5 benefits of ecommerce

December 28, 2011 Inspiration
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iMac computerIf you’re thinking about starting your own ecommerce website online, whether you have a business you’d like to incorporate with it or a few handmade crafts you’d like to sell, but you’re not sure if it will be worth your time and effort, consider the following benefits when weighing the pros and cons of ecommerce.

1. Earn extra cash

Who doesn’t want to earn a little extra cash on the side? One of the biggest benefits ecommerce provides people is the capability to earn extra money for weekend spending or bills. No matter what you want to use it for, you can be earning it with an ecommerce store. Again, whether you’re selling your own creative crafts or selling affiliate products, you could be making more money than you are right now.

2. Make money 24/7

One of the most attractive benefits of ecommerce is how it gives you the opportunity to make money 24 hours a day, no matter if you’re at the computer or away. Check out the next point for an example of how this is fantastic for those interested in living an adventurous life.

3. Travel when ever you want

The nice thing about an ecommerce site is it’s uptime. As mentioned above, it’s live 24/7, which gives you the capabaility to make money around the clock … even while you sleep. Just because you’re not behind the computer spreading the word about your latest products doesn’t mean you can’t make money. In fact, you could be on a cruise in the Bahamas when you make a sale. It doesn’t stop so long as you keep the website live and do your fair share of marketing when you are behind the computer.

4. You don’t have to pay an expensive lease

One of the most common reasons small companies go out of business is because of their expensive leases they’re locked into paying. While a nice building may provide you and your company with that sense of establishment, it will be transient if you can’t pay the lease; as a small business, you count on experiencing lows in sales, which in turn puts you in a bind if you have to pay a $15,000 monthly lease. If you have your own ecommerce website, all you have to pay for is the hosting package, which could be as little as $10 a month.

Think about what’s more important when first starting your business … looking established, or staying in business.

5. You don’t have to pay for utilities

Another brick and mortar store bill includes the utilities. The water and electric bill alone can become pretty expensive, but even if you manage to pay those you’re still responsible for a garbage and sewage fee, internet connection if you choose to connect, and cleaning services.

Overall, you’re looking at a lot of savings and a lot of freedom by choosing to start your own ecommerce store.

Creative Commons License photo credit: Burtoo

Importing and Exporting Databases in phpMyAdmin

December 21, 2011 PHP / Website Coding
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To export a database’s tables, first open up phpMyAdmin, and click on the database you wish to work with on the left panel.  Then, click the tab at the top that says “Export”.

Your screen will then offer several options for database export.  In the left column, you will see a section entitled “Export”, with links that say “Select All / Unselect All” beneath the title.  By default, all tables in the database will be selected.  If you wish to export the entire database, this default is fine.  If not, select only the tables you wish to export by holding the CTRL key on your keyboard down while clicking on the tables you wish to export one at a time.

Below this, you will see several radio buttons.  Ensure that the one that says “SQL” is selected.  It should be by default.

In the section labeled “Structure” on the right side, second row down, ensure that you check the box for “Add DROP TABLE…” as shown above.  The rest of the default settings for the top panel should be fine as they are.

Take a look at the bottom of the screen, where you will find a section entitled “Save as file”.  Ensure that the box next to this title is checked.

Give your file a name.  The default is “__DB__”, but for organizational purposes, it is generally best to rename this to something that will be easier to remember.

The default character set is “utf-8”.  This default setting should be fine in most cases.

The default compression choice is “None”, as is illustrated in the picture to the right.  The radio button for “None” is filled in, and this default is generally advisable unless the file is very large and you anticipate server timeouts from trying to download it.  Keep in mind that if you do compress a database export file that you generally will want to decompress it before importing.  In summary, if the file is so large that you must compress it in order to download it, you may need to do some tricky and somewhat advanced things with your PHP settings to get it to work properly with both exporting and importing.

To initiate the export, click on the “Go” button at the bottom right corner of the page.  You may need to scroll down and over to see it depending on your resolution.

Once you click on “Go”, phpMyAdmin will prompt you to save the file.  Save it in a place you will remember.

It is also possible to export an entire database, not just tables, from the phpMyAdmin home screen.  Do not check the box for “Add DROP TABLE…”; instead choose “Add CREATE PROCEDURE…”.

To import a database, first open up phpMyAdmin, and click on the database name into which you wish to import in the left side panel.  To import a database which was exported as described in this article, you will at least need to create a blank database first before performing the import.  Why is this?  What you exported by following the instructions in this article was a set of database tables, not an entire database itself—even if you did in fact export all of the tables in a database.

Next, click on the “Import” tab up at the top as shown in the illustration.

Entire databases can also be imported.  Select the “Import” tab on the home screen on phpMyAdmin, and import a file that was exported as an entire database.  Entire databases must be exported and imported as such; tables within a database must be exported and imported as such.

Quick Review:

  • Databases can be exported in several formats, but for most purposes, the default “SQL” format is acceptable.
  • You may export one, several, or all tables in any given database.
  • When exporting database tables, remember to check the box next to “Add DROP TABLE…”
  • When importing database tables, you must first select the database into which you wish to import.  If one does not exist, create a new blank one.
  • If you export a database as individual tables, import it as individual tables.  If you export a database as a whole, import it as a whole.  Remember to choose “Add  DROP TABLE…” for exporting database tables from within a database and “Add CREATE PROCEDURE…” for exporting entire databases from the  home screen.

10 Specializations that improve commerce 2.0

November 28, 2011 Commerce 2.0
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The web has become the most popular destination for information.

It’s robust, updated with the latest knowledge, and it’s readily available just about anywhere. It’s opened the world of information to everyone with an internet connection, and enabled them to learn just about anything.

And as we continue to dip into financial hardships, the web is becoming the most popular place for something else … something we call commerce.

With hundreds of thousands applications available for free on top of an unlimited amount of information, the web is the perfect place to start up that business you’ve been thinking about. As you move forward and begin the process of leaning how to start a business online, specifically a commerce 2.0 business online, you may find that there are certain specializations that will help you as you progress.

These are just a few to consider along your way.

1. Copywriting

This specialization is something you can apply to just about any industry, as it involves the wielding of words.

Whether you’re creating the content for a web page on your site, an ad, or literarily any other piece of content, the copywriting skill will help you hone your language into something that commands the attention from your readers. Gaining this attention is how you move them to the next step of engagement, which is informing them of your offer, and converting them into customers.

2. Content Marketing

As mentioned, information is abundant online. We go to the web for just about every query we have, so it makes sense that information becomes a valuable tool for businesses interested in reaching people.

Spend time researching what your customers are looking for through search engines, then create content that relates to those queries. The more relevant it is to your niche, the better the chance of converting those viewers into customers, so be sure you spend time within your niche.

The better you become at content marketing, the more eyes you’ll be able to attract to your commerce website online.

3. Customer Service

The customer service specialization is something that applies to every niche, as it’s the skill of helping people .

If you can master the art of excellent customer service, you’ll see an increase of sales because people will give you their trust. If you can’t provide excellent customer service, then you’re just like every other business … not exceptional. The key is to provide exceptional customer service, because it shocks the customer. People aren’t used to the best customer service, so providing it will almost certainly impress them.

This is an ongoing practice, so it’s important you develop your skill and learn from your experiences.

4. Social Marketing

In addition to information, the web has become a place for friends. Between Facebook and Google+, friends are connecting more than ever before online … and it’s your job to get in there with them so they can express themselves. The way people express themeslves online is by liking or vouching for specific things, whether those things include music albums, ideas, people, or even companies.

That’s where you come in.

If you haven’t already, get on Facebook and Google+ and create a company page for your brand so people can begin connecting with you. They’re not necessarily interested in receiving updates as you’d hope, but they do want to share what they like with their friends.

This is good enough reason to get involved … wouldn’t you rather have 100 people vouching for your brand than zero?

Take this to the next step and begin interacting with people — use those customer service skills!

5. Business Development

As you progress forward with the creation of your company, you will likely be forced to think of alternative ways to bring in money. This is where you business development skills come in. Hone this skill, and you’ll be able to turn it to your advantage regardless of the niche in which you’re working.

The practice of business development involves creating products or services to sell your customers, as well as find ways to create new revenue streams.

6. Search Engine Optimization

As a widely accepted method of prominent positioning, search engine optimization (SEO) is how you can help inform the search engine what your website is all about. The more relevant you are to the customer’s search query, the higher your position will be within the search index, such as Google or Bing.

This of course also depends on how competitive your niche is, and the ranking of other sites.

As you progress through this skill, you’ll realize that the most important aspect of SEO is link-building (number 9), and that malpractice of SEO can lead to dangerous repercussions that may mean the end of your organic search traffic.

7. Email Marketing

Much like content marketing, email marketing involves the delivery of exceptional content that helps the customer achieve a better understanding of something. The difference is the platform; with email, you’re able to reach your customer when you’d like, whereas the web limits you to the traffic that reaches that specific page.

Email marketing also enables you to schedule a particular series of content you want the customer to receive … for example, we could have opted to break this post into 10 parts and send out 10 different emails with one tip each. This helps you achieve one very important aspect of commerce 2.0 … repetition.

The more you connect with your customer, the more likely they are to hear your message and realize it will help them in some way.

This is also where your copywriting skills come in.

8. Blogging

If you delve into content marketing, then you probably use some sort of CMS or blogging software. One of the best available is called WordPress … it’s what we use for just about everything! It works as an excellent blogging platform as well as an in-house CMS.

Blogging is one of those things you learn as you do, but there are resources out there that may help you with the basics, whether you’re blogging for personal use or business use. Check out Fuel Your Blogging for tips, and even get a little feedback on your blog every friday.

Again, the key is repetition. The more information you can provide your customers through the web, the better your chances of impressing someone and leading them into your arms as a customer.

9. Link Building

As mentioned above, you will likely delve into this specialization when you get into SEO. Be careful though, link building is a special kind of magic that can involve both light and dark practices … and the dark (called black hat SEO) can often lead to the termination of your listing in the search index.

One of the basic forms of black hat SEO involves buying links and cloaking your website so search engines can’t see your content. These forms of optimization are considered manipulative and often result in the banning of websites.

Continue with caution with this specialization.

10. Image Editing

The web is getting more and more visual every day, so it’s crucial you begin developing your skill set in the image editing realm. If you can use Photoshop … great! If you can’t … there are plenty of alternatives available, and you’ll be able to pick up how to use them much faster. One app in particular is called Picnik … give it a whirl and see what you can create.

This specialization will help you create banners, edit photos, and even design your own websites so it’s importnat you at least see what it’s all about. If it’s not something you’re fond of, you can always hire a professional.

What specializations will you develop?

Overall, these are just a few of the specialization you will develop over time … and some more than others. Stick to what you do best as opposed to forcing yourself to learn something you don’t enjoy, and you’ll find the experience much more rewarding.

We’re interested in learning which areas you specialize in, so please post a comment in the box below. We’d love to hear how things are going and what you’re having trouble with — maybe we can help with a quick follow up post or comment.

Are customers camping outside of your store?

November 23, 2011 Marketing / Promotional Sales
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In addition to celebrating the holidays around this time of year, people also tend to celebrate something else … sales.

Though Groupon and other daily deals sites may be giving retail stores a run for their money, the majority of people are still going to be interested in taking advantage of the massive amount of sales blanketing the market around Thanksgiving. There’s one day in particular that seems to attract a massive amount of people into retail store in every town … and it’s called Black Friday.

Just today, I walked by Best Buy and noticed several people camped outside the door in anticipation for the sales.

What’s the big deal?

This is the time retailers slash prices and sell a lot of product … you should be no exception as an online retailer.

Take advantage of holidays

We went over the importance of seasonal promotion, so why not take it to the next level and actually promote during specific holidays. It’s something commerce 1.0 has been doing since the beginning, and there’s one very good reason for that … because it works.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving … if you haven’t already spent a good week or two promoting your Thanksgiving sale, you may be too late to really take advantage of the traffic to your website. However, that said, there is still time to sell items at a discounted rate and encourage those that stop by to spend more. The only problem is, there’s usually a lull in traffic to websites over the weekends (depending on the niche of course).

Take this and apply it to some of the holidays coming up in the tail end of the year.

Explore this opportunity and you’ll probably experience an increase in traffic and sales.

 

Increase your sales every year by celebrating the four seasons

November 23, 2011 Marketing / Promotional Sales
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As you head into the commerce 2.0 marketplace, be sure to bring what you’ve learned from commerce 1.0 along. There’s no sense in starting over completely — especially when those operating in commerce 1.0 discovered what does and doesn’t work well.

One practice we’ve all discovered works well is the promotion of sales … more specifically, the promotion of season-focused sales.

No matter where you look this season, you’re going to see sales on just about everything simply because of the season. Whether a business promotes a The Fall Blowout of 2011 or The Autumn Savings Event, people are going to take notice and feel it’s the perfect opportunity to venture into the store and buy all the stuff they didn’t know they needed. That’s just how it works.

The first quater is split between Winter and Spring, as January and February are considered Winter — but to keep it simple, let’s take a look at each season and how you can optimize your sales every year.

1. Spring

Spring represents new beginnings and bright future, because after roughly six months of cold, harsh weather (depending where you’re located), Spring is when it starts to improve. This has a positive impact on buyers, because the weather alone encourages them to get up and out of the house. Spring also represents the beginning of school, which is a huge selling angle for a lot of niches.

Think about how you can present your products in a way that encourages improvement.

2. Summer

Summer is a huge sales angle for businesses — even schools — because it represents a lot of fun. When we think of Summer, we think of warmer weather, beaches, lakes, camping, barbecues, and baseball. Can you promote your products in a way that lines up with your potential customers’ interests?

Check out any sporting good store and clothing store for an example of this next Summer.

3. Fall

Fall is the season of change, because after nearly six months of bright weather and new beginnings, the leaves change color and the entire setting evolves. Though this is the time when leaves die and the weather gets cold, many customers look forward to spending time with their friends and families over the holidays. With a few major holidays on the horizon, a certain spirit takes to the air and impacts people in a very positive way. Not only are a lot of customers’ moods lifted despite their losses or hardships, but they also look forward to shopping for their friends and family around this time of year … partly because it makes them feel good, and partly because it’s become the thing people do around this time.

Take a moment to look around and notice how businesses are promoting their products. And watch out for that infamous day we call Black Friday … a day of insane sales and a lot of customer spending. Can you get in on this?

4. Winter

Winter is the season customers look forward to throughout the entire season of Fall. It plays host to many holidays throughout a variety of religions and cultures, and has become known for the setting of some of the most famous stories we learn as children. That said, this season can be used to your benefit by getting involved with the sales. Offer some sort of incentive for your customers based on Winter, and you’re likely to see an increase in sales.

Pay close attnetion to how commerce 1.0 executes their operations this season, and do what you can do keep up.

It’s important not to sell yourself short or under, but to offer something special to your customers. Usually the goal is to promote something on sale in hope that a customer is attracted, and not only buys the product or service, but ends up buying more than they expected. This isn’t mischievous by any means … it’s just good business.

Are you promoting a sale this season? If so, how is it going so far?

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