Author: Mike Auger

All online business owners use some type of ecommerce “provider,” whether as simple as a PayPal Buy Now button or as complex as an integrated Point of Sale/ ecommerce software combination. This month, let’s take a look at two leading edge features and why these are important to online business owners. If your current ecommerce provider isn’t offering features similar to the ones below, it could be time to evaluate other ecommerce options for your business.

By Mike Auger Ever think about marketing your online products or services to the global marketplace? Global B2C ecommerce sales are expected to hit $1.5 trillion…

By Mike Auger Many businesses experience a seasonal summer slowdown, including online stores. To combat this, determine what promotional or marketing plans you have in place…

What is a brand? We can all easily name a few quickly. These brands permeate our culture on all modes of communication, like billboards, TV, digital and print. These top of mind companies may include newer brands, or ones that have existed for decades.

Small business owners today typically have to wade through a bevy of service providers when it comes to their online presence. There is more noise in the marketplace and more options than even five years ago, but the guiding principles of common sense and value are timeless.

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing that allows you to extend your sales reach through avenues that do not usually require upfront expenses. Typically, affiliate marketing only requires a payout to affiliates when certain criteria have been met, such as a fee for every sale or lead they bring to your website.

Everything is important when it comes to running your business. As an online store owner, getting money from point A, your website, to point B, your bank account, should be at or near the top of your priority list. New payment technologies surface daily to make this process safer and easier.

Making buyers lifelong customers should be the goal of everyone operating an online store. Retailers want this golden goose because it is less expensive to keep a customer than it is to acquire a new one. However, it takes a concerted effort to keep first time buyers around for life. Following are three strategies you can incorporate to keep shoppers coming back to your eCommerce site.

While sitting in traffic, drivers often find themselves behind construction and freight trucks. Besides the company name and telephone number, they might not notice much about the company. However, if a truck displayed a bold QR code on the back of the vehicle below the phone number, it might attract a little more attention. A QR, or Quick Response, code is a barcode that provides rapid access to information through a smartphone app.

So, you are moving along with your business, and you do not have a lot of time. You certainly do not have time to follow all the news about social networks and mobile phones, you say. Well trust me, that is exactly what you must do. Before it is too late, take your head out of the sand and have your friends hold you upside down and shake you until every kernel of sand is out of your ears. All kidding aside, if you do not adjust to what is happening in off-site commerce, you will not remain competitive in the long-term.