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May
11
Facebook eCommerce for Zen Cart
Posted by Jamie - on 11 May 2012 12:08 AM

Zen Cart Facebook Shop

Enhance your Facebook with a Shop!

Did you know you can now showcase your Zen Cart stores products live on Facebook in a fully customised Facebook Shop?

We don't want you to miss out on the fantastic opportunity to open an online shop on your Facebook page and are here to help!  This is a huge step forward for online business owners and has tremendous potential and what's more with our Zen Cart #<> Facebook module its super easy! . . . so what are you waiting for?

Consumers spend a large chunk of their day on Facebook and with a Facebook Shop offering your products you can grow your business and boost sales.   The average user spent 3 minutes on Google during the 31 days of January this year compared to the 6.75 hours spent on Facebook by their 750 million active users.  That's an audience you can’t afford to ignore. 

In fact Facebook's venture into e-commerce promises to change the future of online shopping, transforming the way business is done online.  Having your own Facebook Shop means that your products not only reach a wider market but that consumers can quickly recommend them, see all your promotions, special offers and events and can spread the word about your brand in just one click!  What's more you can use Facebook as your customer service centre, responding to consumer’s queries and requests in real time – which enables you to retain a good market presence and a loyal customer base.

Facebook Shop for ZenCart

EXAMPLE (Read more on our module page)

Facebook Module for Zen Cart

We can transform your Facebook page to incorporate your own Facebook Shop with our new module which has a Tweet facility and Like button as an added bonus.  It's easy to use as it automatically updates your Facebook Shop so there is no need to maintain a separate product list.  If you'd like to see it in action on the JSWeb Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/jswebzencart or BabyShower.ie Facebook pages – we installed their Facebook Shop and they haven't looked back!

Zen Cart Facebook JSWeb
Visit the JSWeb Facebook Shop

 

Find out more about this fantastic module on the JSWeb website




Interested in this module? We're only a phone call away to help!

Kind regards,

Jamie Owner of JSWeb

JSWeb - Helping You Build a Successful eCommerce Business.
Zen Cart Design and Hosting - http://www.jsweb.co.uk
Tel:   +44 0845 86 200 12  | IRL: 01 52 62 72 1


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Apr
18
JSWeb \ Better Customer Web Experience
Posted by Jamie - on 18 April 2012 07:35 PM
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.

internetretailingexpo

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. 



#3 Facebook eCommerce - More Info >

Another big talking point at the Expo was social media, and specifically Facebook eCommerce, the ability to sell your products through your Facebook page.


Quickly start advertising your existing shop via your Facebook page designed so that after initial installation, the system will automatically keep up-to-date with your product catalogue without the need to maintain a separate product list! 


#4 ClickTale - More Info >

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.

Use ClickTale to analyze the performance of your online forms, keep visitors engaged in page content, and lead them through the conversion process.

 

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

 

Lee JSWeb Signature

 

JSWeb - Helping You Build a Successful eCommerce Business.
Zen Cart Design and Hosting - http://www.jsweb.co.uk
Tel:   +44 0845 86 200 12  | IRL: 01 52 62 72 1


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Mar
9
Study reveals importance of m-commerce in 2011
Posted by Jamie - on 09 March 2012 02:02 PM

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


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Jan
27
Social Media - Free Cheat Sheet
Posted by Jamie - on 27 January 2012 02:07 PM

 

 Social Media is changing the world 

Socail MediaNowadays 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.

We are already working with a number of clients to help increase their Social Media presence (we're here to help!) - but for those of you who are new and want to give it a go yourself, we thought this free social media cheat sheet would be a good start...

» 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.

socialmedia_cheat_small.jpg

download-options_01download-options_02.gifdownload-options_03

 

  

» 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.

addthisbanner

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,

Jamie Owner of JSWeb

JSWeb - Helping You Build a Successful eCommerce Business.
Zen Cart Design and Hosting - http://www.jsweb.co.uk
Tel:   +44 0845 86 200 12  | IRL: 01 52 62 72 1


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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

 

Happy New Year 2012

 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

  • Admin passwords now expire every 90 days, as per PA-DSS specification
  • Admin passwords now require a combination of letters and numbers, as well as uniqueness (cannot use already-used passwords)
  • Admin passwords can have a configurable length, but no less than 7 characters
  • Admin passwords also expire, for security reasons, when changing admin configuration from non-SSL mode to SSL mode.
  • Admin Profiles - is now built-in, with a significant number of additional features, and simpler to use.
  • Addition of a basic admin Activity Log Viewer/Exporter tool
  • (Find out whats else is new in Zen Cart 1.5)
NOTE: PA-DSS compliance is NOT the same as PCI Compliance (see http://www.pcicomplianceguide.org/pcifaqs.php#1) - if you are hosted by JSWeb, your server IS PCI Compliant, as is the default fileset of ZenCart 1.3.9.

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.

Annoying as that will be, the big cause of concern is that many 3rd party add-ons/customisations may no longer work on upgrading because of the PA-DSS requirements, and those may require considerable work (= expense) to bring up to the new standards.

We would also point out that when ZC1.3.9 was released in April 2010, versions 1.3.9a, b,c,d,e,and f all followed in rapid succession over the next few months!

We are therefore not intending to upgrade anyone to ZC1.5 until at least April 2012 to be sure that most bugs have been found and fixed, and even then, it may not be practical/economically viable for heavily customised sites.

To clarify JSWeb's position with regard to our Terms & Conditions (http://www.jsweb.co.uk/conditions-of-use): While we very much welcome the release of 1.5.0, we consider the current STABLE release of ZenCart to be 1.3.9h and any ZenCart running on our servers should be this versio which offers good stability, a wide range of confirmed working modules and avoids the new 1.5 admin automatic logout as mentioned above

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! (
Fogg, B.J, Standford Guidelines for web creditibity)

 

68% of online shoppers agree that they would distrust a site that has an unprofessional appearance 
(eMarket)

 

60% The average shopping basket abandonment rate!
(Marketing Sherpa)

 

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!

Zen Cart Standard Design template move your zen cart template forwards Zen Cart Enhanced Design template

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:

Zen Cart Carosel Scroller

Zen Cart Carosel Scroller


» 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. 

  • "Our Products" -  a single drop down displaying all your Product Categories from one place
  • Section Categories - displays a range of categories across your top header. Each category displaying its own drop down menu

Here is an example of the Section Category Drop Down menu:

 

drop down

 


» 4. Banner Swapper

 

Banner Swapper allows you to make the most of your website's (Homepage) advertising space!

Every online shop wants to show their customers what's new, what's hot and what they have to offer, but we are limited to what we can fit on the page.

With the Banner Swapper for Zen Cart you can display your most attractive advertisements in a very stylish way.

The Banner Swapper can be customised by JSWeb to suit your website; we can even change the way the banners show and the way the customer interacts with those banners at an additional cost



 

» 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,

Jamie Owner of JSWeb

JSWeb - Helping You Build a Successful eCommerce Business. Zen Cart eCommerce
Zen Cart Design and Hosting - http://www.jsweb.co.uk
Tel:   +44 0845 86 200 12  | IRL: 01 52 62 72 1


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