Jun
29
Secret Shopping
Filed Under Business | Comments Off
Kamyar Shah asked:
Secret shopping sounds mysterious and fun and well, shopping is great no matter what. Secret shopping in its basic form is shopping someone or someplace without the person or business knowing it. Shopping secretly seems to draw on this fantasy of part detective, part spy, and part shopaholic. In the best scenario you receive your “mission” and then go to the location and pretend to be a real customer all while noticing all the things going on around you. Some secret shopping companies will have the shopper actually purchase something so that the whole shopping encounter seems more realistic. If you search the words, “secret shopping” on the Internet you will get over 4 million hits on websites that have something to do with secret shopping.
There are all types of secret shopping businesses out there. There are businesses, corporations and large chains that have their own department or group of people that travel around and try to shop the stores. Sometimes this is part of the internal security team that helps reduce shrinkage or loss prevention specialists. Then there are the companies and stores that will choose to hire a secret shopping company who specializes in secret shopping that specific industry.
Some of the things that in person secret shops might uncover are:
How many customers in the store when entering?
Did anyone greet you when entering the store or how long did it take for someone to greet you after walking in the door?
Was the store neat and clean?
Did anyone offer to help you find an item or offer to help you?
Was the associate dressed appropriately?
Was the bathroom clean?
Was the associate using their time wisely?
Did an associate offer to get you a shopping bag, shopping cart, or basket or to start a dressing room for you?
Did the associate let you know of any specials or promotions going on in the store
Was it easy to navigate through the store?
How long did you have to wait to check out?
Was the cashier friendly?
Were your items rang in correctly?
Did the associate offer to open a store credit account?
Did the cashier thank you for coming in?
These are just a few questions that a secret shopper might have to fill out when doing a report on how the shop went. Of course depending on the company, different key areas would be listed and other items of interest that would be specific to that company. Besides a person going into a store and shopping them, some companies are having their shoppers wired for sound and or video. While a person can go to a place and shop and come up with their opinions, sound and video are hard to ignore. Often sound and video are used in extreme circumstances where sound and video would implicate a person or business of a wrongdoing.
There is a show on television right now that shows all kinds of hidden video of stealing, people acting stupid, intoxicated, fighting, driving recklessly, and more. It just goes to show you what people will watch on television. But is proves a powerful tool for incrimination or reprimanding employees.
What kind of business would use a secret shopping service? Lots of businesses use a secret shopping service whether it is an internal monitoring or hired out by a company that specializes in secret shopping. Corporate businesses would use a secret shopping service to make sure that the individual franchise or store is keeping up with the company’s rules and regulations. While some franchises are individually owned they still have to sign a contract with the home office that they will uphold the standards, appearances, and make sure that all the stores are virtually the same. Smaller businesses might use a secret shopping service for a number of things like monitoring, training, compliance, or incentive based information. Monitoring is just that, a basic service that gives the manager or owner a simple description of the secret shop. On going training is essential to any business so companies can use secret shopping to help with continued training. Compliance goes a little further with specific areas of sales, customer service, safety, and rules being covered. Incentive based secret shopping is when the person or business being shopped and that said person or business doing a great job would get a reward. The reward could be monetary, time off, bonus, lunch, or other items that the owner or manager will choose.
Some companies choose to do telephone secret shopping instead of or in addition to the in person secret shop. Telephone secret shopping uses the same principles as above except the whole interaction is done over the telephone. Modern software and telephone equipment have made this type of secret shopping easier and more secretive. But with technology comes the backlash of trying to be secretive, the arch nemesis of the telephone secret shopping world, caller id. There are ways around caller id and they will not be shared in this essay, but if you need to bypass a caller id there are systems that can do it, just check out the Internet. So the basic telephone secret shops goes like this:
Store-”Hi, thanks for calling XYZ business, this is Bob, how can I help you today?”
Shopper- “Hello Bob, I was wondering if you could give me some information about your….”
Store- “Sure, I can help you with that. You see here at XYZ business we have…”
You can see where this is going.
The telephone secret shop is typically recorded to an audio system or to the Internet where the call can be retrieved at a later date. Different software systems allow the secret shopping calls to be listened to online in real time or saved and sent via email when the audio format is in MP3. This software also allows its user to edit the call. Trimming the call in the beginning before the rings start and after both parties have hung up allow the call to remain in a manageable length. Some companies record the call and then send it to their clients on a CD. The CD allows the manager or owner to listen and share the call with the employee.
Are you looking for a secret shopping job? There are many established secret shopping companies out there that are looking for shoppers, but how do you know which ones to trust. First of all, like the old saying goes, “if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is” so don’t fall for all the Internet hype about secret shopping. Could you in reality find a reputable secret shopping company and make some money, yes, if you do your homework. This is such a serious issue that the Federal Trade Commission has advice on how to avoid being scammed by fake secret shopping companies. Here is some advice on how to avoid bogus secret shopping companies:
Do your homework; check out the company BEFORE you give them any personal information
Beware of catchy banners and click me sites that offer to hire secret shoppers off of the Internet. This is a “sounds too good to be true” situation.
Check with the Better Business Bureau about background information on the company before you jump in with both feet.
Many fake secret shopping sites want you to complete “offers” before you are assigned any jobs. These offers are actually ways for that site to gather information about you like your name and email. Offers like; try these magazines or a free trial offer for who knows what, and all you have to give them is your information and sometimes a credit card number. These sites are known to sell or use your email to spam sites that will then riddle your inbox with tons of junk email.
If you know someone who is a secret shopper ask them how they got into the business and I bet they will have some advice of their own to share.
It’s not as easy as it seems, there is often some travel involved and reports have to be written in detail, called in, typed or emailed for you to be able to get paid per job.
So if you are looking for a secret shopping company or a secret shopping job, the bottom line is check the company out before doing business with them. Ask for business references (and call them, just giving a sheet a references won’t do you any good if you don’t call them), check with the better business bureau and ask around. The time you spend doing your homework before you hire or look for a secret shopping job will pay off in the end. There are some great secret shopping companies out there that offer secret shopping services and your business will prosper from the knowledge and training that a reputable secret shopping business can provide for you.
HENRY
Secret shopping sounds mysterious and fun and well, shopping is great no matter what. Secret shopping in its basic form is shopping someone or someplace without the person or business knowing it. Shopping secretly seems to draw on this fantasy of part detective, part spy, and part shopaholic. In the best scenario you receive your “mission” and then go to the location and pretend to be a real customer all while noticing all the things going on around you. Some secret shopping companies will have the shopper actually purchase something so that the whole shopping encounter seems more realistic. If you search the words, “secret shopping” on the Internet you will get over 4 million hits on websites that have something to do with secret shopping.
There are all types of secret shopping businesses out there. There are businesses, corporations and large chains that have their own department or group of people that travel around and try to shop the stores. Sometimes this is part of the internal security team that helps reduce shrinkage or loss prevention specialists. Then there are the companies and stores that will choose to hire a secret shopping company who specializes in secret shopping that specific industry.
Some of the things that in person secret shops might uncover are:
How many customers in the store when entering?
Did anyone greet you when entering the store or how long did it take for someone to greet you after walking in the door?
Was the store neat and clean?
Did anyone offer to help you find an item or offer to help you?
Was the associate dressed appropriately?
Was the bathroom clean?
Was the associate using their time wisely?
Did an associate offer to get you a shopping bag, shopping cart, or basket or to start a dressing room for you?
Did the associate let you know of any specials or promotions going on in the store
Was it easy to navigate through the store?
How long did you have to wait to check out?
Was the cashier friendly?
Were your items rang in correctly?
Did the associate offer to open a store credit account?
Did the cashier thank you for coming in?
These are just a few questions that a secret shopper might have to fill out when doing a report on how the shop went. Of course depending on the company, different key areas would be listed and other items of interest that would be specific to that company. Besides a person going into a store and shopping them, some companies are having their shoppers wired for sound and or video. While a person can go to a place and shop and come up with their opinions, sound and video are hard to ignore. Often sound and video are used in extreme circumstances where sound and video would implicate a person or business of a wrongdoing.
There is a show on television right now that shows all kinds of hidden video of stealing, people acting stupid, intoxicated, fighting, driving recklessly, and more. It just goes to show you what people will watch on television. But is proves a powerful tool for incrimination or reprimanding employees.
What kind of business would use a secret shopping service? Lots of businesses use a secret shopping service whether it is an internal monitoring or hired out by a company that specializes in secret shopping. Corporate businesses would use a secret shopping service to make sure that the individual franchise or store is keeping up with the company’s rules and regulations. While some franchises are individually owned they still have to sign a contract with the home office that they will uphold the standards, appearances, and make sure that all the stores are virtually the same. Smaller businesses might use a secret shopping service for a number of things like monitoring, training, compliance, or incentive based information. Monitoring is just that, a basic service that gives the manager or owner a simple description of the secret shop. On going training is essential to any business so companies can use secret shopping to help with continued training. Compliance goes a little further with specific areas of sales, customer service, safety, and rules being covered. Incentive based secret shopping is when the person or business being shopped and that said person or business doing a great job would get a reward. The reward could be monetary, time off, bonus, lunch, or other items that the owner or manager will choose.
Some companies choose to do telephone secret shopping instead of or in addition to the in person secret shop. Telephone secret shopping uses the same principles as above except the whole interaction is done over the telephone. Modern software and telephone equipment have made this type of secret shopping easier and more secretive. But with technology comes the backlash of trying to be secretive, the arch nemesis of the telephone secret shopping world, caller id. There are ways around caller id and they will not be shared in this essay, but if you need to bypass a caller id there are systems that can do it, just check out the Internet. So the basic telephone secret shops goes like this:
Store-”Hi, thanks for calling XYZ business, this is Bob, how can I help you today?”
Shopper- “Hello Bob, I was wondering if you could give me some information about your….”
Store- “Sure, I can help you with that. You see here at XYZ business we have…”
You can see where this is going.
The telephone secret shop is typically recorded to an audio system or to the Internet where the call can be retrieved at a later date. Different software systems allow the secret shopping calls to be listened to online in real time or saved and sent via email when the audio format is in MP3. This software also allows its user to edit the call. Trimming the call in the beginning before the rings start and after both parties have hung up allow the call to remain in a manageable length. Some companies record the call and then send it to their clients on a CD. The CD allows the manager or owner to listen and share the call with the employee.
Are you looking for a secret shopping job? There are many established secret shopping companies out there that are looking for shoppers, but how do you know which ones to trust. First of all, like the old saying goes, “if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is” so don’t fall for all the Internet hype about secret shopping. Could you in reality find a reputable secret shopping company and make some money, yes, if you do your homework. This is such a serious issue that the Federal Trade Commission has advice on how to avoid being scammed by fake secret shopping companies. Here is some advice on how to avoid bogus secret shopping companies:
Do your homework; check out the company BEFORE you give them any personal information
Beware of catchy banners and click me sites that offer to hire secret shoppers off of the Internet. This is a “sounds too good to be true” situation.
Check with the Better Business Bureau about background information on the company before you jump in with both feet.
Many fake secret shopping sites want you to complete “offers” before you are assigned any jobs. These offers are actually ways for that site to gather information about you like your name and email. Offers like; try these magazines or a free trial offer for who knows what, and all you have to give them is your information and sometimes a credit card number. These sites are known to sell or use your email to spam sites that will then riddle your inbox with tons of junk email.
If you know someone who is a secret shopper ask them how they got into the business and I bet they will have some advice of their own to share.
It’s not as easy as it seems, there is often some travel involved and reports have to be written in detail, called in, typed or emailed for you to be able to get paid per job.
So if you are looking for a secret shopping company or a secret shopping job, the bottom line is check the company out before doing business with them. Ask for business references (and call them, just giving a sheet a references won’t do you any good if you don’t call them), check with the better business bureau and ask around. The time you spend doing your homework before you hire or look for a secret shopping job will pay off in the end. There are some great secret shopping companies out there that offer secret shopping services and your business will prosper from the knowledge and training that a reputable secret shopping business can provide for you.
HENRY
Jun
28
What are some shopping tips that can help keep the final total of your receipt manageable?
Filed Under Personal Finance | Comments Off
Mr. Nobody asked:
With the cost of living so high these days it is becoming more and more difficult to be able to afford those necessities that we have found so easy to obtain in the past. What are some tips that you can provide to young adults that will keep the final total of their shopping receipts at a low and manageable amount?
KEN
With the cost of living so high these days it is becoming more and more difficult to be able to afford those necessities that we have found so easy to obtain in the past. What are some tips that you can provide to young adults that will keep the final total of their shopping receipts at a low and manageable amount?
KEN
Jun
26
What are some good shopping carts for my website?
Filed Under Small Business | Comments Off
Awsome asked:
I have a fully finished website with all the product pages done and everything. I need a shopping cart that will use Google Checkout and that can also process credit cards. So I can add a button to each page that says “Add to Cart” or something. Does anyone know any good, cheap ones? Thanks.
HUBERT
I have a fully finished website with all the product pages done and everything. I need a shopping cart that will use Google Checkout and that can also process credit cards. So I can add a button to each page that says “Add to Cart” or something. Does anyone know any good, cheap ones? Thanks.
HUBERT
Jun
26
Shopping Cart Solutions
Filed Under Ecommerce | Comments Off
Hassan_Ahmed asked:
Choosing the best shopping cart solutions for your launch into ecommerce is critical to the success of your online business. If you’re wanting to learn more about this sometimes confusing world, this guide will explain the points you should consider before purchasing a cart.
If you’re currently in the market for software or services and would like our recommendations, Please check our NextAge Shopping Cart software at http://www.nextagecart.com . They have a Powerful SEO Shopping Cart Script
What is a shopping cart?
In a basic definition, it’s a series of scripts that keep track of items a visitor picks to buy from your site until they proceed to the “checkout”. A popular misconception is that shopping carts handle the whole financial transaction, but they only really act as a front end which passes information via a secure connection (another service) to a payment gateway - a separate service altogether.
The payment gateway service then channels the requests and transfers throughout relevant financial networks, including the Internet merchant account with your bank. It then sends back confirmation or denial back to the shopping cart software. For further information on the “back-end” aspects of ecommerce; The good news is that there are literally hundreds of shopping cart packages available. The bad news is the same as the good. Sometimes, too many choices make it very difficult to make a decision - especially when all companies claim to have the superior product. I recently experienced this challenge by reviewing over 130 shopping cart programs. I hope this article may make your life just a little bit easier!
Free or premium shopping carts?
It’s very important before you begin reviewing software and services to be to be very specific in what you actually want the cart to be able to do. It may be that you really don’t require all the bells and buzzers offered by high end packages - if this is the case, then a good package will cost around the $US150 mark. Some companies offer free shopping carts, but bear in mind that nothing in this world is truly free - read the fine print.
Free ecommerce solutions
One of the best free ecommerce solutions around is Paypal, which integrates basic shopping cart functions with a payment gateway and merchant account - funds are paid to you via check or through direct deposit. Paypal is an excellent way to begin in ecommerce and is very widely accepted around the world.
You only pay a small percentage of each sale and there are no monthly fees or setup costs, plus you receive free fraud protection - no chargeback fees to worry about. Paypal also offers web developers a wide variety of easy to use tools to assist with rapid implementation.
What other features do shopping carts have?
Shopping cart software has come a long way in recent years, and many packages are so advanced that they are in effect entire store fronts. Some integrated elements of benefit to your online business you may wish to consider include:
Suggest sell/cross selling functions
Just as in the physical world, impulse buying via the Internet is quite common. Some shopping carts will suggest another product to complement a customers current selection. If offered at a discount rate, this strategy proves quite successful.
Quantity discounts/coupons
Many shopping carts now allow for the calculation of discount rates based on the number of units a customer wishes to purchase. Coupon functions allow you to issue special offers as part of your marketing campaigns. Usually, prospective clients are given special codes that are matched against a particular item or overall discount rate.
Autoresponders
If you follow up all your clients with regular email offers, you may want to consider shopping cart software that has integrated autoresponder capabilities - this will streamline your operations and can be used for maintaining other contact lists as well. Why buy two pieces of software when you can get them rolled into one?
Affiliate modules
One of the most effective, low cost ways to advertise your product is through an affiliate program. Your outlay is minimal if you only pay on performance; i.e. sales generated. An affiliate module can handle the signup process, provide statistics, streamline communications and keep track of payments to be made to affiliates.
Other features commonly incorporated into carts include inventory tracking, sales tax calculation and stationery creation/management.
There’s a number of questions you’ll want to ask yourself when compiling a shopping cart wish list:
What kind of shopping cart does my hosting service support?
Shopping cart scripts are written in many different coding formats - PERL, PHP, ASP just to name a few. Be sure to check with your host before purchasing a program. If you’re currently in the market for software or services and would like our recommendations, Please check our NextAge Shopping Cart software at http://www.nextagecart.com . They have a Powerful SEO Shopping Cart Script
What is my budget?
It’s easy to blow your budget on a turbo-charged shopping cart only to find that there were a number of other critical items you didn’t factor in - like a payment gateway, or the fact that the cart software may be so complex that you need to hire somebody else to assist in implementation!
What kind of delivery mechanisms will I require?
If you are selling hard goods that need shipping, choice of cart is a little easier as this is a standard function. Many carts also offer customers the ability to calculate different shipping options. If you are trading in soft goods such as software and want to make delivery available online immediately, you’ll need to carefully compare carts.
As an example, some shopping carts that are capable of delivering goods online redirect customers to a static download page after a successful transaction. This isn’t a good idea as the customer (and his/her friends) are able to return to the page to download again and again. A better equipped shopping cart will only provide customers with a temporary URL, that will be unique to that customer and may only be available for a few hours after purchase before it is deleted.
Another strategy employed by some carts for soft goods online delivery is to use a static URL for downloading, but scripting is implemented to ensure the visitor to the page has come via the shopping cart after a successful transaction has occurred.
Yet another soft goods delivery means used by carts is that the software is attached to an email sent to the customer after a successful transaction. This may be suitable for very small files, but I don’t think many ISP’s would appreciate you sending 20 megabyte attachments to a customers inbox - in fact, it would not be possible in many instances.
Where will my business be in 6 months time?
Does the package allow for scalability? While you may not require bells and buzzers now, as your business grows you may find that your needs change. The better shopping carts are in a modular format which allow for scalability with minimum downtime. Be sure to check the prices of modules you may need in the future. It isn’t uncommon for companies is to offer the base model for next to nothing and then to charge like wounded bulls for any upgrades.
Is the cart software compatible with my payment gateway?
There are dozens of different payment gateways which plug into various shopping cart packages - but perhaps not yours! Before purchasing your cart, also review gateway services supported by the software (and also make sure that the payment gateway is compatible with the Internet merchant account you have with your bank). It can be a bit of a challenge getting the cart you want to talk to the gateway service you want and also to your bank! Read our guide to
What kind of payments are supported by the cart?
Credit card transactions are now a normal part of our online world. If your shopping cart software does not support credit card transactions or if you have not enabled credit card processing, you’re in trouble - you may as well just close up shop!
There are still some customers who will refuse to use a credit card over the Internet, so you will need to be able to offer other forms of payment - e.g. money orders, echecks etc.
What about disaster planning?
A good shopping cart application will have excellent support for backing up files and allowing for export into a variety of formats. Flexible exporting functions will also be of value in the future should you need to change carts and wish to import existing data into a new application. If you’re currently in the market for software or services and would like our recommendations, Please check our NextAge Shopping Cart software at http://www.nextagecart.com . They have a Powerful SEO Shopping Cart Script
What level of support will I need and receive?
All shopping cart providers will tell you that their software is simple to install and configure. Few will be actually correct in making that statement. If you don’t have the technical expertise to configure your shopping cart, get quotes from the company or a third party contractor to undertake this work for you.
Test out the support system by sending a query to the sales department - if they don’t respond quickly this is usually a good indicator that after sales support will be even worse!
Also, read the fine print before parting with your hard earned cash - you may find that technical support will be charged out per incident.
Some shopping cart software companies also offer user forums as part of their service. This is an excellent bonus. If you are having problems with setting up your scripts, no doubt someone else has experienced the same issues and may be willing to help you out.
Be sure to review the company’s “bug” policy; i.e. if a error in the software is fixed and an updated version is released, will you be entitled to recieve that upgrade or patch at no cost.
While I am all for supporting the solo programmers, a shopping cart is so crucial that it may not be wise to purchase a product from a one-man operation as customer support may not be efficient. If you’re currently in the market for software or services and would like our recommendations, Please check our NextAge Shopping Cart software at http://www.nextagecart.com . They have a Powerful SEO Shopping Cart Script
Remotely or locally hosted shopping cart?
Some shopping cart programs can be purchased as stand alone programs or as pay per month services hosted on another companies’ server. Remotely hosted options usually allow for extensive customization of pages to fit in with your sites look and feel.
Remote hosting advantages
Fast implementation, secure connection supplied, monitoring of service and usually many other features are offered as part of the service. Because the cart is actually hosted on another server, you can also save on bandwidth charges - especially if your products are soft goods and delivered online.
Some remotely hosted shopping carts are in effect total marketing solutions, containing options to run affiliate programs and the ability to send sequential pre-defined messages to clients and leads. Some of these services are excellent for people ‘testing the water’ as they also include gateway services and even an Internet merchant account!
If you are looking for features without needing to spending thousands of dollars up front, remotely hosted may be the way to go. Plan on spending at least US$60 per month for these kinds of services. Compare prices carefully - I have seen one company charge US$200 a month for the same service provided by another for $US59 per month. Remember, this added recurring expense will need to be taken into account when establishing a price level for your products and services.
Remote hosting disadvantages
What happens if the company goes belly up overnight? Remote hosting also tends to give you less control over how cart pages display. If you are going to use a remotely hosted service, check the company history carefully. Some operators have also been known to ‘harvest’ your client databases for spamming purposes.
Local hosting advantages
Total control over the software, no ongoing fees.
Local hosting disadvantages
Time spent in installation, configuration and maintenance, greater initial outlay, requires SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to be enabled on your site which usually incurs an extra charge per month.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider before purchasing shopping cart software or services. It is very important to remember that the shopping cart is only one part of your ecommerce arsenal. Without an effective payment gateway and Internet merchant account (sometimes these are combined), the cart is useless.
Don’t rush your decision to purchase based on marketing hype - the future of your business is at stake!
TERRANCE
Choosing the best shopping cart solutions for your launch into ecommerce is critical to the success of your online business. If you’re wanting to learn more about this sometimes confusing world, this guide will explain the points you should consider before purchasing a cart.
If you’re currently in the market for software or services and would like our recommendations, Please check our NextAge Shopping Cart software at http://www.nextagecart.com . They have a Powerful SEO Shopping Cart Script
What is a shopping cart?
In a basic definition, it’s a series of scripts that keep track of items a visitor picks to buy from your site until they proceed to the “checkout”. A popular misconception is that shopping carts handle the whole financial transaction, but they only really act as a front end which passes information via a secure connection (another service) to a payment gateway - a separate service altogether.
The payment gateway service then channels the requests and transfers throughout relevant financial networks, including the Internet merchant account with your bank. It then sends back confirmation or denial back to the shopping cart software. For further information on the “back-end” aspects of ecommerce; The good news is that there are literally hundreds of shopping cart packages available. The bad news is the same as the good. Sometimes, too many choices make it very difficult to make a decision - especially when all companies claim to have the superior product. I recently experienced this challenge by reviewing over 130 shopping cart programs. I hope this article may make your life just a little bit easier!
Free or premium shopping carts?
It’s very important before you begin reviewing software and services to be to be very specific in what you actually want the cart to be able to do. It may be that you really don’t require all the bells and buzzers offered by high end packages - if this is the case, then a good package will cost around the $US150 mark. Some companies offer free shopping carts, but bear in mind that nothing in this world is truly free - read the fine print.
Free ecommerce solutions
One of the best free ecommerce solutions around is Paypal, which integrates basic shopping cart functions with a payment gateway and merchant account - funds are paid to you via check or through direct deposit. Paypal is an excellent way to begin in ecommerce and is very widely accepted around the world.
You only pay a small percentage of each sale and there are no monthly fees or setup costs, plus you receive free fraud protection - no chargeback fees to worry about. Paypal also offers web developers a wide variety of easy to use tools to assist with rapid implementation.
What other features do shopping carts have?
Shopping cart software has come a long way in recent years, and many packages are so advanced that they are in effect entire store fronts. Some integrated elements of benefit to your online business you may wish to consider include:
Suggest sell/cross selling functions
Just as in the physical world, impulse buying via the Internet is quite common. Some shopping carts will suggest another product to complement a customers current selection. If offered at a discount rate, this strategy proves quite successful.
Quantity discounts/coupons
Many shopping carts now allow for the calculation of discount rates based on the number of units a customer wishes to purchase. Coupon functions allow you to issue special offers as part of your marketing campaigns. Usually, prospective clients are given special codes that are matched against a particular item or overall discount rate.
Autoresponders
If you follow up all your clients with regular email offers, you may want to consider shopping cart software that has integrated autoresponder capabilities - this will streamline your operations and can be used for maintaining other contact lists as well. Why buy two pieces of software when you can get them rolled into one?
Affiliate modules
One of the most effective, low cost ways to advertise your product is through an affiliate program. Your outlay is minimal if you only pay on performance; i.e. sales generated. An affiliate module can handle the signup process, provide statistics, streamline communications and keep track of payments to be made to affiliates.
Other features commonly incorporated into carts include inventory tracking, sales tax calculation and stationery creation/management.
There’s a number of questions you’ll want to ask yourself when compiling a shopping cart wish list:
What kind of shopping cart does my hosting service support?
Shopping cart scripts are written in many different coding formats - PERL, PHP, ASP just to name a few. Be sure to check with your host before purchasing a program. If you’re currently in the market for software or services and would like our recommendations, Please check our NextAge Shopping Cart software at http://www.nextagecart.com . They have a Powerful SEO Shopping Cart Script
What is my budget?
It’s easy to blow your budget on a turbo-charged shopping cart only to find that there were a number of other critical items you didn’t factor in - like a payment gateway, or the fact that the cart software may be so complex that you need to hire somebody else to assist in implementation!
What kind of delivery mechanisms will I require?
If you are selling hard goods that need shipping, choice of cart is a little easier as this is a standard function. Many carts also offer customers the ability to calculate different shipping options. If you are trading in soft goods such as software and want to make delivery available online immediately, you’ll need to carefully compare carts.
As an example, some shopping carts that are capable of delivering goods online redirect customers to a static download page after a successful transaction. This isn’t a good idea as the customer (and his/her friends) are able to return to the page to download again and again. A better equipped shopping cart will only provide customers with a temporary URL, that will be unique to that customer and may only be available for a few hours after purchase before it is deleted.
Another strategy employed by some carts for soft goods online delivery is to use a static URL for downloading, but scripting is implemented to ensure the visitor to the page has come via the shopping cart after a successful transaction has occurred.
Yet another soft goods delivery means used by carts is that the software is attached to an email sent to the customer after a successful transaction. This may be suitable for very small files, but I don’t think many ISP’s would appreciate you sending 20 megabyte attachments to a customers inbox - in fact, it would not be possible in many instances.
Where will my business be in 6 months time?
Does the package allow for scalability? While you may not require bells and buzzers now, as your business grows you may find that your needs change. The better shopping carts are in a modular format which allow for scalability with minimum downtime. Be sure to check the prices of modules you may need in the future. It isn’t uncommon for companies is to offer the base model for next to nothing and then to charge like wounded bulls for any upgrades.
Is the cart software compatible with my payment gateway?
There are dozens of different payment gateways which plug into various shopping cart packages - but perhaps not yours! Before purchasing your cart, also review gateway services supported by the software (and also make sure that the payment gateway is compatible with the Internet merchant account you have with your bank). It can be a bit of a challenge getting the cart you want to talk to the gateway service you want and also to your bank! Read our guide to
What kind of payments are supported by the cart?
Credit card transactions are now a normal part of our online world. If your shopping cart software does not support credit card transactions or if you have not enabled credit card processing, you’re in trouble - you may as well just close up shop!
There are still some customers who will refuse to use a credit card over the Internet, so you will need to be able to offer other forms of payment - e.g. money orders, echecks etc.
What about disaster planning?
A good shopping cart application will have excellent support for backing up files and allowing for export into a variety of formats. Flexible exporting functions will also be of value in the future should you need to change carts and wish to import existing data into a new application. If you’re currently in the market for software or services and would like our recommendations, Please check our NextAge Shopping Cart software at http://www.nextagecart.com . They have a Powerful SEO Shopping Cart Script
What level of support will I need and receive?
All shopping cart providers will tell you that their software is simple to install and configure. Few will be actually correct in making that statement. If you don’t have the technical expertise to configure your shopping cart, get quotes from the company or a third party contractor to undertake this work for you.
Test out the support system by sending a query to the sales department - if they don’t respond quickly this is usually a good indicator that after sales support will be even worse!
Also, read the fine print before parting with your hard earned cash - you may find that technical support will be charged out per incident.
Some shopping cart software companies also offer user forums as part of their service. This is an excellent bonus. If you are having problems with setting up your scripts, no doubt someone else has experienced the same issues and may be willing to help you out.
Be sure to review the company’s “bug” policy; i.e. if a error in the software is fixed and an updated version is released, will you be entitled to recieve that upgrade or patch at no cost.
While I am all for supporting the solo programmers, a shopping cart is so crucial that it may not be wise to purchase a product from a one-man operation as customer support may not be efficient. If you’re currently in the market for software or services and would like our recommendations, Please check our NextAge Shopping Cart software at http://www.nextagecart.com . They have a Powerful SEO Shopping Cart Script
Remotely or locally hosted shopping cart?
Some shopping cart programs can be purchased as stand alone programs or as pay per month services hosted on another companies’ server. Remotely hosted options usually allow for extensive customization of pages to fit in with your sites look and feel.
Remote hosting advantages
Fast implementation, secure connection supplied, monitoring of service and usually many other features are offered as part of the service. Because the cart is actually hosted on another server, you can also save on bandwidth charges - especially if your products are soft goods and delivered online.
Some remotely hosted shopping carts are in effect total marketing solutions, containing options to run affiliate programs and the ability to send sequential pre-defined messages to clients and leads. Some of these services are excellent for people ‘testing the water’ as they also include gateway services and even an Internet merchant account!
If you are looking for features without needing to spending thousands of dollars up front, remotely hosted may be the way to go. Plan on spending at least US$60 per month for these kinds of services. Compare prices carefully - I have seen one company charge US$200 a month for the same service provided by another for $US59 per month. Remember, this added recurring expense will need to be taken into account when establishing a price level for your products and services.
Remote hosting disadvantages
What happens if the company goes belly up overnight? Remote hosting also tends to give you less control over how cart pages display. If you are going to use a remotely hosted service, check the company history carefully. Some operators have also been known to ‘harvest’ your client databases for spamming purposes.
Local hosting advantages
Total control over the software, no ongoing fees.
Local hosting disadvantages
Time spent in installation, configuration and maintenance, greater initial outlay, requires SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to be enabled on your site which usually incurs an extra charge per month.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider before purchasing shopping cart software or services. It is very important to remember that the shopping cart is only one part of your ecommerce arsenal. Without an effective payment gateway and Internet merchant account (sometimes these are combined), the cart is useless.
Don’t rush your decision to purchase based on marketing hype - the future of your business is at stake!
TERRANCE
Jun
24
An Online Shopping Mall is your Key to Comfort
Filed Under Home And Family | Comments Off
Chuck Arnone asked:
An online shopping mall will have the ability to keep your information private and secure. An online shopping mall is a convenient way to shop, which saves you time & money! A quality online mall has a network of stores, made up of top national merchants, for your convenience.Another advantage is the online shopping mall is open 24/7, every day of the year.
Customer
Furthermore, each shop can easily provide a customer with the latest goods in the shop by constantly updating the database linked to the home page. If a customer wants to buy apparel, the customer is more likely to buy the goods in an online shopping mall which allows a point-service. Recently, customers buy goods not only in shops but also through network services using telephones, personal computers, etc. If a customer clicks the mouse on the hyper link to his or her favorite shop, then the names of the goods and their images and prices of the shop are displayed on the screen. The goods are directly sent from the shop to the customer, and the customer makes a payment. The high tech internet has made online shopping a breeze for customers to shop at will,anytime they desire.
Shops
When goods in a plurality of shops are displayed on the screen, the shopping mall formed of such shops is referred to as an online shopping mall. However, the shops can also have their own servers, and can simultaneously enter another online shopping mall. Also remember to come back often to find new links, shops, online stores and more when a weekly update is done.
Electronic
A good online shopping mall just doesnt carry electronics, computers, books and music, though our shopping center also allows you to do comparison shopping for products and offers a large selection of unique gifts and products you simply wont find at other online malls. An online mall is a giant shopping mall with hundreds of stores and thousands of quality products for comparison. Shopping has never been so easy electronics, apparel, music, auto accessories, computers, shoes, jewelry, vitamins. Spend less time surfing and more time shopping online.
There are quite a few reasons to shop online, security being one of them. As a consumer, it is always nice to be provided with special incentives to keep the customer coming back. This would be no different than a retail store you walk into. A key ingredient for a great online shopping mall is site organization.
ALEX
An online shopping mall will have the ability to keep your information private and secure. An online shopping mall is a convenient way to shop, which saves you time & money! A quality online mall has a network of stores, made up of top national merchants, for your convenience.Another advantage is the online shopping mall is open 24/7, every day of the year.
Customer
Furthermore, each shop can easily provide a customer with the latest goods in the shop by constantly updating the database linked to the home page. If a customer wants to buy apparel, the customer is more likely to buy the goods in an online shopping mall which allows a point-service. Recently, customers buy goods not only in shops but also through network services using telephones, personal computers, etc. If a customer clicks the mouse on the hyper link to his or her favorite shop, then the names of the goods and their images and prices of the shop are displayed on the screen. The goods are directly sent from the shop to the customer, and the customer makes a payment. The high tech internet has made online shopping a breeze for customers to shop at will,anytime they desire.
Shops
When goods in a plurality of shops are displayed on the screen, the shopping mall formed of such shops is referred to as an online shopping mall. However, the shops can also have their own servers, and can simultaneously enter another online shopping mall. Also remember to come back often to find new links, shops, online stores and more when a weekly update is done.
Electronic
A good online shopping mall just doesnt carry electronics, computers, books and music, though our shopping center also allows you to do comparison shopping for products and offers a large selection of unique gifts and products you simply wont find at other online malls. An online mall is a giant shopping mall with hundreds of stores and thousands of quality products for comparison. Shopping has never been so easy electronics, apparel, music, auto accessories, computers, shoes, jewelry, vitamins. Spend less time surfing and more time shopping online.
There are quite a few reasons to shop online, security being one of them. As a consumer, it is always nice to be provided with special incentives to keep the customer coming back. This would be no different than a retail store you walk into. A key ingredient for a great online shopping mall is site organization.
ALEX
Jun
19
What is a good shopping cart software to use?
Filed Under Software | Comments Off
MrMichigan asked:
I know there are a lot of shopping carts out there. Here is the deal.
I know there are a lot of shopping carts out there. Here is the deal.
1) I already have a web site and a host.
2) I have a paypal account. I am going to use paypal to accept credit cards.
I just need a low cost shopping cart software that has shipping options, taxes, old / new product prices, unlimited products and looks good and not cheap looking.
I do not know html. I use Frontpage 2003 to build my web site. I just need a shopping cart software that will have a nice looking format already setup to add my products.
Note: I am not offering files to download. I am selling Herbailfe products. If you are aware of someone already having a shopping cart setup for these products and willing to hook me up, then please let me know.
ANGEL
Jun
19
Why do cats like to eat plastic shopping bags?
Filed Under Cats | Comments Off
Mello B asked:
My cats eats plastic shopping bags then vomets up has a bowel movement (BM) with undigested plastic in it. Plus he will go to great lengths to get these bags.
EVERETT
My cats eats plastic shopping bags then vomets up has a bowel movement (BM) with undigested plastic in it. Plus he will go to great lengths to get these bags.
EVERETT
Jun
17
What qualities and features should I look for when shopping for a tent?
Filed Under Other - Outdoor Recreation | Comments Off
Mrs.Fine asked:
I love to camp, but my poor old tent has worn out and it is time to purchase a new one. There are alot more features available now, and I want to know which ones are worth the extra money, and which ones just add more weight to my gear. It was a little overwhelming shopping at the Bass Pro shop last weekend.
I love to camp, but my poor old tent has worn out and it is time to purchase a new one. There are alot more features available now, and I want to know which ones are worth the extra money, and which ones just add more weight to my gear. It was a little overwhelming shopping at the Bass Pro shop last weekend.
Also, where is the best place to find a good deal on these tents? I only have a family of four, so an extra large tent is not needed. Just one that is relativley simple to set up.
Thanks for your input!
JONATHON
Jun
17
Online Shopping Business Growth
Filed Under Fashion | Comments Off
Online Shopping asked:
It is extremely easy to find and buy anything and everything online. The diversity of the online shopping marketplace is amazing because of its global aspect. You have endless possibilities. For the convenience of online shoppers, the number of discounts in internet stores have also been growing continuously.
As the industry of online stores continues to boom, the level of competition among the retailers also keeps getting higher. This competition makes the online shops to be very alert and updated on what the other stores are selling to make sure that it would be their prices that would be most appealing for online consumers.
There are literally thousands and thousands of online stores that continue to thrive and they all provide businesses and individuals with an electronic method of buying services and products. They provide the access to the widest variety of merchandise in the comfort of their offices or homes.
Here are some of the more popular online stores or marketplaces that truly provide great products offering and service.
1. eBay
eBay is probably the most famous online auction. Consumers are able to find all kinds of items - from books to gardening tools to appliances to clothing to baby products to electronic gadgets and even cars and real estate.
2. Amazon
This would be perhaps the second largest online store, which hosts both online stores and auctions. Although Amazon also offers the same products that eBay sells, their reputation mainly lies on the category of books and video entertainment.
3. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is an online store, which offers a wide range of merchandise as well. However, they also offer internet services, as well as questions regarding taxes at the start of the year. This makes Wal-Mart a great place to shop and get information.
LUKE
It is extremely easy to find and buy anything and everything online. The diversity of the online shopping marketplace is amazing because of its global aspect. You have endless possibilities. For the convenience of online shoppers, the number of discounts in internet stores have also been growing continuously.
As the industry of online stores continues to boom, the level of competition among the retailers also keeps getting higher. This competition makes the online shops to be very alert and updated on what the other stores are selling to make sure that it would be their prices that would be most appealing for online consumers.
There are literally thousands and thousands of online stores that continue to thrive and they all provide businesses and individuals with an electronic method of buying services and products. They provide the access to the widest variety of merchandise in the comfort of their offices or homes.
Here are some of the more popular online stores or marketplaces that truly provide great products offering and service.
1. eBay
eBay is probably the most famous online auction. Consumers are able to find all kinds of items - from books to gardening tools to appliances to clothing to baby products to electronic gadgets and even cars and real estate.
2. Amazon
This would be perhaps the second largest online store, which hosts both online stores and auctions. Although Amazon also offers the same products that eBay sells, their reputation mainly lies on the category of books and video entertainment.
3. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is an online store, which offers a wide range of merchandise as well. However, they also offer internet services, as well as questions regarding taxes at the start of the year. This makes Wal-Mart a great place to shop and get information.
LUKE
Jun
17
The Biggest Mobile Phone Shops in the USA
Filed Under Business | Comments Off
Jayesh Bagde asked:
The biggest mobile phone companies in the world today are Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Siemens, and LG.
Nowadays, there are huge numbers of mobile phones around the world that offer high feature mobile phones. There are also other mobile phone shops such as online phone shops that sell phones via internet access. The leading mobile phones in the market are Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sonny Ericsson, Siemens, and LG. Some shops do not sell their phones directly. Normally, phones are sold bundled with their network package.
Listed below are the largest mobile phone shops in the USA
Orange Mobile Phone Shop: The Orange Mobile Phone Shop has an internet shopping that offers various choices of mobile phone products and quick service to all buyers or customers. Orange mobile phone shop completely deals from top mobile phone manufactures such as Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, and Nokia. This mobile phone store or shop also offers network service of leading phone networks. Customers can choose their payment whether they want it monthly or pay-as-you-go plan.
Cason Shop Company: This Cason shop offers video games, laptops, personal computers and other gadgets aside from mobile phones. The Cason shop company sells their products at a cheaper rate so that they get a lot of clients. This mobile phone and gadget shop is located at #7077 South, Clinton Street, Englewood, Colorado USA.
Mobile phone shop and internet café: This shop has a large basement and a large ground floor that acts as an internet café and mobile shop. The shop services and sells mobile phones, mobile phone accessories, personal computers, and laptops. This shop is equipped with spy cameras in order to secure the buyers of a safe transaction. It is located at Lillie road, USA.
Electronic Shop: This Electronic shop offers brand new products such as mobile phones, laptops, television sets, video games, as well as personal computers. All their products have a 1-year warranty. It is situated at # 1402 Lakeside Drive Suite Oakland California.
Simeye Mobile Phone Shop: The Simeye mobile phone shop provides their customers advanced state of the art mobile phones, phone accessories, and phone headsets. Their shops are located in the United States and other countries such as United Kingdom, New York, North America, and California.
Coupon codes Mobile Phone Shop: It is an online network shop that offers good quality mobile phones that are branded and user-friendly. Some mobile phones that are sold here come from large phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Vodafone, Motorola, Alcatel, Siemens, and Sony Ericsson. A lot of buyers visit this place for they sell their gadgets at an affordable rate.
T-Mobile Phone Shop: The T-Mobile Phone shops provide mobile phone internet package with every phone they buy. T-Mobile offers a professional e-mail T-mobile phone at a very low monthly price. The advantage of T-mobile phone over other phones is that the messages will be automatically delivered to the headset.
Dial-a-phone mobile phone shop: This shop provides low monthly billings for your mobile phone. Dial-a-phone shop offers the best camera phones, smallest phones, sleekest phone models and of course, the latest phones available in the market. It also has superb latest headsets. The mobile phone brands that this shop normally sells are Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and LG.
No.1 online Mobile phone shop: This mobile phone shop is more of like an online shop that deals directly in mobile supplies such as headsets, accessories, housings, batteries and much more. They also give discounts to customers. Online mobile phone shops sell their product at a very low price.
Techoni Mobile Phone Shop: This shop offers the latest cell phones at very affordable prices. It has become one of the leading phone manufacturers around the world. It manufactures phones in different countries such as USA, Australia as well as other states in the USA like Las Vegas, Alaska and Indiana. This mobile phone shop has a delivery service and also has stock of all leading brands of mobile phones such as Nokia, Samsung, and Panasonic, along with LG, siemens, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, as well as PDA.
RICH
The biggest mobile phone companies in the world today are Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Siemens, and LG.
Nowadays, there are huge numbers of mobile phones around the world that offer high feature mobile phones. There are also other mobile phone shops such as online phone shops that sell phones via internet access. The leading mobile phones in the market are Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sonny Ericsson, Siemens, and LG. Some shops do not sell their phones directly. Normally, phones are sold bundled with their network package.
Listed below are the largest mobile phone shops in the USA
Orange Mobile Phone Shop: The Orange Mobile Phone Shop has an internet shopping that offers various choices of mobile phone products and quick service to all buyers or customers. Orange mobile phone shop completely deals from top mobile phone manufactures such as Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, and Nokia. This mobile phone store or shop also offers network service of leading phone networks. Customers can choose their payment whether they want it monthly or pay-as-you-go plan.
Cason Shop Company: This Cason shop offers video games, laptops, personal computers and other gadgets aside from mobile phones. The Cason shop company sells their products at a cheaper rate so that they get a lot of clients. This mobile phone and gadget shop is located at #7077 South, Clinton Street, Englewood, Colorado USA.
Mobile phone shop and internet café: This shop has a large basement and a large ground floor that acts as an internet café and mobile shop. The shop services and sells mobile phones, mobile phone accessories, personal computers, and laptops. This shop is equipped with spy cameras in order to secure the buyers of a safe transaction. It is located at Lillie road, USA.
Electronic Shop: This Electronic shop offers brand new products such as mobile phones, laptops, television sets, video games, as well as personal computers. All their products have a 1-year warranty. It is situated at # 1402 Lakeside Drive Suite Oakland California.
Simeye Mobile Phone Shop: The Simeye mobile phone shop provides their customers advanced state of the art mobile phones, phone accessories, and phone headsets. Their shops are located in the United States and other countries such as United Kingdom, New York, North America, and California.
Coupon codes Mobile Phone Shop: It is an online network shop that offers good quality mobile phones that are branded and user-friendly. Some mobile phones that are sold here come from large phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Vodafone, Motorola, Alcatel, Siemens, and Sony Ericsson. A lot of buyers visit this place for they sell their gadgets at an affordable rate.
T-Mobile Phone Shop: The T-Mobile Phone shops provide mobile phone internet package with every phone they buy. T-Mobile offers a professional e-mail T-mobile phone at a very low monthly price. The advantage of T-mobile phone over other phones is that the messages will be automatically delivered to the headset.
Dial-a-phone mobile phone shop: This shop provides low monthly billings for your mobile phone. Dial-a-phone shop offers the best camera phones, smallest phones, sleekest phone models and of course, the latest phones available in the market. It also has superb latest headsets. The mobile phone brands that this shop normally sells are Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and LG.
No.1 online Mobile phone shop: This mobile phone shop is more of like an online shop that deals directly in mobile supplies such as headsets, accessories, housings, batteries and much more. They also give discounts to customers. Online mobile phone shops sell their product at a very low price.
Techoni Mobile Phone Shop: This shop offers the latest cell phones at very affordable prices. It has become one of the leading phone manufacturers around the world. It manufactures phones in different countries such as USA, Australia as well as other states in the USA like Las Vegas, Alaska and Indiana. This mobile phone shop has a delivery service and also has stock of all leading brands of mobile phones such as Nokia, Samsung, and Panasonic, along with LG, siemens, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, as well as PDA.
RICH