Online Marketing Blog

By: Mark Minks
Category: Ecommerce

Many of you probably remember reading the headlines a few years back when thousands of service men and woman returned from tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, only to find that their jobs were no longer available, their homes were being foreclosed on, and all of their Earthly possessions were tied up in some type of probate court while the banks and the government simply considered it business as usual? Here were these brave people who set aside their lives and families to protect our God given rights as Americans, and they were being treated like criminals for trying to maintain a semblance of their pre-war status in this country. There are some basic laws in place that force an employer to give these soldiers their job back once they return from active duty, but often the companies either could not afford to re-hire them or used a technicality to avoid the responsibility. Otherwise the soldiers were completely on their own trying to fight through the court systems and deal with the banks and other creditors.

This is where Sears really stood out from the crowd, and although I don’t want to take the focus off of our national heroes, this is something that has to be said. Despite the weak legislation and the economic downturn that launched us into recession a few years back, Sears paid each employee that was stationed overseas the difference between their military salary and Sears salary, allowed them to keep full benefits for their family, and even maintained all the bonus programs for the salesmen who were stationed overseas. Now, to be perfectly fair there were a number of other companies that stood by their employees while they defended our freedom as well, but very few of them went out of their way like Sears did.

Now I’m not sure how this makes you feel, but regardless of what you think about the politics behind these wars, or where our national focus should be, this makes me proud to be an American and even happier that there are still a few remaining US companies that care about our homeland. I realize that Sears is not always the least expensive place to buy things, and their selection can not always compete with some of these superstores out there, but I would much rather spend a few extra dollars supporting a business that has supported our country than to give it to some overseas corporation that could care less if our soldiers have a home and a life to return to once they finish up the job of protecting our liberties overseas. Sears only carries top quality products, the vast majority of them made right here within the United States, and their service and warranties are second to none.

The next time you’re thinking about buying new Sears Craftsman tools, appliances, clothing, or anything else Sears carries, please consider giving them your business, either online or through one of their retail stores. To set the record straight I do not work for Sears and I am not being paid to try and create some kind of publicity stunt; I am simply a proud father that thanks God everyday that my children were born here instead of one of the many horrible places that remain on Earth. We are all fortunate to be Americans, and we should be appreciative towards the American companies that stand beside us in our darkest hours. So for all of our sakes please support this great American company with your patronage.

Be sure to take advantage of Sears coupons, as Sears sends these to online coupon sites often. Sears also has daily promotional deals for you to save money as well. So go grab some Sears online coupons today and save when shopping at Sears.com.

Mark Minks is the owner of MoneyJibe.com. MoneyJibe.com is a Personal Finance site that has many money saving ideas and money making tips. It also contains many free online coupons for Sears and other respected online shopping sites. Visit the Sears Coupon page for coupons and deals on many of the most popular products. The Sears coupons are updated daily.

Publish this article: Sears – One of the Few Remaining Great Companies in America

By: Joseph Kenny
Category: Ecommerce

These days, there are great bargains to be found by shopping online. Many items that previously were only available in stores are now being bought and sold online every day. Books, cds, DVDs and electronics are all growing in popularity as online purchases.

Then there are things like flights, hotel bookings, car rentals and the like that are which are well established in the online shopping world. More and more stores are putting up websites that allow you to make online orders and even supermarkets now let you do your grocery shopping online and theyll deliver the goods to your door. Added to this growth in stores and other big business websites, there are also millions of small traders offering you goods online too.

Online auction sites such as ebay are experiencing phenomenal success. These types of purchases however carry the risk that you do not really know who you are dealing with but you have to give them sensitive financial information in order to pay for your purchases. You are forced to choose between buying from small sellers and then trust them with your card details, or forgo the opportunities they offer and deal only with large and trusted names.

Payment Sites

This problem has been recognised and that is why it is now possible to shop online from lots of small sellers while maintaining your privacy and keeping your financial information secure. There are payment sites with the most popular probably being paypal, that are set up specifically to deal with issues like these. Indeed, paypal is now owned by ebay, which shows the link in importance between the two services offered by these companies. What websites like paypal allow you to do is pay open an online account for free. You can then transfer money into your account using a standard credit card payment procedure.

The advantage of this is that while you are providing your card information to paypal, this is the only company who you are giving this information to and since they are large and therefore, hopefully, trustworthy, your privacy and security should be safe. Then when you make all your various purchases with smaller, more anonymous traders, all you do is make the payment through paypal and this avoids all the dangers having to give all your sensitive data out again and again. It is another example of how using credit cards online are becoming safer and more convenient.

About the author: Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the UK credit card comparison site http://www.creditcards121.com/, where you can find a selection of credit card advice. For US visitors there is also the comparison site http://www.credit-cards-info.com/ for all US interest

Publish this article: Shopping Online – Protect Yourself

By: Shane Penrod
Category: Ecommerce

If you operate a mobile business and worry about taking credit card payments the old fashioned way, rest assured that a mobile merchant account can provide you with up-to-date technology that will give you the lowest retail rate and instant card feedback while in the field. You wont have to worry that you might not learn that a customers credit card is rejected when you return to the office. Nor will you have to leave a statement and hope the customer remembers to send in a payment.

Now you can apply for a mobile merchant account that will provide you with up-to-date wireless equipment that can provide confidence and security while you are processing payments on the road. When you are ready to apply for a mobile merchant account, you will be happy to know that many companies can give you an answer the same day. As long as your company has a decent credit history and is able to pay monthly fees for account services, you should have no problem in getting approved for a merchant account. If you conduct business while on the road, for example, by delivering floral arrangements, making service calls, or providing transportation, you can collect credit card payments at the point of sale rather than waiting to send a bill or hoping the customer will have the correct amount of cash or pay with a check that wont bounce.

If you plan to attend a trade show, a conference, a convention, or a seminar where you will be selling products, you can take along a wireless credit card processor to make sure you get paid the same day. Wireless units come with or without printers. They will let you get the lower retail swiped rate, along with immediate authorization and sales confirmation, instead of paying the keyed-in rate if you call the credit card number into the office for processing. Your mobile merchant account will help you save money and time.

You can handle the credit card processing yourself instead of hiring accounting staff to send out bills and call for collections when checks bounce from the back. You can even get additional mobile equipment to support your business transactions while in transit, like a pager or an e-check processor.

Most units are small and easy to transport in a vehicle of just about any size. They fit neatly on a table for indoor business purposes, too. No special training is required for operating them. Just read the instructions or talk to the account associate to learn how you can start accepting credit card payments quickly and easily. The rates for utilizing a merchant account are not prohibitive. Plan to discuss the fees with your lender to be sure you understand the pricing for each type of service. Your credit card processor may be billed at so much per transaction, or you might be able to request a monthly percentage rate. Find out why so many business owners are using credit card processing equipment that can be obtained with the help of a mobile merchant account.

About the author: Shane Penrod is the founder of http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Publish this article: A Mobile Merchant Account

By: Shane Penrod
Category: Ecommerce

Owners of small businesses who hope to increase their profits may have questions about a merchant account set up. Although perhaps interested in applying for this special type of account through a banker or preferred lender, they may be unsure of the costs and other requirements for getting equipped to process credit card payments. Since it is always wise to find out about required expenses before asking for a new account, business owners should carefully review the terms and fees associated with a merchant services account, along with any other information that will help them understand how to set up a merchant account.

One of the first things you will need to know is how to apply for a merchant account set up. This part is easy enough. You just have to do an Internet search to find a list of the available lenders who are eager to offer your company this valuable service. Those that seem to be a little iffy you will want to avoid, naturally. These are the companies with whose names you are unfamiliar or who have not been in business very long. It is probably a good idea to look for companies with a solid reputation or history. In fact, you may want to ask trusted business colleagues for a recommendation. Another option is to check with the bank where your company has its accounts at present. Perhaps that lender offers a good rate on a merchant account. After being approved for a merchant account set up, the next step is to decide what type of services you would like your business to implement. Do you want to set up a simple credit card processor for checkout transactions in addition to check and debit processing?

This could speed checkout time as well as please customers who prefer to use a credit card instead of cash or check for your products or services. Another way to use your merchant account is to purchase or lease a wireless credit card processor for point-of-sale payments, which will help you avoid the added step of mailing invoices and then awaiting payment. Your merchant account set up will be based on certain fees, possibly including but not limited to an application fee, set up fee, gateway expense, or annual membership cost. Dont forget that there will be a per-transaction fee or monthly percentage rate that you will need to pay for merchant account services. If you decide to put up a company Website, the merchant account could cover basic set up fees and maintenance service, though you will need to work this out with your account provider.

Make sure you understand all of the terms and conditions of your merchant account before you sign an agreement. Your company can enter the world of electronic commerce, or "e-commerce," almost immediately and bring your customers into the 21st century of bill-paying when you qualify for a merchant services account. Start browsing offers by established lenders today to find the best deal for your merchant account set up.

About the author: Shane Penrod is the founder of http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Publish this article: Merchant Account Set Up

By: Shane Penrod
Category: Ecommerce

What can Merchant Account Services do for your business?

Here is a preview of some of the advantages that your company can enjoy when your application is approved for a merchant account.

1. Merchant Account Services can provide your business with a credit line that is similar to the one offered by a personal credit card. You will have to apply for it, of course, and your company must meet the acceptance criteria to be approved. In general, your company should not have a history of bankruptcy, nor should it have a bad credit background overall. You should not be involved in shady dealings or the type of business that lenders hesitate to approve. These may vary by lender, so ask your preferred financial underwriter whether your type of enterprise will qualify. You also should be able to demonstrate that your organization has the means to pay monthly fees associated with a merchant services account. Under these conditions, a lender is likely to approve your business for this special account.

2. Merchant Account Services can equip your company with various type of electronic equipment and credit card processing technology. If your own a shop or store, for example, you can install a tabletop credit card processor for the cashiers use at checkout. You can get one with a combination terminal and printer for better spatial management and convenience. Another version is the wireless model that you can take with you for deliveries or remote service. You can process payments onsite before leaving without the hassle of leaving a statement and hoping the customer remembers to pay on time each month.

3. Merchant Account Services is ready to advance your company when you are. In addition to a credit card processor, you can become equipped with a pager and an e-check or debit processor for added convenience. For more sophisticated credit card processing applications, you can ask about wireless options and install a phone order and payment system that is operated by keypad touch or dialing. Your clients will be able to dial a toll-free number, listen and respond to prompts, and then enter a credit card number for point-of-sale payment.

4. Merchant Account Services can prepare your company for the electronic age of business by helping you to set up a Website that provides a credit card payment option. Your site can list a complete product description guide, along with prices and ordering information, allowing your customers to transact business at their convenience and pay instantly in real time with a credit card. Your lender will coordinate a gateway to deposit payments in your companys account.

Your company will outdistance competitors in the field by offering customers the latest bill-paying technology. Your merchant account can position your company for growth and success that you never imagined. Of course, you will need to check out the fees and any possible risks associated with a merchant services account, but you will probably find that your company is likely to benefit when you apply and are approved for Merchant Account Services.

About the author: Shane Penrod is the founder of http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Publish this article: Merchant Account Services

By: Shane Penrod
Category: Ecommerce

Can a Merchant Services Account really help your company to grow? Dozens of satisfied business owners claim it can, and they eagerly support this type of service for use with many kinds of companies and enterprises. Basically, a merchant account will allow you to collect credit card payments from your customers in a variety of ways. Youve probably heard all about these from other company owners in your area, but if not, here is a basic rundown of what to expect.

Getting approved for a Merchant Services Account means that your company will be able to accept credit card payments. You can collect these in several interesting ways, depending on the nature of your business and your clientele. If you operate a retail shop or a restaurant, for example, you can set up a credit card processor onsite in the checkout area to receive payments from your customers. On the other hand, if you deliver home-baked goodies to customers at lunchtime in their business offices, you can take along a wireless unit to collect payments while making the delivery. All transactions can be concluded at the point of purchase, leaving your time free to do more valuable things than collect back checks or send out monthly statements.

A Merchant Services Account can help you set up a digital credit card payment program. For example, you can arrange for customers to call a toll-free number, listen to a menu of choices before pressing the telephone keypad number that corresponds with their reason for calling, and shop for products that are described briefly on the phone in a pre-recorded message. If they purchase anything, they can pay for it promptly with a credit card by punching in the requisite account numbers.

Your customers will love the ease with which they can call your company, shop without coming into the store, and make payments without the exact amount of cash. Opening a Merchant Services Account also can equip you with additional technology, like a pager, a wireless phone, or a debit and e-check processor. You can reduce the amount of help you will need from employees by relying more on technology to help you run your business.

One of the most expansive credit card payment options is to set up a Website that represents your companys business. You can promote the latest products or sales, list prices, include links to related sites, and let customers make purchases that they can pay with a credit card right at the site that operates in real time. Your lender will coordinate the payment-processing program so that the amount paid by your customer will be deposited directly in your companys bank account.

There is no need to keep on doing business the old fashioned way when you can easily upgrade to an e-commerce structure. Costs are manageable, and benefits are noticeable in short order. Ask your banker, a colleague, or an Internet Website for details about how you can apply for benefits that will help your company become all it can be with a Merchant Services Account.

About the author: Shane Penrod is the founder of http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Publish this article: Merchant Services Account

By: Shane Penrod
Category: Ecommerce

Can merchant services make a difference in the way you do business? You bet they can! A merchant services account can equip you to conduct e-commerce with the latest credit card processing technology. You may be able to manage your company with fewer employees to handle billing and collect payments when you implement technical credit processing equipment that can save you time and money. In addition, a merchant account will place you in the ranks of your industrys foremost professionals, adding status to stature.

Find out if your companys bank offers merchant services. If it does, ask about the acceptance criteria and consider making an application there. If not, however, you can find literally dozens or hundreds of lenders who are looking for customers like you to whom they can offer a merchant services account. The lenders charge fees that can take many forms, including an online application expense or an annual membership fee; perhaps both or even others might be required for your to receive the account.

Being able to hold merchant status, though, might be worth the cost of such fees, since you will be able to accept credit card payments with the help of specialized technology and a gateway liaison. Your merchant account lender will process each credit card payment for you and deposit the money in your companys bank account. Your fees for this service may be billed or automatically deducted as worked out in advance with the lender. How can merchant services help your business?

For one thing, a merchant services account will let you install a credit card processor at your place of business to accept credit payments onsite. Many consumers today prefer the convenience of paying by credit card, and they will love the fact that your company is keeping up with current trends and technology.

Another way that merchant services can assist your business is by providing telephone dial-in credit card payment technology. You wont even have to staff each phone call with a person to answer and manage the payment. An automated recording will guide your customers through the credit card payment process. Many business owners who want to widen the path to welcome new clients are using merchant services to set up a company Website. There they can display all the companys products and pricelists, along with a FAQ page and testimonials that can provide customers with extra details and helpful information.

Your Website can become your companys window on the world to invite potential new customers to come and have a look around. If they decide to order, they can do so immediately, making it easy for them to get the price they want and for your to get paid quickly. After a successful first "shopping trip," they are likely to return repeatedly for easy, prompt transactions.

Obtaining a merchant services account is a great way to move your business to the next level of expertise. Accepting credit card payments will be beneficial to your customers and great for you, too. Find out if you are eligible to apply for local or international merchant services.

About the author: Shane Penrod is the founder of http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Publish this article: Merchant Services

By: Sharon Housley
Category: Ecommerce

Not too long ago, a colleague asked me why we invest so heavily in consumer education. We have made a conscious decision to spend marketing dollars on consumer education for a very simple reason. Educated consumers are simply better customers.

Lets take a closer look at why educated consumers are better customers.

Less Technical Support.

1.) Educated consumers require less technical support. The reduced technical support results in lower overhead costs. Often educated consumers can further reduce the support burden by assisting or educating other customers or potential customers in forums, newsgroups, user groups or elsewhere in an industry community.

Often users with a strong technical background or understanding will often assist in the forums and provide users technical support. The result: an educated consumer is a happy and helpful customer.

Easier Sales.

2.) Generally speaking educated consumers have a better understanding of the technology, how it can be used and how it will benefit them. A customers understanding that an application will result in saved time, can easily justify the software’s expense. Cost becomes less of an issue when long-term value is understood.

Reasonable Expectations.

3.) I hate to say it, but back in 1996 when we started out, consumer ignorance resulted in unrealistic expectations. Consumers purchased expecting that software would do their dishes and vacuum. Regardless of how well the software did what it was designed to do, if a customer expects it to do something else, they will not be a satisfied customer.

Educated consumers have realistic expectations and understanding of what can and cannot be accomplished.

Kinds of Consumer Education

1. Articles.

Educational articles not only propagate the success and understanding of a technology, but well written articles will often establish the writer as an industry expert.

Example http://www.feedforall.com/newsletter.htm (on the bottom)

2. White Papers.

Real world examples of how other users are using software to resolve problems or save time are often great illustrations of technology in action.

Example http://www.notepage.net/whitepapers.htm

3. PPT Demonstrations.

Power point presentations not only assist with user education, but also can be used by User Groups to further evangelize and educate potential users.

All in all, educated consumers result in a happier user with realistic expectations. Ignorance often results in dissatisfaction and unrealistic expectations while education leads to long term happy and helpful customers.

About the Author:

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for FeedForDev http://www.feedfordev.com an RSS component for developers.

Permissions:

Permissions and notification of use not required.

Publish this article: Why Educated Consumers are Better Customers

By: Kanaga Siva
Category: Ecommerce

It is no secret that the success of your Internet Marketing Business is to a great extent dependent on the traffic you get. For the Internet Marketer who wants to make money,the website visitor is a very welcome person and his visit is most anxiously awaited. When this is the real scenario imagine webmasters adopting strategies and creating situations knowingly or unknowingly, forcing their website visitors to take a round about turn and flee from their websites. Why do this, and lose your visitors?

The disappointment and frustration the visitors experience sometimes is such that they vow never to return to these sites again and an opportunity to make money is lost for ever. Given below are specific situations that visitors encounter when surfing the internet hoping to find some useful information.

1. Instruct your website visitors to register before entering your site without giving them any clue what your site is all about.

2. Have an Audio sound track on your home page and compel him to listen to your rhetoric without providing him any provision to turn it off.

3. Ensure that your website has graphics and multimedia and will take at least one minute to download. This will give your website visitor sufficient time to get frustrated, change his mind and go to another site.

4. Once your website visitor is in, confuse him without providing him with concise and clear labels to enable him to know his whereabouts and movements. Also do not provide him opportunities to explore your site and go back to where he came from but entrap him in a mesh of web pages.

5. Keep changing frequently the location of features in your site making your regular Internet Marketing website visitors and customers confused and frustrated.

6. Do not update contents on your website. Have old or stale Internet Marketing contents without any indication of fresh content. Display today’s date for old content giving a clear indication to the visitor that you are not only inactive but also dishonest.

7. Have plenty of Typos and grammar mistakes. Make it difficult to read both text wise and color wise, indicating to your website visitors that you are a person without substance, rather than looking professional.

8. Plaster your web page with Internet Marketing banners, advertisements and pop ups thus irritating your website visitors.

9. Do not check your website for broken links. Have plenty of broken links and error messages thus annoying your visitors.

10. Finally as your website visitors are about to leave you site, serve an exit Ad. and ensure that they simply can’t leave that Ad. or exit from your website. When a website visitor is confronted with this type of situation it is nothing but natural to expect him to be disappointed, disillusioned and frustrated. There are millions of websites in the internet.

There is no reason why the visitor should hang around in a website that is not user friendly and helpful. He knows exactly what he should do in such a situation,-yes, quit the site. To counter these problems and make money from your website visitors, correct your errors, update your website regularly and dump these strategies that satisfy your whims and fancies. Instead provide your Internet Marketing visitors a website that is simple, attractive and user friendly where he feels very much at home.

About the author: Copyright © 2005 Kanaga Siva. Kanaga Siva has a wealth of experience in Marketing and running his Home Based Business. Visit his website http://www.business-fromhome.com for Articles, Resources, Tips and Advice to start a Home Based Business.

Publish this article: Avoid These Strategies, Keep Your Website Visitors Happy And Make Money

By: Chris Haycox
Category: Ecommerce

Ten years ago ecommerce was still a cool buzzword that everyone wanted to try, but at that early point it was largely limited to the Business-2-Business world. The use of personal computers, mobile phones and the internet was still experiencing its first period of growth, so the average person sitting in front of their behemoth CRT monitor hadn’t grasped the potential of the web quite yet.

It didn’t take long though. Soon dot.com companies selling anything from sock puppets to toothbrushes at unbelievably low prices were popping up all over the place. Beady eyed investors saw the potential in dot-coms: little overhead and massive profit. The credit industry chimed in with low interest rates and blanket application acceptances, knowing there was money to be made. Unfortunately and predictably, the house of cards fell. Dot-coms were collapsing by the dozens and investors saw billions of dollars seemingly evaporate into thin air within a very short period.

Since that dark period in the early history of ecommerce, there have been countless research studies conducted in an effort to answer the desperate whys and how’s being screamed from bankruptcy courts around the nation. By now we have all heard the answer explained in long winded speeches about boom and bust cycles etc. In the end the collapse of the dot.com bubble was the inevitable outcome of greed on a massive scale, more specifically, unchecked greed with few security protocols and no governing body.

The birth of the 1990′s brought a wider availability of personal computers and the internet, but the 21st century brought mobility to the internet. According to CTIA the Wireless Association, there were just over 109 million mobile phone users in the US in 2000, that’s 38% of the population. Of course at that point the smartphone was clunky and fairly unusable so few people owned one. Eight years later the number of mobile phone users more than doubled to 262 million, 85% of the population. Now the Neilson Company predicts by the end of 2011 at least 49% of Americans will have a smartphone and 51% will still be using their feature phone (out of the 96% of the population that uses a mobile device).

Between 2000 and 2011 there has been an about-face on the part of ecommerce. Security platforms have become more stable and widely used so trust has now been built. User interfaces evolved into dynamic places where visitors felt both stimulated to buy, yet secure in handing over credit information. Mary Meeker of Morgan Stanley has amalgamated data from Japan that shows online commerce and paid services accounted for a whopping 32% of mobile revenue in 2008. We all know technology progresses faster than the Roadrunner, and we are equally aware that Japan and China are usually the first to set trends in technology. That begs the question, has the west fully realized the potential of ecommerce yet? Or are we still remembering the chaos of the 90′s?

The same report by Mary Meeker, dubbed the Queen of the Internet by Baron’s magazine in 1998, shows North American and European nations use of ecommerce on a mobile platform accounts for less than 14% of mobile revenue (2008). Are we still scared? No, we are being gouged. North Americans have some of the highest mobile phone bills in the world. Canada in particular generates an average of $55 revenue per user per month; the US isn’t much better sitting at $48. India is the most fortunate; making the phone companies about $5 per user per month.

Mobile ecommerce is the future; there is no doubt about it. For the average North American the ability to buy almost anything with a smartphone is far too convenient to give up simply because our data plan sucks. We may not spend as much as the Japanese, but we sure know the value of ecommerce. Then again, as humans we are cursed with the innate habit of reacting to the here and now. The bill is out of sight, and therefore out of mind. We are also experts at rationalization. The value of using an internet fax service to send a document to a client via your smartphone far outweighs the value of physically delivering it. The flexibility and potential of the smartphone and ecommerce has placed a much higher value on time. What we choose to do with that time saved is the subject of a whole other article.

Chris Haycox works for MetroFax Internet Fax as their head Network Administrator. MetroFax has just launched their iPhone app to enable their clients to more easily and securely access their faxes from anywhere. For more information about internet fax services please visit us online or visit Metrofax on Facebook!

Publish this article: Ecommerce and its Evolution into Mobility