http://www.mivamerchant.com/ en rwilson@mivamerchant.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-23T20:21:11+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/how-to-start-selling-online-part-2-choosing-the-best-ecommerce-platform-for http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/how-to-start-selling-online-part-2-choosing-the-best-ecommerce-platform-for#When:20:21:11Z Now that you realize Selling Online is the next step in your businesses evolution, the next thing that you really need to dig into is finding the right ecommerce platform for you. All too often, I talk to merchants who either personally made a bad choice for their ecommerce platform (for example, picking the first one they encountered or heard about), or they hired a web developer who chose something on their behalf that wasn’t quite right, or they never finished the project and the business owner was left with a half-built solution that doesn’t work and they’re out a lot of time and money. I can’t stress enough how important it is to do your due diligence, researching platforms at the beginning, before you wake up one day and you’re stuck and the future success or failure of your business is being determined by your ecommerce software. Today, I’m going to dig into 3 Key Areas to examine when looking for the right fit: Reliability and Security Flexibility and Support Licensing Models and Pricing Reliability and Security Reliability and Security are things most businesspeople would like to just take for granted. Well, the first takeaway from today is simple DON’T! If you assume that just because a company offers a product that sounds good, that reliability and security are a given, there’s a very high chance you’re going to be let down, and more importantly, it can and will hurt your business and cause you to lose money. Virtually everyone offers a 99.9% Uptime Guarantee. The problem with this is that these guarantees are meaningless. Let’s explore why: 99.9% allows for almost 9 Hours per year of downtime (8.76 to be exact) 9 hours of downtime is a lot more than more people expect when they see 99.9% You normally have to request in writing that the Guarantee be triggered Your compensation will generally be limited to a maximum of one month’s free service It’s not an inherently bad thing that companies limit their exposure to some free service and choose a guarantee percentage that sounds great while it’s simultaneously pretty easy to achieve. We do the exact same thing here at Miva. At the price points involved in SMB Ecommerce, it’s just not financially feasible to offer a more significant guarantee. However, with that said, that doesn’t preclude us from attempting to greatly exceed our goal. We strive for 100% uptime, and for the vast majority of our customers, we hit somewhere between 99.999% and 99.9999% uptime. Another big “gotcha” is that server uptime isn’t the only measure of reliability, and often isn’t the most meaningful measure. If your server is up but your page load speed is 30 seconds per page, you’re most likely not running afoul of anyone’s guarantee, but you’re site certainly isn’t functional from a customer’s perspective. In that same vein, if your shipping calculations are timing out or payment isn’t working smoothly, having servers that show your webpage is hardly a comfort. The key takeaway here is to look for a company and platform that has a reputation for keeping your business up and operational, not just to the letter of the guarantee, but to the spirit of the guarantee.1 , 2 When it comes to security, the first thing to realize is that security is more than just PCI Compliance. PCI-DSS and PA-DSS are the two standards around credit card security for the ecommerce world. The rules are created and enforced by the PCI Security Council, which is an industry trade organization created by Visa, MasterCard, etc. “PCI,” as it’s generally referred to in the ecommerce world, can at times seem silly and pointless, but the truth is that at the heart of the PCI standard there is a systematic approach to protecting Credit Card data from being compromised en masse. The first thing you want to make sure of is that your ecommerce platform is either being offered by a PCI Certified Service Provider (be wary of anyone who’s Level 2 or “Self Certified”, it’s just not the same thing), or you’re using a PA-DSS Validated Payment Application (like Miva Merchant). You can check the PCI Security Council website for an up-to-date listing of Certified Service Providers and Validated Applications. However, you’ll want to go a little bit farther than just making sure your tools are compliant. For example, right now there’s a popular trend, by Payment Gateway companies, to offer Hosted Checkout options. Generally speaking, these Hosted Checkout options (PayFlow Link, Authorize.net’s SIM, etc…) take your ecommerce site “out of scope” for PCI, and therefore, there’s a tendency for many merchants to want to choose an option of this sort and just absolve themselves of having to think about PCI. There are a few problems with this approach. First and foremost, it’s still possible for someone to gain access to your underlying HTML and put themselves in between your site and the iFrame for payment and scrape card numbers. If this happens and your business gets a reputation for having an insecure website, even if you didn’t technically violate PCI, your business reputation could be destroyed. In addition to reputational risk, it’s highly likely that the PCI Security Council will address this issue in an upcoming version of the specification, then this “loophole” will no longer be available and you’ll be right back where you started, needing to worry about your PCI issues again. At the end of the day, it’s important to take a comprehensive look at how you handle security in your business, and make sure you treat the responsibility that comes with having people’s personally identifiable information and personal credit information with the care and respect it deserves. That process begins with choosing an ecommerce platform that takes that same responsibility just as seriously. The best way to tell how an ecommerce platform thinks about security is to look at their online documentation and talk to their support reps. Does their documentation point to loopholes or give you incorrect instructions about how to “pass a PCI Scan” instead of focusing on how to actually build and maintain a secure online business? If so, then that should be your first clue to pass on that platform and find someone who takes security as seriously as you do. Flexibility and Support Once you’ve found a platform that you trust, and you’re confident in both their reliability and their security, the next thing to examine is how flexible the platform is (both from a design perspective, as well as a business rules perspective), and what kind of support they offer to you, the business owner? How can you tell if the underlying architecture will allow you to keep your look and feel in line with current trends in design and technology? Essentially, you need to ensure that you have absolute control over the HTML and CSS (JavaScript too) that are output by your platform. A lot of ecommerce platforms focus on the ease of use of their template system, and many business owners don’t realize until it’s too late that they’ve gotten locked into a system that they can’t properly update and maintain. A great ecommerce platform starts with a great content management system. A great content management system should allow you to maintain the look and feel (HTML and CSS) of a very large online store (literally millions of SKU’s), with minimal design effort, by being able to manage them in bulk through a high-powered CMS.For example, if you want to add code to your global footer so that it shows up on every single page in your store, you shouldn’t need to update hundreds or thousands of individual pages, nor should you have to wait for them to release an update to their software to give you that support. You should simply be able to make a change and apply it globally throughout your entire store. Another great example is the rise of Mobile, Tablets and Responsive Web Design. As the technology landscape evolves, and new devices, screen types, and interaction methods appear, it’s vital that you be able to upgrade your existing look and feel to take advantage of the changing trends in web design. If your current platform doesn’t have a way for you to update your look and feel to a Responsive Web Design (from a technological perspective), then you have a problem. If you have to manage hundreds of XML files, dig through PHP source code just to find your HTML, edit countless static pages, or even worse, don’t have access to the underlying HTML, CSS and JavaScript, then you should run, not walk, to a new ecommerce software platform. In addition to flexibility, when it comes to design, how you operate your business is equally if not more important. In the current age of easy-to-use consumer services and mobile apps, many business software companies have rushed to dumb-down their application, so that virtually anyone could use it. Don’t get me wrong, I like excellent UI and well thought-out products as much as anyone (thank you Jonathan Ive), but even Apple doesn’t try to oversimplify their business class software products. While it’s true that virtually anyone can pick up an iPhone and just start using it, the same cannot be said for Aperture or Final Cut Pro, and I’m sure that professional photographers and videographers around the world are grateful for that complexity. It’s vitally important that your ecommerce store software can be customized to work around your business needs, and not require you to change how you do business to work around its shortcomings. Businesses are like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike. You need to make sure that you’ve thought through key things like: How do you want your customers to pay you? Will you accept Credit Cards? Purchase Orders? Alternative Payments like PayPal? All of the above? Does your payment process need to connect to an ERP? How are you going to ship your items? Are you selling digital downloads? How are you going to manage DRM and Download Rights? Are you shipping physical goods? Will you ship worldwide or just domestically? Are you going to use a fulfillment center? Do you have multiple warehouses? Are you going to calculate shipping costs or include it in your base price? What are your sales tax responsibilities? Do you need to connect to an advanced sales tax tool like Avalara? How is your inventory going to be managed? All of these questions and many more (a lot of which you won’t think of until it’s “too late”) are going to impact how you choose to run your online business, and the results of these decisions can have a huge impact on your online success or failure (if you don’t believe me, go shop for a TV at Amazon.com, and then at BestBuy.com, and tell me which one has a better experience. If you don’t choose Amazon, I’ll be shocked. It’s a key reason why Amazon is the undisputed leader in ecommerce, because they understand the multiplying consequences of all of these critical decisions, and to date, BestBuy has not had the same epiphany, or at least has not been able to truly execute on it). Make sure you pick an ecommerce application that has built business flexibility into its DNA. If you find, that right from the beginning, you have to make significant trade-offs just to make it work “their way,” then you should begin looking for a new platform that fits your business needs more appropriately. Customer Service by your platform provider can be a critical factor in your success (or failure). Have you ever noticed, every company claims they have Nordstrom-level customer service, but most customer service experiences aren’t the same as what you receive at Nordstrom’s? I think, with a little diligence, you can quickly find out what kind of support you’re going to get from a company. Does the leadership of the company seem involved with their product and community? Is there evidence that the company “eats their own dog food” by both using their product and directly helping customers use their product? At a bare minimum, you should look for these key markers: 24/7/365 (366 on Leap Years ) Phone and Email Support Do they have publicly available and vibrantly active Community Forums? What do the real customers on those Forums think about the product (remember if you choose this platform, you’re going to be one of them soon)? Support should be owned and operated by the company itself, and not outsourced, They should offer both technical support (my shopping cart isn’t working, how do I fix it?), as well as customer support (I need to be able to accept payments from international customers. What do you think I should do?). Licensing Models and Pricing The last key feature to work through on your ecommerce platform due diligence list is Licensing Models and Pricing Models. What exactly do I mean by this? Generally speaking, you have 3 options in the world of ecommerce: Licensed Software that you purchase, install and operate on your own servers or hosting Open Source Software that’s “free” installed and operating on your own servers or hosting SaaS (Software-as-a-Service), where you sign up for a software package that’s already hosted for you, and you simply configure and operate it via a web browser Each of these models has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it’s important to understand the differences so you can choose what’s right for your business. Hosting Questions: Licensed Software and Open Source Software both require you to be in charge of hosting and maintaining the software on your own. There are some hosting companies that will attempt to do some or all of this for you, but ultimately, it’s simply not possible to maintain this type of software with the same ease that you can maintain a SaaS solution. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. Does your company like to host everything on your own servers and never use an external hosting company? If that statement fits you, then you absolutely need to choose either Licensed or Open Source Software. However, if that statement couldn’t be further from the truth in your case, then you need to choose a SaaS solution. Upgrade Questions: The next big question, when it comes to platform choice, is how do they manage your upgrades and updates? If you can’t update or upgrade, then for all intents and purposes, you are stuck on that version of that platform. If a security update or key feature come out that you must have, you’ll need to go to extraordinary lengths to make it work. Licensed and Open Source Software generally require you to download and manually install any upgrades or patches. This can be a huge issue, especially with Open Source Software. The key thing to remember here is that if you (or your developer) start modifying the Source Code of your Open Source Software package, there is a VERY high likelihood that when the next update or upgrade comes out, you simply will not be able to install it (without undoing all of your modifications).  If you can’t update or upgrade, then for all intents and purposes, you are stuck on that version of that platform. If a security update or key feature come out that you must have, you’ll need to go to extraordinary lengths to make it work. The last thing to consider, when it comes to Licensed and Open Source Software (especially Open Source Software), is how are you going to get support for your site. This may seem like an easy question to gloss over, and just assume you’ll get it from the company that provided the product. That’s not a safe assumption when you’re hosting it yourself. Many of the issues that arise when operating an ecommerce site online are a mix of server configuration, underlying technology, and third party systems.For example, if you can’t accept payment because you’re unable to connect to Authorize.net, who do you contact when you host it yourself - Authorize.net, your platform provider, or your host? It all depends on what’s causing the problem, and having 3 or more providers that you need to involve to figure it out can cost you lots and lots of time, and therefore, money. A harsh but very real example is when Bonobos had a multi-day problem, starting around Black Friday 2011. It took days to unravel, and ultimately it was determined to be a confluence of events between their platform provider, hosting environment, and their payment gateway. When it comes to Upgrades and Updates on a SaaS solution, it’s not automatically a good thing for your business, just because the platform handles your upgrade process. The key things to understand about Upgrades/Updates on a SaaS platform are whether you have control over the timing of the updates, and more importantly, whether there is any chance that it will break your store. You need to understand these items and have a plan to mitigate any associated risks. Pricing Questions: Price is generally the first thing everyone looks at (including me), but ironically, it shouldn’t be deeply examined until you have your list of possible platforms culled to a short list of 2 or 3 choices (except to make sure that you can afford everything on your list, of course). Pricing has three distinctly unique costs: Development/Deployment Day-to-day operating costs Price of the platform itself All to often, people only look at the price of the platform itself, and completely forget about the other two cost centers, when the other two costs usually exceed the cost of the platform by many orders of magnitude. Development and deployment costs are often very hard to figure out until it’s far too late. Assuming you’re going to use an outside company to assist you in getting your site built, most companies don’t (and really can’t) offer truly flat bid pricing (even though they try, and make it seem like they do in some cases). Make sure you talk to some people who have launched and deployed with that platform, and gauge how many hours it really took to get live, what issues there were, etc. This is one of the key places where “free” Open Source Software for ecommerce really fails the test. The license to the software may be free, but if development time is 5 to 10x longer on an hourly basis, it’s usually going to be far more expensive to use the “free” solution versus a well designed and maintained corporately backed platform. Once you understand what it’s going to truly cost for you to get a site built and deployed (and don’t forget, your personal hours cost money too), then the next thing to make sure you calculate is what it’s going to cost you to operate and maintain on a day-to-day basis. Things you need to make sure to include in your thinking when it comes to this: Ease of maintaining and managing the catalog (products, prices, etc.) Do you need a professional developer just to add a product or category? Are the Order Management features designed to save you time and get your work done? Is it going to cost you when you need to upgrade or update the software (don’t forget developer time, if you’ve customized an Open Source product)? All of these things take hours, and hours cost you real money. Finally, once you’ve figured out how much it’s going to cost you to build, deploy and operate your new site, then add on top of that the cost of the platform itself (make sure you include the per transaction fees, if your platform charges them), and then you can calculate a true Total Cost of Ownership. If you’re still with me, thanks for making it to the end of what’s likely the longest Blog post I’ve ever written. And to recap, here are the key takeaways: Understand the true Reliability of your platform of choice (and remember that if you’re store is down, your business is down). Security is more than just PCI Compliance. Choose a platform that takes security seriously and demonstrates that with their actions and architecture. Don’t paint yourself into a corner with a product that can’t keep up with the constantly evolving technology in the world of web development (think Responsive Web Design). Make sure your platform can handle the very unique features of your business. and don’t settle for something that doesn’t fit. Choose a platform that is well known for support, and has a reputation for “eating it’s own dog food.” When it comes to price, only looking at the cost of the platform is a huge mistake. If you don’t understand your true and total cost of ownership, you’re setting yourself up to make an uninformed (and likely bad) decision. Obviously I’m a little biased, but I think you’ll find Miva Merchant is a truly great ecommerce platform. Check out this page for more info. 1 Press Articles about downtime from SMB Ecommerce Platforms: http://www.internetretailer.com/2012/12/17/volusion-deals-holiday-outages http://www.internetretailer.com/2012/10/12/lights-go-out-volusion-again http://www.internetretailer.com/2007/11/26/retailers-report-extended-web-site-outages-on-yahoo-store-platfo 2 User Generated Shopping Cart Reviews on Miva Merchant: http://www.shoppingcartreview.com/miva_merchant_2 2013-05-23T20:21:11+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/does-social-sharing-drive-sales http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/does-social-sharing-drive-sales#When:17:44:00Z The digital landscape has dramatically and rapidly transformed over the past few years.  Social media platforms have opened up a whole new trend called “social sharing.” What we once thought of as a nice after-thought to selling online is quickly becoming a proven sales-generating strategy. What is Social Sharing? Social sharing is the broadcasting of thoughts and activities on a social profile, and unlike other social media “fads” that come and go, social sharing is a major behavioral shift that is here to stay. How Social Sharing Works: Web acts of sharing on social networks have become a form of currency.  When someone shares a great deal on Facebook with their friends, it encourages others to share back or purchase. With Facebook, for example, social sharing options include posting content to your own wall, a friend’s wall, to a group or in a private message. It also allows the user to include comments on the item being shared. Social sharing is a great way to drive traffic back to your site. Just this morning, I received a message on Facebook from one of my friends who shares a common problem of taming frizzy hair in humid climates.  Instantly, upon reading, I was influenced to purchase.  Notice that it didn’t matter how much it cost.  I was instantly converted to a customer because her recommendation meant more to me than any advertisement, sale, or price. I had never even heard about My Deva Curl before, but I instantly became a loyal customer just because of a friend’s recommendation. If I find that the product works well, I will more than likely share my purchase with other friends.  I’m sure you can see from this example how social sharing is a very powerful tool for ecommerce stores. There have been alot of questions in the ecommerce world about social sharing and sales revenue, but there haven’t really been any hard numbers confirming if it does.  We all know that the more engagement you get on social networks, the better your website will be recognized on search engines.  But have you ever wondered how much a share is really worth to you?  AddShoppers analyzed $5,000,000 worth of ecommerce transactions from thousands of retailers on the AddShoppers platform.  They broke down their findings and put it in an easy-to-read infographic for your viewing pleasure:   (Click to enlarge) Infographic by AddShoppers Social Commerce Platform What You Need to Know About Social Sharing:   The average tweet is worth $1.62 to online retailers.   Every pin drives an average of $1.25 in revenue to an online retailer.   The majority of products shared on twitter are electronics.   The average online order influenced by a tweet is $181.37.   Product shares via email have the highest likelihood of turning into a purchase.   More people share apparel products than any other product category.   The average online order influenced by Tumblr is $200.33, the highest of any social networking site. 2013-05-23T17:44:00+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/the-4-pillars-of-a-successful-online-marketing-strategy http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/the-4-pillars-of-a-successful-online-marketing-strategy#When:22:16:28Z 1.  Building Strong Relationships with Potential Customers Your audience is comprised of the people who are your potential customers and could-be loyal fans. Your customers are the most valuable asset of your business, and once you have a loyal customer, they will want to tell everyone about your brand.  Building a great marketing strategy is all about creating a relationship with your customers, even if you never actually see them. How to Create Loyal Customers: Find out who they really are. If you don’t take the time to get to know your potential customers, then you will have a hard time gaining their attention, interest, and money.  Really dig into getting to know their demographics, psychographics, expectations, and knowledge of your product or service.  What social media sites are popular with your prospects and customers?  Do your research on their environment and focus your marketing energies to meet them right where they are at. Tall, Grande, or Venti? Speak their language.  Starbucks is a great example of a company that actually created an industry “lingo” that made customers feel included, and it has even become a way of life for loyal customers.  When you are starting a new business, you are probably entering an industry with its own “lingo.”  Make sure that your communication with your audience is in a language that they can understand. Offer something of value. To really win the hearts of your audience, you must differentiate your business and stand out from the crowd.  By adding value to your customers’ lives, you will be able to create loyalty that lasts a lifetime.  Remember, loyal customers are your best sales people. Communicate authentically and effectively. As with any relationship, communication is key to its success.  Even online, people can sense authenticity.  As Benjamin Franklin said, ““It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.”  Build trust with vigilance and quality every time your customer encounters your brand.  Founder and CEO of Dwolla, Ben Milne, believes that delivering on your promise is your business, and if you don’t deliver, “there’s no tagline that fixes it.” 2.  The Art of Converting Consumers into Customers Once you have successfully attracted, engaged, and inspired your audience, the next step is to bring them to the logical conclusion to buy your product.  Each potential customer goes through a “decision journey.”  Mckinsey & Co. created the following infographic which effectively demonstrates a circular consumer decision journey that your potential customers might go through.   (Click to enlarge) The Consumer “Decision Journey” Cycle:Step 1.  Consumer has a want, need, or desire that they are looking to satisfy by purchasing a product or service.Step 2.  Consumer locates product/service and evaluates if it would satisfy their want, need, or desire.Step 3.  Consumer compares and contrasts product or service with other options, and decides on a favorite solution.Step 4.  Consumer makes a decision to purchase and successfully converts into customer.Step 5.  After purchasing, consumer assesses the user experience and eventually returns to Step 1. If you successfully meet your audience at each stage of the decision journey with a solution for every want, need, or desire they have along the way, then you will be able to successfully guide them to conversion. 3.  Creating Effective Content Quality content is the cornerstone of your marketing, meaning it is the essential piece that determines the success of your online marketing strategy.  All other pieces of your store will reference this piece while building a strong foundation for your website. Each block, or piece of content, should be intended to help your customers address a specific need better than any other resource provided by your competition.  Effective content is a crucial piece to the success of your online business. What is Content Marketing?Content marketing is simply producing and publishing information that is used by customers to better understand your product or service.  Once you know what your potential customers are searching for, it will make it easier for you to create effective content that addresses their specific questions. 4 Building Blocks of Creating Effective Content: Write quality product descriptions that appeal to the customer’s senses. Use keywords strategically in your website for SEO strategy. Use videos, blogs, and case studies to reach new customers and please the search engines. Provide valuable information for your visitors to give them insight into solutions your product/service can provide. Creating highly relevant content for consumers in each of the consumer “decision journey” stages will create a stronger connection between you and your customers, which eventually could lead them to purchase. 4.  Producing High-Quality Products or Services The best way to succeed is to design and offer exactly what your customers want.  Create products that are better quality than any of your competitors to help maximize your success rate in the marketplace. High quality products will lead to lasting business success because you will actually add value to your customer’s lives by providing them with the best that they can get. This will bring them back, time and time again.  We all know that it is easier to make sales from existing customers than it is to acquiring new ones.  If you want to grow your business and set yourself apart from other ecommerce stores, focus your time and energy on planning, organizing, and delivering top-notch products/services. What Defines a “High-Quality” Product or Service?In order to determine if your product/service is high-quality, consider the following factors: Test your products/services Constantly improve your products/services Deliver products/services quickly Offer superior customer service, even after delivery Offer a great return policy Use great product-photography Use high-quality materials Ensure conformity with market requirements Become properly accredited Ensure customers’ expectations are fulfilled or exceeded The only way to sustain sales, gain competitive advantage, and create loyal customers is by consistently offering high-quality products and services that achieve customer satisfaction. 2013-05-22T22:16:28+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/vlog-google-shopping-best-practices http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/vlog-google-shopping-best-practices#When:18:11:17Z What are some best practices on Google product listing ads? Google Shopping is a relatively new paid shopping program, so tutorials and best practices aren’t as widely available as, say, SEO guides. In this VLOG series on Google Shopping, Rick Backus from CPC Strategy shares his top 3 pieces of advice for merchants using Google PLAs. What Are Some Best Practices On Product Listing Ads? Prior to paid Google Shopping, online merchant listings ads appeared on Google search only when Google decided it. Product Listing Ads bidding on paid Google Shopping allows merchants to influence where they rank on Google Shopping, and how much exposure those product ads get. Rick Backus reveals the best practices for listing your products on Google Shopping in this VLOG. Many online retailers can’t necessarily afford someone else to manage their Product Listing Ads (PLAs), and they would prefer to use best practices to guide them in listing their products online.  If you are in this position, then this best practice VLOG guide is for you: Optimize your data feedOptimizing your data feed is an important way to increase your Ecommerce sales.  If your feed is not optimized, then Google will not be able to pull those products and give them the exposure you want them to have.  For smaller retailers with less than a hundred products, rewrite the titles and the descriptions.  You can also bring in someone who has expertise in SEO in order to build out that feed. On a larger scale, that becomes much more difficult, but if you have a small feed then that is totally realistic. This is a high – leverage activity and a great use of your time, even as a business owner. Monitor your budgetYou need to have a good idea of how much you are willing to spend on product listing ads.  Be careful not to start the budget too high because Google is usually pretty good about figuring out ways to spend that money. So, have an idea of what the budget is, and then start actually tweaking the bids. Tweak your bidsFigure out what you need to be bidding.  Often times you need to up the bids just to get you into the rotation.  Even if it takes you up to $6 or $7 bids in order to get into the rotations.  Often times, what they will actually charge you won’t be that high.  It will be more like $0.80 to $1.  Once you get into the rotation, you can find out what your average position is.  Then, you can usually back off on your bids a little bit and lower your average CPC. In general, for the same key words on AdWords, right now on GPLA, you can usually bid half as much. Google does a great job of only showing those products for very qualified searches.  If you look at the conversions on PLAs vs. AdWords (minus branded campaigns on AdWords), PLAs are going to convert much better.  Right now it is a really good investment.  Take the time to make sure that your feed is in compliance with Google’s data feed specs.  It will pay off with improved search-ability, more clicks, and more conversions. This is Part 3 of a 6 Part VLOG series on Google Shopping by CPC Strategy. Check back weekly for more insight on Google Shopping! VLOG: Reasons NOT to List Your Products on Google Shopping VLOG: Google Shopping - Why is Bidding So Important? 2013-05-22T18:11:17+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/consumers-speak-out-about-the-internet-sales-tax-law http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/consumers-speak-out-about-the-internet-sales-tax-law#When:16:00:04Z The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 was recently met with approval from the U.S. Senate and is currently being reviewed by the House.  If the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 is passed, Ecommerce businesses will have increased overhead costs, new sales tax reporting requirements, increased risk for lawsuits and tax audits, potential loss of sales, and a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace.  Academic studies have estimated that more than $12 billion additional sales taxes will be collected from Ecommerce stores each year, if this bill is passed, according to CNN. The Consequences If It Passes   It will keep small Internet companies small forever. Online companies will never grow past the $1M threshold because they will be punished severely for passing it.   It will cripple mid-sized Internet companies so they cannot compete with Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and other large supporters of the bill. Small and mid-sized companies will not be able to afford the cost of compliance and the barrage of audits from all 50 states and many will eventually be forced out of business.   The cost of compliance for small and mid-size online businesses that do survive will significantly reduce their earnings and imperil the livelihoods of all who work for these businesses.   And much, much more … Endicia recently surveyed the consumer’s responses to the Internet Sales Tax Law and created this infographic to display the findings.  Their biggest finding from the consumer reaction to the bill was that 60% of shoppers said that they would change their online shopping habits if it gets passed.  This would mean that 60% of your customers could potentially be lessening or stopping their shopping on your website all together.  Of this 60 percent Endicia found that 44 percent they would buy less online, 12 percent said they would buy more from their hometown stores, and 4 percent said they would purchase more from big retail chains.   (Click to enlarge) The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 would affect online retailers making more than $1 million in annual sales; the money collected would be used to fund local and state governments. Help ensure that the Internet sales tax bill is fixed or defeated: Write to Your Congressman Today. photo credit: davidrossharris via photopin cc Ecommerce News, 2013-05-17T16:00:04+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/how-to-start-selling-online-part-1 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/how-to-start-selling-online-part-1#When:20:49:58Z Have you been considering selling online? Are you an existing business owner who needs to expand online? Or do you have the next big thing (or even just your next big thing) that you think is perfect to launch via online retail? In this series of blog posts we’re going to dig in and examine some of the key pillars of success that I’ve seen time and time again helping hundreds of thousands of business owners sell online. Ecommerce, which has long been a mainstay of the Internet, seems to have undergone a truly generational shift in which everyone under a certain age expects to be able to purchase anything they desire online. This trend makes it an exciting time to be selling online and considering only 3% of retail sales in the US currently happen online, there is still a lot of growth ahead of us. Let’s dig in and start by getting our head around the world of ecommerce today. The Benefits and Perils Of Selling Online There are a number of great reasons to sell online:   National and Global Reach 24/7/365 Availability Self Service Checkout (Doesn’t require an employee 24/7/365) Low Overhead (online stores are much cheaper than rent, utilities and more on a retail location) Highly Efficient (a multi-million dollar online business can often have little to no employees) However, there are also some pitfalls to keep in mind:   First And Foremost People Can’t Touch or Experience Your Product Credit Card Fees Are Higher For Ecommerce You Have To Ship Your Goods (usually) Chargebacks Tend To Be Higher Returns Can Be Challenging Everything Must Be Calculated Ahead Of Time When you’re making decisions about how you’re going to design the layout and structure of your site, many of these pitfalls should be considered. Arguably the most important item to get right is your product landing pages and product photography, as they can make or break your site. Think of this as being the online version of being about to touch and experience your product. Do everything in your power from well-written vivacious descriptions to super high quality (and quantity) of product photos and product videos where appropriate. SCOTTEVEST.com has all the elements of a great product experience, multiple photos from all meaningful angles and they go beyond the norm with pocket maps and X-ray vision mode to videos and customer photos. It’s also vital to the design phase of your site to consider how you’re going to communicate with your customers for customer service items including your returns policy and process. Having a well thought out process for making the customer feel like they can get ahold of you and handle any issues or return your product if necessary is instrumental in having a successful online store. Zappos.com has multiple ways for customers to contact them with 24/7 Customer Service, Help, Live Chat, and “Free Shipping and Free Returns” displayed at the top of every page on their website. What You Sell vs. How You Sell In today’s selling environment, how you sell online is going to be largely determined by what you sell. If you are selling clothing, for example, people will expect you to have a return policy and great sizing charts. HSN.com has a sizing chart with pictures to demonstrate measurements and help customers get the accurate sizes. If you are selling furniture, you should probably design a widget that allows buyers to design how it looks in their room so that you can make sure that the customer is ordering something that fits in their house. PBteen.com has a great widget where you can “Plan Your Room” by choosing measurements and placing their products inside to see how they fit. BenjaminMoore.com showcases their paint colors inside the model home by letting the customer see how it looks with their “Personal Color Viewer.” If you are selling swimming pools, you should include a quoting process for customers to be able to submit for a quote and talk to a Sales Representative. No two back yards are the same, so RoyalSwimmingPools.com offers a quoting process to give customers a more customizable way to buy their swimming pools, leveraging the power on shopping online with a more traditional sales approach. Today, all of these things and virtually anything else you think of can be done in various ways online. The reality of selling online is this: everything counts. Every decision you make as a storeowner will affect your conversion rate, your ability to build up a large repeating clientele and ultimately your overall success. A good rule of thumb is to try and take a step back, forget everything you know and try to imagine what a brand new customer is experiencing the first time they find your site. Customers in today’s ecommerce environment are looking for:   Ease of use Speed, Cost and Flexibility of shipping Easy Payment Options (Credit Cards, PayPal, Amazon, etc…) Extensive and Useful Product Information Return policies (cost of returns) As ecommerce continues to grow, customer expectations will increase, as well. Therefore, optimizing the customer experience in order to build a better relationship with you and your brand will be increasingly important for the success of your online store. The Time Is Now - The Future of Ecommerce Ultimately, the future of the ecommerce environment offers endless possibilities for those starting to sell online. In my opinion, ecommerce is one of the greatest advancements in the technological age.  It is through the beauty of ecommerce that a person doing $1-2 million in sales can do so with few or no employees. Twenty years ago that was virtually unheard of, and fifty years ago that was truly impossible. Today, it’s already impressive the level of efficiency someone can achieve with an online business, and I believe we are in the early stages of this revolution. We are going to see acceleration in the tools and technology available to allow very small organizations to achieve truly great success. If you take the time to do it right in the first place, you will have the ability to build a multi-million dollar business with little more than a great idea, lots of determination and leveraging powerful tools like a great ecommerce platform. Ecommerce 101, 2013-05-16T20:49:58+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/grow-your-ecommerce-business-with-linkedin http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/grow-your-ecommerce-business-with-linkedin#When:21:51:55Z LinkedIn is one of the most powerful online tools to build your Ecommerce business.  With its network of over 225 million business professionals., there are endless opportunities to use this powerful social network to your business’ advantage.  According to a Forrester Research report, 75% of professionals said that they rely on social networks to make business decisions, and 65% of businesses said that they’ve acquired sales from LinkedIn.  Optimize your business profile on LinkedIn by using the following features, and drive new traffic to your Ecommerce store through this social networking platform. Use Endorsements to Build Trust Endorsements are a great feature on LinkedIn that make it easier to recognize and substantiate specific skills and expertise that your business already has.  You can utilize this feature on LinkedIn by getting endorsements from industry-related contacts and by exuding the trust that potential customers and clients are looking for. Join the Discussion for Networking LinkedIn groups can help you find new people to connect with from your industry.  In addition, you can use the groups feature to share your content or create your own group.  If you create your own group, you will have the ability to directly message members who join.  Be sure to position your business as a resource by sharing valuable content, rather than selling or spamming, in order to better connect with members in the groups. Use Advanced Search to Find Vendors and Suppliers LinkedIn Advanced Search can be a great tool for Ecommerce businesses looking to find new vendors and suppliers.  If you want to use the best industry keywords to find potential leads for your business, you can use Google’s keyword tool. Gain Intel on the Competitors and Industry LinkedIn’s Company Pages are a great way to gain industry knowledge that you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere.  Company Pages can help you in tracking your competitor’s moves or industry trends much better than Facebook or Twitter are able to.  This information can be helpful in creating strategies to implement in the future, as well.  Additionally, using Company Pages can also provide partnership opportunities with like-minded businesses. Showcase Your Ecommerce Business Company Pages can also be used as a resource to showcase your own Ecommerce Business.  You can highlight your products and services, engage with followers, share career opportunities, and drive word of mouth at scale.  Your potential customers are on LinkedIn exploring companies of interest, researching products and services, and looking for industry news, so why not meet them where they are at? These LinkedIn features provide an excellent opportunity for you to connect with other businesses and potential customers online.  Utilize LinkedIn for your Ecommerce business, and you will see it grow to new heights. Marketing Tips, 2013-05-15T21:51:55+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/vlog-why-is-bidding-so-important http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/vlog-why-is-bidding-so-important#When:12:10:20Z Google Product Listing Ads (PLAs) display specific products that show up alongside standard AdWords listings about organic search results.  They also provide a richer and more engaging experience for online shoppers.  Providing more than just a short snippet of text, PLAs allow Google users to gain the benefit of seeing specific product titles, an image and a price.  Businesses who list their products are only charged when someone clicks on the ad and lands on their website. Google Shopping’s move to a paid shopping channel has generated a large amount of confusion and questions in the Ecommerce world, particularly for online merchants. In order to get you up to speed, Rick Backus, CEO of CPC Strategy, has answered the most common questions he hears on a regular basis surrounding Google Shopping in this VLOG series. Why is Bidding So Important on Google Product Listing Ads? Prior to paid Google Shopping, online merchant listings ads appeared on Google search only when Google decided it. Product Listing Ads bidding on paid Google Shopping allows merchants to influence where they rank on Google Shopping and how much exposure those product ads get. In this week’s video, Rick Backus highlights the main reasons why bidding is important on Google Shopping and how that affects your online listing exposure.   Now You Can BidThe first reason is that you weren’t able to bid on Google shopping previously, which was really frustrating for a lot of retailers, a lot of agencies. The traffic was free, which was great, but you had almost no control over the outcome in terms of where Google showed your products. If you had a product that was converting really well, you couldn’t give it more exposure. You Have Control Over Product ExposureThat leads us right into the second reason, which is that bidding allows you to gain control. It’s awesome to be able to look at all of your products within Google product listing ads, figure out the right bid, see how that product is converting and adjust the bids accordingly. That’s an option that just wasn’t there before.You could try to be as sophisticated as you want to be on Google Shopping when it was free, and ultimately it was up to Google on how much exposure they gave your products. That’s still true to a certain extent, but the bidding has shifted that responsibility over to you, and so if you’re outsmarting your competitors with your bidding strategy, you’re actually benefiting from that. You Can Get a Top 3 Average PositionThe third reason is that you can get a top 3 position. All these reasons relate to control, but getting into the top 3 position on Google product listing ads, we’ve seen, can give your products significantly more exposure. Google is rotating its product listing ads. Sometimes they show 3 products, sometimes they show 6, but with your average position going from 3.2 to 2.8, it can have a really big difference on how often Google is showing that product. This is Part 2 of a 6 Part VLOG series on Google Shopping by CPC Strategy. Check back weekly for the following VLOGs, or watch Part 1 on “Reasons NOT to List Your Products On Google Shopping.” Marketing Tips, 2013-05-15T12:10:20+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/what-is-the-value-of-a-facebook-fan http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/what-is-the-value-of-a-facebook-fan#When:20:24:31Z Facebook remains a great way to generate leads as well as prove that you’re an authority in your industry, but have you ever wondered what the true value of a Facebook Fan is?  Well, Syncapse did the research and found that the average value of a brand Fan is $174.17.  In this blog, we will explore the significance of this value and what it means for your Ecommerce business. Syncapse published a groundbreaking study in 2010 called, “The Value of a Facebook Fan: An Empirical Review,” and they recently revisited the study to compare the findings to the current social environment.  Not only have Facebook Fans become more valuable, but the sophistication of brand interaction has been significantly amplified. How Do You Apply Fan Value to Your Marketing Strategy? Understanding the factors that determine value in a Fan is critical when planning and executing your marketing strategy. First, determine and weigh the unique factors that determine your business’ bottom line, and then deploy those factors across your existing marketing models. Benchmark and track the results in order to understand the long-term cause and effect. Syncapse emphasizes the importance of rallying all of your marketing stakeholders around the factors of Fan Value. The Value of a Fan Is Comparative to Your Retail Prices If your company has smaller retail prices with a frequent repeat purchase cycle, then the value of your brand’s Facebook Fan will be less.  In addition, the importance of reach and frequency while maintaining an everyday presence on social media is greater.  Apply your user’s wants and needs to introduce relevant triggers for new purchases. According to Syncapse’s study, Facebook brand Fans: Are 80% more likely than non-Fans to be brand customers. Spend 43% more in respective categories versus non-Fans, despite not having a higher income. Are 18% more satisfied with their brands than are non-Fan customers. Are 11% more likely to continue to use the brand than are non-Fan customers. Engaging Facebook Fans will also amplify the positive attributes of your product by enabling them to share their positive brand experiences.  For example, if your company sells diamond rings, then a customer will feel great when posting a picture of her engagement ring on Facebook.  She will feel even better when her friends ‘like’ her ring, and comment on how beautiful it is.  This interaction will “extend a halo of positivity” over your brand. Fans vs. Non-Fans Use existing customer touch points to convert brand users into Fans.  Then make them happy by segmenting, communicating with, and engaging them based on their specific wants and needs.  Your Fans will spend more on your products than non-fans, so focus your marketing efforts on creating more Fans from your customers and engaging them appropriately. Examples of customer touch points: Micro Sites Product Packaging Time of Purchase Customer Service Interactions Facebook Fans are also 25% more likely to recommend the brand to their friends than non-Fans.  In order to increase the vested interest in your Fans, interact with your customers to find out what their passions are, solicit their input and enable a feeling of ownership.  If you can do this, then your customers will have an increased interest in your brand, and they will be more likely to share your brand and their experiences with their friends. How Can You Get Your Customers To Become Fans? 80% of Fans currently use the brand that they are Fans of.  So, prioritize your efforts on converting your existing customers, then move on toward your prospects.  Customers become fans in order to express themselves by representing themselves through the brands that they ‘like.’  In order to invest in your marketing strategy to gain Facebook Fans, prioritize your reach by establishing quality Facebook membership of existing customers and focusing on creating brand personality attributes. Engage Your Facebook Fans Build awareness by sharing great content Encourage interactions by asking customers to post photos on your Facebook Feature customers on your Facebook Create an extraordinary visual experience that customers want to share Provide incentives for sharing, such as discounts or coupons Build contests for sharing Build mass momentum with events The Future of Facebook Fans The value of a Fan, as well as the growth in the volume of brand Fans, display the need for ongoing activity surrounding this lucrative target group.  It will require disciplined management, some serious investing, and putting social media at the center of your brand’s overall marketing strategy. Considering Facebook’s new “Graph Search” will expand the engagement and behavioral lock-in among Facebook users, focusing on Facebook Fans will create increased relevance for your marketing strategies.  Mobile is also gaining momentum to become the front-runner of the digital world, so mobile marketing practices should be a core element in your marketing investments for Facebook and other social media platforms. Overall, Syncapse’s report validates a deeper commitment to use the value of a Facebook Fan in order to achieve smarter social marketing for your business. 2013-05-13T20:24:31+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/ecommerce-stores-for-mom http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/ecommerce-stores-for-mom#When:23:37:41Z With Mother’s Day quickly approaching this weekend, we wanted to showcase some Miva Merchant stores with great products for mom.  Even the most time-pressed and geographically distant person can get a great gift delivered right to mom’s doorstep by simply shopping on one of these Miva stores and hitting the Buy button. There is no need to get stressed out over what to get her. It is time to sit back, relax and give mom the gift she really wants this Mother’s Day! HAAN – To celebrate Mother’s Day, HAAN is offering free shipping on all orders over $100 until May 12th, 2013.  HAAN has a versatile collection of steam cleaners to clean and sanitize your home without any chemicals. Using just pure tap water, HAAN steam cleaners provide her with a safe and effective way to clean and sanitize almost every surface of the home.  Using a steam cleaner will cut mom’s cleaning time dramatically.  HAAN also offers moms tips on “How to Make Cleaning Fun” for children so that mom can sit back and relax on Mother’s day. BlumeBox – In celebration of all the spectacular moms out there, Miva Merchant store, Blumebox, has one pretty cute, super personalized and EASY gift idea that can be ready in minutes. With only a few items required (photos, photo corners, a Blumebox and a plant or flowers) this personalized gem will be sure to make your mom’s day! What’s more is Blumeboxes are a green alternative for decorating, treat displaying, floral designing and gift giving. The 100% recyclable containers will make entertaining easy! Battery Operated Candles- How about offering mom a relaxing home with beautiful Battery Operated Candles?  Since there is no live flame and no smoke with a battery operated candle, mom can happily place one of the Decorative Candles inside her home without the worry of smoke or soot build up, dripping wax, or setting the house on fire. Better yet, take it a step further with Remote Control Candles. With the remote as an option, now mom can sit in her chair and turn the flameless candles on and off to her heart’s content! Stewart + Brown – Just because she’s a mom, that doesn’t mean she can’t look great! These beautiful designs will delight mom, made with pure organic materials.  Give mom the gift of ethical fashion with Stewart + Brown.  Celebrate Mother’s day with sales, exclusives, green things, fashion and more by signing up for their witty newsletter.  Stewart + Brown’s modern ethical fashion uses the best sustainable practices to create clothing that will enable mom to feel beautiful on the inside and out. Babies Travel Lite- For the new moms out there, Babies Travel Lite delivers baby products like diapers, infant formula, baby food, baby travel gear, and many other baby travel products and toddler travel supplies to baby vacation destinations all over the world. They will make mom’s vacation with baby easier so that she can relax and enjoy her family vacation time.  Babies Travel Lite will take care of having everything waiting at your hotel, resort, spa, Disneyland, or Grandma’s house. 2013-05-10T23:37:41+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/a-bad-shopping-cart-experience-will-kill-your-sales http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/a-bad-shopping-cart-experience-will-kill-your-sales#When:21:53:44Z How To Lose A Sale With A Bad Shopping Cart Give Your Mom An Escape, starting at $104!  Perfect! I needed a Mother’s Day gift. I am going to buy this right now!  Enter Log-in Information. I’ve never even been on this site before. How am I supposed to know my Log-in information?  Wrong Password. Oh, apparently I have been here before, and I set up a username and password. Well, I don’t remember them, so I’ll check out as a guest…  Wait! There’s no guest checkout? Whatever, I guess I’ll just have to get her a card this year instead. Does this scenario sound familiar to you?  If so, you have probably fallen victim to a bad shopping cart experience.  The following story is a recent, real story of how Best Buy lost the sale with a bad checkout process: Michael wanted to buy his mother a new computer for Mother’s Day.  He thought, “I’m not really partial to Best Buy, but I have a credit card with them that gets me points/money back, and a $1000 purchase would net me some nice rewards.”  That is, until his shopping cart experience fell short and led him to Best Buy’s competitor. When Michael got to the checkout, he wasn’t able to select the “Shipping” option.  The only option he was able to select was “Pick Up In-Store.” When Michael went back to the product page to see if it had said the product was only available in-store, this is what he found: He thought, “Okay, maybe it means ‘free shipping to store.’”  After putting in every zip code he could think of that was nearby, Michael couldn’t find a single store that they could ship it to.  Michael recalls, “I called Best Buy’s number, and the person who assisted me basically could not comprehend what the problem was for 15 minutes, telling me to ship it to a store and advising that such shipping was free. Then, they finally looked the product up and realized that, no, there wasn’t a way to order this laptop. At least, not if I wanted to get it.” After Michael hung up, he went on to Amazon Prime and purchased the laptop with free two-day shipping. As The Consumerist stated, “Having the best price and the best rewards for customers aren’t enough: stores have to offer a correctly-working e-commerce site and clear, consistent policies, too!” If you promise a discount or a shipping offer, you need to make sure that you follow through on that promise.  Losing the customer’s trust can be the biggest killer of sales, so it is important to do everything to make the consumer checkout experience run smoothly.  This can be done by simply choosing the right shopping cart software and following these best practices for decreasing shopping cart abandonment. Ways to Decrease Shopping Cart Abandonment   Test, Test, Test – Make sure your checkout is working properly. Testing your checkout process can be as simple as placing the items in your cart and executing the sale yourself. Optional Registration – Registration should be optional. Offer a log-in for both guests and registered users. Simplify Checkout – Try using a One Page Checkout to make the process simpler. You can also give indicators of progress for multi-step checkouts to make it easier to use. Build Trust – Use a shopping cart that is PA-DSS certified and PCI Compliant.  This will reassure buyers that you are secure and that they can trust you to handle their sensitive information reasonably. Clear Product Availability – Don’t wait until checkout to tell them that the item is not in stock; Display product availability at the product page. Executing these basic checkout usability principles correctly, can improve your customer experience and your sales dramatically. Read more ways to improve the shopping experience by reading Part 1 and Part 2 of the 10 Most Common Mistakes in Ecommerce Design Optimize The Shopping Cart Experience   (Click to enlarge) Infographic by Website Optimization Company Invesp 2013-05-09T21:53:44+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/made-with-miva-sewing-parts-online http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/made-with-miva-sewing-parts-online#When:18:07:45Z Sewing Parts Online The single greatest advantage to Miva Merchant is its flexibility.  There are no limits on the number of customers, products, categories, or pages.” Sewing Parts Online is an online retailer of sewing machines, parts, and accessories. With an average of over 200 orders per day, the company has fulfilled over 200,000 orders since they’ve opened.  SewingPartsOnline.com launched in late 2008, as an extension to their retail store located in Tennessee. Owners, George & Terri Kocourek, along with Co-Owner, Jeremy Kocourek, started the website because they saw a void in the online sewing community.  There were many websites where people could buy sewing machine parts, but when it came to finding a specific part of a machine, it was a hassle. That is why Sewing Parts Online offers over 14,000 sewing machine, serger parts, and accessories on their online store in an organized and easy-to-use database. Sewing Parts Online also offers “How To” tutorial videos on their blog, called SPO TV.  In their tutorials, they share all types of DIY tips, tricks, and projects to engage their customers and inspire them to sew. With nearly 13 years of combined experience repairing sewing machines, Sewing Parts Online can almost guarantee that if they still make the part, they can get it for you. Network Solutions vs. Miva Merchant “Previously we were using Network Solutions for our shopping cart platform. Netsol was very limiting in regards to what we could change, build in and automate. Our main reasons to switch were the limits of the cart. Netsol had a limit of 3,000 categories that we had already reached over a year ago, so that was severely limiting our company’s growth potential,” said SPO Co-Owner, Jeremy Kocourek. Sewing Parts Online went live on Miva Merchant February 28, 2013. After finishing their first official month on Miva Merchant, they beat their biggest month ever with a 3% increase in revenue. “The main reason we picked Miva Merchant over other carts was because of Miva’s willingness to answer all of our questions and find solutions to all of the problems that we had,” explained Jeremy Kocourek. For example, Network Solutions’ Ecommerce Platform (formerly Monster Commerce) is built with .aspx extensions, so finding a cart that could retain those extensions was critical in maintaining their search rankings. Even though Miva Merchant doesn’t natively use .aspx extensions, Miva was able to come up with a workable solution to keep those extensions in place while still using Miva Merchant. A Smooth Transition Since changing platforms, Sewing Parts Online has smoothly transitioned without their customers or the search engine bots noticing any difference at all.  It is important to Sewing Parts Online to make changes only with solid A/B data to back up their ideas.  Miva Merchant is currently building a one page checkout their store and then will perform an A/B test for their multi-step design to see which performs best with their demographic. In addition, Miva Merchant developers have created a ‘quick find’ feature for Sewing Parts Online, in order to organize the more than 600 sub-categories under a single category.  Before the ‘quick find’ feature, customers had to scroll through a list of 600+ model numbers to find their specific machine. Now, there is a search bar at the top of each category page that customers can type their model number information into, and it will automatically filter out all sub-categories that don’t have that specific model number in them. “The single greatest advantage to Miva Merchant is its flexibility,” said Jeremy Kocourek.  “There are no limits on the number of customers, products, categories, or pages.  The platform allows for complete control of all aspects of the store.  The modules, certified developers, and product documentation help make customization incredibly straightforward.”   If you’d like to be featured in the “Made with Miva” store spotlight series on Miva Merchant’s Ecommerce Blog, please email jtolman@mivamerchant.com. 2013-05-09T18:07:45+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/vlog-reasons-not-to-list-your-products-on-google-shopping http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/vlog-reasons-not-to-list-your-products-on-google-shopping#When:17:27:32Z Product Listing Ads appear when someone searches for a product on Google.com or Google Shopping.  The product appears with a picture of the item, its price, and the store name.  Customers who click on the image will be directed to the website where they can buy the item. Google recently started charging for clicks.  Businesses who list their products are only charged when someone clicks on the ad and lands on their website. Google Shopping’s move to a paid shopping channel has generated a large amount of confusion and questions in the Ecommerce world, particularly for online merchants. Rick Backus, CEO of CPC Strategy, has answered the most common questions he hears on a regular basis surrounding Google Shopping. Is there any reason NOT to list your products on Google Shopping?   Now that businesses have to pay to play on Google Shopping, many Ecommerce merchants are reconsidering listing their products.  In the first video of this VLOG series, Rick Backus goes over the top excuses why businesses might not want to list on Google Product Listing Ads (PLAs). It’s Too ExpensiveMany retailers feel that it is too expensive for their company to list products on Google Shopping.  Realistically, this is only true for retailers that do not know how the program works. Ecommerce stores who are willing to pay for these listings can actually get qualified traffic from just a small amount of money.  Google shopping can provide merchants with more qualified leads for a smaller amount of money than any other sales channel. It Takes Too Much TimeFor those who were previously managing listing ads, it may seem like an easy out to say, “We have to pay for it now, so I’m just not going to manage it anymore.”  The answer to this is, don’t give up.  You can actually turn your Google PLAs into a program similar to Amazon or a marketplace, where there is a locked-in margin for your products.  That way, your business can get into PLAs and take the excuse of “no time” away. I Can’t Create a FeedThis is one of the most common excuses. If you cannot create a feed, then it is only going to create a bigger problem for your business in the long run, unless you learn.  You must have a digital representation of your products in order for your business to grow.  You can figure out how to create a feed independent of the PLA program. Google Sucks!This is another really common reason why businesses are not listing their products.  However, these are usually the same people who do not like Amazon and eBay, either.  So, at a certain point, these people need to accept the fact that these are the top places to sell.  In order to make money, you need to start figuring out how to work within the ecosystem that is already in place because that is where the customers are. In conclusion: Is there any reason to NOT list your products? No. Google PLAs are generating millions of visits directly to Ecommerce merchants.  Now, with these PLA myths debunked, you can embrace the benefits and the traffic! So, what do you have to do to get started with Product Listing Ads? There are four steps you must go through to effectively set up and launch your PLA Campaign.  They are as follows: Set up and send your data feed Connect your Google Adwords and Google Merchant Center Accounts Set up your PLA Campaign within Adwords Track your results using Google Analytics This is Part 1 of a 6 Part VLOG series on Google Shopping by CPC Strategy. Check back weekly for the following VLOGs! Marketing Tips, 2013-05-08T17:27:32+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/latest-news-senate-passes-the-marketplace-fairness-2013 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/latest-news-senate-passes-the-marketplace-fairness-2013#When:17:53:09Z Senate Passes Online Sales Tax Bill As you may or may not know, The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 (MFA) has been creating quite a commotion for online retailers.  This legislation is a damaging prospect for small online businesses.  As of yesterday, May 6, 2013, the Senate approved the legislation, moving it one step closer to enactment.  If the bill is passed by the House, it will give states the authority to require online businesses to collect sales tax. Academic studies have estimated that more than $12 billion additional sales taxes will be collected from Ecommerce stores each year, if this bill is passed, according to CNN. An Undue Burden on Small Online Businesses According to a survey of over 2,500 consumers, conducted by Alix Parners advisory firm, close to 30% of online shoppers said that they would be more inclined to shop at more brick-and-mortar stores if the law came to pass. Additionally, there are over 10,000 unique tax jurisdictions across the United States. This new legislation threatens a laborious and costly burden for online retailers forced to comply with complicated tax rates and systems. The smallest businesses are going to feel the biggest impact if the sales tax bill is passed.  As a small business, working out of state A, State B will be able to audit and mandate certain tax requirements from that business.  Most small businesses will not have the resources or ability to respond to that, and it could be detrimental to their online store. The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 exempts businesses that have less than $1 Million in gross remote sales per year.  However, the Internal Revenue Service defines small businesses as those having $20 million in annual revenue. The Small Business Administration considers the cutoff to be at $30 million. This threshold is too little and does not include enough of small businesses to be considered “fair.” As the act is gaining steam, the House has expressed that it strongly supports the Marketplace Fairness Act. The Next Step If the White House passes the bill, it will likely be signed into law.  Many states would then be able to enforce this new authority as soon as 180 days after, dramatically changing the sales tax landscape for many businesses. The House has its own version of the Marketplace Fairness Act, which has yet to be scheduled for a hearing or vote. While waiting for the House’s decision, be proactive to find out if your business is prepared for remote sales tax. 2013-05-07T17:53:09+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/made-with-miva-kiyonna-clothing http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/made-with-miva-kiyonna-clothing#When:13:55:41Z A Passion for Pins KIYONNA sells a feeling, not a product; President and Founder of KIYONNA, Kim Camarella-Khanbeigi, believes that this is the secret to their ongoing success since 1996.  “I’ve always believed in the idea that curvy women deserved to look and feel stylish and amazing,” says Kim. She also believes that as an entrepreneur, it is important to trust your gut and listen to your heart.  “Embrace challenges, and when you feel uncomfortable, know that it is time to learn something that should elevate you to the next level,” Kim recommends.   Behind the Seams In 1996, Kim was about to graduate from college and wanted to do something on her own where she would be able to fill a need that wasn’t being met.  It was while she was on vacation with her friend that her entrepreneurial “light bulb moment” struck.  Kim’s friend was hanging up clothes in their hotel room, when she noticed that some of her dresses didn’t have labels.  When Kim asked why, her friend told her that, as a size 18, it was hard for her to find stylish clothes. So, her friend’s mom had to make her clothes sometimes.  After learning that over 60% of the women in the US are considered to be “plus-size” (size 14+), Kim set out to make curvy women look and feel amazing.  She started KIYONNA, and now, 17 years later, the passion which first fueled KIYONNA is still the same.   Taking the Designs Online When asked “Why did you choose Miva Merchant?” Kim responded, “I don’t remember why I chose Miva in the beginning when we first launched the site in 1999.  However, I can tell you today I’m still with Miva Merchant because of the amazing customer service, helpful conferences, and numerous modules and customization available.” Kim added, “We are currently re-launching the site, and I have to say, the Miva team was able to take our vision and create exactly what we needed and wanted.” A leader in the plus-size clothing industry, KIYONNA designs stylish plus-size apparel that can be found online and in specialty boutiques across the country and beyond.  The sexy and feminine collection of dresses, separates, swimwear and bridal is made exclusively in sizes 10-32.  KIYONNA manufactures 100% of their designs in the US, with their headquarters located in Anaheim, CA. Real Curves Cuties™ KIYONNA loves seeing real women with curves in their styles! They also have a great feature on their website that allows everyday women to show off their curves in KIYONNA Clothing as Real Curves Cuties™.  Fans of the brand and ladies who love KIYONNA clothing can participate in modeling different sizes of the pieces from the collection.  Real brides are featured on the Real Bride Style™ page in KIYONNA wedding dresses.  Additionally, fashionista bloggers join the KIYONNA Blogger Brigade™ to showcase some of their favorite pieces. Made With Miva Merchant (Store Spotlight), 2013-04-30T13:55:41+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/webinar-sales-tax-in-the-ecommerce-world http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/webinar-sales-tax-in-the-ecommerce-world#When:13:14:29Z Jonathan Giddens, Regional Sales Manager at Avalara, conducted the, ”Sales Tax in the Ecommerce World” webinar, which is summarized and posted below.  In order to understand the solution available to you by Avalara, it is important to look at some of the problems your business may be facing, even without your knowing it. What is Avalara? Avalara is a powerful, cloud-based sales tax engine that is accessible to businesses of all sizes.  Avalara’s sales tax solution has been designed and tested to work with Miva Merchant’s shopping cart to provide a seamless way to help businesses collect and remit sales tax.  They also provide rate assignment, gift certificate management, returns filing, detailed reporting, and real time verification of rates. How can Avalara help your business? Whether you are new to online business or you are a large company that needs a more sophisticated tax system, there are numerous reasons why it is a smart decision to use Avalara.  Perhaps, you are outgrowing the zip code-based rate tables, or you are doing taxes for multiple states.  No matter the stage you are in, Avalara can scale their services to your business needs. What challenges do businesses face due to sales tax? There are a lot of people that don’t understand the challenges surrounding sales tax. So, Avalara brought to focus the main reasons why sales tax is difficult for most small to medium-sized businesses: 46 states today have some form of Sales and Use Tax A few states: NH, OR, MT, AK, and DE, have no sales tax (NOMAD States) Some states, like Alaska, have an additional or supplemental local tax There are over 11,000 tax jurisdictions in North America Tax rates are continuously changing New tax jurisdictions are created all the time Limited life taxes may cause higher taxes in certain radiuses Constant monitoring is necessary to make sure all of the changes are up-to-date prior to every transaction The biggest challenge for business owners is to continuously manage, maintain, and update all of these tax changes in their systems. Getting sales tax right involves the following three things: Having the right tax policy Having accurate tax content Applying that content in your system What is required of merchants to collect tax? There are a few things that you have to do before you collect state tax.  If you are not registered for a Seller’s Permit (Sales Tax Permit), it is actually illegal to collect sales tax.  So, you have to register your business. In addition to filing a seller’s permit with the state, you may also be required to do so with local tax authorities in: AL, AK, AZ, CO, ID, and LA. Merchants are Responsible for Nexus The key to tax every policy is to really understand where you are required to collect and remit taxes.  Nexus, triggered when a company has a substantial physical presence in a state, is what states use to determine whether or not a business needs to collect tax in their state.  Ecommerce merchants must have a connection to a state in which a customer resides for the merchant to be liable for sales taxes in that state, but states define Nexus in different ways, making it confusing for merchants.  Some examples of Nexus you should be aware of include: Having traveling sales people that physically enter the state to conduct business Utilizing contract labor in any way or for any purpose in conjunction with the sale of tangible personal property or the performance of a service in the state Having marketing personnel and/or other company representatives in the state Being affiliated with individuals that enter the state for the purposes of conducting business or representing your business in any way, either directly or indirectly Owning or leasing any real or personal property located in the state Participating in trade shows or exhibits that promote your products or services in the state Simplify Your Sales Taxes Avalara simplifies all of this and more for e-commerce merchants.  The web-based AvaTax™ service links directly to a your Miva Merchant shopping cart and calculates, in real time, whether you should be collecting sales taxes (and how much), from a customer during the checkout process.  That way you can spend more time on customer service and selling your products than you do worrying about the taxes due. As you might have heard, the U.S. Senate voted on April 25th, 2013 to move forward with the so-called Mainstreet Fairness Act, a legislation that would allow states to force retailers to collect online sales taxes.  Avalara is uniquely positioned to help online vendors deal with this new challenge. As part of Avalara’s effort to educate companies that might be impacted by this legislation, they are hosting this webinar next Thursday, May 2nd, that we encourage every business to sign up for. Partner Updates , 2013-04-29T13:14:29+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/why-miva-merchant-is-the-ultimate-ecommerce-platform-for-developers-and-how http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/why-miva-merchant-is-the-ultimate-ecommerce-platform-for-developers-and-how#When:13:00:20Z Brennan Heyde is the Technical Director of the Professional Services department at Miva Merchant.  The PR8 Update 9 release includes many exciting and powerful new features for web developers and store owners alike.  Here, Brennan reviews the new features and explains how developers can use the new update to optimize the Miva Merchant platform.. Miva Merchant is absolutely the best eCommerce platform for developers. Give it a try, and you’ll quickly see for yourself.  It gives you the most design flexibility and can be customized to do nearly anything you can think of. However, having worked at Miva Merchant for the past 5 years, I’m a bit biased so let me give you some examples to back up my claim. I have personally built and worked on hundreds of eCommerce stores. This includes Miva Merchant stores as well as eCommerce stores on other platforms. As a Web Developer, the most important thing to look for in an eCommerce platform is the Toolset available to you to customize and build powerful, robust and secure eCommerce websites. I want to highlight two new tools Miva Merchant has added recently that put it head and shoulders above other eCommerce platforms. Robust Template Language As of the 5.18 Empresa Engine, a new template tag was introduced named <mvt:assign>. This tag now gives you the ability to create variables, perform math functions and opens the door to all the built in functions available in the Miva Engine. This one tag turns the Miva Template Language (SMT) into an incredibly powerful Tool to customize your Miva Merchant store. The Miva engine has over 180 built in functions you can now leverage using this new template level tag. This allows you to do things like file read/write, encryption/decryption, external file/url retrieval, substring, length, encode, decode, time, and many more powerful functions. (A full list can be found here, under Function Index) Custom Fields Custom Fields are arguably the single most powerful tool for any eCommerce developer. The platform you’re developing on, must have the ability to be flexible when it comes to adding new custom fields to store data and perform tasks. With the new version of Miva Merchant (PR8 Update 9), we released a completely updated custom fields module that takes the power of Miva Merchant custom fields and exponentially expands their usefulness, power and flexibility. This includes a brand new admin interface, as well as 16 new functions to read/write custom fields from any page in Miva Merchant. It also includes the ability to create custom fields that are text areas, radio buttons, drop down lists, checkboxes and file upload dialogs. We also introduced two new custom fields: Custom Basket Fields and Custom Order Fields. Custom Basket Fields allow you to track data about individual shoppers. Where they came from, last viewed , questions during checkout, etc. They can be used to store data that would normally be stored in browser cookies. Custom Order Fields, allow you to save information with each order. This allows you to create custom fields such as order notes to save notes with orders after they have been placed.     Both of these new features are incredibly powerful, and as a Miva Merchant Web Developer, I am very excited to get to use these fun and creative ways to build great functionality for our clients. More information about PR8 Update 9 can be found here. PR8 Tips And Updates, 2013-04-25T13:00:20+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/miva-merchant-5.5-pr-8-update-9-just-released http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/miva-merchant-5.5-pr-8-update-9-just-released#When:22:16:27Z We have just released an update to our core software product. Miva Merchant 5.5 PR8 Update 9 is the highly anticipated update for Miva Merchant users.  Users of the Miva Merchant software can log into their store administration panel and stream the update to their store to take advantage of the new features offered. The new features for Update 9 include a new custom fields module, new shipping rules, sign-in as customer, variant import, managing orders filter for customers, using an outside mail server.  In addition, there are more than 10 additional new features and 80+ bug fixes. One of the most anticipated new modules of PR8 Update 9 is the “Shop As Customer” module, which allows administrative users to view the run-time interface as a Customer.  It also allows store owners to troubleshoot with ease on customer-specific issues. Another new module included in the update allows easy one-click integration of Google Analytics into Miva Merchant stores. In addition, the Custom Fields Module is the most powerful and flexible developer tool of Miva Merchant.  Included in this new update are 16 new functions that allow for reading and writing of all custom fields from any page, as well as the ability to sort custom fields into groups. “We are excited to release Update 9, as this update provides our customers with some of the most powerful and flexible tools we’ve ever released,” says Rick Wilson, President & COO of Miva Merchant. “We are continually seeking new ways to help Miva Merchant stores grow and providing them with the most usable tools out there.” More information about PR8 Update 9 can be found here. PR8 Tips And Updates, 2013-04-23T22:16:27+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/the-marketplace-fairness-act-of-2013-a-damaging-prospect-for-small-online-b http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/the-marketplace-fairness-act-of-2013-a-damaging-prospect-for-small-online-b#When:23:12:55Z As a business owner, you know the importance of keeping costs down, while simultaneously providing customers with selection and pricing that will allow your business to remain competitive in the market.  That is why it is crucial for you to be familiar with the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 (S. 336/H.R. 684) and understand the impact that it will have on your business, before the U.S. Senate votes on it in the next few days. If the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 is passed, online retailers will be required to collect and remit sales taxes for upward of 10,000 unique tax districts, across the United States.  Currently, states can only require a business to collect and remit sales and use taxes and returns, for tax districts within their borders, if that business has a physical presence in the state.  This new legislation, if passed, would extend the states’ authority to collect sales tax on remote transactions, as well. What will it mean for your E-commerce business, if the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 is passed? Increased overhead costs associated with calculation, collection, and submission of sales taxes New sales tax reporting requirements for as many as 46 separate taxing entities Increased risk for tax audits and lawsuits Potential loss of sales resulting from imposition of these taxes on consumers Potential loss of sales resulting from increases in retail pricing, made necessary by increases in overhead costs Competitive disadvantage, in marketplace, to bigger companies with the resources to accommodate these new requirements This new legislation is, to say the least, an incredibly laborious and costly prospect for any business, but especially for smaller online retailers with limited resources.  Legislators recognize this, and have included a “Small Seller Exception,” but it’s not nearly enough.  While the Internal Revenue Service considers a small business to be one with $20 million in annual revenue or less, and the Small Business Administration has a cutoff of $30 million, the Marketplace Fairness Act’s small business exemption threshold is only $1 million. Expanding the Internet sales tax exemption to include small businesses with less than 50 employees, or less than $10 million in annual out-of-state sales, would be a reasonable modification, to the bill, to protect the jobs and competition created by small online businesses. Protect the future of yours and other small online businesses by making your voice heard.  Contact your U.S. Senate and House representatives, today, by clicking here.  Don’t wait!  A vote in the U.S. Senate is expected to take place any day. Ecommerce News, 2013-04-22T23:12:55+00:00 http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/your-next-customer-is-just-a-few-clicks-away http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog/your-next-customer-is-just-a-few-clicks-away#When:15:35:08Z Have you ever felt like your Ecommerce store is lost in the many pages of cyberspace?  Well, it may not be as lost as you think. Recent research shows that no matter what page someone is on in the entire web, they are no more than 19 clicks away from your Ecommerce store.  It turns out that everyone who goes online could be just a few clicks away from being your next customer, now that the World Wide Web is a lot smaller than we may have thought. The findings were made by Hungarian physicist, Albert-László Barabási, according to a paper published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. Perhaps this will inspire you to start link building, which is a proven way to get those customers out in the Ecommersphere to your online store.  Currently, there are approximately 14 billion existing webpages.  But don’t let that intimidate you because now you know the secret.  Hint: You are already connected; you just need to put the links out there to make your website easier to find. The best part about these findings is that they persist at scale, meaning no matter how large the web grows, the same interconnectedness of your site to another’s will stay the same. Barabási credits the “small world” of the web to the fact that humans tend to group into communities and that it is translating in to our cyber lives.  He assures us that they do not consist of random connections but rather a hierarchy of themes, regions, subjects, and countries. If you’d like to learn more about increasing your website’s link building opportunities, click here: Exploring Link-Building Opportunities Articles, 2013-04-22T15:35:08+00:00