E-commerce Shopping Experience across Mobile Reflects Cross-Platform Unification Challenges

Mobile vs Conventional Web Sites

In an article by Karen Hanna on Smarter Commerce, 25% of consumers shopping and purchasing online prefer using mobile devices over desktop. The article airs concern over the shopper bouncing back and forth between multiple platforms such as their mobile device(s) and laptop and/or desktop.

“The broad and varied retail experience brings to light the many critical issues related to bringing multiple platform consistency to the e-commerce domain.”  

When it comes to small- and mid-size businesses looking to leverage new technology, it can be a daunting task given most companies charge businesses extra for having two platforms for displaying their Web site, one for conventional platforms such as desktop and laptop computers - one for mobile devices.

Not many companies have developed their technology  in order to merge managing a Web site from one location rather than having one site for mobile devices, and one for conventional platforms; and when it comes to eCommerce the challenge becomes even greater.

Karen goes on to say

“There is no singular answer to how these challenges may be met, though it seems logical to presume that the winners will be those retailers that are able to create a seamless experience for the customer, whether that customer is shopping in store or online, from a mobile device or a desktop computer. It boils down to a trust issue; having a retail experience that is consistent and synchronized across platforms breeds trust, which is an important consideration for midsize companies.”

Mobile Web Site Integration with Conventional Web Sites

The good news is technology does exist that seamlessly integrates both conventional Web Sites with Mobile Web Sites. Business owners can reach their customers anywhere, anytime. These were questions asked of business owners:

What if there was a way that your sales messages could reach your prospects and customers no matter where they were? And in just seconds after you press the send button? Would you call that an edge? Perhaps an advantage over the competition?

The answers were obvious and so was the solution. It was called a Mobile Web Site. Advanced technology brings better and less expensive services and resources to business owners. We believe in passing on those savings so rather than charge extra for this technology and capability, the service was added at no extra cost with all of our 4.0 Web sites.

What's the benefit of having a mobile site? It means that as long as customers have their smartphones or other mobile devices, they not only are able to view the business’s Web site, but they can easily purchase products and services while on the go.

The mobile site includes the following great features:

• Update once and go. Mobile site instantly reflects changes made to main site.
• Easy editing. "Show/hide" toggles enable you to easily decide which content to display on your mobile site.
• All-platform friendly. Visitors' browsers are automatically detected, and the mobile site is reformatted accordingly.
• Dedicated look. You can choose specific colors and even upload your business' logo for increased brand awareness.

The bottom line, we knew what the business owner would need based upon technology used by their customers for searching and purchasing online… and we brought the solution for both the business owner and the consumer without any additional cost - a significant benefit for both businesses and consumers.

The “E-commerce Shopping Experience across Mobile Reflects Cross-Platform Unification Challenges” have been met and solved.

Bruce Swartz and GrowOnlineNow.com provides affordable business class Web site solutions for small- and mid-size businesses.

New Upgrades for our 4.0 WebCenter Clients!

Recently we made some major advancement to our 4.0 platform. On behalf of GrowOnlineNow.com and our partner, maWebCenters© , we are proud to announce the launch of some amazing new software that is sure to drive sales, and make you very happy.

Below is a quick rundown of exciting new developments and the overhauled resources available to you through GrowOnlineNow.com and our 4.0 platform from our partner maWebCenters©.

Ø Free Mobile Web sites

Look around and you’ll see most everyone is using a smartphone, tablet or other device. And they’re not just browsing and texting … they’re buying. It’s an edge you can use to help set up appointments with prospects.

Mobile Web sites are included for free, all your clients need to do is login to their administration area, enable it and update anything they want on the mobile version. Here are more detaills

• Update content in one place – When site owners update content on the full desktop version of their site, the Mobile version of their site will update automatically
• Choose which content they want to display on their mobile site simply by flipping “show/hide on Mobile site” toggle
• Enable/disable pages for mobile and set any page you wish as the mobile home page, even their product catalog!
• No need to point mobile users to a dedicated Mobile URL. Nope, our system automatically serves Mobile site to user when server detects browser type = Mobile
• Administrators can update color scheme of Mobile site on the fly
• Add your own logo and/or customize text content of header and footer
• Full desktop version of site widgets are converted to mobile friendly versions
• Choose different navigation menu styles
• Automatically prompt site visitor to drop bookmark to site on their smartphones home screen
• In our ongoing mission to cater to all user types, our new mobile features attempt to make the site look great right out of the box for novices. However, if you are a more advanced user, you can utilize your own CSS, HTML, JavaScript…etc and make the Mobile version of the site as robust as you need it to be!

Ø Crop, Resize & Rotate images

If you haven’t figured out how to use one of the many graphics suites out there to edit your graphics but need to make a simple image adjustment, you can now Crop, Resize or Rotate an image right in the editor!

Ø 24/7 Customer Care

Have you have ever had a late night panic and needed to speak to someone in order to fix a last minute crisis? Our clients have never had it so good… but now they have it even better. Our clients have always been pleasantly surprised by our professional Customer Care group; however we just finished running a pilot project to test out expanding our Customer Care group’s hours and now our clients have even more reasons to be thrilled. We are pleased to announce that we are now officially open for your assistance 24/7! Again, there is absolutely no cost for this service.

Ø Edit 4.0 sites on a Tablet device

If you've ever wished you could edit your site while on the go and only had access to your Tablet (iPad or Android tablet) or other mobile device? Your wishes have been answered! You can now make edits to our 4.0 Web sites right from your favorite Tablet or Mobile device.

Ø Upgrades

As with any of our system upgrades, they are always free and come with the best support in the business! If you want to learn more, please feel free to visit us at www.growonlinenow.com, email us bruce@growonlinenow.com or give us a ring @ 1-678.392.3218.

Resolving eCommerce Issues

What is important in teaming up with professionals for an Internet Presence?

Does everyone look for ways to cut corners, save money, or to get by with the least amount of effort? How many look for shortcuts or, take the road most traveled? The problem is, the road most traveled, the shortcut or trying to get the cheapest deal invariably costs more in time and money. If you’re a business owner, can you afford taking chances?

I would like to share a story and event which took place just last week; then I would like you to ask yourself what would you have done, and how easy would it have been for you to resolve the problem that faced my client.

My client, whom I will call Mr. Zee, contacted me last week with an issue concerning his shopping cart. It seemed customers ordering products from his site were receiving error codes. After a few questions I let him go about his business, he had a tight schedule so there was no need for him to waste time trying to run this to ground. I would simply put his IT team to work in resolving the issue, no matter what it is (take note of this statement, “no matter what it is”.) One of the many benefits Mr. Zee has with GrowOnlineNow.com is my maWebCenter and iTransact team which supports every aspect of his eCommerce needs.

In looking at the code, I thought that the error message may be generating from his Internet Payment Gateway which is a proprietary service of iTransact. If you have not heard of iTransact, they are a privately held payment-acceptance company based near Salt Lake City, Utah. iTransact was founded in 1994 as RediCheck, the first provider of Internet-based check acceptance services.

I contacted my iTransact Post Operations Team member Jason and explained the issue along with sending him a screenshot of the error message. Jason first confirmed all settings were correct on the client’s gateway then he had his programmers confirm there were no programming issues which would cause the error. Once Jason was satisfied that the problem was not coming from his side of the house, we contacted maWebCenters’ eCommerce tech support team to verify Mr. Zee’s System Configuration with iTransact was correct. Holly, along with her supervisor and programmers confirmed that the website was correctly setup and the error code was not being generated from their end.

Here is where this maWebCenter and iTransact team combo saved the day. Holly and Jason discussed the possibility that the problem could be the result of a communication disruption. Since the code was for a disrupted communication error, it could be that Mr. Zee’s service may have been terminated at the debit and credit card processing center. Mr. Zee has been with this one company since they first opened their business, many years before they stood up their website with GrowOnlineNow.com. In order to find out if this was the problem, Jason contacted his resource at TSYS.

Jason called his contact at TSYS to look into the possibility of a terminated connection. Once I mentioned that the credit card processing company had taken over another company, TSYS was able to identify the source of the problem. They looked into the VAR sheet provided to iTransact and found it containing incorrect information as a result of the transition between the two companies. TSYS recommended calling the new credit card processing company to obtain the correct information.

Jason contacted the new credit card processing company and obtained the correct VAR sheet information which should have been forwarded to Mr. Zee when they took over the credit card processing from the old company. Once Jason implemented the changes into iTransact’s payment gateway, we successfully retested Mr. Zee’s site by submitting an actual order. The website and gateway were now connected and working properly.

This entire process took just a little over two hours. The point to take away from this story is how important it is in having a professional team dedicated to you and your business. When I tell prospective customers that an entire team of IT experts are at their beck and call, 24/7, it often just seems impossible. This was no small issue! My professional IT experts found the issue that lay with a company my client Mr. Zee has had for years which was not a service provider with GrowOnlineNow.com. Remember above when I said to remember “no matter what it is”? Now ask yourself, how many service providers have you dealt with willing to not only find a problem that is not theirs, but resolve it for you? But here is the kicker… this entire team of experts that is at Mr. Zee’s beck and call costs only $50.00 per month. Where can any company hire an entire division of IT experts for $50.00 per month?

It doesn’t matter if you are a business owner with an online store, or a web developer or designer, our team of experts makes everyone’s business easier and far more productive.

Can you answer the question “what is important in teaming up with professionals for an Internet Presence?

Are You Prepared for a Financial Emergency?

We’ve been told from practically the beginning of our working lives (once we were independently responsible for our own finances) that we should always have six months of living expenses in our savings. But in an economy where many of us are working lower-paying jobs (or have no jobs at all), that kind of saving is unrealistic.

A recent article says that most Americans don’t have enough savings for a financial emergency.

The article, which appeared in Forbes, says that out of 1000 Americans surveyed, 66% have no more than five months of expenses in savings, and a shocking 28% have no savings at all. Earlier last month, the same author wrote an article on the "Brutal Recession Destroyed Americans' Wealth, Net Worth Down 40% In 3 Years."

The economic environment right now is such that only those taking greater risks or seeking non-traditional ways of earning income will succeed or rise above their financial circumstances. The banks will not bail us out, and it is unlikely that we will see any great turnaround, increase in availability of domestic (U.S.-based) jobs, or pay increases to complement increased living expenses.

The stakes may be higher, but the opportunity for reward is greater than in earlier economic conditions. Now is the time to take your finances into your own hands, and stop spending your valuable hours working to fulfill someone else’s vision.

Live "Your Dream" - Explore and Evaluate all Opportunities - Start with Explore Grow Online Now!

What is in your Online Future? e-Commerce?

According to Wikipedia, "Stay the course" is a phrase used in the context of a war or battle meaning to pursue a goal regardless of any obstacles or criticism. In business it used to mean just hang in there... but in today’s economic uncertainty, a business cannot afford to simply hang in there less they experience a long slow death, or even worse sudden death. Eastman Kodak was a great example used in Margaret Case Little’s article below. Eastman Kodak never thought its business would ever be taken away by digital technology… why? They thought of themselves as a film company rather than a photography company. That was the kiss of death.

Today even the smallest business can overcome the kiss of death, but they must take action… remember David and Goliath? Today’s technology affords owners of even the smallest business to take advantage of high tech advances to level the playing field, or even beat the most successful of their rivals. Having a professional internet presence no longer costs tens of thousands of dollars… not even $5,000… and in “Most” cases, less than $3,000 with everything a business requires to conduct a fully integrated and interactive online presence.

Small budget or not budget, there is no better way to economically measure, monitor, adjust and control a business’s marketing strategy than having an all-inclusive menu of features and services that sets them on the path of becoming leaders in their industry!

U.S. vs. Europe: The future of e-commerce
By MARGARET CASE LITTLE, DIRECTOR, NRF | Published: JUNE 5, 2012
Be the first to comment | This entry was posted in Events, International

NRF is flexing its international chops this week as three of the organization’s top executives lead the charge at the 4th annual Global E-Commerce Summit held in Barcelona. Kicking off the conference, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay shared a few of statistics to put online growth in the United States and Europe in perspective.

• Forrester Research is projecting online sales of $210 billion in the United States alone in 2012. The number is expected to hit nearly $250 billion in 2014. More than two-thirds of the online population buy something online every year, and that number is growing rapidly.
• In Europe, Forrester says online retail sales in 17 major countries were close to 97 billion Euros in 2011 and are expected to hit 172 billion Euros by 2016. That’s a compound annual growth rate of 12 percent. By 2016, online sales will account for more than 14 percent of total retail sales in the UK and more than 10 percent in Germany.

In light of these statistics, Shay noted, “In the U.S. we’re hearing two key takeaways from our members on how to live in this omnichannel world—first, make sure that the way you present your brand is optimized for the devices that your customers are using—and second, upgrade your in-store technology to meet your consumers’ needs.”

Shay also used the example of the death of historic companies and products to prove that technology truly is king. Like for instance, Eastman Kodak thought of itself as a film company rather than a photography company and saw its business taken away by the digital technology it invented but failed to embrace. Movie studios that once resisted the VHS tape are now rushing out digital downloads of their blockbusters nearly as quickly as the movies appear in theaters.

Shay concluded, “The world is changing, and it’s up to us to continue to imagine the next great thing for our customers. If we don’t someone else will.”

Other executives from NRF are sharing their industry knowledge as well over the 3-day conference, as NRF SVP and Shop.org Executive Director Vicki Cantrell takes the stage on June 6 to lead the discussion on social commerce.

Three critical factors for picking perfect keywords!

As we all know by now, SEO relies heavily on keywords - the words and phrases used by search engines to determine a website's page rankings. As SEO expert Jeff Quipp writes, "Choosing the right keywords is often the difference between getting found in search and not getting found. As a result, keyword research is the foundation of an effective online marketing strategy."

So how does one begin to research the best keywords for their business' website? Here are three things business owners can keep in mind!

Brand Names
When choosing keywords, people tend to overlook brands names, but those descriptors are vital for boosting SEO!

• What brand names do you sell? 
• What is the name of the company that makes the products you provide? 
• What are some common names or terms used to describe your services? 

Consider these descriptive words, and take into account any variations that people use (such as abbreviations for product names).

Qualifiers
Qualifiers are like brand names in that they are descriptive phrases used for specificity. But qualifiers in this case would be used to identify keywords that are geographically-oriented, or terms that narrow down a field of expertise. A doctor, for instance, would use a qualifier to describe their specialty.

If you consider the nuances of your own industry, you can creatively come up with a keyword to qualify your business.

• A hairstylist with a penchant for color services becomes a "colorist." 
• A photographer who prefers to shoot sporting events becomes a "sports photographer." 

In this way, you're not just separating yourself from the competition; you're also adding valuable SEO qualifiers.

Competitive Edge
Business owners should evaluate their own power as a competitive entity when selecting keywords. By using a tool like the one available for free on Google AdWords to evaluate the competitiveness of certain keywords, businesses can determine whether those keywords are a good fit. Generally, a keyword ranked "highly competitive" - one that is used often - means you've got a tough match against the competition...and that usually means lower page rankings.

This is something to be experimented with and modified as a business' online presence strengthens. When a business thrives online, it becomes a stronger competitive force, so those "highly competitive" keywords might not be so formidable!

Did you know... 
If your business sells to the female demographic, then you certainly will want to evaluate our solution - it's a perfect fit (no puns intended!) According to the Total Beauty Media Group:

• Women spend 20 minutes online researching products before shopping trips.
• Women spend 50 percent more time than men reading content like reviews and ratings about products. 
• Sixty-six percent of women who research products are brand-specific when they search. 
• Thirty-two percent of women said free samples convert them from browser to purchaser! 

That's valuable market research for owners of boutiques or salons that carry specific product lines.

Helpful Hint: 
When evaluating different platforms to help your business target niche markets, always look for companies providing comprehensive solutions and services. Ask if they have add-on services or capabilities and ask for a full disclosure of their costs. What sounded as a great deal at first could come back to cost much, much more.

The Story Behind "Looking for Paradise"

"We're all looking for something...that's what connects us"- Alicia Keys

I oftened wondered what makes this company so special... The story behind this song made me realize it is all about families, creating friendships, bringing people together and actually helping people find their own "Paradise". I hope you enjoy the story behind this song which was inspired by the sincerity of a couple who become friends with everyone they meet. Perhaps this story and song will spark something in you like it has for millions who have heard it; and for many of us who have been inspired by Loren and JR and the opportunity they brought to the world to help us all look for our "Paradise".

Obviously Alajadro Sanz and Alicia Keys were just as inspired! 

Serendipity brought them together. A twilight cruise on the Utopia III with mutual friends Loren and JR Ridinger, the breezy Miami air, and a shared love for music became a magical recipe for paradise for Alejandro Sanz and Alicia Keys. Alejandro strummed his guitar while Alicia hummed an intoxicating melody—one which would eventually evolve into “Looking for Paradise”, a song with the ability to transcend culture and language and speak to humanity and our common search for paradise: a place as authentic as it is uplifting.

Click to watch Alicia and Alejandro tell their story.

Alejandro Sanz and Alicia Keys perform live their World Wide Hit "Looking For Paradise"

As you watch the video below you will see Loren, JR, & Daughter Amanda Ridinger along with Ava Longoria (minute 3:15). Looking for Paradise was a #1 WorldWide hit when released and is still a favorite to this day. Enjoy and let yourself be lifted. 

Are you Coachable? An Interesting Perspective on the term Client Centric!

As a result of a post written by Anne Bachrach in LinkedIn’s Group The Business Growth Network™, I was directed to her blog and even though it was written in June of 2009, it is one of those pieces that will be relevant for an eternity. All I could say was Ditto to others who found Anne’s article spot on. Two sentences near the near the end of her article “What If Your Business Was Truly All About Them?” got me thinking. Anne made the statement:

It’s not an easy thing, being client-centered. But if you’re going to make it all about them, it’s what you have to do.

Those two sentences made me realize that Anne mostly had it right, but there was an additional ingredient which could be included to this stellar piece. It all has to do with the way we think.

When a business owner is client-centered, or what I like to refer as “Client Centric”, customers or clients remember and greatly appreciate the excellent service they received. And we know the influence “word of mouth” has in our business. And in today’s high tech and viral environment, the word of mouth buzz can either make or break a business. Given today’s me, me environment, isn’t it refreshing when “we” come across a service provider who is actually genuine and sincere in wanting to fulfill our needs rather than only interested in selling us something? I certainly found those two sentences in Anne’s article extremely accurate. If there was anything to add it would be people first need to mentally make a transition in their way of thinking – from “me” to “thee.” But what does that mean, mentally make a transition? What transition?

It’s all in how we think when it comes to be about ourselves, about our potential. How often have you heard the term stinking thinking? It all starts out with our thought process, and it’s that thought process which first requires changing; transitioning from one way of thinking, to another. 

It’s just like someone who has been obese and wants to not only become healthy, but also look that way. How many times have we seen major success stories after first changing their thinking and believing in themselves, developing a positive mental attitude, and building up their self esteem? It’s the same with being client-centered or client centric. By the way, I really like the definition of “client-centric” as seen in Investopedia.com: “A specific approach to doing business that focuses on the customer. Client centric businesses ensure that the customer is at the center of a business's philosophy, operations or ideas. These businesses believe that their clients are the only reason that they exist and use every means at their disposal to keep the client happy and satisfied.” 

Another approach to being client-centered or client centric is by actually considering oneself as being a servant; one who comes from the perspective that they are in business to serve the public, or as in my particular case to serve my clients and customers. Approaching from the perspective of being a servant of people makes being coached by professions like Anne Bachrach much easier, understanding and implementing tasks becomes more accomplishable because mentally the thinking transitioned in becoming more focused on “what are the needs” of the client or customer rather than how can I make a sale. “What can I do that will be of value to them” becomes a habit. Once that perspective has been achieved, implementation of corrected activities becomes easier and attainable. 

Now how to get them to that point? That may be the million dollar question… it’s like the old idiom “You can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink!” The question has to be asked of the business owner, are you coachable? Are you able to transition into becoming a servant, a professional who is client centric, or client-centered? Give it serious thought and then find a good coach to work with you and your business.

Is there opportunity for SMB Owners & Entrepreneurs?

With today’s economic uncertainty, Small- and Mid-size Business (SMB) owners are tightening their belts just to survive. Employees being laid off has had a huge impact on our economy as we all know by listening to the news. The Bureau of Labor Statistics makes it sound as if things are looking up, however layoffs have a compounding effect, and not normally in an accurate direction. Government statistics are always skewed from a political point of view, regardless of who’s in office and simply are not a credible, non-biased gauge on reality. The fact is, a great many jobs have been lost and on top of reducing employees, business owners have decreased marketing and advertising.

Over 700 small businesses responded to a survey about their marketing for 2010. This survey conducted by Zoomerang in association with Growbiz Media found that 89% of businesses employed less than 25 people, 3% employed between 26 and 50, 4% between 51 and 100, and 1% for both 250 – 500 and 501 to 1,000 employees.

In November of 2011, over 1,000 SMB decision makers were surveyed. When it came to the question of hiring, 66% said they would not be hiring in 2012 as a result of the impact 2011 had on their business. It was also discovered that of those surveyed last November, the top 3 areas which SMBs plan to invest are in Marketing (35%), Sales (28%) and Technology/IT (22%).

When it came to their annual marketing budget, every business owner stated cuts were necessary. Over half of the respondents stated they had reduced their marketing budget to less than $1,000. And in 2010, less than 20% had budgets up to $9,000. The survey did not specify or go into the various markets or types of businesses. Not all businesses market the same way or even use their website for marketing however, one concept which has proven to be reality is word of mouth and social marketing.

In a little over a year a great deal has changed. Of those business owners surveyed in 2010, 54% stated they had websites however most were using their websites for informational purpose only. What is important today? It’s not about information anymore; it’s about creating “The Buzz”. The purpose of a website for Informational purpose only is so counter productive. Information is passive and extremely non productive. Smart business owners are finding how to become active with their website usage.

Here is the huge difference – a passive marketing strategy only draws traffic to the site and requires a great deal of SEO effort which is still important but could become costly depending on the SEO service. Compare that to an active marketing campaign strategy that pushes traffic to the site which is accomplished through outside sources on the web promoting the site. Social Media has become the fastest growing medium by which to push traffic to sites and SMBs are beginning to catch on.

Overall, the internet is the leading marketing media among almost all businesses, with print media coming close behind (including direct mail which is a form of print media). 35% of the surveyed are using some form of social media for marketing, and among the leading social media are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It is taking SMB owners time to realize the importance in using Social Media. When asked, 11% stated they were going to use Social Media as their primary source for getting new customers yet 25% were going to focus on Word of Mouth. It was interesting to see that 66% believe Social Media was the most affordable method and 41% saw no value.

For 2012, the top 4 areas SMB will increase their budgets will be website (17%), Direct Mail (15%), Email Marketing (15%) and Social Media (13%). Increase in SEO budget falls to only 4% for 1012.

And what was the one area SMBs will focus their attention for improving in 2012? Getting more customers; growing their customer base. Almost 60% said they plan to focus in getting new customers while only 38% would focus on retaining existing customers.

Is there a silver lining in today’s economy? Is there an opportunity for both Business Owners and Entrepreneurs? There certainly is! 
It is obvious businesses are looking for economical ways with which to improve their business. Many are beginning to see the importance in having an active rather than a passive internet marketing strategy. But it is not equally among all age groups. The younger generation of SMB owners are seen to be leaning heavily towards Social Media Channels while the older generation either do not plan on using it or just don't know but even they are looking for solutions. For those who have lost jobs may be optimistic in knowing there is an opportunity for them to help SMB owners. If one looks, there is always opportunities. The question is, how?

That is where GrowOnlineNow.com comes in. Not only do we have solutions for SMB owners, we also have opportunities for those individuals who seek out and seize opportunities. We have an Internship Program designed for individuals who have not been able to secure a job after being laid off, or those wanting to position themselves with a secondary plan of action in order to protect against having the family income totally eliminated.

The Internship Program provides a win-win solution for both individuals and SMBs:

• For the average person we provide the infrastructure through our Internship Program to start a new business. We provide tools, training, mentorship and support to get their business started including the ability to attain the necessary capital.
• Our Internship Program provides the intern tools to assist SMBs in attaining an “affordable” solution with the industry’s only “all inclusive” web site platform and services which includes high tech Web Sites, unlimited technical support, customer support, SEO support, Social Networking support, as well as Email and Domain support as well as other services.

For more information and to get details on our Internship Program, visit ExploreGrowOnlineNow.com.

For SMB owners wanting to know more information on our “All Inclusive” web site platform and services, visit us at GrowOnlineNow.com.

For details on surveys used in this article, go to SMB Bbusiness perspective for 2011 and 2012 and SMB Marketing Practices Survey for 2010.

Excellence in Service: What's in Your Shopping Cart?

Statements of fact:

1. Businesses that have a store front and sell products and/or services should know their competition is online.
2. Business that educate such as conducting class either online or in a physical location should have a professional online appearance.
3. Businesses traveling from one show to another should have an online storefront so that the person who visited their booth last week can purchase that cool necklace this week.
4. The merchant who thinks they can do without an eCommerce site is loosing to their competition.

What do all of the above have in common? They provide credibility and promote definite of purpose! Even if one isn’t planning to sell anything online, they should still have a well-crafted site; but for this edition of Excellence in Service we will focus on businesses that are selling a product or service.

All four of the above facts should be obvious however some may think why an eCommerce site for #2. What better and less expensive way is there to process registration and collect fees for classes or online courses than through a virtual registration secretary? There are three essential reasons for an eCommerce site:

1. Increase Sales: Reach a larger number of potential customers through virtual channels
2. Lower Costs: Using word-of-mouth marketing strategies greatly reduces conventional marketing costs; can replace costly promotional materials and events with virtual material and videos; online order processing not only is done 24/7 but can help reduce distribution costs; rather than handling customer calls for frequently asked questions, the information is provided by the web site; if products are already ordered and shipped to store front locations, eCommerce reduces inventories by simply forwarding the order to the supplier and have them directly ship (drop ship) to the customer.
3. Increase Profits: The magic behind all successful businesses is to increase profits which is accomplished by increasing sales volume; a quality eCommerce site greatly increases sales volume.

Here are 5 basics for a quality eCommerce site:

1. eCommerce Tools: All quality eCommerce web sites should provide access to all of the components necessary to help make money online:
1. Merchant account access
2. Fully customizable product catalog
3. A virtual shopping cart
4. Advanced pricing features
5. Shipping, handling and tax rules
6. Payment options
7. Order processing features.
2. Product Catalog Management: A quality eCommerce site should include a user friendly or intuitive Product Catalog Management tool which:
1. Provides an intuitive eCommerce Dashboard
2. Can Import/Export Products
3. Provide Product Inventory Management
4. Provide Google Base Integration
5. Includes an Invoice and Packing Slip Tool
6. Provides Product Tags
7. Includes Multiple Billing Option
3. Enhanced Customer Experience: Never forget customers. The easier and more enjoyable the shopping experience, the better the odds are they will make the purchase. A quality eCommerce site should be able to:
1. Pan and Zoom Product Images
2. Provide Wish Lists
3. Compare Products
4. Include Customer Reviews
5. Provide Easy Re-order Features
6. Provide Configurable Products
7. Purchase Virtual & Downloadable Products -- MP3s, eBooks, PDFs
8. Include Customer and Shopping Cart Discount Options
4. Multiple Billing Options: A quality eCommerce system should be versatile and designed to give a variety of online order processing options. It should be able to:
1. Process credit cards online in real time
2. Have orders automatically sent to you by e-mail
3. Provide safe and secure transactions through an SSL-encrypted network
5. Dedicated and Extraordinary Support: There is nothing more frustrating than technical support that is not sensitive to a business owners needs… and one that understands the English language. Not to be insensitive here to other countries or cultures, but in this case technical support for someone who is not tech savvy requires a bit more understanding and be more understanding. Steer away from companies that export their technical support offshore. The reason technical support is used is to resolve an issue you have… this is not the time to have to explain something several times to someone who doesn’t understand our culture. Anyone can speak English, but to understand what was meant when spoken to doesn’t always or easily translate.

Here are a couple examples of fully featured eCommerce Dashboard found in the back-end of a quality eCommerce site.

One of many Dashboard Displays

Menu Items which should be Available 

Always ask lots of questions when evaluating a company to provide a “business” eCommerce site solution.

In the Cloud Computing – Are You Secure?

Microsoft came out with an excellent “Planning” guide to Cloud Security which everyone should read either before deciding to move their IT assets into “The Cloud”, or if you have already done so. Actually, if you have moved your assets into the Cloud then most likely you did your homework and deployed the appropriate security measures. This brief overview is to help small- and mid-size business owners better understand the security issues which need to be evaluated, and the steps taken to best secure your data and infrastructure before migrating into the cloud. The planning guide looks at how advanced server technologies—in particular, Intel® technologies—can help you build trust and compliance into your data center and set the foundation for cloud security.

Moving into The Cloud is not realistic for the average small business owner.

“Cloud computing security is a broad topic with hundreds of considerations—from protecting hardware and platform technologies in the data center to enabling regulatory compliance and defending cloud access through different end-point devices.  The focus of this planning guide is to provide you with suggestions and recommendations for strengthening data and platform protection in your cloud implementations.”

The seven steps in the “Cloud Planning Guide” include:
Step 1: Start Security Planning Early
Step 2: Identify Vulnerabilities for Your Selected Service(s)
Step 3: Four Things an IT Manager Can Do To Mitigate Security Vulnerabilities
Steps 4 -7 in the guide are based on the above four areas.
Step 4: Protect Data—in Motion, in Process, and at Rest
Step 5: Secure Your Platform
Step 6: Extend Trust across Federated Clouds
Step 7: Choose the Right Cloud Service Provider

Intel provided a great service with their guide... for the full details go to Cloud Planning Guide and please share with others to help keep everyone’s data secure.

Excellence in Service: What's in Your Toolbox?

CONNECTING BUSINESSES WITH PEOPLE NEEDING THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES!

How often are you asked what makes you or your business different? This question got us thinking it was about time to help answer these questions, if for no other reason than to help business owners and entrepreneurs evaluate the services and products offered by GrowOnlineNow.com.

GrowOnlineNow.com provides State-Of-The-Art Web Site Products and Services intended to support business owners across different levels of requirements and needs. Some of the more popular requirement/needs have been:

• Business owner wants total control in a do-it-yourself web site solution/platform
• Business owner wants or has family member, friend, student, etc. design and manage their site
• Business owner has no time to mess with a web site and will outsource their entire internet marketing project to a web designer/master
• Business owners have been known to want a mixture of the above however they are concerned with what happens when they are left holding the bag after their web site person leaves unexpectedly.

Our Mission Statement “Excellence in Service” guides GrowOnlineNow.com with laser like focus to identify the best solutions for business owners. This is where GrowOnlineNow.com stands heads and shoulders above “conventional” Web hosting/design companies. We identify business owner needs and requirements and then target the right solution at incredible cost savings.

This is the first of many articles to educate and inform business owners on the various products and services provided by GrowOnlineNow.com. From time to time we will highlight services which are not provided by GrowOnlineNow.com directly – rather by affiliates we have vetted to ensure they meet our stringent standards according to our mission statement.

What's in Your Toolbox?
To say Web Site statistics is important is an understatement. It is the rudder that guides business' online marketing strategy. For example, without key words how would traffic get steered to a site? And, once key words are implemented how would one monitor, measure, adjust and control their effectiveness? There has to be a way to view and analyze the effectiveness of any Web Site. This is accomplished through a set of tools that can collect and analyzes both a Web Site’s efficiency and the business’s marketing strategies.

The Statistic Tool features found on the 4.0 platform is an exclusive analysis tool kit providing accurate minute by minute stats. What is even more impressive is how business owners are empowered by a team of customer and technical support experts who help and teach owners how to analyze the data, use the data, and implement more effective marketing strategies without additional costs.

Below are a few of the features found in the 4.0 platform Statistic Toolbox:

1. Hits shown are by month, days of the month and week, as well as hourly; if a business is airing ads by radio, TV, or other mediums like the internet, this is invaluable information.
2. Who is coming to your site, and from where; this includes countries, host providers with IP address, how many pages and which pages as well as last visit, and much more.
3. Navigation provides valuable information about the visitor such as their operating system, browser they are using, as well as files and pages viewed.
4. Referrers provides the exact look into how visitors are coming to your Web Site… are they coming directly by typing in your domain name, through referring search engines or sites and what key words are being used and what is the percentage for each key word – this allows the owner to better optimize each page for more effective Search Engine Optimization.
5. Other includes identifying problems that could prove to be detrimental to search engine robots used to evaluate your website such as pages, images, and/or files not being found or broken links.

All of these tools are important in maintaining an efficient online presence. The 4.0 platform not only provides this toolbox free of charge, the platform is also one of the worlds simplest and easiest to use Web Content Management Software (WCMS) packages available and like the toolbox, comes with free and unlimited customer and technical support.

Saving time and money is important in today's competitive environment, and there are two areas that can make or break a business:

1. Spending too much time on non-productive or non-results producing activity such as trying to learn how to and/or build a Web Site without support or technical expertise.
2. Spending too much money on costly web developers/masters and/or other service providers.

The best service any business owner can possibly receive is a free, non-binding, analysis and demonstration of a Web Site platform demonstrating all of the WCMS technology, tools and resources to see if it is a fit; that the resources meets their needs, requirements and is a value to their business.

SEO trends to look for in 2012

Social
The Social Media has always played a role in SEO, but its influence on search engine page results is expected to increase in coming months. For a business, this means integrating social media into daily practices. Get “Likes” on Facebook. Go after “+1s” on Google. Stay active on Twitter and get those Retweets!  It also means creating content that people want to share, and that ties into the next SEO trend for 2012…

Quality
People don’t share cruddy content. Yes, everybody already knew that! But now the search engines are also “learning” to be more discerning. Their algorithms are being adjusted to place higher-quality content above sites that employ archaic or spam-my SEO techniques. This is good news for entrepreneurs…it means they can boost their results without having to learn complex SEO tactics.

Context

Search engines – Google in particular - now examine the context of keywords in your overall site. For example, let’s say you operate a site dedicated to donuts, and on this site, you feature one page about a different topic, like cosmetics. Google’s algorithm is getting savvy enough that it may skip over your donut site in favor of one that’s dedicated exclusively to cosmetics. It takes into account the content site-wide. The lesson is to be mindful of your site content and your message. Once you decide on your message, add the appropriate keywords across your site. Tie it all together in a way that makes sense.

Localization
It’s a big buzzword these days, and it gives SMBs like your clients a nice nudge above the competition! Localization’s taking over online marketing in general (check out some of the findings from the CMO Council to learn more), but it factors into SEO especially. Remember to use city- or neighborhood-centric keywords in blog posts, social updates and website content. Also advise your clients to make sure there’s a link to their site on Yelp and other business review sites.

Authority links
Okay, so links have always been valuable when it comes to SEO. But with all the emerging emphasis on context and content, people are beginning to realize how important outbound links are. We know inbound links are important to SEO – after all, that’s your traffic! But word on the SEO beat is that outbound links are starting to matter. So add links to sites with authority or credibility, like Wikipedia (see what we did there?).

We hope these up-and-coming SEO trends will help you prepare for 2012. Our staff stay on top of all new trends and technology advances. And no matter what year it is, our clients can always count on our Customer Care and Tech Support Staff  for any questions and help with search engine optimization... at no additional cost.

How are you seen and how does it affect your life, relationships, business, job, etc.?

Over the holidays I spent a great deal of time looking at the unemployment situation, and noticed how many people are sending resumes out to just about anyone. What I discovered was the dreaded 4 letter word “Sell”. What is the resume designed to do? Sell! The resume is a vehicle designed to help job seekers sell themselves. This in turn got me thinking… how does this affect me and my business?

In every aspect of our lives, we are salesmen. If single and looking for that perfect partner what does everyone have in common? They become very aware of their looks, how they act, in other words, they are on their best behavior, or we hope they are. We will dress to the nines, we will help others, and we look for like minded people; we are out to sell ourselves and part of that process is being able to “sincerely” describe ourselves when asked. Of course there are acceptations to the rule, but to be successful in anything, and the operative word is successful, we have to be good at “Selling Ourselves”!

This principle applies to every aspect of our lives no matter if we are working for someone or looking for a job, girlfriend, or boyfriend; we are constantly selling. This especially holds true for business owners however it is significantly more complex and magnified.

Not only is the business owner selling themselves, but their products, services, and their entire business. The goal is to ensure the right message is being sent and received by consumers, clients, customers, friends, family, etc. Referrals are important and in today’s viral environment the word can spread fast through social media channels. But caution, it can be a double edge sword. I love to buy but I hate to be sold; and if I hate to be sold so does everyone else yet I will be the first to admit it can be difficult not to come across like a salesman.

So what’s the recommendation? While watching “Pay it Forward” I had an epiphany, all of a sudden I recalled my true passion which is helping people. The focus was never on me but on others. Acquaintances turned into friendships because I listened to them and whenever I could I would help them. I never really gave it much thought, but by helping others, and not asking for anything in return, friendships occurred and when I found myself needing something or having a challenge, all of a sudden I found myself being helped.

There used to be a time in the past where we saw more people helping people. What happened? It seems many more people today have a me, me, me mentality where they believe they are “entitled” and as a result, more and more people rely on others rather than themselves to solve their problem. In order to make things better for ourselves and our nation, we must help others improve their lives. Consider this, in order to:

1. Get a good job one must sell – themselves as an asset to the company
2. Find that right person one must – sell themselves as the ideal partner willing to give, not take
3. Become successful in business one must – be able to provide a solution to a problem or a need.

To go one step further, being an asset in #1 can also be applied to #2 & 3, the same for being the ideal partner and in providing solutions. They can be applied in all three examples. So, how are you seen in the eyes of others, and what are they saying about you, your business, and your life? Cheryl handed me “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale to re-read. I highly recommend everyone read and re-read this powerful and inspirational book. I guarantee it will lift you up and help everyone in their quest for stronger relationships, better job, more successful business, and a more fulfilling life. Go to Proven positive thinking principles show you how to change your thinking and change your life for a free eBook.

You may not think you are in the selling business, but everyone is however, it’s not selling if you're focused on helping someone identify a solution to their problem, challenge, or even need. Helping others not only helps you, it helps our economy and it helps our country. Don’t ask someone else to do it for you.