Wednesday, October 31, 2007

How to Build Your Ecommerce Name - Step 4 Should You Spam?

Spamming brings to my mind an ex-business colleague that I met last year. He began his business entirely by spamming. Asked whether he felt guilty of it, he said no. He used major auction and free advertising sites to solicit clients. His ecommerce strategy is to let people know what products and services he is selling while exerting only the minimum effort.

Could this be the perfect model for succeeding in ecommerce? I doubt it. This ecommerce strategy does look efficient -- it saves time and money and does work. People do check their spam folders and sometimes get attracted to deals that merchants offer. But in the long run, if you have built a name for your business online, spamming may become a stigma to your online business.

Imagine getting unwanted e-mails from companies you never heard of. Sure, you may find their product offers great and their services timely. But if you go check out their websites, what do you see? Do you even find a decent "About Us" description or an office address? Do you know the person behind the spam e-mail? My ex-business colleague, despite getting clients, eventually saw the effects of his "smart" ecommerce strategy. Word spread that he was spamming, not fulfilling the agreed services, and hiring semi-skilled employees. Before he got out of the trouble he made, everyone already had the impression that his business was a scam. Don't let it happen to you!


Other articles:

How to Build Your Ecommerce Name - Step 1 Domain Name
How to Build Your Ecommerce Name - Step 2 Web Hosting

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

ECOMMERCE STRATEGY 12 - Show Off Your Secure Ecommerce Logos

People don't normally look for credibility seals when they shop online. I don't. I must admit I get lazy when I have to check whether a company has a Hackersafe, Verisign, Better Business Bureau or TRUSTe logos. I am aware though, like other shoppers, that these logos do help increase credibility and shows that your company uphold secure ecommerce transactions.

But since people don't care too much about secure ecommerce until they get their credit cards hacked, what can the merchant do? Inform everyone. No, drill your customers about how safe buying your products and services are. Providing articles and newsletters that remind them your company is registered with trade associations such as BBB or Hackersafe can actually make them realize they can trust you, and therefore can buy without worrying about online fraud.

Displaying the credibility logos are not enough to show how safe your ecommerce store. Merchants should make it a point to make customers realize it. Create press releases, write blogs, and occasionally inform about security tests made on your site. No online store is safe from credit hackers and identity thieves. Even the most secure ecommerce retailers can be victims, so keep a close watch, and keep your buyers informed!


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Sunday, October 28, 2007

WEB OPPORTUNITY 3 - Can you Provide Information?

The part that I like best about ecommerce is that it levels the ground between the haves and the have-nots. People who don't have much capital but have expertise in a certain subject can easily create informational materials such as e-books that they can sell online. They can set up their own ecommerce store that focuses solely on these digital files or they may also advertise their product on various public auction sites or merchant malls such as eBay.

I must agree with Scott Lindsay that this is a low-key way of making money online, knowing how little capital is being invested (financially). However many online merchants have made considerable profit off selling e-books, webinars, and other downloadable digital files. In fact, most people who don't have much time to go to brick and mortar bookstores need only browse an ecommerce store such as Amazon to shop for books and have them shipped.

Despite the boom of e-book selling, merchants should also be aware that download security is an issue among e-book sellers. Unless they put up or advertise in a secure ecommerce store where they can send the file to the buyer without being defrauded, hackers are likely to steal the files. One of the best ways to protect merchants from download fraud or identity theft is to send only the link to the file via email as soon as the buyer has paid for the product.