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May 11 |
Facebook eCommerce for Zen Cart
Posted by Jamie - on 11 May 2012 12:08 AM
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Apr 18 |
JSWeb \ Better Customer Web Experience
Posted by Jamie - on 18 April 2012 07:35 PM
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Hi all, Lee from JSWeb here,
We unfortunately missed sending last month's newsletter, as we wanted to wait until we returned from the annual 'Internet Retailing Expo 2012' held at the NEC, Birmingham - an event which brings even more information, stimulus and capability together to help eCommerce retailers like yourselves to get the most from their online stores.
Two particular events of interest this year were the "Mobile and Social" and "Customer Experience" which outlined how important they are for online retailers today. It gave us chance to not only meet with JSWEB clients (hi to everyone we met!) but also to find out what the latest online innovators are offering/saying and services (which I've outlined below) which we think will benefit you! MUST HAVE MODULES THE WILL HELP YOU
#1 Autoresponder+ - More Info > The majority of people we spoke to at the Expo all mentioned the same thing - after sale. It's so important to continue to build relationships with your customers after they have purchased. This not only builds trust but also supports future sales.
Did you know that we have a fantastic module available called Autoresponder+ which automatically sends emails to your customer X days after they placed their online order? The content in the email is totally configurable and can even automatically ask them to review your products and provide testimonial feedback!!
#2 Post Code Anywhere - More Info > A must have for any store owner. This wonderful module will integrate directly into your Zen Cart store and allow your customers to quickly fill in their address by simply entering a few letters of their postcode.
I also spoke to them about a new feature they are launching soon called Capture+. The next generation of address finders, Capture+ uses more intelligent and faster searching to improve accuracy and relevancy. Simply start typing part of an address and see the address search working as you type.
NB. You need to have a subscription to the Postcode Anywhere service to use their system.
Another big talking point at the Expo was social media, and specifically Facebook eCommerce, the ability to sell your products through your Facebook page.
ClickTale takes the guesswork out of website optimization, conversion analysis and usability research. Knowing how visitors use your website will enable you better target specific audiences, improve customer satisfaction and increase conversion.
We recommend ClickTale for its robust interface, providing key information on how your vistors are using your Zen Cart store, just a simple bit of code inserted into your site maintains site performance without slowing it down.
If you missed the event don't worry! Grab yourself a coffee and watch some of the presentations yourself at http://www.internetretailingexpo.com/lea_CustomerExperience.html
If you have any questions feel free to give us a call.
Wishing you all the best in 2012 - remember we are only a phone call away to help!
Kind Regards
Lee
JSWeb - Helping You Build a Successful eCommerce Business. Read more » | |
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Mar 9 |
Study reveals importance of m-commerce in 2011
Posted by Jamie - on 09 March 2012 02:02 PM
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A report, published by RichRelevance, has indicated that UK consumers are increasingly reliant on their mobile devices in order to carry out safe shopping online, with 2011 being a bumper year for portable e-commerce platforms. RichRelevance has concurred with a number of other companies in finding that the online shopping boom which preceded the Christmas period last year was particularly packed with people buying things from their smartphones and tablets. It is estimated that 25 per cent of all online purchases were made from portable gadgets in the weeks leading up to the festive season. Smartphones were accountable for around eight per cent of the total e-commerce market in December 2011. It is perhaps unsurprising that Apple seemed once again to be the king of safe shopping online in this study, with a definitive 97 per cent of transactions taking place on a gadget running its iOS operating system. This includes the iPad tablet, as well as the iPhone range of smartphones and even the iPod Touch portable media player, which can get online as easily as its peers. RichRelevance spokesperson, Darren Hitchcock, said that many retailers and businesses in the UK were beginning to prioritise m-commerce development because of the clear indications that this is becoming an important way to engage with consumers. Mr Hitchcock explained that people with smartphones were looking for consistency when it comes to the m-commerce platforms they encounter. This essentially means that mobile sites and desktop sites must be able to offer equivalent levels of service, so as not to turn away potential customers. While 2011 was doubtlessly an important year for m-commerce customers, the level of service anticipated by UK consumers will soar in 2012, as more and more people invest in smartphones and tablets this year. ----- Thanks to Shopsafe.co.uk Chris Bradshaw who posted this on 25 January 2012 Read more » | |
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Jan 27 |
Social Media - Free Cheat Sheet
Posted by Jamie - on 27 January 2012 02:07 PM
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Social Media is changing the world  Nowadays whenever I see a billboard advert, pick up a leaflet or watch TV (let alone visit websites) I see some kind of Social Media reference being used to help increase brand awareness, whether it be "Find us on Facebook", "Follow us on Twitter" or read via our "Scan Tag".
Social Media is rapidly becoming a key way of marketing your business both online and offline and for that reason, more and more companies (especially small businesses) are realising the benefits of using Social Media tools. » Free Social Media Cheat Sheet The following cheat sheet from those nice folks at Flowtown and Column Five Media, takes a look at both the pros and cons of each Social Media channel giving you advice on how to get started and letting you know the size of audience that you’re reaching today. By using this information wisely, your business can reach out to a larger audience to help increase its brand awareness and of course increase sales.
» Connect your website to social media
It's so simple to get your Zen cart connected with a number of Social media channels. To start, we recommend the ADDTHIS module which sits on your website and allows your customers to click the "like" or "Tweet" button which updates their own facebook or twitter page telling all their friends and family about your website and products.
Note: You do not need to set up a Facebook or Twitter page to use this mod - of course if you do, then even better, as you can then add the Facebook or Twitter call to action buttons to help increase your followers. By giving us the nod (call us or visit our Social Media ZenCart pages) we will install everything you need to take on the world of Social Media, then let your customers do the work for you! Wishing you all the best in 2012 - remember we are only a phone call away to help! Kind regards,
JSWeb - Helping You Build a Successful eCommerce Business. Read more » | |
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Jan 1 |
What's on your 'Must-Do' list for 2012?
Posted by Jamie - on 01 January 2012 04:27 PM
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Happy New 'Zen Cart' Year! With online sales increasing year after year, 2012 should be an interesting year and we hope it brings success to all our Zen Cart clients who are actively selling online.
» The release of Zen Cart 1.5 2011 finished with positive news (thanks to the hard work of the Zen Cart Core Team) with the first official release of Zen Cart v1.5.0. The new release includes numerous system changes to support PA-DSS compliance certification aims (you can read more about this at http://www.paymentsapi.com/2010/07/what-is-padss-compliance/). This includes
There is also now a strict time-out period in admin of 15 minutes if no activity; for most operations, this shouldn't be a problem, but if you are using the define_pages_editor, EZpages, writing an email or newsletter and don't SAVE changes within that 15 minutes, then your work may well be lost. Do contact us if you need your Zen Cart Website Upgraded >> » 2012 is the time to Review and Refine
As you well know, a retailer's job is a busy one, managing the day-to-day operations alongside planning new promotions and sales.
In addition there is a need to be aware of customer trends and to keep up the search for new products which will help your business to stand out from the crowd. And of course, there is the added dimension that comes with the operation of your eCommerce Zen Cart website!
In 2011 we were often asked to provide a detailed SITE REVIEW of a website to help work out why it was not obtaining its anticipated sales income. This process involves analysing the website design, usability, checkout process and admin functionality including what essential add-ons may be missing (such as Google Merchant Feed and Recover Abandoned Carts). We then report this back to the client to help them make the right decisions to enhance the site.
One immediate problem we find over and over again relates to the website's overall look'n'feel which is either dated, plain and unappealing on the eye, or has not been enhanced to meet the functionality now expected by users who visit, try to browse and quickly leave!
Did you know....
75% of web users make judgements on the credibility of a company based on its website design! (
68% of online shoppers agree that they would distrust a site that has an unprofessional appearance
60% The average shopping basket abandonment rate!
The canny buyers will decide rapidly (within the first 8 seconds on arrival at your site, be that homepage or product page) how good a website looks, feels and navigates before continuing to spend time there.
More importatantly, they will expect it to offer the latest features that they see on other sites when searching and buying from the Internet.
If your website's design is bland or doesn't align with the major players (ASOS, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Amazon etc) then there is a very good chance it will be missing key new design usability features and is seen as disappointing to your visitors - so why would they stay?
» So out with the old and in with the new Let’s face it - the standard Zen Cart Template Design is not very appealing, if you are still using it, NOW is the time to enhance it! Our Zen Cart design team are here to change that and based on eCommerce design trends (how your competitors are moving forwards) we aim to give your website a fresh look that will make it stand out from the crowd to help increase your sales! Contact us today!
Visit our portfolio of Zen Cart and CMS websites we have built.
As for user experience needs, here are just a few Zen Cart modules which we deem as being a must and typically include within all new designs we produce.
» 1. mCommerce compatibility
Over 10 million people bought retail items online via their mobiles in 2010 (a projection of doubling in 2011). All the mail retailers have an mCommerce site e.g. Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, Argos etc
John Lewis "surprised" by surge in mcommerce sales "Mobile has reached a scale now where all retailers have to take it seriously," said Jonathon Brown, head of online selling for John Lewis. "Customer behaviour has changed. The transaction volume we've had in the last few days has surprised all of us."
Without mCommerce you are limiting access to the growing market of smartphones and tablet users. Find out more about mCommerce at http://www.jsweb.co.uk/zen-cart-modules/mcommerce/jsweb-zen-cart-mcommerce » 2. Product Carousel Scrollers
Having a Product Scroller on your Zen Cart website homepage (or even on all pages) will allow your visitors to quickly scroll through larger selections of products on the page with ease - reducing the clicks and time spend waiting for pages to be loaded Example scrollers include:
» 3. Drop Down Menus
Drop Down menus allow your consumers to quickly navigate across your site from any page.
There are two different Drop Down types available.
Here is an example of the Section Category Drop Down menu:
» 4. Banner Swapper Banner Swapper allows you to make the most of your website's (Homepage) advertising space!
» Finally, the fitness test
Now that 20% of all UK retail sales are happening on the Internet, there is no excuse for leaving your eCommerce website to run itself. Just as you would always have a staff member in a retail store, the same applies to your online store! Yes there is some clever coding embedded in good ecommerce sites (and we are here to help make that happen for you!) which takes away the repetitive tasks such as deciding what to do when a product is nearing out of stock, but this does not replace an individual retailer's knowledge and experience to just know what works and why. When possible, you need to set aside time each day when you review the homepage of your site, the most popular and visible products and sections, and tune the content based on your retailer experise coupled with looking at your sales, recovering abandoned carts and checking site statisitcs. Of course this means that you must have the ability to make these adjustments immediately. Good ecommerce platforms like Zen Cart provide a content managment system that gives you the ability to amend, preview and enact changes instantly. If this is not the case, the amendments to your website require a third party supplier (like ourselves who specialise in Zen Cart). If you currently dont have a good Content Management System and a support team available then it's time to look for a replacement! We wish you all the best in 2012 - remember we are only a phone call away to help! Kind regards,
JSWeb - Helping You Build a Successful eCommerce Business. Zen Cart eCommerce Read more » | |
