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.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
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.
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