent an order confirmation by e-mail.
As mentioned, you will be able to use many different systems of payment to accommodate your online transactions, depending on how many transactions you average in one day. No matter what type of payment method you choose, you need to ensure that it is encrypted and secure so that the privacy and personal information of your customers is never jeopardized. As a reminder, never operate a Web site where you collect personal data or financial information without offering a secure and encrypted connection.
Likewise, if you have an online business, you'll want to convince your potential customers or Web site browsers to make a purchase for the products you are selling from your Web site. Once consumers decide that they're ready to make a purchase, they'll need to be guided to an online transaction or secure Web server so that you can collect their personal and payment information using a secure encryption method. It is possible to create a Web site that can collect credit card and other sensitive data without offering encryption; however, most savvy shoppers will never enter credit card information into a nonsecure Web site. Therefore, we highly discourage any attempt to create a simple shopping cart that does not include secure socket layer encryption of personal or sensitive data. Operating a Web site without encryption for personal or credit card data is a sure-fire formula for disaster and loss of potential customers.
To enable your Web site for e-commerce, you must install and configure your products in a shopping cart. It is important to recognize the elements of a credit card transaction: your Web site contains the product pricing, description, and images, and the shopping cart is embedded into your Web site and stores the dynamic data regarding your product. When he or she is ready to "check out" from the Web site store, the customer typically clicks a "checkout" button and is taken to the encrypted version of the company Web site. The customer will typically continue with the checkout process by calculating shipping costs, entering personal information such as credit card data and a shipping address, and securely completing the transaction. All credit card companies charge a percentage of the sale as an overhead fee for using their credit processing services. The added service layer between your credit card processor and your Web site is known as a transaction service or gateway service. This layer recognizes an e-commerce transaction, performs immediate credit card authorization, and processes the transaction. While this service is not uncommon, it does add a layer of cost to operating your Web site. There are two distinct possibilities that account for how your order may be processed: after the order has been placed, all of the necessary information travels through a private gateway toward the "transaction/gateway processing network." This processing network is where the transaction is approved or denied, depending on the credit history of the consumer and the funds available. Although this may seem like a long process, it takes only a few seconds to complete. For the business owner, offering an e-commerce service is an added service and an added fee.
Another lower-cost option is to eliminate the transaction/gateway processing network. Many Web site owners prefer to manually "run" credit card payments through their desktop credit card processing/authorization systems and merely use the shopping cart as an order processing and retrieval system, where the credit card is processed manually after the online session is completed. This low-cost alternative eliminates the cost of the middle-tier authorization and does not affect what the consumer sees after completing the checkout process. With both options, the consumer should be sent an order confirmation by e-mail.
As mentioned, you will be able to use many different systems of payment to accommodate your online transactions, depending on how many transactions you average in one day. No matter what type of payment method you choose, you need to ensure that it is encrypted and secure so that the privacy and personal information of your customers is never jeopardized. As a reminder, never operate a Web site where you collect personal data or financial information without offering a secure and encrypted connection.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Ecommerce Hosting - Online Selling Solutions
If you wish to start an online store like a magazine subscription service you need to search for ecommerce hosting services. Today we have many sites that do these jobs. They offer you similar facilities and services yet different companies may have different charges. The money is generally charged on monthly basis. As we are aware that even Internet is prone to frauds so it is best to hire services from a reputable service provider.
At first look for a provider. As I said before there're a lot of ecommerce hosting to choose from on the web. Afterwards, after you have chosen a service, spend some time to build your own internet site. Design is very important since the most beautiful web sites will get more visits. A simple, plane and easy to navigate web site will likely be appreciated by your possible customers.
Once you are ready with the online store its time now to put some products in it that you want to sell. You should create some categories and then keep products in them. The product must have a product description. Besides that you should also try to upload its image if available so that the customer is able to view its photograph also. These links should also look attractive like the whole website.
To let people use their credit cards, you should have a business account to receive the bills which are paid by credit cards. When you have online shopping cart on your shop,the dealing becomes easier and can be carried out without any complications. Ecommerce hosting services cater to these kind of e shopping carts and it is better when the user can select whatever he wants.
Eventually, think about security for the new web shop to avoid hackers to attack it from the outside to steal credit cards numbers or any other information. To have a hacker-proof shop will create credibility and trust for the new store since your customers know that any private info is sound. So security is a requirement, since customers will return if you are able to gain their trust.
This is a fairly easy guide to follow when setting up an online store using ecommerce hosting services available on the Internet. As a last tip, when your store starts taking off, use software such as Quickbooks to manage funds and keep track of transactions. Good luck with your new online store!
At first look for a provider. As I said before there're a lot of ecommerce hosting to choose from on the web. Afterwards, after you have chosen a service, spend some time to build your own internet site. Design is very important since the most beautiful web sites will get more visits. A simple, plane and easy to navigate web site will likely be appreciated by your possible customers.
Once you are ready with the online store its time now to put some products in it that you want to sell. You should create some categories and then keep products in them. The product must have a product description. Besides that you should also try to upload its image if available so that the customer is able to view its photograph also. These links should also look attractive like the whole website.
To let people use their credit cards, you should have a business account to receive the bills which are paid by credit cards. When you have online shopping cart on your shop,the dealing becomes easier and can be carried out without any complications. Ecommerce hosting services cater to these kind of e shopping carts and it is better when the user can select whatever he wants.
Eventually, think about security for the new web shop to avoid hackers to attack it from the outside to steal credit cards numbers or any other information. To have a hacker-proof shop will create credibility and trust for the new store since your customers know that any private info is sound. So security is a requirement, since customers will return if you are able to gain their trust.
This is a fairly easy guide to follow when setting up an online store using ecommerce hosting services available on the Internet. As a last tip, when your store starts taking off, use software such as Quickbooks to manage funds and keep track of transactions. Good luck with your new online store!
Free Ecommerce Hosting
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
McAfee sets e-commerce boost for SiteAdvisor
We have antiphishing technologies today that try to assure that you don't connect to a site that's imitating a legitimate business," he says. "We can now combine the McAfee content with the SiteAdvisor database and make that a much more powerful solution."
In April, McAfee paid more than $70 million for SiteAdvisor, a remarkable sum for a 14-person company that had just released its first product, a free browser plug-in. But McAfee says SiteAdvisor will be a key point of differentiation from competitors Symantec and Microsoft.
The SiteAdvisor product is compelling to McAfee, the company says, because it focuses on something that most security software isn't doing: helping users "make better decisions about how they use risky areas of the "Net," says Christopher Bolin, McAfee's chief technology officer, speaking at the company's financial analyst conference this week.
SiteAdvisor works with Web browsers to warn people when they are about to visit a site that's been associated with spam.spyware or computer viruses. The company has built a database of Website ratings, combined from millions of automated visits.
The company had been planning to release a premium version of SiteAdvisor in September, but that target has now been pushed back to year's end because of the acquisition.
In April, McAfee paid more than $70 million for SiteAdvisor, a remarkable sum for a 14-person company that had just released its first product, a free browser plug-in. But McAfee says SiteAdvisor will be a key point of differentiation from competitors Symantec and Microsoft.
The SiteAdvisor product is compelling to McAfee, the company says, because it focuses on something that most security software isn't doing: helping users "make better decisions about how they use risky areas of the "Net," says Christopher Bolin, McAfee's chief technology officer, speaking at the company's financial analyst conference this week.
SiteAdvisor works with Web browsers to warn people when they are about to visit a site that's been associated with spam.spyware or computer viruses. The company has built a database of Website ratings, combined from millions of automated visits.
The company had been planning to release a premium version of SiteAdvisor in September, but that target has now been pushed back to year's end because of the acquisition.
Art online: when it comes to establishing an online presence, artists and publishers are pushing the envelope with their cyber initiatives
"The Internet will eventually rival sales of physical products made in brick-and-mortar stores," predicts Barbara Brundage, president of Printscapes.com, a division of Pacific Stock Inc., an online company specializing in imagery from the Pacific Rim. "The Internet is the perfect medium to sell art, offering easy viewing of many more items than any store could ever offer."
Whether art companies are simply beefing up their online presence to boost exposure, or they are building their entire business models around it, the Web can be a powerful tool--if used with the proper strategy and integrity in regards to the art world.
"I think there's a new consumer--a Gen Y consumer--who is very tech-savvy and gets most of his or her information online," says Steve McKenzie, chief curator of Artaissance, an online art provider that allows consumers to choose one of its 2,000-plus images online and pick up the finished framed piece at a participating local frameshop. "As the industry matures, we have to adapt to the way consumers buy online."
After researching the buying habits of online shoppers, and with the knowledge that Gen Y (a generation of individuals who have grown up with instant options for virtually everything) will approach an income level that surpasses that of the baby boomers, McKenzie sought to create a flexible online art offering that allowed consumers to purchase "art their style and for their space." With search capabilities for artist, interest, color, style, setting, edition type and orientation, Artaissance provides an interactive experience that's specific to every customer.
But McKenzie still sees the value in the traditional brick-and-mortar experience. "Artaissance is the marriage of an online platform and the traditional brick-and-mortar experience," McKenzie explains. "The Internet provides the perfect way to browse artwork, but many still want to have the assurance of a brick-and-mortar behind it."
One admitted challenge of selling art online is the ability of consumers to connect with a piece because most art Web sites don't provide much more than an artist's biography. McKenzie's solution: videos created by the artists to personalize the art and bring back the human element.
Promoting the quality of the art offered through Artaissance was also important to McKenzie. "I think you have to work hard to explain to your consumers what they are getting," he says. "With Artaissance, you really are getting a fine-art reproduction."
Testing in the Atlanta, Indianapolis and San Francisco markets, Artaissance is poised to launch nationwide by the end of 2007. Artaissance isn't currently advertising to the consumer market, but it has been featured in Domino magazine and USA Today. The company plans on reaching tech-savvy consumers in other ways that are more directly tied to the Web.
Richard Gipe, president of Art-Exchange.com, took a different approach to online art with a business-to-business initiative that began in 1995.
"I was an investment banker [with] access to the various stock exchanges," Gipe explains. "When I moved into the art [industry], there were no comparable resources to locate needed art. It appeared both buyers and sellers of art would benefit from such an exchange, and it appeared it would be relatively inexpensive (by way of comparison to what it cost to build the NYSE and NASDAQ) to build an art exchange given the maturity of the Internet. So, I put my investment banker hat back on, raised the capital and built Art-Exchange.com."
Designed to serve the needs of the supply side of the fine-art market--artists, publishers and other sellers--and the purchase side--designers and dealers--Art-Exchange brings professionals an array of services that make the selling and buying of art more efficient.
Whether art companies are simply beefing up their online presence to boost exposure, or they are building their entire business models around it, the Web can be a powerful tool--if used with the proper strategy and integrity in regards to the art world.
"I think there's a new consumer--a Gen Y consumer--who is very tech-savvy and gets most of his or her information online," says Steve McKenzie, chief curator of Artaissance, an online art provider that allows consumers to choose one of its 2,000-plus images online and pick up the finished framed piece at a participating local frameshop. "As the industry matures, we have to adapt to the way consumers buy online."
After researching the buying habits of online shoppers, and with the knowledge that Gen Y (a generation of individuals who have grown up with instant options for virtually everything) will approach an income level that surpasses that of the baby boomers, McKenzie sought to create a flexible online art offering that allowed consumers to purchase "art their style and for their space." With search capabilities for artist, interest, color, style, setting, edition type and orientation, Artaissance provides an interactive experience that's specific to every customer.
But McKenzie still sees the value in the traditional brick-and-mortar experience. "Artaissance is the marriage of an online platform and the traditional brick-and-mortar experience," McKenzie explains. "The Internet provides the perfect way to browse artwork, but many still want to have the assurance of a brick-and-mortar behind it."
One admitted challenge of selling art online is the ability of consumers to connect with a piece because most art Web sites don't provide much more than an artist's biography. McKenzie's solution: videos created by the artists to personalize the art and bring back the human element.
Promoting the quality of the art offered through Artaissance was also important to McKenzie. "I think you have to work hard to explain to your consumers what they are getting," he says. "With Artaissance, you really are getting a fine-art reproduction."
Testing in the Atlanta, Indianapolis and San Francisco markets, Artaissance is poised to launch nationwide by the end of 2007. Artaissance isn't currently advertising to the consumer market, but it has been featured in Domino magazine and USA Today. The company plans on reaching tech-savvy consumers in other ways that are more directly tied to the Web.
Richard Gipe, president of Art-Exchange.com, took a different approach to online art with a business-to-business initiative that began in 1995.
"I was an investment banker [with] access to the various stock exchanges," Gipe explains. "When I moved into the art [industry], there were no comparable resources to locate needed art. It appeared both buyers and sellers of art would benefit from such an exchange, and it appeared it would be relatively inexpensive (by way of comparison to what it cost to build the NYSE and NASDAQ) to build an art exchange given the maturity of the Internet. So, I put my investment banker hat back on, raised the capital and built Art-Exchange.com."
Designed to serve the needs of the supply side of the fine-art market--artists, publishers and other sellers--and the purchase side--designers and dealers--Art-Exchange brings professionals an array of services that make the selling and buying of art more efficient.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Double play: could sending a paper catalog to customers boost your e-commerce business?
Catalogs also work well as a channel for e-tailers because they can easily leverage the Web site's marketing, creative, infrastructure and fulfillment systems and repurpose them for a catalog. "They can use the same call center that's listed on the [toll-free] number for the Web site, for instance," says Dawn Brozeck, a senior analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings, a Web traffic anaylsis firm with head quarters in New York City.
Catalogs also reinforce an e-tailer's brand. Especially for growing businesses, they are a quick and easy way to add legitimacy to your company. An e-tailer with a multichannel presence appears as "more established" to consumers.
Taking the Plunge
Gift Services Inc. dba GiftTree (www. gifttree.com) is just one e-tailer that has made catalogs a key part of its marketing plan. Online since 1997, the Vancouver, Washington, online seller of gift baskets targeting the corporate market sent out its first catalog to 60,000 customers and prospects during last year's holiday season. According to Craig Bowen, 41, GiftTree's CEO and co-founder (with Esther Diez, also 41), catalogs are a necessary marketing tool for e-tailers. Catalogs keep e-tailers "top of mind" with customers and ultimately encourage those customers to come back for more.
"Our customers typically have purchased with our competition, and the company they purchase with next is the company that's in the right place at the right time," says Bowen, whose company had sales of $12 million last year. "It allows consumers to [shop for couches] at home, then [be] reminded about your company when they're leaning against theft kitchen counters--and then they place the order online" Without a catalog he warns, "They might forget about you altogether."
GiftTree decided to create and design its catalog in-house. Employees took photographs of GiftTree's products in the company's own photo studio. The company hired a printer to print and manufacture the catalogs, and then mailed the catalogs through the USPS.
Since the catalog was launched in tandem with other fliers it printed--and since GiftTree used in-house employees for the work--Bowen could not provide an exact figure for how much the whole project cost. However, taking on this kind of project is "definitely not cheap," Bowen says, adding that it can cost at least $100,000 once you factor in the costs of hiring an agency to produce it, in addition to printing, mailing and perhaps buying or renting a prospect list.
But for those who can afford it, a Web site and a catalog make the perfect marriage, says Bowen, who adds that launching the catalog was a logical channel for GiftTree to explore. The company's fulfillment system was already in place, ready to take orders. And GiftTree had already collected the names and addresses of customers to whom it could send catalogs.
Risks and Rewards
Considering all the work and expense inherent in such an endeavor, is launching a catalog really worth it? "Definitely," says Bowen. "We saw a lift in sales." In fact, GiftTree is already planning to send out a second holiday catalog this November.
"There's a reason people do catalogs," Bowen explains. "They work. If you make a very beautiful catalog, and it's got what [consumers] want in it when they see it, they are far more likely to order from you than if you didn't send them something."
In reality, not every e-taller will have the funds required to launch a full-fledged catalog. An affordable option for business owners on a budget is to send out postcards or brochures as a way to keep in contact with customers. "It's really just reminding your customers that they're important," Bowen says. "If you can't print a beautiful catalog, maybe it's a better idea to save your money and instead offer your customers a dollar-off postcard."
Catalogs also reinforce an e-tailer's brand. Especially for growing businesses, they are a quick and easy way to add legitimacy to your company. An e-tailer with a multichannel presence appears as "more established" to consumers.
Taking the Plunge
Gift Services Inc. dba GiftTree (www. gifttree.com) is just one e-tailer that has made catalogs a key part of its marketing plan. Online since 1997, the Vancouver, Washington, online seller of gift baskets targeting the corporate market sent out its first catalog to 60,000 customers and prospects during last year's holiday season. According to Craig Bowen, 41, GiftTree's CEO and co-founder (with Esther Diez, also 41), catalogs are a necessary marketing tool for e-tailers. Catalogs keep e-tailers "top of mind" with customers and ultimately encourage those customers to come back for more.
"Our customers typically have purchased with our competition, and the company they purchase with next is the company that's in the right place at the right time," says Bowen, whose company had sales of $12 million last year. "It allows consumers to [shop for couches] at home, then [be] reminded about your company when they're leaning against theft kitchen counters--and then they place the order online" Without a catalog he warns, "They might forget about you altogether."
GiftTree decided to create and design its catalog in-house. Employees took photographs of GiftTree's products in the company's own photo studio. The company hired a printer to print and manufacture the catalogs, and then mailed the catalogs through the USPS.
Since the catalog was launched in tandem with other fliers it printed--and since GiftTree used in-house employees for the work--Bowen could not provide an exact figure for how much the whole project cost. However, taking on this kind of project is "definitely not cheap," Bowen says, adding that it can cost at least $100,000 once you factor in the costs of hiring an agency to produce it, in addition to printing, mailing and perhaps buying or renting a prospect list.
But for those who can afford it, a Web site and a catalog make the perfect marriage, says Bowen, who adds that launching the catalog was a logical channel for GiftTree to explore. The company's fulfillment system was already in place, ready to take orders. And GiftTree had already collected the names and addresses of customers to whom it could send catalogs.
Risks and Rewards
Considering all the work and expense inherent in such an endeavor, is launching a catalog really worth it? "Definitely," says Bowen. "We saw a lift in sales." In fact, GiftTree is already planning to send out a second holiday catalog this November.
"There's a reason people do catalogs," Bowen explains. "They work. If you make a very beautiful catalog, and it's got what [consumers] want in it when they see it, they are far more likely to order from you than if you didn't send them something."
In reality, not every e-taller will have the funds required to launch a full-fledged catalog. An affordable option for business owners on a budget is to send out postcards or brochures as a way to keep in contact with customers. "It's really just reminding your customers that they're important," Bowen says. "If you can't print a beautiful catalog, maybe it's a better idea to save your money and instead offer your customers a dollar-off postcard."
Peter Honey Publications adds e-commerce facility to its web site
Learning tools provider Peter Honey Publications has upgraded its web site so that it can now take payments online for its products.
Visitors to the company's web site at http://www.peterhoney.com can view the complete range of Peter Honey Publications products, order them and pay for them online.
A spokesperson for Peter Honey Publications said the e-commerce functionality was added in a bid to simplify the acquisition process for its customers.
Visitors to the company's web site at http://www.peterhoney.com can view the complete range of Peter Honey Publications products, order them and pay for them online.
A spokesperson for Peter Honey Publications said the e-commerce functionality was added in a bid to simplify the acquisition process for its customers.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Valuation of the E-Commerce and Internet Services Industry
The e-commerce and Internet services industry includes companies that sell goods or services online, including information products and informatio'n retrieval services. The industry also covers networking and other support services for companies that operate primarily on the Internet.
Industry Overview
E-Commerce ranges from simple websites supporting brick-and-mortar stores to giant online store operations such as Amazon.com and information service operations such as Google. There is no question that the high-end of the sector is big business; Google is expected to report 2005 revenues of about $4.1 billion, eBay around $4.5 billion, and both Yahoo! and Amazon are both expected to record revenues of over $3 billion.
As the number of online shoppers increases, the demand for online advertising also rises. The four most widely visited Web properties, Google, Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN, will certainly benefit from increased interest in online advertising. Google commands roughly 15 percent of the total US online advertising market, with Yahoo! holding about 13 percent and MSN 10 percent.
Consumers are also becoming more comfortable with Internet security and online operations. More than half of all US households now pay at least one bill online. Online banking and stock trading are also gaining in popularity. This is good news for companies that support such operations, such as electronic payment services firm CheckFree and online stock exchanges E*Trade and Ameritrade.
Industry Overview
E-Commerce ranges from simple websites supporting brick-and-mortar stores to giant online store operations such as Amazon.com and information service operations such as Google. There is no question that the high-end of the sector is big business; Google is expected to report 2005 revenues of about $4.1 billion, eBay around $4.5 billion, and both Yahoo! and Amazon are both expected to record revenues of over $3 billion.
As the number of online shoppers increases, the demand for online advertising also rises. The four most widely visited Web properties, Google, Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN, will certainly benefit from increased interest in online advertising. Google commands roughly 15 percent of the total US online advertising market, with Yahoo! holding about 13 percent and MSN 10 percent.
Consumers are also becoming more comfortable with Internet security and online operations. More than half of all US households now pay at least one bill online. Online banking and stock trading are also gaining in popularity. This is good news for companies that support such operations, such as electronic payment services firm CheckFree and online stock exchanges E*Trade and Ameritrade.
Benefit Cosmetics chooses Amazon Services for e-commerce solutions
Amazon Services and Amazon Services Europe, providers of technology solutions for retailers and subsidiaries of Amazon.com Inc (Nasdaq:AMZN), and Benefit Cosmetics, a cosmetics company and subsidiary of LVMH group, announcedon Wednesday (19 April) that Benefit Cosmetics has chosen the Amazon Services Enterprise Solution to develop and support new Benefit Cosmetics online and telephone order offerings for the US and UK.
Under the multi-year agreement Amazon Services and Amazon Services Europe will provide phone order processing and an end-to-end e-commerce solution, including Amazon technology,for Benefit Cosmetics' US and UK websites.
Under the multi-year agreement Amazon Services and Amazon Services Europe will provide phone order processing and an end-to-end e-commerce solution, including Amazon technology,for Benefit Cosmetics' US and UK websites.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Cranking Up Sales on Your Site
Many business owners unintentionally make it unnecessarily difficult for customers to buy off their web sites. This occurs when you resurrect barriers for your customers.
Simple mechanisms can be put in place to remove barriers. A business owner that is always looking for new ways to connect with potential customers often finds his or her efforts paying off many times over. Some of the most common web sales barriers are lack of contact methods, payment methods, and delivery methods. To bridge these potential barriers, a business owner can provide more options to crossing each of these barriers.
Contact Barriers
Simply adding contact options can be a great way to create more sales. Some web sites only offer email or even just a contact form as a means of contact. Yet there are many people that prefer to conduct transactions over the phone, by mail or by fax. In the wide world of the Internet, it is a simple matter to simply move on to the next web site if a visitor’s intention is to place an order by phone, yet there is no option to do so.
Providing a broad range of contact options also builds credibility. Having an office address, fax and phone number in addition to an email address shows the prospective client that the business does in fact exist and has made themselves transparent and easy to contact.
Using an 800 number is also an excellent way to build credibility and remove a sales barrier. Picking up the tab on calls from potential clients is a polite gesture and may encourage a potential buyer with one more reason to call. Toll free numbers are easy to obtain these days and can cost around 6 cents per minute. It is a small price to pay for building confidence in your audience.
Payment Barriers
Many web sites provide only one way to pay for merchandise - credit card. There are many reasons to offer more payment methods. For one, not everyone has a credit card. Although in the United States, it seems like almost everyone does, this is not true in over-seas markets where there is resistance to credit. Furthermore, some people just don't feel safe providing credit card information over the web. Regardless of how safe or unsafe Internet transactions may or may not be, it is usually the job of the business owner to provide what the consumer wants.
It is a simple matter to provide an address and a printable order form for most web sites where a check can be mailed. If you are running a home business, a PO Box is a simple solution to keep your business separate from your home. Some mail box services allow for your address to be a suite number instead of a box number, which can further improve the image of your business.
Providing a phone number by which orders can be placed is also a way to remove a barrier between you and your potential customers. Of course this means there must also be someone there to answer the phone. Simply answering the phone can be the difference between a sale and a lost sale.
Delivery Methods
For businesses providing products, providing a variety of delivery methods is yet another way to cater to the desires of your customers and potential customers. Many people have a preference for delivery and meeting this preference could be a deciding in getting a sale. For those businesses providing services, providing a delivery pickup service for a deposit and/or contract can be a perfect sale closer.
Conclusion
By removing barriers between you and potential customers, you can increase the chances of making sales. Other options are also available like instant messaging support, mapped out directions, video conferencing and more. Other options can be shown as small links or drop down options. By working to connect more with your audience, your sales and customer satisfaction can be increased dramatically.
Simple mechanisms can be put in place to remove barriers. A business owner that is always looking for new ways to connect with potential customers often finds his or her efforts paying off many times over. Some of the most common web sales barriers are lack of contact methods, payment methods, and delivery methods. To bridge these potential barriers, a business owner can provide more options to crossing each of these barriers.
Contact Barriers
Simply adding contact options can be a great way to create more sales. Some web sites only offer email or even just a contact form as a means of contact. Yet there are many people that prefer to conduct transactions over the phone, by mail or by fax. In the wide world of the Internet, it is a simple matter to simply move on to the next web site if a visitor’s intention is to place an order by phone, yet there is no option to do so.
Providing a broad range of contact options also builds credibility. Having an office address, fax and phone number in addition to an email address shows the prospective client that the business does in fact exist and has made themselves transparent and easy to contact.
Using an 800 number is also an excellent way to build credibility and remove a sales barrier. Picking up the tab on calls from potential clients is a polite gesture and may encourage a potential buyer with one more reason to call. Toll free numbers are easy to obtain these days and can cost around 6 cents per minute. It is a small price to pay for building confidence in your audience.
Payment Barriers
Many web sites provide only one way to pay for merchandise - credit card. There are many reasons to offer more payment methods. For one, not everyone has a credit card. Although in the United States, it seems like almost everyone does, this is not true in over-seas markets where there is resistance to credit. Furthermore, some people just don't feel safe providing credit card information over the web. Regardless of how safe or unsafe Internet transactions may or may not be, it is usually the job of the business owner to provide what the consumer wants.
It is a simple matter to provide an address and a printable order form for most web sites where a check can be mailed. If you are running a home business, a PO Box is a simple solution to keep your business separate from your home. Some mail box services allow for your address to be a suite number instead of a box number, which can further improve the image of your business.
Providing a phone number by which orders can be placed is also a way to remove a barrier between you and your potential customers. Of course this means there must also be someone there to answer the phone. Simply answering the phone can be the difference between a sale and a lost sale.
Delivery Methods
For businesses providing products, providing a variety of delivery methods is yet another way to cater to the desires of your customers and potential customers. Many people have a preference for delivery and meeting this preference could be a deciding in getting a sale. For those businesses providing services, providing a delivery pickup service for a deposit and/or contract can be a perfect sale closer.
Conclusion
By removing barriers between you and potential customers, you can increase the chances of making sales. Other options are also available like instant messaging support, mapped out directions, video conferencing and more. Other options can be shown as small links or drop down options. By working to connect more with your audience, your sales and customer satisfaction can be increased dramatically.
Secrets of E-Commerce
Own an e-commerce site but not getting any sales? The online buyer is becoming more educated and more selective about what web sites they use. If you are getting high amounts of traffic but not enough sales, here are a few ideas to help your site increase your conversions.
Is It Easy?
Because there are so many e-commerce web sites out there, making sure your web site is easy to use is the number one goal. If it’s not, people will not use it. The first step is taking a look at your navigation. Keep your navigation simple so that visitors will not have to guess how to get through your site. It might seem cool to have a java based or flash animated navigation scheme, but is it necessary?
Is the navigation on your site consistent? Navigation should look the same on all pages so that visitors do not become confused while moving through the site. Use breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are the links that show how deep the user is into your site. An example would be if the user is looking at Ipods, the breadcrumb link could be Home > Electronics > MP3 Players. Giving the user a “sense of place” in the site can make the difference between a sale and a bounce.
How many steps does it take the user to buy from you? The rule of thumb is that it shouldn’t take more than three steps to buy online. Find the item, enter payment information, and complete the sale. It also helps to provide a graphic of the check out process and where they are currently in the process. Again, here’s the sense of place issue.
Presentation
It’s all about presentation! If you have a bad web site, you will be lucky if you make any sales. Dr. Gitte Lindgaard and colleagues from Carleton University's Human-Oriented Technology Lab in Ottawa have determined that it takes a user’s mind one twentieth of a second to decide whether they like your site or not. That’s not a lot of time. Use colors that work well together and make a good impression. If you are running advertisements on your site, keep them to a minimum so that your items are not lost in the clutter. Make sure all of your product graphics are clear and large enough to look at. If you have a search feature on your site (you should), make sure it produces the items the user is looking for. If you’re not sure how to do this, Google has free code you can use.
It you are serious about having an e-commerce site and sustaining it, hire a web developer with e-com
Is It Easy?
Because there are so many e-commerce web sites out there, making sure your web site is easy to use is the number one goal. If it’s not, people will not use it. The first step is taking a look at your navigation. Keep your navigation simple so that visitors will not have to guess how to get through your site. It might seem cool to have a java based or flash animated navigation scheme, but is it necessary?
Is the navigation on your site consistent? Navigation should look the same on all pages so that visitors do not become confused while moving through the site. Use breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are the links that show how deep the user is into your site. An example would be if the user is looking at Ipods, the breadcrumb link could be Home > Electronics > MP3 Players. Giving the user a “sense of place” in the site can make the difference between a sale and a bounce.
How many steps does it take the user to buy from you? The rule of thumb is that it shouldn’t take more than three steps to buy online. Find the item, enter payment information, and complete the sale. It also helps to provide a graphic of the check out process and where they are currently in the process. Again, here’s the sense of place issue.
Presentation
It’s all about presentation! If you have a bad web site, you will be lucky if you make any sales. Dr. Gitte Lindgaard and colleagues from Carleton University's Human-Oriented Technology Lab in Ottawa have determined that it takes a user’s mind one twentieth of a second to decide whether they like your site or not. That’s not a lot of time. Use colors that work well together and make a good impression. If you are running advertisements on your site, keep them to a minimum so that your items are not lost in the clutter. Make sure all of your product graphics are clear and large enough to look at. If you have a search feature on your site (you should), make sure it produces the items the user is looking for. If you’re not sure how to do this, Google has free code you can use.
It you are serious about having an e-commerce site and sustaining it, hire a web developer with e-com
7 Product Sourcing Tips for E-Merchants
For ecommerce start-ups the realities of product sourcing often come as a shock to the system. With so many online “wholesalers” to choose from these days, it's common to assume that the process will be easy. If your store is to be profitable, however, your sourcing methods will require just a little more effort and creativity than you think.
1.Search clever.
Avoid using general terms when sourcing products online. Googling “wholesale widgets” may bring up a huge number of results, but you're unlikely to find a worthwhile supplier among them. Most will be non specialist companies that act as middlemen between you and the real wholesalers. This means profit margins on their goods will be virtually non-existent.
Instead, try qualifying your searches with terms such as “distributor”, “manufacturer”, “designer” or “trade” and rather than searching for generic terms such as “widgets,” try taking a more specific approach. Use individual product names and model type wherever possible.
Image searches will also give you more focused results. Many products are sold online using stock photos created by the original manufacturer and this can an excellent way of tracking them down.
These tactics will improve your chances of success but don't despair if you don't find what you're looking for. Google is a great research tool but it's only one of many in your arsenal. Resist the temptation to spend hours and hours surfing the net looking for “secret” deals and sources that do not exist. Traditional retailers have never relied the internet to find suppliers and neither should you.
2.Consult traditional business directories.
It's amazing how often resources such as the white/yellow pages are overlooked these days. It must be because we automatically assume the internet to be a superior source of information. Well this isn't always the case. There are a lot of wholesalers out there that don't have an online presence but that doesn't mean they don't have telephone numbers.
3.Subscribe to trade publications
Trade magazines related to your niche will be packed with ads from relevant manufacturers and distributors. It's how offline businesses have done things for years and you should too.
4.Trade fairs.
Attending trade fairs takes more effort than surfing in your pyjamas but the pay-off can be enormous. They provide unparalleled scope for sourcing and networking. Plus, establishing personal contact with suppliers makes it a lot easier to negotiate prices further down the line.
5.Ask an expert
Find someone who already stocks what you want to sell and ask them where they got it. This isn't as absurd as it may sound! Obviously emailing a rival online store is never going to work because nobody wants to knowingly help out their competition.But more personal approach conducted in the offline world can yield excellent results. Find a "widget" store and get talking to the owner, preferably once you have made a purchase. People love talking about their businesses and if you are suitably charming they will often recommend a supplier or trade magazine.
You'll be surprised at how helpful people can be when you don't represent a threat. This tactic has worked well for me in the past - the worst thing that can happen is they refuse.
6.Contact the manufacturer.
If you can't find a supplier but you know which company makes the product, give them a call and ask who their distributors are. Again, there is a tendency for new e-merchants to see this kind of information as somehow privileged or secret and they often approach such conversations with trepidation. Remember that these companies want your business, just because you don't have a traditional bricks and mortar establishment it doesn't mean your money is no good.
7.Check product packaging
This is a fool proof method. If you don't know the manufacturer of a particular product and all else fails, buy it yourself. All goods, virtually without exception, will include some reference to the manufacturer on the packaging. In some cases the name of a supplier will be there as well.
1.Search clever.
Avoid using general terms when sourcing products online. Googling “wholesale widgets” may bring up a huge number of results, but you're unlikely to find a worthwhile supplier among them. Most will be non specialist companies that act as middlemen between you and the real wholesalers. This means profit margins on their goods will be virtually non-existent.
Instead, try qualifying your searches with terms such as “distributor”, “manufacturer”, “designer” or “trade” and rather than searching for generic terms such as “widgets,” try taking a more specific approach. Use individual product names and model type wherever possible.
Image searches will also give you more focused results. Many products are sold online using stock photos created by the original manufacturer and this can an excellent way of tracking them down.
These tactics will improve your chances of success but don't despair if you don't find what you're looking for. Google is a great research tool but it's only one of many in your arsenal. Resist the temptation to spend hours and hours surfing the net looking for “secret” deals and sources that do not exist. Traditional retailers have never relied the internet to find suppliers and neither should you.
2.Consult traditional business directories.
It's amazing how often resources such as the white/yellow pages are overlooked these days. It must be because we automatically assume the internet to be a superior source of information. Well this isn't always the case. There are a lot of wholesalers out there that don't have an online presence but that doesn't mean they don't have telephone numbers.
3.Subscribe to trade publications
Trade magazines related to your niche will be packed with ads from relevant manufacturers and distributors. It's how offline businesses have done things for years and you should too.
4.Trade fairs.
Attending trade fairs takes more effort than surfing in your pyjamas but the pay-off can be enormous. They provide unparalleled scope for sourcing and networking. Plus, establishing personal contact with suppliers makes it a lot easier to negotiate prices further down the line.
5.Ask an expert
Find someone who already stocks what you want to sell and ask them where they got it. This isn't as absurd as it may sound! Obviously emailing a rival online store is never going to work because nobody wants to knowingly help out their competition.But more personal approach conducted in the offline world can yield excellent results. Find a "widget" store and get talking to the owner, preferably once you have made a purchase. People love talking about their businesses and if you are suitably charming they will often recommend a supplier or trade magazine.
You'll be surprised at how helpful people can be when you don't represent a threat. This tactic has worked well for me in the past - the worst thing that can happen is they refuse.
6.Contact the manufacturer.
If you can't find a supplier but you know which company makes the product, give them a call and ask who their distributors are. Again, there is a tendency for new e-merchants to see this kind of information as somehow privileged or secret and they often approach such conversations with trepidation. Remember that these companies want your business, just because you don't have a traditional bricks and mortar establishment it doesn't mean your money is no good.
7.Check product packaging
This is a fool proof method. If you don't know the manufacturer of a particular product and all else fails, buy it yourself. All goods, virtually without exception, will include some reference to the manufacturer on the packaging. In some cases the name of a supplier will be there as well.
Young, Hungry and Talented! Start Your E-business Today!
Most young people go into business because they want to make a lot of money.
I don’t enjoy working for other people.
I like to be challenged!
When I first started people laughed at me. They told me, “your cannot do it” but deep in my heart I knew that I would someday start my own business.
If I can do it, so can you!
Here are 5 keys to my personal business success:
1. Have a passion for success
- a burning desire
- willingness to learn
- have the right mindset
- be positive
- be proactive
- get started
2. Focus
- set daily goals
- pay attention to detail
- always move towards your goals
- plan often
3. Diligence
-stay on task
- don’t’ get discourage
- don’t accept failure
- learn from your mistakes
4. Knowledge driven
- learn from the best
- apply what you’ve learned
- have a passion for knowledge
- listen to advice
- try and learn from experience
5. Find the right products
- look at online reviews
- verify products
- make sure the product is right for you
- look at testimonies and look at the product benefits
These are the keys that you want to follow
They will kick start your own e-business.
If you have the passion to do something, just do it. Don’t let people let you down in anyway, think positively, there are many ways you can do this.
Getting started is one corner stone to your success, so get started today.
Now, I have told you the 5 key ways that you could build your e-business.
Now it is the time for you to take action.
Mr. Titus Cheng is a first-generation businessman based in Seattle, WA. Titus is an ambitious young man with a passion for e-commerce and sales. He is innovative and is skillful at developing multi-products.
I don’t enjoy working for other people.
I like to be challenged!
When I first started people laughed at me. They told me, “your cannot do it” but deep in my heart I knew that I would someday start my own business.
If I can do it, so can you!
Here are 5 keys to my personal business success:
1. Have a passion for success
- a burning desire
- willingness to learn
- have the right mindset
- be positive
- be proactive
- get started
2. Focus
- set daily goals
- pay attention to detail
- always move towards your goals
- plan often
3. Diligence
-stay on task
- don’t’ get discourage
- don’t accept failure
- learn from your mistakes
4. Knowledge driven
- learn from the best
- apply what you’ve learned
- have a passion for knowledge
- listen to advice
- try and learn from experience
5. Find the right products
- look at online reviews
- verify products
- make sure the product is right for you
- look at testimonies and look at the product benefits
These are the keys that you want to follow
They will kick start your own e-business.
If you have the passion to do something, just do it. Don’t let people let you down in anyway, think positively, there are many ways you can do this.
Getting started is one corner stone to your success, so get started today.
Now, I have told you the 5 key ways that you could build your e-business.
Now it is the time for you to take action.
Mr. Titus Cheng is a first-generation businessman based in Seattle, WA. Titus is an ambitious young man with a passion for e-commerce and sales. He is innovative and is skillful at developing multi-products.
How to Create and Sell Your First Ebook (2)
Ten Steps Guide for Newbies
Step Two: Why an Ebook?
If you are just entering the Internet business kingdom, one of the first things you realize is that you need to create your own product if you want to be successful.
One of the first options coming up here is an info product which is appearing in the form of an ebook. Why and ebook is considered as a good starting point here? Let’s see some of the considerations here:
• It is a digital product and that means no paper expenses
• It is very easy to reproduce at almost zero cost
• It is delivered automatically online without human efforts
• It contains active links to your websites or affiliates
The above advantages are very important when you compare with hardcopy products and especially when you compare the profits you generate. The profits from paper books are hardly reaching 10% for the author, while the profits from the e-books are starting from 25% and may go up to 100%.
Ebooks are very flexible in their sizes and contents. You can create a 15 pages report or 3 pages practical Guide and send it as a gift or even sell it, if the information is in great demand. Later on, you can include those ebooks in your bonus section of the next products you are going to create.
One of the biggest advantages of the e-books is their huge role in the so called Viral Marketing strategy. Viral Marketing strategy is about delivering quality information to the customers for free. And here is the main advantage of the ebooks. They can be easily and instantly delivered to the customer at no cost.
The viral effect comes from the links inside the ebook. If the customers likes the information, delivered for free than there is very high probability that the links will be used and the subsequent sails will be completed.
Step Two: Why an Ebook?
If you are just entering the Internet business kingdom, one of the first things you realize is that you need to create your own product if you want to be successful.
One of the first options coming up here is an info product which is appearing in the form of an ebook. Why and ebook is considered as a good starting point here? Let’s see some of the considerations here:
• It is a digital product and that means no paper expenses
• It is very easy to reproduce at almost zero cost
• It is delivered automatically online without human efforts
• It contains active links to your websites or affiliates
The above advantages are very important when you compare with hardcopy products and especially when you compare the profits you generate. The profits from paper books are hardly reaching 10% for the author, while the profits from the e-books are starting from 25% and may go up to 100%.
Ebooks are very flexible in their sizes and contents. You can create a 15 pages report or 3 pages practical Guide and send it as a gift or even sell it, if the information is in great demand. Later on, you can include those ebooks in your bonus section of the next products you are going to create.
One of the biggest advantages of the e-books is their huge role in the so called Viral Marketing strategy. Viral Marketing strategy is about delivering quality information to the customers for free. And here is the main advantage of the ebooks. They can be easily and instantly delivered to the customer at no cost.
The viral effect comes from the links inside the ebook. If the customers likes the information, delivered for free than there is very high probability that the links will be used and the subsequent sails will be completed.
Friday, April 13, 2007
How to Create and Sell Your First Ebook (2)
Ten Steps Guide for Newbies
Step Two: Why an Ebook?
If you are just entering the Internet business kingdom, one of the first things you realize is that you need to create your own product if you want to be successful.
One of the first options coming up here is an info product which is appearing in the form of an ebook. Why and ebook is considered as a good starting point here? Let’s see some of the considerations here:
• It is a digital product and that means no paper expenses
• It is very easy to reproduce at almost zero cost
• It is delivered automatically online without human efforts
• It contains active links to your websites or affiliates
The above advantages are very important when you compare with hardcopy products and especially when you compare the profits you generate. The profits from paper books are hardly reaching 10% for the author, while the profits from the e-books are starting from 25% and may go up to 100%.
Ebooks are very flexible in their sizes and contents. You can create a 15 pages report or 3 pages practical Guide and send it as a gift or even sell it, if the information is in great demand. Later on, you can include those ebooks in your bonus section of the next products you are going to create.
One of the biggest advantages of the e-books is their huge role in the so called Viral Marketing strategy. Viral Marketing strategy is about delivering quality information to the customers for free. And here is the main advantage of the ebooks. They can be easily and instantly delivered to the customer at no cost.
The viral effect comes from the links inside the ebook. If the customers likes the information, delivered for free than there is very high probability that the links will be used and the subsequent sails will be completed.
There is endless opportunity lying in front of the ebooks. Let’s use them.
Step Two: Why an Ebook?
If you are just entering the Internet business kingdom, one of the first things you realize is that you need to create your own product if you want to be successful.
One of the first options coming up here is an info product which is appearing in the form of an ebook. Why and ebook is considered as a good starting point here? Let’s see some of the considerations here:
• It is a digital product and that means no paper expenses
• It is very easy to reproduce at almost zero cost
• It is delivered automatically online without human efforts
• It contains active links to your websites or affiliates
The above advantages are very important when you compare with hardcopy products and especially when you compare the profits you generate. The profits from paper books are hardly reaching 10% for the author, while the profits from the e-books are starting from 25% and may go up to 100%.
Ebooks are very flexible in their sizes and contents. You can create a 15 pages report or 3 pages practical Guide and send it as a gift or even sell it, if the information is in great demand. Later on, you can include those ebooks in your bonus section of the next products you are going to create.
One of the biggest advantages of the e-books is their huge role in the so called Viral Marketing strategy. Viral Marketing strategy is about delivering quality information to the customers for free. And here is the main advantage of the ebooks. They can be easily and instantly delivered to the customer at no cost.
The viral effect comes from the links inside the ebook. If the customers likes the information, delivered for free than there is very high probability that the links will be used and the subsequent sails will be completed.
There is endless opportunity lying in front of the ebooks. Let’s use them.
How to be a Well Informed Online Shopper
Online shopping in the United States equaled $65B in 2004, and predictions for 2008 expect that figure to rise to $117B. The internet can be a shopper's dream; however, you need to know how to shop safely and securely. Below are some considerations you should take into account before you make an online purchase.
Is the web site reputable?
If you are shopping on a site that you are not familiar with, take the time to do a little homework before you share any sensitive personal information. Check the site to see if there is a third-party seal of approval posted from a trusted source like the Better Business Bureau Online, or Trust-E. The stamp of approval from these organizations means the web site has agreed to be held to strict standards in how they handle personal information, as well as customer complaints.
Sites such as BizRate.com or Epinions.com may have information about various sites along with customer reviews. You can also enter the name of the web site or business into your favorite search engine to see what comes up. If someone has had a bad experience with the site, it may be mentioned in a user forum or consumer information site.
Is the web site using secure technology?
When information is transferred between your computer and the shopping site's server, it should be encrypted. If a shopping site's server uses encryption technology, your data will be scrambled and then unscrambled when it reaches the shopping site's server. Encryption prevents unscrupulous hackers from capturing the information during transmission.
There are two things to look for to ensure that your personal data will be encrypted.
· An icon of a small locked padlock will appear in the bottom right of your monitor's screen.
· The URL of the web page should begin with https, which also indicates that it is a secure web page.
Before you click on the checkout button, know your shipping costs.
A reputable site will make their shipping costs easy to find before you check out. To avoid any unpleasant surprises take the time to look for shipping rates. Data collected from surveys of online shopping experiences consistently show that the one thing online shoppers dislike above all is shipping charges. While it is unavoidable that you have to absorb the cost of shipping one way or another, smart retailers will try to keep these costs to a minimum. Sometimes they will do this creatively by offering you incentives to purchase more, to help offset their costs for discounted shipping charges.
Moreover, while reputable sites will have a liberal return policy in the event you are not happy with your merchandise, be aware that in most cases you will not be reimbursed for the shipping charges to return the item.
Understand the return policy.
Never purchase anything from a web site without reading the fine print - particularly the fine print about its return policy. Good retail sites will allow you to return items you are not completely happy with, but sometimes there are stipulations that you should be aware of before you order.
Is there a restocking fee? This charge can be anywhere from 5%-20% of an item's purchase price, and is meant to discourage customers from returning merchandise. In addition, make sure you know how much time you have to return an item in order to receive a refund. Some companies seem to allow an almost unlimited return window, but in some cases, it can be as little as one week after you receive your order. You may still be able to return an item after this period, but will only receive a store credit instead of a full refund.
Is the web site reputable?
If you are shopping on a site that you are not familiar with, take the time to do a little homework before you share any sensitive personal information. Check the site to see if there is a third-party seal of approval posted from a trusted source like the Better Business Bureau Online, or Trust-E. The stamp of approval from these organizations means the web site has agreed to be held to strict standards in how they handle personal information, as well as customer complaints.
Sites such as BizRate.com or Epinions.com may have information about various sites along with customer reviews. You can also enter the name of the web site or business into your favorite search engine to see what comes up. If someone has had a bad experience with the site, it may be mentioned in a user forum or consumer information site.
Is the web site using secure technology?
When information is transferred between your computer and the shopping site's server, it should be encrypted. If a shopping site's server uses encryption technology, your data will be scrambled and then unscrambled when it reaches the shopping site's server. Encryption prevents unscrupulous hackers from capturing the information during transmission.
There are two things to look for to ensure that your personal data will be encrypted.
· An icon of a small locked padlock will appear in the bottom right of your monitor's screen.
· The URL of the web page should begin with https, which also indicates that it is a secure web page.
Before you click on the checkout button, know your shipping costs.
A reputable site will make their shipping costs easy to find before you check out. To avoid any unpleasant surprises take the time to look for shipping rates. Data collected from surveys of online shopping experiences consistently show that the one thing online shoppers dislike above all is shipping charges. While it is unavoidable that you have to absorb the cost of shipping one way or another, smart retailers will try to keep these costs to a minimum. Sometimes they will do this creatively by offering you incentives to purchase more, to help offset their costs for discounted shipping charges.
Moreover, while reputable sites will have a liberal return policy in the event you are not happy with your merchandise, be aware that in most cases you will not be reimbursed for the shipping charges to return the item.
Understand the return policy.
Never purchase anything from a web site without reading the fine print - particularly the fine print about its return policy. Good retail sites will allow you to return items you are not completely happy with, but sometimes there are stipulations that you should be aware of before you order.
Is there a restocking fee? This charge can be anywhere from 5%-20% of an item's purchase price, and is meant to discourage customers from returning merchandise. In addition, make sure you know how much time you have to return an item in order to receive a refund. Some companies seem to allow an almost unlimited return window, but in some cases, it can be as little as one week after you receive your order. You may still be able to return an item after this period, but will only receive a store credit instead of a full refund.
The Proper Care And Feeding Of Your Merchant Account
Anyone who has every done a Google search for Merchant Accounts or something similar has discovered a plethora of websites with every available processing solution, coupled with promises of quick or instant approval, no upfront costs and “the lowest fees in the industry”. To the prospective merchant, it must seem that the industry is bowing down and begging for their business and will do anything to keep it. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The problem that prospective merchants face today is not obtaining a merchant account, it is KEEPING IT! As a bank card professional who has set up hundreds of merchants with accounts over the past 9 years I have seen many merchants lose their accounts simply because they did not pay attention to the requirements of their merchant agreement or didn’t think they meant what they said.
THE one biggest problem that I could point to, that causes merchant’s to lose their account or have their funds held, is processing outside the parameters of the account. In order to mitigate their risks, merchant service providers, specify a monthly processing limit, similar to the charge limit that is put on a credit card. There is also an average ticket size specified and sometimes a high ticket size. These parameters are designed to prevent the merchant from abusing his or her account, as well protecting both the merchant and the processor from losses due to chargebacks. Our company, Total Merchant Services, routinely reminds the merchant upon approval of the account of what the agreement specifies for their processing limitations and instructs them to contact the customer service department if they need to change the parameters. Sounds reasonable enough doesn’t it? Unfortunately some merchants either don’t pay attention or don’t think the words mean what they say.
It has been my experience that some merchant’s incorrectly think that if they put through a charge and it gets approved, that they are “good to go”. In fact a charge approval has no human interaction. The charge approval goes directly through a processing network, like Global Payments or Vital and is approved by the customer’s card issuing bank. If a customer has a $10,000 credit line and you put through a $7,000 charge you might well get an approval message back and settlement may likely occur, but if your merchant agreement was only approved for a high ticket of $1500 you can bet dollars to donuts that a red flag has gone off in the service provider’s Risk department and chances are your funding will be held. Do this on more than one occasion and you may find yourself without merchant services. Even worse you may be put on the Terminated Merchants File (TMF). If this occurs you will not be able to obtain a new merchant account elsewhere from any other provider.
If you are a merchant or prospective merchant do yourself a big favor, understand what your processing limitations are and stick within them. If you have a need to go behold your limits contact your merchant provider’s customer service or risk management department and let them know what you need. If you account is in good shape and shows few or no chargebacks or NSFs you will probably get approved for what you need. Remember that while merchant service providers make money off of you and other merchants, the industry as a whole looses hundreds of millions of dollars a year due to chargebacks, NSFs and other abuses. You merchant provider needs to protect itself from these losses as much as possible. Play it straight and prosper. Good selling to all!
The problem that prospective merchants face today is not obtaining a merchant account, it is KEEPING IT! As a bank card professional who has set up hundreds of merchants with accounts over the past 9 years I have seen many merchants lose their accounts simply because they did not pay attention to the requirements of their merchant agreement or didn’t think they meant what they said.
THE one biggest problem that I could point to, that causes merchant’s to lose their account or have their funds held, is processing outside the parameters of the account. In order to mitigate their risks, merchant service providers, specify a monthly processing limit, similar to the charge limit that is put on a credit card. There is also an average ticket size specified and sometimes a high ticket size. These parameters are designed to prevent the merchant from abusing his or her account, as well protecting both the merchant and the processor from losses due to chargebacks. Our company, Total Merchant Services, routinely reminds the merchant upon approval of the account of what the agreement specifies for their processing limitations and instructs them to contact the customer service department if they need to change the parameters. Sounds reasonable enough doesn’t it? Unfortunately some merchants either don’t pay attention or don’t think the words mean what they say.
It has been my experience that some merchant’s incorrectly think that if they put through a charge and it gets approved, that they are “good to go”. In fact a charge approval has no human interaction. The charge approval goes directly through a processing network, like Global Payments or Vital and is approved by the customer’s card issuing bank. If a customer has a $10,000 credit line and you put through a $7,000 charge you might well get an approval message back and settlement may likely occur, but if your merchant agreement was only approved for a high ticket of $1500 you can bet dollars to donuts that a red flag has gone off in the service provider’s Risk department and chances are your funding will be held. Do this on more than one occasion and you may find yourself without merchant services. Even worse you may be put on the Terminated Merchants File (TMF). If this occurs you will not be able to obtain a new merchant account elsewhere from any other provider.
If you are a merchant or prospective merchant do yourself a big favor, understand what your processing limitations are and stick within them. If you have a need to go behold your limits contact your merchant provider’s customer service or risk management department and let them know what you need. If you account is in good shape and shows few or no chargebacks or NSFs you will probably get approved for what you need. Remember that while merchant service providers make money off of you and other merchants, the industry as a whole looses hundreds of millions of dollars a year due to chargebacks, NSFs and other abuses. You merchant provider needs to protect itself from these losses as much as possible. Play it straight and prosper. Good selling to all!
6 Tips For Choosing The Perfect Shopping Cart
OK - Just What Is A Shopping Cart Supposed to Do?
Shopping carts are more commonly used as a way to display physical products, products like televisions, groceries, electronic equipment, clothes, and memorabilia, etc, NOT digital products. Shopping carts make it easy to cross-sell and up-sell your customers once they arrive at your store. Shopping carts typically handle the shipping and handling calculation, taxes and credit card processing. A good shopping cart handles all of these efficiently and securely.
Dynamic Operation
A good shopping cart program also creates dynamic order forms on the fly as the order takes place. The shopping cart should be totally dynamic; meaning it only executes code and retrieves products, images, and product descriptions from your database when your customers request it. During the checkout process it should also calculate shipping/handling and taxes for you.
Real-Time Credit Card Processing
Powerful CGI, PHP, CFM, ASP, etc, scripting, processes commands for you on secure servers when your customers place their orders. Don't get this confused with credit card processing. What I'm speaking of here is the passing of your customers' order information from a secure form, to your merchant or payment processor, using one of the scripting languages above. Your payment processor or merchant, like PayPal, 2CheckOut, or Authorize.Net will then process the credit card. If you don't currently have a merchant or payment processor, and you are going to be selling online, then you NEED one.
Usability
You can choose what options you want your customer to see. For instance, you can choose to display a search form on your shopping cart. A search form allows your customers to search your store for items by keyword or product name, etc. You can choose to display options like color, size and quantity, and even adjust the price based on the customer's selection. These are called options. Your shopping cart should also allow you to upload images of your products as well.
Stand-Alone -vs- Hosted Shopping Carts
However, you CAN purchase standalone shopping cart software or services. The stand alone software, of course, requires skill and expertise to install it on your web host or on your own server. Some of the shopping cart services, although it may not seem like it at first, limit you as to what you can and cannot do. These services are most commonly offered by web hosts as a way to entice you to host your site with them. When using these types of services, remember, you're locked into using that web host when you opt to use their shopping cart service. Your business is not portable and becomes a part of that web host. Make sure there is a simple export process that allows you to easily download your website and shopping cart if you no longer wish to use their services. In my opinion, the best option is to use a shopping cart that runs from your own website, independent of your web host. Both Prowebware and stand-alone shopping cart applications run from YOUR website, giving you both control and flexibility.
So, Which Is The Right System For You?
Choosing a shopping cart boils down to 4 things:
1 Your Budget - Is FREE your only option or are you serious about your business?
2 Your Skill-level - Do you have the expertise to edit & install scripts on your server?
3 Desired Functionality - Want a professional results oriented system or a display case?
4 Time - Have time to take away from your business to shape and mold a new program?
Whatever you decide, your cart should also permit you to follow-up with your customers automatically and even instantly auto-subscribe them to your mailing list.
To implement most out-of-the-box applications, you will need to know how to edit PHP, HTML, or ASP code and how to set up a MySQL database on your server for dynamic operation. Then, with some, all you need to know is how to copy/paste some simple code to your existing web pages or the template you're using. The system should also include some type of easy help or instructions, like an HTML file or contextual help menus that walk you through setting up your new cart.
Shopping carts are more commonly used as a way to display physical products, products like televisions, groceries, electronic equipment, clothes, and memorabilia, etc, NOT digital products. Shopping carts make it easy to cross-sell and up-sell your customers once they arrive at your store. Shopping carts typically handle the shipping and handling calculation, taxes and credit card processing. A good shopping cart handles all of these efficiently and securely.
Dynamic Operation
A good shopping cart program also creates dynamic order forms on the fly as the order takes place. The shopping cart should be totally dynamic; meaning it only executes code and retrieves products, images, and product descriptions from your database when your customers request it. During the checkout process it should also calculate shipping/handling and taxes for you.
Real-Time Credit Card Processing
Powerful CGI, PHP, CFM, ASP, etc, scripting, processes commands for you on secure servers when your customers place their orders. Don't get this confused with credit card processing. What I'm speaking of here is the passing of your customers' order information from a secure form, to your merchant or payment processor, using one of the scripting languages above. Your payment processor or merchant, like PayPal, 2CheckOut, or Authorize.Net will then process the credit card. If you don't currently have a merchant or payment processor, and you are going to be selling online, then you NEED one.
Usability
You can choose what options you want your customer to see. For instance, you can choose to display a search form on your shopping cart. A search form allows your customers to search your store for items by keyword or product name, etc. You can choose to display options like color, size and quantity, and even adjust the price based on the customer's selection. These are called options. Your shopping cart should also allow you to upload images of your products as well.
Stand-Alone -vs- Hosted Shopping Carts
However, you CAN purchase standalone shopping cart software or services. The stand alone software, of course, requires skill and expertise to install it on your web host or on your own server. Some of the shopping cart services, although it may not seem like it at first, limit you as to what you can and cannot do. These services are most commonly offered by web hosts as a way to entice you to host your site with them. When using these types of services, remember, you're locked into using that web host when you opt to use their shopping cart service. Your business is not portable and becomes a part of that web host. Make sure there is a simple export process that allows you to easily download your website and shopping cart if you no longer wish to use their services. In my opinion, the best option is to use a shopping cart that runs from your own website, independent of your web host. Both Prowebware and stand-alone shopping cart applications run from YOUR website, giving you both control and flexibility.
So, Which Is The Right System For You?
Choosing a shopping cart boils down to 4 things:
1 Your Budget - Is FREE your only option or are you serious about your business?
2 Your Skill-level - Do you have the expertise to edit & install scripts on your server?
3 Desired Functionality - Want a professional results oriented system or a display case?
4 Time - Have time to take away from your business to shape and mold a new program?
Whatever you decide, your cart should also permit you to follow-up with your customers automatically and even instantly auto-subscribe them to your mailing list.
To implement most out-of-the-box applications, you will need to know how to edit PHP, HTML, or ASP code and how to set up a MySQL database on your server for dynamic operation. Then, with some, all you need to know is how to copy/paste some simple code to your existing web pages or the template you're using. The system should also include some type of easy help or instructions, like an HTML file or contextual help menus that walk you through setting up your new cart.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Internet Merchant Services
As the name suggests, Internet merchant accounts enable a merchant to accept credit payments online. The primary criteria for this is a merchant should have an account with any financial institution or bank. This is necessary to accept credit card payments that are deposited to this account.
It is important to point out that most local financial institutions or banks do not usually provide for Internet merchant accounts. This is because direct face-to-face transactions involve the customer's signature, while online transactions may sometimes result in credit frauds. In this case, as an alternative there are many acquiring institutions that can assist you in setting up these accounts. If you utilize the services of the acquiring institutions, you must make sure that the account can access any of these networks: EDS, Nova, Vital, First Data Merchant Services, Norwest or Paymentech. Also, keep in mind that these financial or acquiring institutions charge a fee for their services. Some may charge a monthly fee, as well as a monthly statement fee. All institutions charge a percentage of the transaction.
Before a credit payment is actually made, the customer's credit card information needs to be validated. There is a code that checks credit card numbers, credit card types, expiration dates and payment amounts. Aside from validating information, the code also enables acceptance of this information.
Whatever acquiring institution you choose, make sure that there is adequate fraud protection. Since transactions are online, you will also need a website. If you search the net, you will come across many websites providing online merchant transaction services.
It is important to point out that most local financial institutions or banks do not usually provide for Internet merchant accounts. This is because direct face-to-face transactions involve the customer's signature, while online transactions may sometimes result in credit frauds. In this case, as an alternative there are many acquiring institutions that can assist you in setting up these accounts. If you utilize the services of the acquiring institutions, you must make sure that the account can access any of these networks: EDS, Nova, Vital, First Data Merchant Services, Norwest or Paymentech. Also, keep in mind that these financial or acquiring institutions charge a fee for their services. Some may charge a monthly fee, as well as a monthly statement fee. All institutions charge a percentage of the transaction.
Before a credit payment is actually made, the customer's credit card information needs to be validated. There is a code that checks credit card numbers, credit card types, expiration dates and payment amounts. Aside from validating information, the code also enables acceptance of this information.
Whatever acquiring institution you choose, make sure that there is adequate fraud protection. Since transactions are online, you will also need a website. If you search the net, you will come across many websites providing online merchant transaction services.
Merchant Account Services
Check out any store and you will find that people no longer find it viable to make payments in cash. The preferred mode of payment is the debit card or the credit card. No matter what your business, the best way to stay ahead is to give the customers the ease of making the payment in the mode they choose. This means if they don’t want to pay cash, you must have the provisions to accept credit card payments. In fact studies have shown that accepting credit payments can increase your sales manifold. To accept credit card payments, you will need an online merchant account with a bank, financial institution, or acquiring institutions. All these institutions charge a minimal amount of fees for their services, but then the fee is well worth the improvement in your business.
Your financial or acquiring institution should be able to provide a number of services. First and foremost they should be able to provide you personalized services in setting up your account. Your merchant account should have facilities for online trading, as also taking orders on the phone.
Now, suppose your business is an online store. This means, your customers can make orders merely by the click of a mouse. They can make their payments online through credit card. For this, there will be a form in which they will submit their details including that of their credit card. To accept online payment, you can link your account to any of the Internet gateway solution providers, which include Verisign, Orbital, or Fast Transact. You can link your order forms to these gateway companies, who will then process the transactions.
Then there is the phone line processing services. That means the customers can dial a toll free number, and provide the requisite information based on the voice prompts.
Another service is the POS (Credit card service), which enables you to take orders over the phone and fax and process them through a terminal machine.
You also have the option of a computer software program that can store your customer’s details, as these are beneficial for recurring payments.
Your financial or acquiring institution should be able to provide a number of services. First and foremost they should be able to provide you personalized services in setting up your account. Your merchant account should have facilities for online trading, as also taking orders on the phone.
Now, suppose your business is an online store. This means, your customers can make orders merely by the click of a mouse. They can make their payments online through credit card. For this, there will be a form in which they will submit their details including that of their credit card. To accept online payment, you can link your account to any of the Internet gateway solution providers, which include Verisign, Orbital, or Fast Transact. You can link your order forms to these gateway companies, who will then process the transactions.
Then there is the phone line processing services. That means the customers can dial a toll free number, and provide the requisite information based on the voice prompts.
Another service is the POS (Credit card service), which enables you to take orders over the phone and fax and process them through a terminal machine.
You also have the option of a computer software program that can store your customer’s details, as these are beneficial for recurring payments.
Merchant Credit Card Services
Studies have shown that you can increase your business sales manifold if you accept credit card payments from your customers. This is because most people are not like to carry cash around, and so using their debit card or credit card is their preferred mode of payment. Suppose, you own an online store where people can make orders by the click of the mouse. It follows naturally that you should be also in a position to accept credit card payments online. Then there may be situations where the people would prefer to make their orders by phone. There are companies that give a toll free number and the people can place their orders and give their credit card information based on voice prompts.
To accept credit card payments, you need to have an online merchant account with any financial institution, bank, or acquiring institutions. These institutions will deposit the money accepted through a website into your account. Apart from getting a merchant account, you must also get a payment gateway. As the name itself suggests, the payment gateway is a gateway, actually a code, which processes and validates the credit card information by sending the information provided to the credit card company and gets an accept or decline message. On getting the accept message, the gateway then transmits the amount from the website to the merchant account.
Address verification is the most important aspect of credit card services, as it is essential to fight against credit card fraud. Some credit card companies ask for the CID or the credit card identification digits.
Software such as the IC Verify (DOS winpopup), PCAuthorize (Windows), or MacAuthorize (Mac) These software are required to process the credit cards.
As a merchant, you can accept credit card information on your own website or on the website of the acquiring institutions, with whom you have your merchant account. These institutions charge a nominal fee for their services, but the increase in sales is well worth the investment.
To accept credit card payments, you need to have an online merchant account with any financial institution, bank, or acquiring institutions. These institutions will deposit the money accepted through a website into your account. Apart from getting a merchant account, you must also get a payment gateway. As the name itself suggests, the payment gateway is a gateway, actually a code, which processes and validates the credit card information by sending the information provided to the credit card company and gets an accept or decline message. On getting the accept message, the gateway then transmits the amount from the website to the merchant account.
Address verification is the most important aspect of credit card services, as it is essential to fight against credit card fraud. Some credit card companies ask for the CID or the credit card identification digits.
Software such as the IC Verify (DOS winpopup), PCAuthorize (Windows), or MacAuthorize (Mac) These software are required to process the credit cards.
As a merchant, you can accept credit card information on your own website or on the website of the acquiring institutions, with whom you have your merchant account. These institutions charge a nominal fee for their services, but the increase in sales is well worth the investment.
Merchant Service Providers
You can improve your business sales by accepting credit or debit card payments. This is mainly because carrying cards is both more practical and safe, and people prefer to pay for their purchases through cards rather than cash. Apart from paying in person, when customers actually visit the store, they can also buy goods and services online through the Internet, or also by phone or fax. Imagine losing your sales all because you did not have the means to accept credit card payments. Going by the advantages of accepting credit payments, it only makes sense that you accept credit payments.
For this, you need to have an Internet Merchant account. Customers can then submit their payment online or by phone. The process is relatively simple. You can open your merchant account in any financial institution, bank or an acquiring institution. To understand how the process works, you need to keep in mind that between the customer and merchant there exists a payment gateway, which not only validates the authenticity of the credit card, but also transmits the payment to the merchant account.
Merchant service providers consist of two organizations: one is the credit card processing company that processes the credit card payments and the other is the merchant account service provider. The Merchant service provider companies can provide services for web solutions, mobile solutions, retail solutions, and MOTO solutions.
The merchant service provider companies accept credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. They also accept echecks. This means you can transfer money from one account to the other-either in the same bank or in another bank. You can also utilize their services to monitor all transactions that take place through your website. Apart from accepting credit cards, these organizations also accept payment through gift cards, signature debits, and Internet auctions. Their services are designed to secure sensitive customer information and prevent any fraudulent transactions
For this, you need to have an Internet Merchant account. Customers can then submit their payment online or by phone. The process is relatively simple. You can open your merchant account in any financial institution, bank or an acquiring institution. To understand how the process works, you need to keep in mind that between the customer and merchant there exists a payment gateway, which not only validates the authenticity of the credit card, but also transmits the payment to the merchant account.
Merchant service providers consist of two organizations: one is the credit card processing company that processes the credit card payments and the other is the merchant account service provider. The Merchant service provider companies can provide services for web solutions, mobile solutions, retail solutions, and MOTO solutions.
The merchant service provider companies accept credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. They also accept echecks. This means you can transfer money from one account to the other-either in the same bank or in another bank. You can also utilize their services to monitor all transactions that take place through your website. Apart from accepting credit cards, these organizations also accept payment through gift cards, signature debits, and Internet auctions. Their services are designed to secure sensitive customer information and prevent any fraudulent transactions
Merchant Services
In times of fast paced business solutions, the concept of E-Commerce is fast gaining momentum. The term basically refers to conducting and accepting payments online through the Internet. Even if you do not have an online store, you can increase your business sales by accepting credit card payments. This is because you may have customers who prefer making their payments by credit cards. To accept payments through credit cards, you will need a merchant account in any financial institution and the services of an Internet gateway provider organization. Processed payments will be deposited in your merchant account.
To connect to the gateway account, your company website will need some technical modifications to accept credit payments. The web developer will add an order for to a shopping cart, where a customer can add personal details as well as credit card information.
As a part of the merchant services, the gateway organization will validate the credit card information by sending the details to a credit card provider company. After the validation, the gateway will receive an acceptance or decline message depending on the authenticity of the information. The message will be displayed on the screen. After getting the acceptance message, the payment will be transmitted to the merchant account.
These payment gateways provide payment solutions to web merchants, telephone order merchants, retail and mobile merchants. Web merchants can connect to the gateways through server-to-server connection for submitting transactions to the payment gateway.
There is also the Simple Integration Method(SIM). Here, the gateway monitors the entire transaction process data collection, data procession and response to the merchant. On the other hand, the retail merchants can purchase certified, ready-to-install POS(Point of Sale) solution or a device that is integrated to the gateway organization.
To connect to the gateway account, your company website will need some technical modifications to accept credit payments. The web developer will add an order for to a shopping cart, where a customer can add personal details as well as credit card information.
As a part of the merchant services, the gateway organization will validate the credit card information by sending the details to a credit card provider company. After the validation, the gateway will receive an acceptance or decline message depending on the authenticity of the information. The message will be displayed on the screen. After getting the acceptance message, the payment will be transmitted to the merchant account.
These payment gateways provide payment solutions to web merchants, telephone order merchants, retail and mobile merchants. Web merchants can connect to the gateways through server-to-server connection for submitting transactions to the payment gateway.
There is also the Simple Integration Method(SIM). Here, the gateway monitors the entire transaction process data collection, data procession and response to the merchant. On the other hand, the retail merchants can purchase certified, ready-to-install POS(Point of Sale) solution or a device that is integrated to the gateway organization.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
How Escrow Service Helps in Export Import Trade
Escrow payment service ensures that seller gets paid for shipment and buyer receives what has been ordered for. Thus, it reduces potential risk of fraud by acting as a trusted third party that collects, holds and disburses funds according to buyer and seller instructions. Escrow services are provided by licensed and regulated escrow agents.
Escrow is well suited for small to medium value merchandise or intellectual property where conventional payment system (e.g. letter of credit) is either unsuitable or un-economic. It is typically used for items purchased on auction sites, small value shipments, domain names, source code etc.
Tell me one good application of Escrow for Exporters
Exporters can use escrow for collecting payment of small export shipment where buyer is unwilling to pay in advance and Letter of Credit is an expensive option.
It is frequently used for first-time transaction where buyer and seller are conducting business for the first time (consequently mutual trust level low) and the value of shipment is small.
Another area is collection of payment for samples that exporters send for approval. Still, a third area could be payment for domain name or source code for service exporters, specially in software export.
For exporter, escrow is safer than receiving payment through credit card, as there is no scope for 'chargeback'. For importer, paying by credit card to an unknown party always entails some risk. A credible intermediary can help buyer and seller to start business and build trust in each other.
How Seller is Protected
The financial risk of seller in an international transaction is greatly reduced in escrow payment as buyer has to deposit the agreed value of shipment with escrow before seller ships the ordered product. So, seller knows buyer has capacity to pay and has already paid for the shipment.
How Buyer is Protected
Escrow service tracks the shipped merchandise and verifies that it has been delivered to buyer. Buyer then has an inspection period to check the merchandise and decide its acceptability. The seller isn't paid until the buyer accepts the merchandise, or the inspection period expires.
What Happens If Buyer Refuses to Accept the Merchandise ?
Different escrow services may follow slightly different procedure in this respect - I am describing below a typical one:
If the buyer is not satisfied with the merchandise, he/she can inform escrow service that the goods will be returned to the seller. It is now the responsibility of buyer to ship the merchandise back to seller in good condition and pay seller his/her cost of shipment.
The seller has an inspection period to verify that the returned goods are in original condition. After the seller has confirmed the receipt and that the condition of the goods are to his/her satisfaction, escrow will return buyer's funds after deducting seller's shipping costs and the escrow fees. The seller will then be reimbursed for his/her shipping costs.
So, in the instance of buyer refusing to accept merchandise, he/she will have to bear the cost of shipping back the merchandise to seller, reimburse seller his/her shipping cost and pay escrow fee.
If the buyer fails to inform escrow of his/her decision within the inspection period - escrow service will make the payment to the seller.
Escrow is well suited for small to medium value merchandise or intellectual property where conventional payment system (e.g. letter of credit) is either unsuitable or un-economic. It is typically used for items purchased on auction sites, small value shipments, domain names, source code etc.
Tell me one good application of Escrow for Exporters
Exporters can use escrow for collecting payment of small export shipment where buyer is unwilling to pay in advance and Letter of Credit is an expensive option.
It is frequently used for first-time transaction where buyer and seller are conducting business for the first time (consequently mutual trust level low) and the value of shipment is small.
Another area is collection of payment for samples that exporters send for approval. Still, a third area could be payment for domain name or source code for service exporters, specially in software export.
For exporter, escrow is safer than receiving payment through credit card, as there is no scope for 'chargeback'. For importer, paying by credit card to an unknown party always entails some risk. A credible intermediary can help buyer and seller to start business and build trust in each other.
How Seller is Protected
The financial risk of seller in an international transaction is greatly reduced in escrow payment as buyer has to deposit the agreed value of shipment with escrow before seller ships the ordered product. So, seller knows buyer has capacity to pay and has already paid for the shipment.
How Buyer is Protected
Escrow service tracks the shipped merchandise and verifies that it has been delivered to buyer. Buyer then has an inspection period to check the merchandise and decide its acceptability. The seller isn't paid until the buyer accepts the merchandise, or the inspection period expires.
What Happens If Buyer Refuses to Accept the Merchandise ?
Different escrow services may follow slightly different procedure in this respect - I am describing below a typical one:
If the buyer is not satisfied with the merchandise, he/she can inform escrow service that the goods will be returned to the seller. It is now the responsibility of buyer to ship the merchandise back to seller in good condition and pay seller his/her cost of shipment.
The seller has an inspection period to verify that the returned goods are in original condition. After the seller has confirmed the receipt and that the condition of the goods are to his/her satisfaction, escrow will return buyer's funds after deducting seller's shipping costs and the escrow fees. The seller will then be reimbursed for his/her shipping costs.
So, in the instance of buyer refusing to accept merchandise, he/she will have to bear the cost of shipping back the merchandise to seller, reimburse seller his/her shipping cost and pay escrow fee.
If the buyer fails to inform escrow of his/her decision within the inspection period - escrow service will make the payment to the seller.
How to Accept Online Payments - the Easy Way
The hard way requires you set up a merchant bank account and then sign up, at quite some considerable expense, to accept online payments on your account. Not only will you have to pay a percentage of each payment you receive, but there is often a monthly charge for running the account too. If you start getting into big figures, you may even find that the bank holds back a sum of money due to you for chargebacks.
A chargeback is where a buyer asks for their money back – either due to fraud or because they are unhappy with the product you have supplied. There are stories of some companies holding back large sums of money to cover the cost of chargebacks.
That’s the hard way!
Now for the easy way.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past five years, you'll have heard of Paypal. It's easy to set up and account to take payment for goods, downloadable Ebooks and subscriptions without the need to set up a merchant account.
This online payment system is the quickest and easiest way to accept payment online with cards such as Visa, Mastercard and Maestro on your site. It's easy to open a Paypal account and start accepting payment online immediately.
A chargeback is where a buyer asks for their money back – either due to fraud or because they are unhappy with the product you have supplied. There are stories of some companies holding back large sums of money to cover the cost of chargebacks.
That’s the hard way!
Now for the easy way.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past five years, you'll have heard of Paypal. It's easy to set up and account to take payment for goods, downloadable Ebooks and subscriptions without the need to set up a merchant account.
This online payment system is the quickest and easiest way to accept payment online with cards such as Visa, Mastercard and Maestro on your site. It's easy to open a Paypal account and start accepting payment online immediately.
A-Z Of An Online Business - Professional Methods That Worked For Professionals
Ever wondered why some sites make it without using the caveman techniques that are taught so widely on the internet. Its because they know the tried and tested methods of advertising and marketing that can create a hype about your site in its own world -- offline and online. I started using the internet before Google was even a recognized search engine. eBay was just a little site not much different then one I can put together in a couple of days, and I watched the internet go from what it was then to what it is today. There have been ups, and there have been downs, but there have been general trends and key things to remember that made the whole experience more profitable and enjoyable, and without further rambling, I’m going to get started.
PERCEPTION
When trying to do business on the internet, the ways people perceive your site and you as a business are key. It can mean the difference between a customer that thinks twice before ordering from you and a customer who impulsively buys, without thinking. Go ask any sales team in the world, and they’ll tell you that a sale today is better then the promise of 10 tomorrow.
Building an online business that people look at in a favorable way is infinitely easier than opening up say a store, or franchise. All you need to do is have a nice looking website, and one person can run the entire operation, as opposed to having to put a huge amount of money into the looks and employment before even making a single sale. The customers don’t need to know that, and if you do what you promise, they won’t care. So because of this you have to understand that if you put an amount of work into your website, which will be your main salesfield, expect that amount of work to be directly reflected in your sales. What I mean is if you put together a website in 2 hours and when its all together you go around telling people to visit yoursite.freesites.biz.com then not many people are going to take you seriously. But if you take some time, maybe map out your website first using the old pen and paper method, and take time in setting up your graphics and content, people will actually come to your website and be impressed, both consciously and non-consciously.
So how much of that didn’t you know already? You probably knew most of it, and if not, this is the first eBook you’ve read! But the fact still remains that even though you’ve heard it over and over, most websites out there are shabbily put together because people are looking to make money quickly, and that doesn’t work.
SET ASIDE TIME, AND DO YOUR WORK SET ASIDE 30 MINUTE BLOCKS OF WORK THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY
Don’t stop during the 30 minutes, I mean, come on, 30 minutes isn’t a long time. But at the same time, even if you feel like you are up to it, don’t spend MORE than 30 minutes at a time on your site.
YOUR WEBSITE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR ONLINE PRESENSE. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A WEBSITE (www.yourdomain.com) THAT YOU HAVE PUT AT LEAST 6 HOURS OF WORK INTO THEN YOU NEED TO DO THAT ASAP.
Go to godaddy.com and register a domain. Use the coupon code ‘saveten’ to get a 10% discount on your order. Now go to dreamhost.com and use the coupon code ‘moesdeals’ to get up to 65$ off your order. Order hosting and get your domain setup, if you don’t have the money to do this, then MAKE THE MONEY. Without your own domain you will have a definite disadvantage in making money.
SEARCH ENGINES After you have your domain and your hosting, you can start thinking about content, and search engine optimization. Now, a lot of people rush into this stage of things thinking they’ll just fill up their site with so much stuff that people coming to the site won’t be able to leave because they’ll never be able to finish reading everything. This is the WRONG way to look at things, at least in 2006. In earlier years, this kind of info stuffing would have got you a high ranking on search engines, and you wouldn’t have had any problems with getting people to your site. But now with all the annoyances of pop-ups and banners and flashing ads, people like to go to a site and see what they want to see – the site. Your logo should stand out and be done in a light soft shade. Except for some exceptions, use soft colors like a dull yellow, a light grey and dull orange. Colors like these will make people associate your website with feelings of happiness, success and bliss in their head and they will find it easier on their eyes to spend more time browsing your site. Notice the popularity of Google as a search engine came just as all the search engines on the internet started filling their pages up with advertising? Google came out with a site that was and still is as simple as ever. A logo at the top with the search bar in the middle, and although it wasn’t a very pretty site, it gave people the most functionality from the site because they came to search and it was easy to do so. So they came back. If Google started off their site as a small search bar among a sea of ads like the other search engines were doing, then it would be in no better of a position then HotBot.com, askjeeves.com and Altavista.com are. Sure these are good websites, but they aren’t the ones who had a stock quadruple in its first year. So the point here is that use colors that do not jump from the page, and make sure that the intent of your site is clear and centered. Use pictures as much as you can, and use small slogans and small sentences more on your homepage then long paragraphs and the like. There are other pages on your site for that kind of mumbo jumbo, this isn’t it.
PERCEPTION
When trying to do business on the internet, the ways people perceive your site and you as a business are key. It can mean the difference between a customer that thinks twice before ordering from you and a customer who impulsively buys, without thinking. Go ask any sales team in the world, and they’ll tell you that a sale today is better then the promise of 10 tomorrow.
Building an online business that people look at in a favorable way is infinitely easier than opening up say a store, or franchise. All you need to do is have a nice looking website, and one person can run the entire operation, as opposed to having to put a huge amount of money into the looks and employment before even making a single sale. The customers don’t need to know that, and if you do what you promise, they won’t care. So because of this you have to understand that if you put an amount of work into your website, which will be your main salesfield, expect that amount of work to be directly reflected in your sales. What I mean is if you put together a website in 2 hours and when its all together you go around telling people to visit yoursite.freesites.biz.com then not many people are going to take you seriously. But if you take some time, maybe map out your website first using the old pen and paper method, and take time in setting up your graphics and content, people will actually come to your website and be impressed, both consciously and non-consciously.
So how much of that didn’t you know already? You probably knew most of it, and if not, this is the first eBook you’ve read! But the fact still remains that even though you’ve heard it over and over, most websites out there are shabbily put together because people are looking to make money quickly, and that doesn’t work.
SET ASIDE TIME, AND DO YOUR WORK SET ASIDE 30 MINUTE BLOCKS OF WORK THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY
Don’t stop during the 30 minutes, I mean, come on, 30 minutes isn’t a long time. But at the same time, even if you feel like you are up to it, don’t spend MORE than 30 minutes at a time on your site.
YOUR WEBSITE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR ONLINE PRESENSE. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A WEBSITE (www.yourdomain.com) THAT YOU HAVE PUT AT LEAST 6 HOURS OF WORK INTO THEN YOU NEED TO DO THAT ASAP.
Go to godaddy.com and register a domain. Use the coupon code ‘saveten’ to get a 10% discount on your order. Now go to dreamhost.com and use the coupon code ‘moesdeals’ to get up to 65$ off your order. Order hosting and get your domain setup, if you don’t have the money to do this, then MAKE THE MONEY. Without your own domain you will have a definite disadvantage in making money.
SEARCH ENGINES After you have your domain and your hosting, you can start thinking about content, and search engine optimization. Now, a lot of people rush into this stage of things thinking they’ll just fill up their site with so much stuff that people coming to the site won’t be able to leave because they’ll never be able to finish reading everything. This is the WRONG way to look at things, at least in 2006. In earlier years, this kind of info stuffing would have got you a high ranking on search engines, and you wouldn’t have had any problems with getting people to your site. But now with all the annoyances of pop-ups and banners and flashing ads, people like to go to a site and see what they want to see – the site. Your logo should stand out and be done in a light soft shade. Except for some exceptions, use soft colors like a dull yellow, a light grey and dull orange. Colors like these will make people associate your website with feelings of happiness, success and bliss in their head and they will find it easier on their eyes to spend more time browsing your site. Notice the popularity of Google as a search engine came just as all the search engines on the internet started filling their pages up with advertising? Google came out with a site that was and still is as simple as ever. A logo at the top with the search bar in the middle, and although it wasn’t a very pretty site, it gave people the most functionality from the site because they came to search and it was easy to do so. So they came back. If Google started off their site as a small search bar among a sea of ads like the other search engines were doing, then it would be in no better of a position then HotBot.com, askjeeves.com and Altavista.com are. Sure these are good websites, but they aren’t the ones who had a stock quadruple in its first year. So the point here is that use colors that do not jump from the page, and make sure that the intent of your site is clear and centered. Use pictures as much as you can, and use small slogans and small sentences more on your homepage then long paragraphs and the like. There are other pages on your site for that kind of mumbo jumbo, this isn’t it.
Finding Drop Shippers is no Secret
Some people who sell items online use drop shippers. Drop shippers are people who have a product to sell and allow you to sell it for them. They often offer the product to you at a lower price so that you can make some profit off of the sale as well. They will ask you to either email, fax, phone in or order the product from their site. Then they will ship the product to your customer for you. Most of the time the drop shipper will send the package with your information instead of their own as a courtesy to you so that their customers don’t know that the product was drop shipped and also so that the customer has your information for returns and other customer service issues.
Finding drop shippers is really no secret. There’s no need to purchase an e-book or other “list” just to find a drop shipper. Here’s how I found products to sell…
1. I “Googled” for the product that I was looking for and added “wholesale” to the search. For example, you would search for “widgets wholesale”.
2. When I found the widgets that I thought would sell really well I looked for drop shipping policies on the website. They can usually be found under “wholesale” if they don’t have a link of their own. If they were listed, great! If not, a quick simple email to the site owner was all that was necessary.It’s REALLY that easy! There are some things that you need to be aware of when using drop shippers. They more often than not, charge you a fee. This could be higher shipping or just an extra amount added to each order. Check to make sure you can still profit with this fee included. Ask for references! Just because they say they are a drop shipper doesn’t mean that they will actually ship the product and offer you the customer service that you and YOUR customer deserve. Be sure to find out everything you can about the drop shipper that you would like to use and read any fine print.
Finding drop shippers is really no secret. There’s no need to purchase an e-book or other “list” just to find a drop shipper. Here’s how I found products to sell…
1. I “Googled” for the product that I was looking for and added “wholesale” to the search. For example, you would search for “widgets wholesale”.
2. When I found the widgets that I thought would sell really well I looked for drop shipping policies on the website. They can usually be found under “wholesale” if they don’t have a link of their own. If they were listed, great! If not, a quick simple email to the site owner was all that was necessary.It’s REALLY that easy! There are some things that you need to be aware of when using drop shippers. They more often than not, charge you a fee. This could be higher shipping or just an extra amount added to each order. Check to make sure you can still profit with this fee included. Ask for references! Just because they say they are a drop shipper doesn’t mean that they will actually ship the product and offer you the customer service that you and YOUR customer deserve. Be sure to find out everything you can about the drop shipper that you would like to use and read any fine print.
Ok, I Have a Product-Now What?
You believed that the whispering dude from the movie Field of Dreams was speaking directly to you. “If you build it, they will come”. You wrote, coded, or designed your own product. You created a killer web site and your “Buy Here” button is just ready to take a beating.
So, now here you are staring at your stats, checking on your PayPal account once every 5 minutes. Nothing. “Just give it a few minutes”, you think to yourself…after all, the whispering dude was speaking to me.
Ok, perhaps I am exaggerating a smidge here…but have you felt something like this before? Have you been in a position where you had a product you thought was going to crush the market and you opened your “doors” to an avalanche of nothing?
No sweat kid. You won’t have been the first. And even if you haven’t been in this position before, if you have a product you want to take to market there are some things you need to do to get traffic and sales. We’re going to discuss a few here.
The first thing you should have done is prepared your opt-in list for the upcoming release weeks in advance. These are already folks that you have a relationship with and by communicating with them over the course of several weeks you will build a “buzz” around your product.
Now don’t go emailing them every time you fix a typo but keep them in the loop on major milestones and points of interest.
When it comes time to flip the switch these good customers will come calling. Even if your list is relatively small by most standards, you can leverage the folks that have already said, “Hey, I trust you and look forward to what you have to say”.
Another critical component is to let other people carry you on their backs a little. Doesn’t sound all that enjoyable for them but when you throw a little money their way it makes a difference. You NEED your own affiliate program. By offering folks a percentage of your profits for selling your product you will increase your chances of success dramatically.
If you’re cringing about parting with a piece of the action think about it like this…”What’s better”? 50% of 100 sales or 100% of zero sales? I think you get the gist. And setting up an affiliate program is so easy these days…not like it used to be. There are scripts and software for those die hard do it yourselfers or you can go the subscription route and pay monthly for a provider to host your program for you.
So we agree that having affiliates is a great way to boost traffic and sales. Now let’s take this affiliate concept up about ten notches. Add Super Affiliates and or JV Partners into your arsenal. Supers/JV’s are going to be folks with decent to gargantuan sized lists. To make this palatable to these folks you’re going to have to dig a little deeper into your pocket by offering a larger percentage of the gate.
If you’re short sighted that may sound unappealing, but if your Super/JV partners have massive lists they can make you more money in days (even after their take) then you could have made alone in months. If you don’t have the confidence to approach the Big Boys for this kind of thing then go after many folks with lists of 10-20 thousand opt-ins. Get 10 of those and you have 100-200 thousand targeted prospects getting an eyeful of your product.
Just an FYI on the Big Boys though. If you have a product that is worthwhile don’t be afraid to contact them and make a proposal. These folks are real people just like anyone else and many of them are extremely open to opportunities. It is amazing what you can accomplish in this arena if you actually ask.
There are certainly more ways to ensure you aren’t experiencing zero salesitis after you released your latest and greatest, but these simple strategies will get you a terrific jumpstart.
So, now here you are staring at your stats, checking on your PayPal account once every 5 minutes. Nothing. “Just give it a few minutes”, you think to yourself…after all, the whispering dude was speaking to me.
Ok, perhaps I am exaggerating a smidge here…but have you felt something like this before? Have you been in a position where you had a product you thought was going to crush the market and you opened your “doors” to an avalanche of nothing?
No sweat kid. You won’t have been the first. And even if you haven’t been in this position before, if you have a product you want to take to market there are some things you need to do to get traffic and sales. We’re going to discuss a few here.
The first thing you should have done is prepared your opt-in list for the upcoming release weeks in advance. These are already folks that you have a relationship with and by communicating with them over the course of several weeks you will build a “buzz” around your product.
Now don’t go emailing them every time you fix a typo but keep them in the loop on major milestones and points of interest.
When it comes time to flip the switch these good customers will come calling. Even if your list is relatively small by most standards, you can leverage the folks that have already said, “Hey, I trust you and look forward to what you have to say”.
Another critical component is to let other people carry you on their backs a little. Doesn’t sound all that enjoyable for them but when you throw a little money their way it makes a difference. You NEED your own affiliate program. By offering folks a percentage of your profits for selling your product you will increase your chances of success dramatically.
If you’re cringing about parting with a piece of the action think about it like this…”What’s better”? 50% of 100 sales or 100% of zero sales? I think you get the gist. And setting up an affiliate program is so easy these days…not like it used to be. There are scripts and software for those die hard do it yourselfers or you can go the subscription route and pay monthly for a provider to host your program for you.
So we agree that having affiliates is a great way to boost traffic and sales. Now let’s take this affiliate concept up about ten notches. Add Super Affiliates and or JV Partners into your arsenal. Supers/JV’s are going to be folks with decent to gargantuan sized lists. To make this palatable to these folks you’re going to have to dig a little deeper into your pocket by offering a larger percentage of the gate.
If you’re short sighted that may sound unappealing, but if your Super/JV partners have massive lists they can make you more money in days (even after their take) then you could have made alone in months. If you don’t have the confidence to approach the Big Boys for this kind of thing then go after many folks with lists of 10-20 thousand opt-ins. Get 10 of those and you have 100-200 thousand targeted prospects getting an eyeful of your product.
Just an FYI on the Big Boys though. If you have a product that is worthwhile don’t be afraid to contact them and make a proposal. These folks are real people just like anyone else and many of them are extremely open to opportunities. It is amazing what you can accomplish in this arena if you actually ask.
There are certainly more ways to ensure you aren’t experiencing zero salesitis after you released your latest and greatest, but these simple strategies will get you a terrific jumpstart.
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