Online shopping can be a little frightening to people who are new to the internet,but as long as you follow a few easy rules you should have no problem shopping online. What are the rules ? First before buying from an online store find out what that online stores return policy is. If you wait till after the purchase of a product you make find out returning it is almost impossible. Second ,now days it's good to know what the privacy policy of any website you fill out forms on is.If you don't w More..

Content Ever be Profitable?

THE CURRENT WORRIES 1. Content Suppliers The Ethos of Free Content Content Suppliers is the underprivileged sector of the Internet. They all lose money (even sites which offer basic, standardized goods - books, CDs), with the exception of sites profering sex or tourism. No user seems to be grateful for the effort and resources invested in creating and distributing content. The recent breakdown of traditional roles (between publisher and author, record company and singer, etc.) and the direct More..

Leading eCommerce Consultant Admits You Should Only Listen to One Real Expert! (And its not him!)

Let me share with you a secret that most marketing experts and consultants don't want you to know? (many of them don't even understand this secret themselves.) The secret is? There is only one true expert who can show you how to drastically improve the effectiveness of your website and your marketing. With dozens of so-called guru's, consultants and experts ready and willing to give you (or charge you for) their advice, there is actually only one person you should listen to on a regular basis. More..

The Lowdown On ECommerce: Making All The Pieces Fit Together

The Lowdown on Ecommerce Ecommerce is truly the most confusing aspect of purchasing web design services. This is unfortunate since most (if not all) businesses online would like to provide their customers and potential customers with easy access their products or services. In order to help make sure you get what you need to to set up an ecommerce web site, let's look at the necessary elements of selling online. A Web Hosting Provider The most important things to look for in a web hosting prov More..

How To Eliminate Credit Card Refunds From Digital Thieves

Can you encounter the number of times where a Credit Card Sale was generated, only to receive a "Refund Notification" from your contracted e-commerce processor on behalf the "customer"? Welcome to the electronic world of "cyber-shoplifting". Unscrupulous surfers, disguised as potential "customers", systematically opt to ordering goods (using credit cards) in electronic form of delivery, only to request a refund minutes or days later after receiving the product. The "cyber thieves" consent the More..

What Are The Barriers of Implementing E-Commerce Solutions

What is electronic commerce? "Electronic commerce is about doing business electronically. It is based on the electronic processing and transmission of data, including text, sound and video. It encompasses many diverse activities including electronic trading of goods and services, online delivery of digital content, electronic fund transfers, electronic share trading, electronic bills of lading, commercial auctions, collaborative design and engineering, on-line sourcing, public procurement, dire More..

Website Marketing: 10 Resourceful Things You Can Do With A Product That Doesnt Sell

Do you have any product that has not been moving well? Would you like to learn what to do with it? Here are website marketing secrets to help you: 1. Sell the reprint/reproduction rights to the product. You could make money selling other people the rights to reproduce and sell the product. People are always looking for new products to sell. 2. Giveaway the product for free from your web site. Just because it won't sell doesn't mean people won't visit your web site to get it for free. They ma More..

Home Sweet Home Page

"Your home page is the world's introduction to you and your company. Make it COUNT!" - Heidi Richards Think of your home page as the cover of your brochure. It features exciting information about your company, but like a brochure it must be opened to reveal the rest of the message. It is connected to other pages in a way that allows other visitors to your site to move from one page to another by clicking on the highlighted text or images. Getting your home page up and running on the Internet r More..

Read more About Home Sweet Home Page

Getting Started in ECommerce - Part Two

In Part One we talked a little bit about what Ecommerce is, getting a domain name and setting up a merchant account. Ecommerce is more than that, much more. To have a really good online presence that gets people to stop and shop you need a strategy for success. Your strategy must include your USP or Unique Selling Position in the marketplace. What makes you stand out from all the other online entrepreneurs looking for the same type of customers as you? Can you stand out from the competition base More..

Getting Started in ECommerce - Part One

In 2004, Enquiro.com conducted a study of the search behaviors of men vs. women. They found that women spend more time in their searches and at specific sites. The study also revealed that women tend to be more deliberate in reading search results, linger longer at sites and have a greater satisfaction in the overall shopping experience. Another study conducted by iProspect.com revealed that women are more apt to click the paid search advertising because they find it more relevant to their searc More..

Online Business- What Makes It a Success!

Only a few manage to sell everything under the sun over the internet. There are billions of web sites running online business, trying to outdo each other by various means. But only a few succeed in building, promoting and sustaining a profitable, professional, successful online business. Only a few web sites are able to deliver what they preach and make sale. How do they do it? Some magic formula....??? Nope ;-) What they do is -Plan, Develop and Strategize- their efforts in building a succes More..

Database: The Secret of Success

BENEFITS OF A DATABASE By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways fortargeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database toisolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a gooddatabase, you're not "mass-mailing" your offer to parts of your list that may have nointerest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you're mailing is smaller,your response rate (number responding/number ma More..

How To Turn Any Product You Sell In To Residual Income

The concept of this is for you to offer a subscription type product as an upsell or backend product. For example, if you're selling an ebook for $37 offer a subscription to a related e-zine for $9.95 a month. Instead of an e-zine, it could be monthly updated information for the ebook. It's not just for e-books, you can make it work for any product or service you sell. Some subscriptions that might work for your product could be: * e-mail/telephone consulting * a private or members onl More..

Accept Credit Cards Online Without A Merchant Account

It is often assumed if you want to accept credit cards on your website that you must have a merchant account. This is not the case. You can accept credit cards with a Third Party credit card processor. 1) What is a Third Party Credit Card Processor? A Third Party credit card processor is a company that will accept credit card payments on behalf of you or your company. The payments your customers make are processed through the Third Party's own merchant account, and you the retailer is paid (mi More..

The Secret Science Of Online Shopping

In theory you could create a retail web site with a limitless selection; an online store where every kind of merchandise known to man could be sold. Would people be interested in buying from such a huge enterprise? Why do people buy online? Location: You can shop online from almost anywhere as long as you have access to a power supply and a telephone connection. You can shop in the comfort of your own home or you can shop in your office. You can even shop while on the move, if you have a lapto More..

Top Ten Qualities to Look for in an Online Pharmacy

As you may have noted, there are thousands or even hundreds of thousands of websites selling pharmaceutical products or drugs. These are called ONLINE PHARMACIES or PHARMACIES ONLINE. Can they be trusted? Are they safe? Yes, in many cases but only if you are careful and exercise your due diligence: this is all the more necessary since the consequences of cheating with pharmaceutical products can be much more serious than, for example, being conned into buying a useless fiction ebook or piece o More..

The Rise of Multinational Virtual Corporations

The virtual corporation is the emerging organisational form, which best combines, a fluid ability to adapt to rapidly changing markets and is able to leverage its skills with the complementary skills of other corporations. In the concept's purest form, each company that links up with others to create a virtual corporation will be stripped to its essence. It will contribute only what it regards as its core competencies. It will mix and match what it does best with the best of other companies and More..

E-Commerce Is Back On The Fast Track

How much holiday shopping did you do on-line this year? If you are reading this, then chances are good that you made at least one purchase on-line. Over 54% of all Americans did it [1]. A much higher percentage (>80%) of Internet users did it. Not only did you do it, you liked it! Less than 7% of on-line shoppers reported a bad experience with 88% reporting they were satisfied or very satisfied [2]. It is clear that on-line shopping has come of age with such a high level of participation and sa More..

Something new in e-commerce: the Echo System Build

How four partners build and manage an exclusive art posters web site by emulating the way the echo works. Imagine a top-notch photographer, some demanding visitors and an e-commerce site that wants to make money. But not at any price and in any conditions, within a policy of exclusivity and selectivity. You have got three quarters of our "Echosystem Build": 1Ã‚Â° The top-notch photographer submits an outstanding photo to the web site whose committee of selection decides to select or not select More..

Turn Your Rusty Junk Into eBay Gold

Often times people to stop to realize the income potential of their "junk". And, when they DO decide it might be worth selling, they never give eBay a second thought. As I preach over and over again to my customers, don't ever think that you have something that nobody else would want, unless you've really taken the time to do a little eBay research. I've sold my wife's old tea pots, bowls, AOL CD's, books, etc. that we no longer had a use for. And, it usually brings a lot more cash to the tabl More..

Turn Your Rusty Junk Into eBay Gold

Does Your Shopping Cart Have a Squeaky Wheel?

Have you ever gone grocery shopping just before a holiday? The aisles are packed with people pushing carts, shelves need restocked, all the checkout lanes have long lines...not a fun experience. Just like in-person shopping, making online shopping easy and painless is key to getting customers to purchase from your store. Advertisement Let's examine the internet shopping process from start to finish exposing some places in the process that your store may have a squeaky cart. Make the Product More..

Are You Making These E-Commerce Excuses? (part 1)

A year ago, I had big plans to re-vamp my web site. I was going to publish my e-newsletter twice a month - every month, and I was going to upgrade my own e-commerce capabilities. Those were my Internet marketing "resolutions" for 2004. And I broke them all. *Every single one.* (One of them I broke even before the month of January was over!) For every goal, I had an excuse. And the excuses won. But this year is different. It's 2005 - time to get live! At the end of the first quarter, I'm alread More..

Are You Making These E-Commerce Excuses? (part 2)

Last time, we started to take a look at the most common reasons why most people don't make progress on their e-commerce and Internet marketing goals. Today, we continue the discussion. [See part 1 of this article at http://www.ecommercediva.com/articles/excuses2.html] ------------------------------------------------- Excuse #5:" I just don't have time. I'm too busy dealing with [customers,clients, day job, family, etc.] to deal with my web site." ---------------------------------------------- More..

Shopping Online: What You Should Know

For some people, shopping online is as normal as driving a car. It's become part of the norm. For others, the prospect of making internet purchases is a scary one. Here are a few tips to make your online shopping experience more rewarding. Research the company or business that is selling to you: - Look for a phone number and address; all legitimate businesses will have one. - Understand the return policies, in case you're not happy with the product you receive. - Ask questions. If the compan More..

The Clickbank Crash of 2003: Lessons Learned

I had a rude awakening recently. I checked the days worth of sales from one of my sites and there were none. This had never happened before and of course I was anxious to find out what was wrong. I quickly found out that the credit card processor Clickbank was under a hacker attack. Their service was effectively paralyzed by computers around the world flooding Clickbanks computers with bogus requests for information. They weren't the only web site being attacked. Similar attacks have happened More..

Conducting Business through B2B E-marketplaces

Businesses, which are still sitting on sidelines and not doing business on the Internet, should think seriously about their position! If you are one of them, chances are there, that you have to pay dearly for your indecision as you might lose significant market share to your more proactive competitors in a very short period of time. Apart from the fact that e-commerce is growing at the rate of more than 25 percent a year, the use of online features can bring efficiency to virtually every aspect More..

Six Components Of A Good E-Commerce Site

Web Store - Why Do You Need One?

Internet has opened a new era of business opportunities. Each day, thousands of new consumers are joining the Internet. More and more companies are adopting Internet as their primary sales and distribution channel. According to Forrester Research -The survey of 130 U.S. companies indicates consumers spent $76 billion shopping on-line in 2002. This represents a 48 percent increase over 2001, and projections for 2003 come close to $100 billion, representing 4.5 percent of total retail sales. As a More..

Start doing online business using B2B Portals in Six Steps

I registered with a B2B site but what's next? This is a question many first time users of B2B marketplaces ask themselves. A few expect that the registration itself will bring them a number of new customers. In some cases this might by true! Especially, if you are a seller of some much coveted items. But for rest of us, things are a little trickier! A large B2B marketplace has a lot of suppliers of similar products, who are vying for the attention of potential customers. To establish your compa More..

E-marketplaces from Sellers Perspective

What is an E-marketplace anyway? E-marketplace is a business to business web based venue, where buyers and sellers meet online, generate business leads and conduct business transactions. The e-marketplace features are tailored in a manner so that a large numbers of buyers and suppliers can be serviced as a community. A participant of an E-marketplace can be a buyer, a seller or both. Unlike an E-distribution portal which is oriented to assist suppliers selling their products or an E-procurement More..

Why This Is The Perfect Time To Start Charging For Website Subscriptions

If you're a writer, researcher, subject matter expert, enthusiastic hobbyist, or an authority on almost any topic, there has never been a better time to start your own subscription website or online newsletter. And if you're already publishing a hobby website, now is the ideal time to convert at least a portion of the content to fee-paid access. Smart website owners are now realizing just how valuable their hard-earned knowledge is to others. Much of the information that used to be available f More..

Choosing An Internet Merchant Account

Surf to Google and perform a search on "Internet Merchant Account". The results are staggering (472,000 results!) If you have created a web based business and need to accept credit card payments, your choices are limitless. Before you partner with a provider, take time to understand the different components of internet credit card processing, and know what to look for in a merchant provider. How It Works Accepting credit card payments through your web site actually requires multiple components More..

The Five Most Commonly Encountered, Off-putting E-commerce Errors

While getting less public handwringing than during holiday season, the "abandoned shopping cart problem" continues to wreak havoc on online sales. Recently I judged a raftload of sites for the Webby Awards (my second time) and for the Inc. magazine Web Awards, as well as for my own clients. Here are the five irritants and obstacles that most frequently disrupt the visitor's shopping experience at e-commerce sites. # Lack of quick orientation for first-time visitors. What does the site sell? I'v More..

Selling From Your Website

Greetings! Friends and relitives ask us all the time " How do sell from your website?" and no doubt you want to know as well. Over the next two issues we will be covering this very thing! We decided to divide it into two camps - tangibles and non-tangibles. Feel free to create a hybrid if you are daring, however, for the sake of simplicity - both for your visitors as well as your planning figure out which of the two is applicable and focus your efforts as needed. Tangibles: If you are selling More..

Evaluating Vendors of Ecommerce Fulfillment Services

Once your website has secured an order, you have to fulfill it. While the fulfillment of digital goods is usually handled online, the delivery of physical goods is handled in a "brick-and-mortar" world. When choosing a fulfillment company ( http://www.4th-media.net/order_fulfillment/decision_making.php ) for your ecommerce operation, you need to evaluate both fulfillment services and ecommerce services for order processing. Evaluating Fulfillment Services Fulfillment services includes receivi More..

Short Story: The Benefits of Shopping Online

Maria's new lifestyle: Short story about the benefits shopping on the Net has given to a dedicated artist. I've got this strange friend; her name is Maria. Maria's always been a little weird but now things have gotten unworldly altogether. You see, Maria's an artist; she's into sculpture in particular, of which she specializes in the manipulation of Perspex with a blowtorch. Lately I haven't seen too much of her as she's hooked up the Internet. Actually not many people at all have seen her rece More..

Evaluating Vendors of Ecommerce Fulfillment Services

A Tale of Two Revolutions - Ecommerce: A Historical Perspective

The World As It Then Was The dynamic economic growth of the late 19th century placed greater and greater demand on horses to deliver manufactured goods between train and local destinations. Horses pulled stagecoaches, buggies, omnibuses, cabs and even shipping barges in canals. Hitching posts, mounting blocks, and water troughs were everywhere throughout cities in Europe and America. Beautiful carriage houses catered to the wealthy. Horse doctors were highly respected and treated humans as well More..

Online Merchant Account - Costs and Alternatives

Merchant Account Basics A Merchant Account is a commercial bank account established by a merchant to receive payment via credit cards. Three parts are required to accept credit cards. Besides a merchant account, you need a local bank checking account to deposit funds and a processing solution, such a terminal or web-based store front to take credit card payments. Online merchant account, or ecommerce merchant account, is a merchant account that can take credit orders on the Web. Cost of Mercha More..

Shopping Carts For The Faint Of Heart

The chief criteria for judging an ecommerce shopping cart are the number of credit card processors and shipping services it supports, and the number of people that support *it*. Why? Because credit card processors and shipping services mutate all the time. Your cart will require updating. Which service works today may go out of business tomorrow, and leave you with the orders piling up. Other important criteria are how easy it is to set up, and add products, and how easy it is for the customer More..

Developing a Winning e-Commerce Strategy

One bright spot on the economic horizons around the world seems to be continued consumer spending and e-commerce is clearly a part of this, with sales estimated to be in excess of $9.9 billion in the next three months according to ACNielsen. But there is a dark cloud hovering over this sunny e-commerce landscape called poor web site design. Let's explore some of the reasons why consumers are not reaching for their credit cards after perusing an e-commerce web site. # There is a huge knowledge g More..

Choosing the Right Online Shopping Cart

Do You Need A Merchant Account?

Deciding when to get your own merchant account for internet sales can be a confusing and expensive venture. If you have a small to medium sized business and only sell a small amount of products then having your own merchant account may not be the answer for you. Some of the costs involved include. Monthly fees. Anywhere between $25-$50 for statements and minimum fees. Per transaction and charges fees. Usually between 2%-3.5 % in fees and .30-.50 per transaction. Gateway fees. $10-$30 per mont More..

Shopping Cart Usability

Usable Shopping Carts Increase Sales E-commerce has been around since 1993 under many different names, but one thing remains constant; shoppers want usable web sites. Without a usable shopping cart the sites typically fail from poor performance. To succeed in the world of e-commerce and on the Internet web sites must be developed to be usable by patrons as well as search engines. The most successful sites have been turning to web analytic software to tell them how people use their site. When t More..

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