The Official LexiConn Blog

How To Quickly Get Your Products Into ShopSite – Part 1: The Backoffice

Rob Mangiafico — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:46:35 +0000

There are a number of ways to get your products into ShopSite. In this three part series, we’ll take a look at the various methods, including a few things to look out for when using each function.

Today we’ll start with the simplest method, using the web-based ShopSite backoffice to manually add products to your store.

The Products Menu

The easiest way to add a product to ShopSite is using the backoffice:
Products -> Add a Product

(In order to have all the options available, make sure you are in the “Advanced Editing” mode. Just click the button “Advanced Editing” if it’s visible.)

Add product screen (click image to enlarge)

Add Several Products at Once

To make the process more manageable when adding multiple products, simply click the “Add Several Products” button in the Products section. You will then be able to choose which fields you want to enter (Hold down the “Ctrl” key to select multiple fields from the dropdown), and how many products you want to create. This gives you a quick way to add many products from one page:

Add several products (click image to enlarge)

Copy a Product

One issue that comes up is you cannot define default settings when adding a new product. This can cause errors when adding a new product, and add extra time to product creation. To avoid this, you could create a default product with default settings, then use the “Copy Product” feature to copy this default item to a new item. This way your new products will be automatically setup with your desired default settings, templates, etc…

Copy Product (click image to enlarge)

PowerEdit is Powerful

If you quickly copy or add a number of products and need to make either mass or individual changes, the “PowerEdit” button can be quite handy. You can highlight multiple products in the dropdown box (hold down Ctrl to select multiple) and click the “PowerEdit” button.

Then select the fields you want to edit, and choose either “Individual” or “Global” depending on whether the changes are for each product separately or the same change applies to all products:

PowerEdit (click image to enlarge)

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The above methods are simple ways to add products in the ShopSite web-based interface. In part two of this series, we’ll take a look at using the database upload feature of ShopSite to add or edit products in your store.

What a Toothpaste Dispenser Can Teach Us About Ecommerce Marketing

Rob Mangiafico — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:54:26 +0000

It’s amazing how well some of these infomercial products sell. Sometimes you just can’t change the channel and must see how wonderful the item “really” is… I think ecommerce merchants can learn a thing or two (both good and bad) from watching how these marketers position their products.

It’s so easy…

That’s what my 5 year old daughter said after watching the infomercial pictured above (The hands free toothpaste dispenser). She immediately started lobbying me to buy this product with phrases such as:

She won’t make a mess anymore

It would be easier for her to brush her teeth

She could brush her teeth on her own now

Seems the infomercial had quite an impact on her and she quickly picked up on the benefits this product had to offer…

They know their target audience!

Effective infomercials know who their ideal customers are, and tailor their message to appeal to them directly. In this example, they knew that little kids would watch this ad (as it often aired on Nickelodeon) and therefore made it easy to understand and fun to watch. And the messages presented would appeal to parents who either saw (or heard from their kids) what a great product the company had to offer.

They made the benefits concrete, easy to understand, and most importantly, matched those benefits with their target demographic for maximum impact!

E-tailers must do the same thing

There are a few lessons to take away from this simple story:

Identify your target demographic
Without knowing who your base customer really is, it’s impossible to make your marketing truly effective. If you sell jeans, and your new product line is a slimming pair of jeans, it’s important to know who might buy it. Maybe it’s designed (and appeals to) mothers with young/teenage children.

Create your marketing material to match this demographic
Once you’ve identified who your product will likely appeal to, make sure the message matches their expectations. In the above example of “slimming jeans for moms”, an ad that has a statement about turning heads in a crowded bar will probably not resonate as well as ones like:
- Get your husband to take a second look
- Be the envy of the PTA
- Your teenage daughter will want these jeans

Get these ads and marketing materials in front of your demographic
Don’t miss the mark when it comes to “where to advertise”. Infomercials surgically target the right tv stations and times to get maximum effect. You wouldn’t want to market these jeans for moms at the new “Call of Duty” video game website. Make sure you choose the right venues for getting your message out there.

Don’t actually be an infomercial product

Unless your product is actually an infomercial-like product, don’t associate your product with the “stigma” many infomercials carry. Namely, being seen as flimsy or not actually working as it’s being demonstrated to perform.

One of my friends who purchased this dispenser found it to keep falling off the wall, and one time a simple pull by one of his kids caused the backing to peel off much of the drywall it was attached to.

The best way to earn a great reputation is to make sure that your products and services always live up to the marketing statements you make. Stand behind your promises, and to truly “wow” them, make the actual product or service exceed expectations.

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What examples have you found to be helpful for selling online? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Want Your Offering to Have Value? Make it Valuable!

Google Webmaster Tools Will Now Alert You About Hacks and Spam

Rob Mangiafico — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:11:05 +0000

Google recently announced on their Webmaster Central Blog that they will begin alerting webmasters when their websites have potential issues such as:

Spammy or abused content

Abused forum pages or large amounts of comment spam on their blogs

Indications that their website or webpages have been hacked or defaced

Where are these messages?

By default, these messages sent by Google appear in the “Messages” section of your Webmaster Tools Account (link in left hand menu when you first log in). If you’re anything like me, you might go a week or two without logging into Webmaster Tools, which could mean you miss an all important message about your site being hacked, or your forum/blog spammed excessively.

Ignore these messages for too long, and it could affect your site’s ranking.

Get alerts via email

Fortunately, right on the front page of your Webmaster Tools account, is a simple dropdown to have these messages forwarded to your email address(es) associated with your account. Google’s Help With Forwarding page provides more information about how to add an address, change forwarding, etc…

I just logged into our account and found out we did not have email alerts turned on. I’m glad I checked.

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So, log into your Google Webmaster Tools account, and set up message forwarding to an email address you check regularly. It could save your site from being blacklisted by Google, as Google provides you a few days to correct problems before they de-list your pages.

If you’re website has been hacked…

If you find that your website has been hacked, malware inserted via FTP Injection Attacks, or it’s been defaced, Google provides a way to get de-listed from their “unsafe” list. Our previous blog post on malware detection and removal covers this in more detail.

How To Get The Most Out Of ShopSite – Free Download

Rob Mangiafico — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:00:55 +0000

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How To Get The Most Out Of ShopSite

That’s the title of our latest free whitepaper. It’s a compilation of tips, ideas, and features to help merchants get the most out of their ShopSite ecommerce software. We’ve put together years of experience, seeing what merchants do well, and what they can improve upon in their online stores, and have summed it up in a feature packed PDF.

The whitepaper is not limited to just ShopSite merchants. Any online store can benefit from the ideas presented in this document.

Topics include:

Basic Tips
It’s the little things that matter. We highlight the “big” little ones.

Essential Add-ons
Maximize your store’s potential with these valuable additions

How to Properly Test Your Store
Continuous testing is paramount to continued success

Safety and Security
If customers feel safe and secure, they’re more willing to hand over their cash

Encourage Repeat Business
Building customer loyalty leads to longevity and prosperity online

Who You Host With Matters
Make sure your host is your “silent partner”

Just getting started?

If you’re just getting your ShopSite store setup and off the ground, here are a few resources to check out first:

ShopSite’s Getting Started Guide
All you need to know about starting your online store with ShopSite

Custom Templates Tutorial
Planning on developing your own templates? Read this first for a head start

ShopSite Video Tutorials
More of a visual learner? Check out these flash based tutorials

Credit Card Processing in ShopSite
What you need to process payments in your online store

LexiConn’s Checklist Before Going Live With Your ShopSite Store
Read this before you open your ShopSite store to the public

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So what are you waiting for? Download our FREE whitepaper today, and get all that you can out of your ecommerce store!

http://www.shopsite.com/tutorial/

Interview with Lin Grosman of GoDataFeed – Comparison Shopping Feed Service

Rob Mangiafico — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:58:17 +0000

GoDataFeed is one of our partners for merchants looking for a comparison shopping service to automate their product feeds. I was able to ask Lin Grosman of GoDataFeed a few questions about their company and some issues that our clients often ask about when it comes to comparison shopping services.

Here is our interview…

1. Tell us a little about yourself and what got you into the Comparison Shopping Field

With the rise of internet shopping, more online retailers and search engine marketing firms searched for an affordable, time-saving solution to market their company’s products on multiple comparison shopping sites and affiliate networks. Anyone who’s spent hours manually submitting their products to various shopping sites or hired a developer to take on that workload, knows how time-consuming and counter-productive that can be.

We developed GoDataFeed to empower merchants and offer a powerful, yet user-friendly application that helped small and medium-sized retailers promote their products on multiple shopping sites. Once we realized what a huge productivity boost this was, we deployed a Web-based version to increase our accessibility and we now serve merchants across the country as well as Europe and Australia.

2. What advantages are there for merchants to list their products in various comparison channels?

Marketing to shoppers using comparison shopping sites holds some real advantages as it is an affordable way to gain visibility to a large number of highly motivated buyers. Advantages of Listing Products on Comparison Shopping Channels include:

Highly Qualified Leads- Shopping channels allow shoppers to compare prices, products and feedback, so shoppers seeking products on comparison shopping channels are educated, highly motivated buyers who are ready to make a purchase
More Targeted Approach- than traditional pay-per-click and organic methods that both lets merchants reach motivated shoppers while building their brand online
Affordable- because merchants are only paying for traffic generated to their site and can control their marketing costs through category or product-level bidding
Measurable – Merchants can precisely measure which products are selling or not selling and they can also evaluate which shopping sites are generating the most quality traffic
Levels the Playing Field- shopping channels give small-to-medium sized business the opportunity to effectively compete with other stores and larger retailers
Diversification- By submitting to multiple shopping channels, merchants can diversify their marketing approach on free, pay-per-action and pay-per-click sites

3. Do you have any success stories to share how these listings have helped SMB merchants?

Our tool was designed for small-to-medium sized businesses, so we hear consistent feedback from companies from a range of different industries who have seen their business grow as a result of their streamlining their product feed marketing efforts through GoDataFeed.

One company, CoffeeCakes.com, actually tripled their sales after the second week after using GoDataFeed. Other companies, like FootwearEtc.com and RevivalAnimal.com, have seen consistent growth while using GoDataFeed over the past couple of years. In addition, Wine.com, an Internet Top 500 retailer, has recommended us as a “terrific solution.”

So whether you fill a marketing, web-management or technical role in your company, or wear multiple hats, as is usually the case in many small businesses, the software lets you setup your feed campaigns one-time and have it working for you as an automatic “background process” that submits your fresh, updated product data every day or week and lets you measure channel and sku-level performance.

4. Are there any “must list” services that all merchants should be in?

Definitely, and our number-one question is “Where should I list my products?” The best answer is to know which shopping channels specialize, or have deeper categorizations, in your product lines. For instance, retailers trying to target the female demographic should consider sites like theFind.com HerOrbit and Like.com, all channels that are visually designed to appeal to women.

To diversify a retailer’s online feed campaign strategy, we recommend:

Always take advantage of the free shopping channels, like Google Product Search, theFind and Sortprice.com

List products on Bing Cashback—it’s worth the effort as they employ a no-risk, commission-based “pay-per-action” model

List products on as many relevant pay-per-click sites as you can afford including NexTag, PriceGrabber and Shopzilla

Incorporate affiliate networks, like Share-A-Sale, who have an award-winning affiliate network model and really excellent customer service

Explore more affordable shopping sites like Pronto and Become, which and are steadily gaining popularity online while giving merchants more affordable category rates

We work with our Shopping Channel and Affiliate Network Partners to get our online retailers and marketing firms introductory sign-up promotions—all which merchants can check out on our Supported Shopping Channels page: http://www.godatafeed.com/supportedfeeds.aspx. We currently support more than 50 shopping channels and affiliate networks.

5. How does GoDataFeed help merchants using ShopSite with comparison shopping channels?

We are, essentially, a seamless, turn-key solution for ShopSite store owners looking to market their products on multiple shopping sites. Because GoDataFeed is integrated with ShopSite’s platform, merchants don’t need to produce or update product data for submission to the shopping channels. GoDataFeed automatically “plugs in” to the ShopSite platform, pulls their data nightly and submits only accurate and up-to-date product data to the shopping channels.

6. Any tips for maximizing conversions?

Yes, to maximize conversions, merchants should optimize their feeds for each channel—in a nutshell, that means giving each shopping site as much relevant information as possible in their desired format. Some tips include:

Product titles should include clear, concise product data including manufacturer or brand name, model numbers as well as size and color variations; they should not contain marketing messages or promotional information (i.e. Free Shipping)

Descriptions fields should be “sprinkled” with more broad, popular keywords that complement the title and have the ability to enhance searchability and shopping site rankings

Proper categorization is crucial to merchandising products in the best location for each shopping channel

Submitting fresh feeds, on a daily or weekly basis, ensures merchants are not wasting click costs on out-of-stock items and maintaining correct pricing information

GoDataFeed has all of the channels’ data feed and category templates built-in, making it easy for retailers to customize their product data to the exact format expected by each channel and categorize their products correctly. The system will also validate the feeds to flag any critical or recommended changes prior to feed submission. Most importantly, all plans include an analytics module that lets online retailers and marketing firms measure their shopping channel campaigns.

More of our top data feed optimization tips are available for download on our homepage at www.GoDataFeed.com.

Thank you for the opportunity to share our story and tips with LexiConn’s ShopSite retailers.

Want Your Offering to Have Value? Make it Valuable!

Rob Mangiafico — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:00:53 +0000

There are great products and services every day that fall by the wayside. They never see their full potential. People do not notice them. Why? There are many reasons, but one that I notice is devaluing a product.

Free is not worth anything

I see this one a lot – A company comes up with a new great product or service. Their marketing plan is to give it away for free, or price it way below market price. They think this will create a buzz, get lots of people to try it, and it will snowball into profits and accolades.

However, too often the exact opposite occurs. People see no value in the product. It’s seen as cheap, or too good to be true. It’s no better than an infomercial. That great idea has now turned into a bauble in the customer’s eye.

Don’t become junk food

Do people value a 99 cent burger from McDonalds? Not likely. They probably see it as fast food, or the more appropriate term, “junk food”. If you price your product or service incorrectly (on the low side), people may perceive it in the same category of fast food. And I don’t know too many merchants that want their offerings seen in the same light as something with the name “junk” in it.

Stick to your guns

Once you’ve done your market research, and have determined a price point that allows you to continue a high level of service or workmanship, stick to your guns. This doesn’t mean gouge your customers, or set unrealistic prices. It means setting your prices in such a way that people perceive your offering to be valuable.

Perception becomes reality.

Let me type that again – Perception becomes reality.

If people believe something has value to them, then in their eyes, it is valuable. And they’ll pay more for it. Of course you have to make true on your promises. Your offer must have actual “perceived” value. This is where effective marketing enters the picture…

Solid marketing is needed

A consistent and effective message must be presented to potential customers. Marketing techniques that make people feel like they must have your new widget are key to a valuable offer. Price point is one way to increase value. Tie that together with an “on-target” marketing message, and you’ll be on your way to selling value.

Jim Connolly’s recent blog post about having something worthwhile to offer sums this up nicely.

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What do you think? Can pricing a product correctly and using effective marketing create value?

photo credit

What a Toothpaste Dispenser Can Teach Us About Ecommerce Marketing

Five Reasons Your Business Should Have a DUNS Number

Rob Mangiafico — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:55:55 +0000

A DUNS number is a special number issued by Dun & Bradstreet to track a business so that information about that business can be reported to other institutions. Most businesses get a DUNS number when they are first formed. But why would a business want one?

Universally recognized

Dun & Bradstreet and a DUNS number is universally recognized as the standard in business reporting and identification. Over 150 million businesses worldwide are tracked by this system. It goes hand in hand with opening any business.

Establish Credibility

Having a DUNS number is a sign of credibility. It shows other businesses and institutions (i.e. banks) that you are serious about your business, and that your financial well being and corporate image are important. It is a sign that you intend to comply with business regulations, and are not afraid to make your company pulbically viewable.

Want government help or contracts? Better have a DUNS number.

Thinking about a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan? Want to land a government contract? A DUNS number is required for any activity that involves the United States government, or any work with the United Nations.

Helps when applying for loans or credit

Having a DUNS number, and the optional credit file service offered by D&B, will make it easier to apply for a loan or lines of credit. Banks and other companies can easily look up your company, get references, and make sure your company is on the “up and up” for faster approval.

Faster SSL secure certificate approval

If you are looking to get one of the newer Extended Validation (EV) SSL secure certificates for your website, or any organization validated SSL certificate, having a DUNS number allows the validation process to complete much faster. It bypasses the need to fax documents and proof of business ownership, which can save days of hassle. This is a huge advantage for any ecommerce website obtaining their own SSL certificate.

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Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and free. Just head over to the Dun & Bradstreet website and you can start the process. It’s a great way to enhance your business, and make it easy for other organizations to verify your business credentials. If you already have a DUNS number, log into the D&B interface and make sure all the information on your company is up to date.

Photo credit: Katey Nicosia

Why We’re in the ISP Business (Internet Solution Provider)

Taming THE PCI Beast – 7 Steps For Easier Compliance

Rob Mangiafico — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:21:50 +0000

Payment Card Industry (PCI) security compliance requirements are quite thorough, and can be very confusing for merchants. Although there is a centralized resource for PCI matters (The PCI Security Standards Council website), the actual rules to follow when trying to achieve compliance are often misunderstood. We’ll take a look at some simple steps to help you achieve PCI compliance without too much pain.

Use PCI Compliant Ecommerce software

PCI security standards have set a preliminary deadline of July 1, 2010 for all merchants to be using PCI compliant payment applications such as ecommerce software. You can make life simpler (and not have to worry about this aspect) by using software that is PCI compliant. Currently, there are two lists of software that are certified PCI and/or PABP/PA DSS compliant:

Validated Payment Applications

Visa List of Certified Applications (PDF)

Do not store the actual credit card numbers

The best thing to do is limit your exposure as a merchant to the actual credit card numbers. There are a few scenarios to consider:

Use a third party off-site payment processor
If you are using a payment option such as PayPal or Google Checkout, the customer is sent to an outside website to enter their payment details. This removes your website from being responsible (technical term “does not fall under the scope of PCI”) for PCI compliance since you never handle any credit cards.

Use a traditional payment gateway
If you use a gateway such as Authorize.net or PayPal Website Payments Pro to handle credit cards, your site is passing the card numbers to these applications. This means your website and the software it uses must adhere to PCI rules and pass a PCI scan. You also have to complete a shortened form of the PCI questionnaire. This assumes you are not storing the actual card numbers.

Turn off credit card storage
If you do not need the actual card numbers (which you shouldn’t), then set your ecommerce software to not store any credit card data. This makes compliance much simpler, and limits your risk in terms of being breached by a hacker.

Choose a web host that understands PCI

This one cannot be emphasized enough. Make sure your web host is familiar with PCI issues, and understands the rules as they apply to your website and ecommerce software. Having a host that can help you get PCI issues resolved quickly is a necessity these days. We have helped many clients move to our hosting service solely because their previous host was unable to help them pass a PCI scan, or meet a PCI requirement.

Your web host is your partner in achieving (and maintaining) PCI compliance. Make sure they are competent when it comes to PCI.

Choose an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) that’s easy to work with

An ASV is the company that provides the PCI scanning service that is required to be completed quarterly. There are a number of companies to choose from, and some are easier to work with than others. Make sure you are comfortable with them, and make sure your host can work with them without any issues. Ask your web host which ASV they recommend.

For our clients, we recommend McAfee Secure, as we are partnered with them. This partnership allows us to easily resolve issues that come up, and we’re quite familiar with their scanning methods and avenues for resolving false positives. Other ASVs have widely differing levels of service when it comes to getting issues resolved (I won’t name names here).

If you must store card numbers…

If you have to view and store the actual credit card numbers (and you should re-examine whether you really *need* to do this), there are number of additional rules you must follow. The PCI Security Standards Council website has all the gory details, but a few highlights are:

Limit the storage of credit card data to one computer/server (device).

That storage device must be firewalled off, and only accessible via a private (internal) network.

That device’s sole purpose should be for credit card storage.

Card data must be double encrypted, with one encryption method being a public/private key that is safeguarded (named asymmetric encryption in ShopSite).

Logs must be kept of all accesses to the card data, and that log data must be backed up and retained for 12 months.

Send certification to your merchant account provider each year

Most merchant account providers require that merchants send them proof / certification that they are PCI compliant. This can be mandatory, and/or a monthly fee is assessed if you are not PCI compliant. Make sure you print out and download your certification from the company that does your PCI scans, and send this to your merchant account provider.

Put the quarterly scan date on your calendar

Don’t wait for your site to lapse in its PCI compliance status. Don’t rely on your scanning company to remind you to fill out the questionnaire (yearly) or conduct a scan of your site (quarterly). Mark these dates down in your calendar (Google calendar is great for reminders) and give yourself enough lead time to deal with vulnerabilities that may come up, delays in filling out the forms, etc…

Once done, print out your certification and know where you can find it at all times. If there is a breach or suspected issue with your credit card security, proving PCI compliance is the first step to avoid any heavy fines from the credit card companies.

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Don’t let the PCI process overwhelm you. Don’t ignore it because it seems too daunting. Simplify your credit card handling, avoid storing or handling the actual card numbers, partner with a web host and ASV that understand the process and can help you navigate the land mines, and you’ll find PCI to be a manageable and somewhat painless process.

What other things can merchants do to help with PCI compliance?

Google And Site Performance – Why You Should Treat This As The Most Important Ranking Factor

Rob Mangiafico — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:22:16 +0000

In the last few months, we’ve discussed Google considering page load time for ranking and for website owners not to panic when it comes to Google measuring site performance. Ever since Matt Cutts (a prominent Google employee) first announced this a few months back, people have been speculating about how this will impact SEO. And many people have been obsessed about this new Google Webmaster tool and what it means for their ranking…

Google sets the record straight

Fast forward to last week, where WebProNews displayed an updated video from Matt Cutts. In the video chat, Matt says that although Google is interested in site performance and making the web faster overall, individual site performance is not really a ranking factor. He stated that it may be a future factor that could be a “tie-breaker” where two sites are ranked the same to determine which site is ranked above the other, but it’s not a major one. Google measures over 200 factors to determine where a site ranks. It seems site performance is not on the “big list” of important ranking factors.

But absolutely, relevance is the primary component, and we have over 200 signals in our scoring to try to return the most relevant, the most useful, the most accurate search result that we can find. That’s not going to change.

Don’t be lulled into laziness

You might be tempted to ignore your site’s overall performance and speed based on the above information. Besides, there’s much more important stuff to do. If Google doesn’t care, why should you?

BIG MISTAKE!

Google does NOT buy your products or subscribe to your services – People DO!

People are impatient

They sure are.

On the internet, you want your information instantly.

“Instant gratification” is often a synonym for the internet.

Nobody wants to wait.

Google is patient though. They will try to index your site multiple times if things are slow or down. They will wait 10,20, 30 seconds to download your content. To Google, it’s the content that matters, not how fast they can retrieve it.

A recent Forrester study found many people will only wait TWO SECONDS for a website or page to load before moving on to the next site. If your website is bloated with un-optimized code, too many third party scripts and files, or your web host has slow or overloaded servers, people will go elsewhere. That’s lost revenue, lost sales, and a bad experience that people will tell others about.

Make site performance a top priority

Treat how fast your site loads as a very important factor. Make believe Google sees this as a top ranking factor to put your website at the top of the search engines. Optimize your site to be as fast as possible.

If you make your site fast, you will increase your conversions and sales. People enjoy a quick website, and a quick ordering process. Streamline the sales process, and turn visitors into buyers. And who knows, maybe Google will notice this as well and bump you up a few spots.

But absolutely, relevance is the primary component, and we have over 200 signals in our scoring to try to return the most relevant, the most useful, the most accurate search result that we can find. That’s not going to change.