Expanding Your Business Online

Posted on : 23-08-2009 | By : admin | In : Internet, business


There would come a time that an offline entrepreneur would think of extending hus presence online. But something stops them because they think starting an online business is a cost consuming affair, but this need not be the case. There are many advantages of selling online over those that exist for selling using conventional methods. Here are some advantages of selling online:

- Widens market potential
- Immediate interaction with prospects
- Lessens the “time to market” for new products
- Enables you to reach globally
- Compete with larger businesses and operate 24 / 7, allowing information about your business, your products and services accessible anytime, even days, nights and holidays.
- Gives customers direct access to sales literature at no additional cost

Establishing an online business is not as easy if you do not have any experience as well as knowledge on the right things. To make your new web-based operations a success, you need to have a deep understanding of the intricacies of selling on the Internet. You have to consider things from product presentation to customer fulfillment, doing business on the internet can add some complexity to your existing operations.
Below are the some steps you need to take to make the transition to the Web as smooth (and as successful) as possible:

1. Envision your goals and set them.
The first step is to decide on how you want to use the Web. The Web has a lot of purpose; it can serve as an online brochure for your company or product presentation. Your prospects and existing customers can go to your online shop and get information about your product and services, and they can either call you, visit your store or office to place the order. A simple informational site is good if you just want to tell your customers of the products that you offer. You do not have to think of the complexities of an e-commerce operation.

2. Think differently
Remember that a traditional business is way different from an online business. In a retail store, a likely client who enters and looks around your display shelves may stay for a few minutes, allowing your sales clerks enough time to talk to the customer, address their concerns or respond any questions they may have.
With an online shop, however, a prospective customer can hit the “back” button immediately or as soon as they decide that your site is not at par with their expectations – e.g. perhaps your site is loading up too slow for dial-up, too cluttered to navigate, etc. A worst case scenario is that they are already shopping on you site but then they abandon their cart without giving you any reason for their decision to stop the purchase.

3. Make sure that your product is suitable for an online store.
Before you go spending a fortune in developing your web site, you need to know that not all products or services sell well on the Internet. What sells well on the Web? Studies have shown that the following are the characteristics of products that are suitable for the Web:
• Digital products (e.g. downloadable)
• Products requiring lots of information (e.g. books, music, travel, banking)
• Products that do not need to be handled or tried on
• Products that are difficult to find locally

A business’s transition from the traditional type to an online business must be planned carefully, implemented and monitored to enable continued efficiency. The profile of a business that is best suited to the online environment includes those that have a distinct product or service portfolio that requires little manual invention to facilitate a sale. Ideally they will have a fixed pricing policy that applies to all customers and have products or services that have a predictable lead time in terms of delivery.

Tags: blogs, business, E-Commerce, Environment, Google, information, Internet, US

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Top 5 in Digital | August 17, 2009

Posted on : 22-08-2009 | By : admin | In : Technology

Tags: advertisement, E-Commerce, Google, hd, Internet, US

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What Web Businesses Can Learn From Online Gambling

Posted on : 25-07-2009 | By : admin | In : Business Opportunities, Internet

Abstract: learn how to gain visitors’ trust by studying how online casino websites have overcome enormous obstacles to building trust among site visitors.

Online gambling is one of the fastest growing segments of ecommerce in the US, an especially impressive feat since it is illegal in the US. Due to their illegal status, gambling sites face high hurdles in the advertising and promotion arena as well, since most US-based online media companies, most notably Google and Yahoo, refuse to advertise them.

You might think that online gambling websites would face an insurmountable obstacle in gaining users’ trust, as well. Trust has long been an issue in ecommerce, historically plagued by credit card billings and websites that disappear just before the orders were to be shipped–and a constant mainstream media drumbeat of the dangers of online transactions. Building trust has long been a chief concern of businesses selling over the web.

The trust issue is only compounded for the online gambling industry when it comes to serving US customers. Would you trust a website with your money if it were located overseas, and you had little legal recourse whatsoever to get your money back if you were dissatisfied–and if the “product” itself were essentially intangible, anyway? To top it off, what if the purchase itself was illegal?

This is precisely the challenge that online casinos meet every day, with the estimated 60 percent of their industry’s customers who come from the USA. Casino websites owned and operated entirely outside the borders of the US are free to accept US customers. But gambling online with real money is illegal in the US under federal law, specifically the Federal Wire Wager Act, not to mention a host of state laws.

How Do Online Gambling Websites Gain Visitors’ Trust?

* Trust symbols: gambling websites’ businesses, being located outside the US, are not eligible for most US-based business certification programs such as the Better Business Bureau or Square Trade. So, they created their own trust seal: ECOGRA, E-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance. Online gambling sites are also wont to make a prominent display of their secure connection certificates, from organizations such as Thawte.

* Assurances: users’ concerns about reliability are not just answered implicitly with fancy seals or confident language. One of the most successful online gambling websites contains this prominent declaration on its homepage: “We are licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar, and our games are tested by iTech Labs, an independent tester of gaming and wagering devices to ensure that the games are fair and operate correctly.”

* Transparency: while it is often hard to tell just who is behind most ecommerce sites, successful online gambling sites are models of transparency: the location of the company owning the casino is always prominently displayed, and assurances of honesty are backed up with independent audits of the technology used.

* High-quality design: successful gambling websites always look great, no matter how small the business behind them. Plain old HTML may be enough to convince people to post their room rentals on Craigslist, but it doesn’t seem enough to make web users fork over their credit card digits to an online casino.

* Low barrier to entry: gambling websites generally either have a free option or require only a small upfront payment.

* Highly optimized designs. It’s usually only a single click, if even that, from the homepage to the virtual betting tables. When you can get straight to doing what you want to do, there is not a lot of time to start nursing doubts.

In short, if you take your online business’s trustworthiness for granted, you may be missing out on potential customers who need additional assurances. Take a lesson from websites that can’t trust their trustworthiness to be taken for granted: make sure visitors to your site feel comfortable opening up their wallets.

Tags: business, E-Commerce, Google, Technology

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Some Tips Before You Build Your Website

Posted on : 25-07-2009 | By : admin | In : Internet, business

Are you an impulsive buyer? Was there ever a time that you regretted it because you were too impulsive and you basically were not able to plan it. The same thing goes for a website. We all know that if you plan on publishing your own website you need to spend money. In a time like this, wherein money is tight you need to make sure that you get the results that you want.

I personally use the internet to look for things that I need, and I am sure that a lot of people do the same. Has it ever happened to you that when you land on a website that is complicated and not good to look at you close it immediately? You actually do not take the time to look at products/services that they offer. This is most likely to happen if you rush your website’s publication. Sure, it is a good idea to have a website to market your products and services, but be sure that you at least take the time to come up with a presentable and user-friendly website. A bad website can give a negative image not only to your business but also your products.

Here are some tips that you have to consider before developing a website.

1. It is not a race. Do not be in a hurry to find a web designer. There is no rush. Finding the right web designer to suit your needs is like finding a partner. The time that you spend looking at websites, asking colleagues, and viewing portfolios is a time well spent. In the end, you will see that it was worth it, if you will consider the cost to rebuild your site. Site rebuilding usually happens when you hastily hired someone and this designer was not able to meet your needs.

When you see a good website, find out more on who designed it. This information is usually available at the bottom of the page.

2. Bring samples with you. Maximize the internet and try to research on different websites, write down the things you would like to have on your own site and things that you do not like. This should be done even before you walk into a web—designer’s office. For me, it is important that it is detailed. If you have to present a drawing of what is on your mind then do so. There is no harm in being detailed; after all, you are going to pay for their services. Web designers are creative people that is true, however in developing YOUR website you also have to give them some input for best results.

3. Be specific. You might barge into a web-designers office saying, “I want something that is cool.” Sure, there are plenty of ways to make a website cool, but just what is cool to you? What is cool to the designer may not be cool to you. A designer is there to help you decide what the best style for your site is. So, do not be shy to provide examples of how you want the website to look.

4. Make sure that you know what you are paying for. Deciding on how the website should look and actually building the website are two different processes of launching a site. Be sure that you understand everything that is stipulated in the contract, and what are the extra charges. Will it cost more if you decide to add an e-newsletter sign-up? Are they going to charge you for every e-commerce transaction you make? These are just a few questions that you should ask when you are negotiating the price and the deliverables because you might be responsible for some of them.

These are just a few tips that you should follow before you build your website. Creating your very own website is fun and exciting and it sure is worth the effort. Take the time to do it right, I mean if you are going for it might as well make the best right? There is no fun in re-doing it since it will cost you more money if you do it hastily and without proper preparation. Therefore, do not be in a hurry follow these tips and make your site the best one.

Tags: business, E-Commerce, Google, information, Internet, research

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Doing Business in the U.S., Canada or the U.K.

Posted on : 05-03-2009 | By : admin | In : Business Opportunities, Global

It’s not too early to starting thinking about how to move or store product during the holiday selling season (as noted in picture) — especially if you decide to sell in the U.S., Canada or the U.K. Here’s a success story shared by a reader:
Shipping and warehousing is one area that is essential to accelerating business growth, and simultaneously can be a drain on financial and time resources. The time-suck and hassle of shipping takes away from the other roles that business owners are more adept at—such as marketing, sales or business development. By re-evaluating shipping and logistics processes and leveraging Web-based innovation, businesses can take a hands-off approach, encourage sustainable growth and uncover hidden savings.

Marc Blaiwes, co-owner of car seat cover e-commerce company SeatGlovers, did what many smart entrepreneurs in today’s climate should–he found a niche product with an untapped market and focused his energies. However, the sales success that followed was too much to handle. Marc needed to expand his warehouse, but the added costs threatened his profit margins and would have required product price increases. “Large companies play the expansion game all the time by building out storage and inventory and eating the added costs until business catches up,” said Blaiwes, “Small businesses just don’t have that luxury. That’s why we needed Shipwire–to help us manage the double-edged sword of business growth.”

“Shipwire is granting us immunity to all the flux in the market,” said Blaiwes. “Shipping was a huge hassle for years, and it prevented me from growing my business. Finding Shipwire was as big for my business as selling on eBay and sourcing with Alibaba. We’re growing exponentially and I’m realizing the true potential of my business. All of this at a time when many other merchants are just trying to stay afloat. Talk about a competitive advantage”

And Shipwire CEO Damon Schechter believes the way to scale and grow a business internationally is to get the product warehoused closer to local buyers.

More on Shipwire here (they offer a free, no obligation trial). Locations and shipping calculator that demonstrates cost advantages here.

Tags: business, E-Commerce, Innovation, Marketing, Network, small business

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