Is Your Ecommerce Web Site Design Individualistic?

I think the single most important thing that merchants should look into when coming up with a top rate ecommerce web site design is to put themselves in their customers' shoes. I know there may be a hidden artist/individualist in every single one of us, but the businessman facet should balance that streak of individualism.

For example, you may want to come up with unique design that you hope your customers will appreciate. Complexity in ecommerce web site design requires that you use Flash and other programs that may cause lag time. Can your customers afford to wait for a website to load in exchange of a good design that you hope they will appreciate?

Ecommerce web site design isn't also just about the graphical aspect of an online store. Whatever content you put in it matters. Veer away from what your customers think as relevant to what they need, then your traffic will go down. That includes, among other things, written content.

Should You Invest in a Videogame Ecommerce Solution?

Play N Trade is a good example of an upstart videogame franchiser that prides itself in unique ecommerce solution "try before you buy".

WHO IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?

Your target market is the younger crowd. Videogame products keep on booming as the giant manufacturers Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are continually innovating. The gamut of customer reach is universal. For example, Nintendo gets a big share of the market with the Wii, because the console is designed for the whole family to play.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SELL?

Videogames have recently caught up with many other products being transacted online so now is the best time to sell. Also, with the holiday season ushering in, retailing most sought after videogame titles and consoles may actually send in the big bucks.

WHERE DO YOU SELL?

Sell online, because most gamers are tech-savvy and are part of an online community of enthusiasts also. Franchisers as Play N Trade or Gamestop retailers have brick and mortar stores and warehouses that complement their ecommerce store.

WHAT IS YOUR UNIQUE ECOMMERCE SOLUTION?

Play N Trade is a good example of an upstart videogame franchiser that prides itself in unique ecommerce solution "try before you buy". I've seen a lot of businesses work around this philosophy also. In my own opinion, if people are going to drop by in-store to try out products, they will be encouraged to buy. However, it is also a risk taken with care, since if the products are not high quality or the location is not geographically spot-on (remember this is also a brick and mortar franchise), then whether people will buy after they try remains a question.

Christmas 2007 - Is Selling the Playstation 3 Your Ecommerce Strategy?

It's amazing that even though the Playstation 3 has been released and sold by Sony in limited packages about a year ago (geared all the same for the 2006 holiday season), demand and sales for the console are still continually up. This is of course good news for gaming retailers. It's a smart ecommerce strategy to sell PS3 consoles or PS3 titles for good profit this Christmas.

Sure enough, even independent sellers can simply put up an auction at eBay and see if anyone is interested to buy. This ecommerce strategy also works for those who wish to trade (or upgrade/downgrade) consoles and game titles for another, such as a PSP or an Xbox 360.

If your business is all about selling electronic gadgets, toys, game titles, and other computer related items online, then banking on the PS3 and PS3 game titles is a surefire way to make money for Christmas 2007. Remember, it takes a long while before next-gen consoles reach plateau on sales. But I doubt that they never, since even vintage consoles get good prices these days. Selling them as an ecommerce strategy this gift-giving season is indeed win-win situation for you.

How to Deal with Lazy Shoppers

Okay, I know this is little too fussy on my part, but blame the forum people for coming up with this idea. Nothing wrong with taking time to look at your ecommerce shopping cart. In fact, I still believe in the adage "Simplicity in structure is a true masterpiece and is really deceptive because one doesn't see the hard work behind it." If you can exert more effort to make things simple for your store shoppers, then you score plus points from them.

Much has been said about making the ecommerce shopping cart efficient and so many techniques have been devised to make this happen.

The process of filling up credit card details is a good example. Imagine yourself typing in all the numbers and realizing the fields are separated every 3 digits. Or, if you are required to format the date. Or, if you typed in the wrong details and went all the way till the last page before you got a "Ooops, error in xxx field. Please fill up entire form again!" message. These little things may cause annoyance and even ecommerce shopping cart abandonment. Do you have an excuse?

Can Your Ecommerce Store Offer More?

Recent statistics say that more and more (or most) users online are largely the rich and upscale shopper types. They book flights, buy jewelry, or transact their bills through the Internet. An ecommerce store may likely be populated with the rather deep pocketed buyers. I'd say this is practically obvious, since you cannot buy unless you have funds to pay for your goods.

My case is different, however. When I'm out to buy jewelry in the malls, I get frustrated by the fact that jewelry stores close shop rather too early at night. Of course, they do it for security reasons. An ecommerce store selling gems and silver earrings is open 24 hours a day. If you wish to order from the catalog, you have the option to pick it up their landbased store or have it delivered to you.

This is a good example of the shift of purchase from brick and mortar to an ecommerce store. Whether buyers are rich or poor, online purchase offers far more options and availability for everyone. The same goes for travel booking and transacting bills online. Instead of going to the landbased bank, bills can be automatically paid online and funds can be transferred easily.

Eventually discount stores such as Wal-Mart will have to offer more high end versions of products to the richer shoppers while still selling low-priced but quality items to the more frugal.

ECOMMERCE SOLUTION 16 - Can You Really Make Money Having Fun Online?

When you work for money, do you work for fun? Okay, let me put it this way. If your goal is to make money, do you have fun in the process of achieving it? Is it part of your ecommerce strategy to mix business with pleasure?

In the online business industry, there are two types of people. Those who work too hard and forget to play, and those who play too much and forget to work. Which one are you between these two? They say too much of everything isn't always healthy and can get you to the psychiatric ward in no time. And dig this, have you heard of an Internet user in China who actually died after three days of using the Internet nonstop?

If your ecommerce strategy is to earn money online, then get to work and focus on work. If you work to earn money online though, don't take it all dead serious! A lot of merchants get distracted by the entertainment they get in the Internet. But there's a fine line that separates fun and making money. Balance and discipline are the key.

If you're not sure how you're meeting your goals in terms of having fun while going after it, check your hours. Do you spend more time surfing online for games, jokes, and gossip more than working? Do you spend more time getting all geeky than taking a break for outdoors? Create a balance and stick to your schedule. An ecommerce strategy like this is the basis of success, and, well, keeps you sane.

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!


SEE ALSO!

ECOMMERCE STRATEGY 10 - “About Us” Gains More Trust!

ECOMMERCE STRATEGY 11 - Selling Online is Like Hiring

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.

VISA e-Commerce Guide to Risk Management: Travel Agencies

Tools and Best Practices for Building a Secure Internet Business

Ok, I got lazy today. Not an impressive way to start the week, but I got good reasons to be. Out from the treasure trove of high risk merchant account providers I spotted a copy of VISA's e-Commerce Guide to Risk Management. What a blessing for all of us, although the guide could have practically been buried in the box for eons. And even if it was, most high risk merchants have unfaithfully forgotten VISA's attempt to enlighten them when it comes to doing business online anyways.

It's just that the playing field is never the same as doing it with a brick store. Otherwise, VISA wouldn't bother.

For this time I'd focused on Travel Agencies, as being a traveler I've always been concerned about airline ticket and travel planning frauds. Read the guide, get wise, and outdo the scammers!

E-COMMERCE START UP

Recognize your potential sales agent liability. Understanding your risk exposure can help you take appropriate steps to minimize it, and protect your agency from losses associated with customer disputes and fraud.

As a sales agent of an airline, for example, your agency may be liable for the entire amount of an airline ticket if it is disputed by the customer or purchased with a stolen account number. To mitigate risk, you need to establish e-commerce policies and procedures that address the following factors:

1. An approved authorization request indicates that the account is in good standing. However, the response is not proof that the legitimate card holder is making the purchase, nor is it a guarantee of payment. In most cases, therefore, airlines are liable for fraudulent card not present transactions even when they were approved by the Issuer.

2. Even if a travel agency is not a Visa merchant subject to Visa regulations, the airline partner is. In most fraud-related cases, the airline transfers financial liability to the travel agency partner as part of the contractual agreement.

WEBSITE UTILITY

1. Require website membership to book airline tickets and other travel series such a hotel accommodations and car rentals. By requiring customers to become members of your website service, you can collect additional customer data that can help you assess risk. When establishing member profiles:

• -Verify the customer data that you collect before you store it.

• -Ensure that strong security measures such as secured data storage and limited employee access are in place to protect sensitive customer data.

2. Capture and retain Internet protocol addresses. It is important to know the IP addresses if the ISPs from which your customers make purchases. With a database of these addresses, you can develop fraud-screening tools based on transaction characteristics.

3. Display a website notice that the customer's billing addresses will be verified. If you access Address Verification Service (AVS) offline, you may encounter address verification failures long after your customer has completed booking. By letting customers know that the billing address will be verified, you can prepare them to understand potential address inquiries later. This website notice should clearly state that airline tickets cannot be issued until the customer's billing address has been verified by the Issuer.

4. Require a waiting period of at least four to six hours between ticket purchase and flight time. Tickets purchase just before a flight may indicate fraud risk. To protect your company from potential losses, you need adequate time to verify the validity of the customer and payment card before travel begins.

VISA CARD ACCEPTANCE

FRAUD PREVENTION

VISA e-COMMERCE GUIDE TO RISK MANAGEMENT

More of VISA's e-commerce protocol will come in the future articles. Just be reminded that for every high risk merchant account service you render to your customers, there's always a great percentage that your customers may be hackers or spammers. It pays to destroy their modus operandi.

E-Commerce Success: When High Risk Merchants Go the Brick and Click Way

Too lazy to shop out?

I have always believed in the empowerment of human potential. Sounds deep huh! Well, a decade and a half ago, when the Internet has started to boom and online shopping carts or high risk merchant accounts were unheard of, everyone foresaw that it's the end of the human urge to leave the house, travel, and experience the world using the tactile senses. Virtual reality became a challenge. The Internet morphed into a breeding ground for experimentation in which people would be immersed into a world that was so convenient they would do nothing more than click the mouse (or anything similar to pushing a button) and have the stuff that they want. In fact, today the pioneers of VR have created games in which you would only use your brainwaves (connected to electrodes) to move objects on the screen. Not bad.

When e-commerce sites are a must

E-commerce faces the same situation today. People would normally go to the malls, window-shop, pick their goodies, fall in line at the counter, cash out from the wallet or swipe the credit card, then leave with the big ol' shopping bag in hand. Obviously, everyone still does it. But brick and mortar stores are becoming less and less attractive without an integrated e-commerce website. Whether you are an ordinary businessman selling toiletries and cosmetics or a high risk merchant selling adult products, it usually pays to put up your own website and let it expand your customers' buying experience.

Convenience, convenience, convenience

In-store pick up: Save costs, make money