Posted by: Chet Woodside on June 1st, 2009
Category: e-Commerce, Marketing, Internet Marketing, Twitter Roundup
Viewed: 607 times
The blog has been quiet for some time now, we have been doing some house cleaning. In the coming months there will be some interesting changes, one of these changes is our presence on Twitter.
Twitter is a brilliant source for News and Information. In this the first of many Twitter Monthly Roundup posts I'll share with you some of the best articles I found related to small business online. If you would like to find us on Twitter look for @ebc_chet and @ebc_ali.
Put Ad on Web. Count Clicks. Revise (NYtimes.com)
A good read that talks about the strengths of data analysis when adevertising online.
How site personas can enhance your site. (boagworld.com)
When developing a website it's a great idea to create user personas, it's a great exercise for understanding the readers coming to your website. Have you overlooked you websites persona though? It's equally as important, this article will explain why.
7 Tips for Effective Calls to Action (blog.hubspot.com)
Have you defined your websites goals? If so is your call to action statement well designed? A good read talking about the importance of well designed call to action statements.
12 Tips For Designing an Excellent Checkout Process (smashingmagazine.com)
Shopping Online can be a painful process, help ease the pain and make your customers experience shopping at your online store secure, reliable and easy.
9 Essential Principles for Good Web Design (psd.tutsplus.com)
It's all about the details, this article is a little more web developer focused however it's still a valuable read for any company that is relaunching or getting a new website developed.
How to Improve Your Branding With Your Content (smashingmagazine.com)
Your content is a very large part of your Companies branding online, Rick Sloboda wrote an excellent article for Smashing Magazine discussing this very topic. For all you Vancouver locals, Rick has been a long time speaker for eBusiness Connections and he has an upcoming "Writing for the Web" Seminar on June 8th. You can register for this seminar at the Small Business Education Center
Creating Your Own Deadlines and Setting Aggresive Goals for Your Business (thenetsetter.com)
A great read discussing the benefits to setting aggressive goals for your business.
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Posted by: Andy on September 15th, 2008
Category: General eBusiness, e-Commerce, Seminars, e-Business Basics
Viewed: 1,725 times
Congratulations. You have decided the start an e-business or have decided to expand your existing business online. We have created a list of ten steps to help you on your way.
1. Evaluate the Idea
The bottom line of any business depends upon customers buying your product or service – if they won't buy you won't succeed! Unfortunately many businesses fail simply because they don't know who their customer is. Your customers might be consumers or retail stores, wholesalers or manufacturers, government or other institutions. List as many points as you can about who yo u think will buy your product and then list the reasons why they would by from you and not your competitor.
2. Define the Revenue Model
Now that you have identified your customer and listed the reasons they would by from you your next step is to define your revenue model – how are you going to make money. Find out who your competitors are and what they charge for similar products and services. What is unique about your offer that would benefit your customer? There may be something about your product, your price, the friendliness and speed of your service, your hours of operation, your level of quality, the skills of your employees or other aspect of your business?
3. Erase the “E”
Remove the “e” from e-business and e-commerce. Online business is no different then traditional “real world” business – it's just a different environment. The same rules governing business practices, competition, customer service, marketing, and taxation apply, although they may vary slightly. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that e-business and e-commerce is easier.
4. Take a Seminar
Take advantage of the incredible amount of seminars offered by Small Business BC. These incredibly affordable seminars cover almost every aspect of starting a small business, such as taxation, human resources, copyright, trademarks, sales, marketing, accounting, and search engine marketing – all presented by industry experts. Details and a full listing can be found at www.smallbusinessbc.ca/seminars
5. Create the Business
Although many e-businesses begin as home-based, they need to be setup and registered properly – and when your business outgrows your home-office and becomes the “next big thing” you'll be thankful it has this strong foundation. Use the amazing resources available at Small Business BC to create your business; most of them free. They can help you conduct a business name search and business registration, obtain a GST, PST, and business number, and guide you through the process of registering with Worksafe BC , municipal business licensing, and many other rules and regulations applications.
6. Write Your Business Plan
Success in today's economy requires a solid foundation of knowledge from which sound business decisions can be made. For most people considering or involved in creating a new business venture, this foundation is built from a formal business plan. Even if you believe your business does not require a formal plan, most business experts highly recommend that you conduct at least some preliminary research prior to committing yourself legally or financially to your business enterprise. The strategic value of a business plan is derived from the information you collect and the knowledge you acquire during this process. That is, the exercise of preparing a business plan is critical in helping you gain an understanding of how your business venture will operate in the marketplace. Checkout Small Business BC's Business Plan resources page at http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/bizstart-bPlanning.php
7. Craft the Message
What are the words and phrases your customers would search for to find your products or services? Your main message should revolve around those words and phrases. For instance, suppose you repair radios in Vernon BC . It is logical to assume that potential customers living in the area will be searching for “ radio repair north okanagan ” and so your message should be: “ Vernon Communications, North Okanagan's expert affordable radio repair since 1991 ”. This message will serve as your “tag line” and will become the foundation for your marketing.
8. Register the Domain
Use your crafted message when you register your domain name. In the example above a good domain name would be vernon-radio-repair.com or okanagan-radio-repair.com because both domains contain the words that potential customers will use when the search. A domain name provides an online identity and contact point for your business or organization. Choosing an appropriate yet available name is no easy task in a saturated market — world-wide, registered domain names near 5 billion and counting. Therefore, choosing the right domain name means balancing availability with brand recognition, search engine marketing, and user appeal.
9. Write the Content
The right keywords in your web copy can make the difference between a top 10 and top 500 search engine ranking. Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines frequently send spiders to websites in search of relevant, keyword-rich web copy. Nourish their logical needs and you'll reap higher search engine rankings and traffic. Once you get visitors to your website, your web copy must connect with them on an emotional level to engage them and ultimately convert sales. That's where customer-centric web copy, compelling headlines, effective calls to action and strategically placed links come into play. You gain credibility, trust and sales. Crafting content is hard and so it is often wise to employ the services of a quailed web copy writer, like Rick Sloboda from www.webcopyplus.com
10. Hire the Best Company
The web development industry is unregulated and anyone can profess to be a web developer. You need to educate yourself in matters of usability, aesthetics, search engine marketing, ecommerce, regulations, and taxation in order to ensure you are hiring a qualified and competent person to create your website. Ask to see previous work: This is the best way to assess their skills. But don't let yourself be fooled by appearances. Just because they have a professional looking website doesn't mean they are a professional company. Our directory of e-solution providers, www.ebizpages.ca , lists web companies that are BC registered businesses.
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Posted by: Andy on May 27th, 2008
Category: General eBusiness, e-Commerce, Reports & Resources, Research
Viewed: 2,218 times
Drop shipping is a technique used by retailers to avoid the expense of warehousing and the logistics of shipping products to customers. An order is placed on the retailer's website and then transmitted to the drop shipper who fulfills the order by shipping the goods to the customer.
A new emerging trend in the drop ship business is private label drop shipping, in which a manufacturer produces a custom item for a retailer and drop ships it. The range of private label drop shipped items varies from simple keychains and t-shirts with custom logos or pictures to customized formulations for vitamins and nutritional supplements.
How traditional drop shipping works
- Decide on a product or products to sell online
- Locate a manufacturer for the product
- Purchase products wholesale from the manufacturer and have them delivered to the drop shipper's warehouse
- Create an e-commerce shopping cart with product photos and descriptions
- When a sale is made the order is sent on to the drop shipper, who in turn sends the product to the customer.
- The profit that is made is the difference in the price between the wholesale and retail less the drop shipper fees
One Stop Drop Shipping
Drop shipping has gained in popularity with the introduction of the “one stop service” which eliminates the need for retailers to contract manufacturers or even source products, relying instead on a manufacturer's catalogue supplied to them by the drop shipper.
How one stop drop shipping works
- Choose the products you wish to sell from the drop shippers catalogue
- Create an e-commerce shopping cart with product photos and descriptions
- When a sale is made the order is sent on to the drop shipper, who in turn sends the product to the customer.
- The profit that is made is the difference in the price between the wholesale and retail less the drop shipper fees
Drop Shipping and Scams
One of the fastest growing scams on the web today is drop shipping according to the Michigan Department of Information Technology.
Con artists sell whole sale drop shipper lists on the internet through websites and online auctions. The list gives names of companies which drop ship and many of the companies could be the same company in different names or just an individual with a phone without any actual product who uses another drop shipper list to ship products (a victim of the scam).
- Victims, after paying for the drop shipper list, need to do a lot of work and do not make the money they were promised and in fact are helping the actual drop shippers make huge profits.
- The drop shippers price their items extremely high with very little or no profit for the retailer.
- Also most drop shippers charge a membership fee to access their price list.
- Victims need to try to sell these products in various online auctions or advertise on the internet at their own expense, eventually losing money.
The whole idea is that drop shippers can sell their poor products without any advertising, make huge profits, not be held responsible for their bad products and get money from victims as membership fees (and some have yearly membership contracts too). Not all drop shippers are scammers, so choose your drop shippers carefully!
(http://www.michigan.gov/cybersecurity/0,1607,7-217-34396-108704–,00.html)
Consumer Protection Resources
Canadian Consumer Information Gateway
The Canadian Consumer Information Gateway perfectly addresses all of these challenges, thanks to a groundbreaking strategic partnership between more than 400 federal departments and agencies, provincial and territorial ministries and NGO partners. Spearheaded by Industry Canada 's Office of Consumer Affairs, the Gateway allows Canadians to quickly and confidently search for consumer information and services on the Web
. http://www.consumerinformation.ca/
Federal Electronic Transactions Act
Provides information on the law that defines the rules for e-business and e-commerce
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/E/01010_01.htm#section17
BC Consumer Protection Act
The British Columbia Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General regulates the Consumer Protection Act, an act that details the rights and responsibilities of buyers and sellers, and deals with issues ranging from the cost of credit to leases
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/C/96069_01.htm
BC Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority
The Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority of British Columbia (BPCPA) is the only organization of its kind in Canada .
http://www.bpcpa.ca
Better Business Bureau of Mainland B.C.
Setting the Standards of Ethics and Integrity
http://www.bbbvan.org
Better Business Bureau Online Program
BBBOnLine is the Better Business Bureau program to identify trustworthy web sites in the US and CA.
http://www.bbbonline.org/index.asp
Drop Shippers
Consumers are strongly urged to thoroughly investigate all companies before entering into any agreements
SaleHoo Product Sourcing Directory
http://www.salehoo.com/
WorldWide Brands Drop Shipping
http://www.worldwidebrands.com/
Shopster
http://www.shopster.com/
Doba
http://www.doba.com/
Megagoods
http://www.megagoods.com/
Final Comments from eBay Sellers on the Question of Using a Drop Shipper
“Ebay is saturated with the items from drop shippers and no one is making any money except the drop shippers. When the drop shipper ships the wrong item, it's YOUR profile that takes a hit. When the drop shipper is out of stock, it's YOUR profile that takes a hit. They aren't even wholesalers and most of them you have to PAY them to be able to use them. A real wholesaler requires a tax id number, and you don't have to pay THEM to buy from them. Stay far far away from drop shippers if you want to sell.” - williesales4u2
“Here's another thought. If you have 100 sellers all using the same drop shipper then you are all listing the same items. You have to compete against one another to get the sale. Meanwhile you are lowering your price to beat another seller so you will sell your item. However the drop shipper gets paid the same amount of money regardless of what the item sells for. So who makes out with drop shippers….not you…. the drop shipper. Its no difference than walking into a gambling casino….you are throwing away your money. Run far far away from the drop shipper…far far away!!!!!” - jsloyd0
“If there was money to be made in drop shipping on ebay, don't you think the drop shippers would be selling on ebay instead of offering to let you do it for them?” - hayvicki
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Posted by: Allan on February 26th, 2008
Category: General eBusiness, e-Commerce, e-Business Basics
Viewed: 1,123 times
Working as an eBusiness Consultant, I have encountered many misconceptions about running an online business. In this article, I will briefly outline my top 5 misconceptions so that you can avoid incorporating them into your online business
5. The more choices I provide to the customer, the more sales I will make.
Not really. In fact the more choices a shopper has the less likely he or she will make a purchase. Think about it. If you overload your customers with a lot of choices, the shopping experience becomes more demanding. A customer is much more likely to leave your site once he finds the experience taxing.
Always balance the number of choices you provide your customer. Ensure a pleasant shopping experience and avoid providing a stressful one.
4. Hits are an excellent measure for tracking success.
False. Hits measure how many files are requested to the server. A single web page usually contains multiple files. So if you use hits to track visits you will be overestimating your website use.
Integrate an analytics tool (example Google Analytics) on your website. Not only will it measure hits, but it will also measure relevant stats (webpage visits) that will help you accurately gauge your website effectiveness.
3. All I need to do is build my website then wait for the money to flow in.
Running an online business is no different than running a “real world” store. Your business does not end after you have built and assembled your store. You must constantly maintain and manage your physical store in order to attract and retain your customers. I f you do not maintain it your customers may not return (Who would want to shop in a dark, and dirty store?).
Your website requires the same attention. Like the dirty and dark convenience store, nobody (including search engines) will visit a poorly maintained website.
2. I should design my website for everybody.
A site designed for everybody is a site design for nobody. Your website must be crafted for a particular audience. If your customers cannot quickly figure out what you do, they will likely leave you site and visit another website.
Design a website that targets your specific market. You may even encourage marginal shoppers to visit and do business with you.
1. People use the internet to find information.
Wrong. People do not surf to find information, they surf to find solutions. When people surf online, they have a problem they want answered. For example, when a person searches for gifts, he or she may be looking for Christmas gifts and probably not the history of Christmas gifts.
Make an effort to streamline your website. Nothing will frustrate customers than sifting through tons of information before they can buy the item they want.
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Posted by: Allan on December 17th, 2007
Category: General eBusiness, e-Commerce, e-Business Basics
Viewed: 1,336 times
Industry Canada measures Canada's progress in becoming a fully integrated digital economy and its impact on Canadian companies, individuals and governments. These statistics provide information at the household level as well as at the firm, industry and economy level and are gathered through the following surveys:
- Value of online sales (private and public) in 2006 = $49.9 billion 2005=$35.8)
- Value of online sales (private only) in 2006 = $46.5 billion (2005 = $32.8)
Value of business-to-consumer (B2C) sales in 2006 = $15.1 billion (2005=$9.4)
- Value of business-to-business (B2B) sales in 2006 = $31.4 billion (2005=$23.4)
- Percentage of firms (connected to the Internet) using high-speed Internet access in 2006 = 85% (2005=81%)
- Percentage of firms (connected to the Internet) using low-speed Internet access in 2006 = 10.2% (2005=18.2%)
As an “etailer” (online store business owner), what can you do to attract customers and buy your products over the internet? Here are some tips to succeed in selling online this holiday season.
1. Make Yourself Known
Before customers buy from your online store, they want to know: who you are; where you are; and how you can be contacted. If you cannot provide these answers quickly and easily, then they are less likely to purchase from your online store.
Create an About Us page that introduces your company and provide contact information preferably at the bottom of every page.
2. Provide Shipping Information
Nothing is more frustrating for customers than going through the checkout process and then finding out the shipping will be more than anticipated. More experienced customers will not even start the checkout process if you don’t provide shipping information at the start.
Provide your customers with shipping information, or estimates of, at the start of the transaction. A statement like: “The average shipping cost of this product being shipped from Miami to Vancouver is $12.00” will be enough information for most of your customers.
3. Mention Security and Protection Measures
In the new age of identity theft, your customers are more vigilant in guarding their personal information. If you don’t assure them that you have taken steps to protect their information, they will assume that you have not secured their personal information and will leave your store.
List the steps you take to protect them. Use easy to understand terms on the things you are doing to protect their personal information.
4. Offer Customer Support
Another reason for people to stop shopping online is the lack of support before and after the sale. Your customers will likely select an online store that provides ongoing support.
Display your contact information throughout the checkout process. If they contact you, respond quickly and efficiently. Do not ignore your customers. Show that you care and you want to provide the best online shopping experience for them before and after the sale.
Allan
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