Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Six Secrets to Make an eCommerce Platform More Powerful

Six Secrets to Make an eCommerce Platform More Powerful

Link to Small Business Trends

Six Secrets to Make an eCommerce Platform More Powerful

Posted: 14 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT

electronic commerce

Congratulations for your new online store. As you now have an eCommerce website with a finely tuned check out process, you may want to know how to make your eCommerce platform more powerful. More importantly, how to make your customers trust your eCommerce store.

Well, it really depends on your hard work and the resources available. There are a plethora of tips online that can be used to generate buzz in the community about your products and services and it is possible to boost your website sales with customer service strategies.

Electronic Commerce: Make Your eCommerce Platform More Powerful

Fulfilment Structure Should Never Be An Afterthought

For most eCommerce merchants, fulfillment is an afterthought. This is a huge mistake.  A well-structured fulfillment process is important. In a nutshell, if you invest time and money into optimizing the fulfillment process, it will generate more profit. Some of the key fulfillment metrics that all eCommerce merchants should track include:

  • Error rates on product shipped.
  • Error rates on orders pulled.
  • Total time for orders from the time of receipt to shipment.
  • The cost of shipping and the rate charged.
  • The total time taken to fill an average order.

The following flowchart shows the fulfillment workflow:

Flowchart

Ask your employees for input about where they think the challenging areas are and how to improve them. Measure the overall quality and performance of the fulfillment process to make your business run more smoothly and to provide better customer service.

Concentrate on Filtered Navigation

Filtered or faceted navigation is a combative point for every eCommerce platform. The most convenient, modern approach to filtered navigation is through using AJAX. However, you need to ensure that there is an HTML crawl path to all of the filtered products. Also make sure that you are not hiding any good organic landing pages within the AJAX navigation.

The following are a few rules for a search engine friendly filtered navigation:

  • Do not hide an organic landing page from the crawlers.
  • Let the crawlers crawl endlessly through filters.
  • Robots.txt should be handled carefully while using it as a solution.

Integrate a Sitemap

Site maps help search engines to index your site's page and augment search engine ranking of your site.  Indexing is a process through which search engines such as Google, process and categorize the pages of your website. Getting your page indexed ensures that your site will show up in the results of internet searches.

To put it simply, a sitemap is a list of your pages in a single page layout. It contains particular information about the different pages that make up your website. With a sitemap, the shopper can click on a product to find the right pages relevant to the topic. This allows them quick and easy navigation of your site. The site map is also beneficial for the search engines. They permit search engines such as Google to check how many pages are on your site.

Get Rid of Distracting Clutter

The majority of online shoppers have a short attention span. Surveys indicate that most Web surfers will not read beyond 200 words of text. The simpler and more streamlined your site looks and functions, the better it works for your shoppers. Web pages stuffed with animation, graphics and links makes the shopper immediately leave and move on to your competitor.

Simplify the Shopping Cart

It is important to consider the crucial elements of your eCommerce site and ensure that they are clear and visible. The "Add to shopping cart" button should be easy to navigate and most importantly, should be displayed prominently on your site.

Shopping Comparison Sites Can Work Wonders

According to research, approximately 68% of online shopping starts at a shopping comparison site. Shopping comparison sites offer an exceedingly cost-effective marketing mechanism as they are the best choice for every eCommerce vendor who has a limited budget.

With shopping comparison sites, you can enjoy prompt access to a larger volume of potential clients. In addition to this, your customers will be presented with your products whenever they are in a position to buy. Most importantly, comparison sites allow exposure and reinforcement of your brand identity.

Various comparison sites ask consumers for a post-sale survey to measure areas like customer service, product quality or ease of shopping. These reviews are displayed to potential customers and help boost the company's credibility and provide you with an edge over your competitors.

Using the strategies above will ensure a strong eCommerce platform.

eCommerce Photo via Shutterstock

The post Six Secrets to Make an eCommerce Platform More Powerful appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Small Business Owners File Lawsuit Against IRS Over Obamacare “Power Grab”

Posted: 14 May 2013 01:30 PM PDT

obamacare

Small business owners in states that did not establish healthcare exchanges in advance of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act will be harshly impacted by a recent rule enacted by the Internal Revenue Service. Some small business owners have filed a lawsuit in Federal court over it.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) reports on a lawsuit filed by six small business owners and several individuals against the U.S. government, challenging the IRS rule.   The IRS rule seeks to provide tax credits to people in states that did not opt to create state healthcare exchanges under Obamacare.

CEI noted in a prepared statement last week:

"The Affordable Care Act authorizes health insurance subsidies to qualifying individuals in states that created their own healthcare exchanges. Those subsidies trigger the employer mandate (a $2,000/employee penalty) and expose more people to the individual mandate.  But last spring, without authorization from Congress, the IRS vastly expanded those subsidies to cover states that refused to set up such exchanges.  Under the Act, businesses in these nonparticipating states should be free of the employer mandate, and the scope of the individual mandate should be reduced as well.  But because of the IRS rule, both mandates will be greatly enlarged in scope, depriving states of the power to protect their residents."

One effect of the lawsuit is to make sole proprietors subject to consequences they otherwise would not be subject to. For instance, Jacqueline Halbig, one of the plaintiffs, is a sole proprietor who says that under the IRS rule she would be subject to paying a penalty for her own coverage.  In the lawsuit she asserts she "will be forced to either pay a penalty or purchase more insurance than she wants."

Chuck Willey, an MD who also is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement through CEI: “Contrary to the clear language in the Affordable Care Act, government is directly impeding my ability to design a quality affordable health plan for my employees. The IRS will extra-legislatively extend this onerous benefit requirement (which will increase premiums and costs of care) and impose the employer penalty in states with federally-run exchanges. I maintain the right to choose my own employees’ health plan without government intervention into its benefit design and without penalty.”

Thirty-three states have opted not to establish state healthcare exchanges.  Those states that have not established their own exchanges include Wyoming, Wisconsin, Virginia, West Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Ohio, North Dakota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Montana, Missouri, Mississippi, Michigan, Maine, Louisiana, Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Arkansas, Arizona, Alaska, and Alabama.

The lawsuit is complex, but can be viewed here in its entirety.

The post Small Business Owners File Lawsuit Against IRS Over Obamacare “Power Grab” appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Speak to Me: 4 Online Personalization Strategies for Your Business

Posted: 14 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT

online personalization

No matter what they're shopping for or where the transaction takes place, customers like to feel as though the experience takes their preferences into consideration. This includes online shopping. In fact, conversion rates are typically higher when online personalization is involved.

So how can you create an individual experience for your website visitors that converts more of them into paying customers?

Fortunately, you don't have to invest a ton of money in sophisticated platforms that track, analyze and respond to your visitors' every click. There are simple and inexpensive ways to make your customers feel virtually welcome.

4 Online Personalization Strategies for Your Business

Ask Them What They Want

The best practice to find out what your customers really want is to conduct an online survey. Online surveys are everywhere these days, and most people are comfortable filling them out. You can create a survey that lets customers tell you about their preferences as part of your website's registration process and then use that data to suggest product or service options that match up.

Here's a quick hint: Keep the survey short. A questionnaire that goes on for pages and pages (or scrolls down forever) is going to lose interest. Many visitors will simply head for a search engine to find a less complicated sign-up process.

Give Them a Voice

As proven by the popularity of social media, people are more influenced by recommendations from peers and friends than by company-driven marketing material. They also have their own opinions they'd like to share with others.

If you don't already have a system for customer reviews and opinions on your website, consider getting one. Consumer-driven reviews give your company a more personal touch. Include plenty of social sharing tools, so your customers can tell their friends about their great experiences with your business.

Now Featuring: You

Everyone loves a little time in the spotlight. When you showcase not just your products or services, but also your customers, you create a friendly atmosphere that shows there's more to your business than pixels on a website. You can also stir up your visitors' competitive spirit by offering a chance to be featured on your site.

Invite your customers to send in their stories, photos and even videos about their experiences with your company, and create a customer-centric area to show off the responses.

Let's Keep in Touch

Never underestimate the power of the follow-up, especially when it's personalized. Tracking your visitors' activity on your website is great, but it's even better when you contact those visitors and ask helpful questions, such as whether they were able to find what they needed, or if there's anything else you can do for them.

You should also follow up with customers who have purchased products or services from you, and maintain the personal touch. If the customer had a good experience, don't be shy about asking for referrals. Most people enjoy sharing positive finds.

It doesn't take a lot of extra time or money to interact more personally with your online customers, and these changes will help you bring more business to your website.

More customers means the results can be exponential for your profit margins.

Talk to Me Photo via Shutterstock

The post Speak to Me: 4 Online Personalization Strategies for Your Business appeared first on Small Business Trends.

WordPress Dominates Top 100 Blogs

Posted: 14 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT

top 100 blogs

If your business website or blog is using WordPress as its content management system (CMS), you’re in good company. The majority of  the top 100 blogs are using WordPress, says a new study from Pingdom.

Fifty-two percent of the top 100 blogs are currently using WordPress, either hosted or self-hosted, according to an annual study conducted by Pingdom.com. Pingdom gets the top 100 list of blogs from Technorati.

The study notes that the Web and blogging sites, specifically, have changed considerably in the last few years. Pingdom says:

“For many of us, what we used to blog about we now publish to social networks. But there's also no denying that blogging is not gone. It has, however, changed as has the tools used to publish blogs with. Some, like WordPress, started out as blogging platforms and has taken on more general content management functionality. Others have developed in the opposite direction.”

The 2013 study from Pingdom shows that 4 more of the top 100 are now using WordPress compared with last year. No other single CMS provider even comes close to matching WordPress’ dominance among the top Technorati blogs.

Interestingly, 12 of the top 100 have custom systems created specifically for them. Drupal is the second-most popular blog platform, with 7 of the 100 using it.

But some of the old stalwarts are no longer as popular as in years past, specifically Movable Type, Typepad and Blogger.

Two of the top five blog sites, including the most popular (The Huffington Post), are using Movable Type for their CMS system.

And while TypePad added two spots in the top 100 and and Google’s Blogger added one, they are still mere shadows of their former place in the lives of bloggers.

Not only is WordPress popular for blogs, but as the report points out, WordPress has taken on a much larger role as a general CMS system. It’s become very popular with small businesses that use WordPress to build their entire websites, not just their blogs. WordPress keeps a running counter of the number of WordPress sites, and reports the total is over 65 million worldwide.

Image: Pingdom.com

The post WordPress Dominates Top 100 Blogs appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Millennials Are Rewriting the Rules of Work and Entrepreneurship

Posted: 14 May 2013 05:00 AM PDT

millennials

[Click for full infograph]

What do Millennials want? Flexibility and independence top the list, according to a new study, "Millennials and the Future of Work," from oDesk and Millennial Branding that polled nearly 2,000 people aged 19 to 30. Here's some of what the study found, and what it means for your business.

Millennial Workers Want Freedom and Flexibility

Millennial workers want freedom and the flexibility to work how they want.  Many Millennials have a "freelance" attitude. Almost nine in 10 (89 percent) say they prefer to work when and where they choose (compared to a corporate, 9-to-5 job). When comparing freelance work to "regular" jobs, Millennials say freelancing gives them more freedom to:

  • Work wherever they like (92 percent).
  • Work whenever they like (87 percent).
  • Work on more interesting projects (69 percent).
  • Travel while working (half say they'd prefer this to taking vacation time).

You Might Have a Closet Freelancer on Your Staff

Many Millennials are biding their time at regular jobs and freelancing on the side until the time is right to leave.

Nearly three-fourths (71 percent) of those who work regular jobs want to quit to be entirely independent; 61 percent say they likely will quit within two years, and 17 percent say they definitely will.

Millennials Have a New Definition of "Entrepreneur"

For 90 percent of Millennials surveyed, being an entrepreneur means having a certain mindset, rather than starting a company. Aspects of this mindset mentioned included being a self-starter, risk-taker, visionary and someone who "spots opportunity."

Millennials see themselves as building entrepreneurial careers whether they work for someone else or freelance – they don't necessarily have to start their own businesses. In fact, more than half (58 percent) already classify themselves as entrepreneurs.

Millennials Have a Rosy View of Entrepreneurship

Three-fourths of them say the benefits of being an entrepreneur outweigh the downsides. In fact, for 57 percent of Millennials there are no downsides to entrepreneurship. More than one-third (38 percent) say they'd pursue a promising startup opportunity rather than finish a traditional college degree.

What do these figures mean to your business?

  • Satisfy their desire for freedom: Keep Millennials on your staff happy and attract more of this age group by offering flexibility and the ability to work from home or on the road.
  • Help them move ahead: Millennials have an insatiable desire to move faster in their careers. Provide lots of feedback and let them know what they can do to improve.
  • Sell them on "small:" Millennials hate having to follow corporate rules and climb the steps of the corporate ladder, making small businesses a natural fit for them. If you're looking to hire, promote your small business as a place where they can wear different hats and learn a lot of skills.
  • Tap into Millennials' entrepreneurial attitudes: Since Millennials can feel entrepreneurial even as employees, take advantage of their self-starting nature. Give them projects of their own and let them run with them.

The post Millennials Are Rewriting the Rules of Work and Entrepreneurship appeared first on Small Business Trends.
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