There are lots of shopping cart software providers out there (Agora shopping cart, 3d shopping cart, to name a few). But whether you’re using a cheap shopping cart solution or one that costs a bomb (or an even better alternative: you’re using InstanteStore), a newbie online merchant might get lost in all the ecommerce jargon strewn across cyberspace.
Read on as we demystify some of these sometimes archaic-sounding terms…
We’ve been posting a lot of articles lately on techniques to improve sales with the tools available with some of the best ecommerce solution software in the market. We’ve done so because the holidays are just a few months away and we want our merchants to make the best of this shopping season. We’ve touched on cross-selling and up-selling in earlier posts and we will take it a step further here.
There are certain things that even the best ecommerce solution or best free shopping cart software can’t help you do. This is because there’s a lot of psychology involved in getting a customer to buy a product, let alone buy or spend more than they originally planned to. Unfortunately, web hosting shopping cart technology hasn’t reached such an advanced state…yet.
So you’ve signed up for an ecommerce shopping cart software system and you’ve got a store running. You also have a healthy pool of loyal customers and everything seems peachy. Sales are good…but they can always be better.
Many merchants don’t usually consider the obvious when trying to improve sales figures. Always start with the resources you have because they are most probably free, familiar, and do not require much effort.
Read on to find out more…
Just over 50% of online shoppers begin their shopping as early as October. Sadly, less than 15% of merchants are prepared for this. Almost 90% of shoppers surveyed use the Internet to do a bit of comparison shopping. Some end up making their purchases at conventional stores. But fret not owners of online only stores, because 53% of those surveyed revealed that they would buy online. If you own both offline and online stores: lucky you!
This is the period when top website ecommerce hosting shopping cart providers report an increase in sign-ups as well.
So what do you need to do to get ready for the virtual holiday crowd?…
Drop shippers are a useful bunch. There are many positives that come along with using reliable drop shippers. This is especially true for new merchants who lack the space (and money) to store products and the manpower to handle packing and shipping arrangements. Some more established ecommerce web hosting shopping cart names already provide integration with at least one drop shipper. Multi vendor shopping cart integration is rare, though. One important thing to be aware of though, is that the shopping cart cost is usually separate from the fees for the drop shipping service.
There are a few things you should consider before choosing a drop shipper. These concerns should be addressed early in order to avoid problems later…
People spend as much as 6 hours a day on the Internet, according to ecommerce statistics. Rain or shine, as long as the connection isn’t on the blink, chances are quite a few of the 1.6 billion people with internet access will be online.
If you have subscribed to an ecommerce shopping cart software service and are running a web store, you’ve probably spent quite a bit of time marketing your store. A typical ecommerce shopping cart provider usually includes lots of features to help you market your products. One such feature is eNewsletter Broadcasting.
Find out more about creating effective eNewsletters… (more…)
The Challenge
When you are new in the market, trying to get major retail outlets to carry your brand of products can be an uphill battle. Retail outlets tend to court well-known brands (that suit their target market) because they pull in a particular crowd. Retail outlets rarely risk bringing in unknown brands because of image or status concerns. Established brands have a certain status associated with them and retail outlets hope to leverage on that.
Engaging a PR campaign to promote your brand of products might also lead to a dead end. It does not really matter if your products have all the bells and whistles and come with really good pricing if consumers have no place to buy them from.
Of course you could hire a national distributor and go head-to-head with numerous established names but that might not be a good idea even if your product has a ground-breaking, unique selling point. Big names spend millions every year making sure people choose them over newer names. It is virtually impossible to challenge them on their own turf. You have to change the playing field in order to succeed.
How? Read on to find out… (more…)
Before you decide to get a web hosting shopping cart merchant account and sign up for a storefront shopping cart service, you must first decide what to sell.
But what should you sell? A quick search of best-selling items on the net will tell you that books, airline tickets, CDs and DVDs have been some of the best-selling items for years. A little more research will also tell you that there’s no point going down that road as certain established names have already got those products completely covered.
So best-selling items aren’t necessarily the best items to sell. What then are the factors that one needs to consider before deciding on what to sell? Read on to find out… (more…)
Do you know what Social Networking sites are? Did you know that they aren’t just for fun and are now considered an essential online marketing tool by many Internet marketing experts (just like good online shopping carts). And just like with a store, a healthy “client base” is also important in social networking.
The Lowdown On Social Networking
Social networking websites are made up of online communities of Internet users. These users are brought together by common interests – sports, religion, products, hobbies, etc. – and form groups to discuss these common interests. Some of these sites have become so immensely popular that Internet marketers have grown to realize the potential of social networking as a marketing tool.
In mid-June 2009, computer maker Dell announced that it earned $3 million in revenue from using Twitter, a popular micro-blogging facility. It took 18 months to make the first million but only six to earn the rest.
Find out how social networking can benefit your store as well… (more…)
The Internet is filled with a host of shopping cart systems but no matter which ecommerce shopping cart system you choose, you still need to market your store properly to get results. Usually, a reputable ecommerce shopping cart system will give you a few hints on how to optimize your pages and even how to market your site. But it is also important that you understand what influences your potential buyers’ purchasing decisions in order to accurately market your products.
What are the key factors that influence customer buying decisions? Read on to find out… (more…)