Practical Ecommerce Videos

Ryan Jones is co-founder of PrestoBiz, the parent company of PrestoStore ecommerce software. In this supplement to "Cart of the Week," Jones talks about how he and his partner first released PrestoStore in 2002, and how their ecommerce software has evolved over the years.

Product video tends to have more of an impact as products become more complex and, therefore, require more investigation to figure out certain traits of it. Video also tends to be more effective when the price of a product is very high. A merchant can explain their unique selling proposition, such as free shipping, alternative payment methods that might be accepted, and secure checkouts, to help promote the sale.

The deadline for shopping carts to become PA-DSS compliant is July 1, 2010. If your shopping cart provider is not PA-DSS compliant or in the process of becoming certified, consider switching to an alternative payment solution, such as Google Checkout or PayPal Express Checkout. Payment information is not handled by the merchant and the merchant’s shopping cart is not considered a payment application so it won't fall under the PA-DSS mandate.

4Q by iPerception can help you get quick, actionable insights from your visitors. Located at 4qsurevy.com, 4Q is a free, online survey solution that tells you why visitors are at your website and whether or not they are completing their tasks (and if not, why not?). 4Q will integrate with any website and, best of all, it is free.

Lawrence Cramer is CEO of Cartweaver.com and a social media expert. In this supplement to his article: Social Media Marketing: Four Steps for Getting Started Cramer discusses the importance of social media and why a blog is the foundation of an effective social media strategy. He also gives examples of companies that have found success with tools like Facebook and Twitter.

Jill Exler is founder and CEO of Jexbo.com, an online retailer of books that have been self-published by their authors. She founded the business in 2007, after having been frustrated by the options to sell her own self-published book. Exler's business is based in Michigan, in the U.S., but she divides her time between there and Germany. She joins Practical eCommerce's Kerry Murdock.

Brainstorm a few website variations and try them out on real visitors with Google Website Optimizer. The tool lets you test and learn different variations of banner ads, promotions, design and immediately understand which version is driving the best results. Google Website Optimizer is fully integrated with Google Analytics, and best of all, it is free.

Doing business on the Internet requires the use sophisticated software and complicated processes. Many of these innovative products have been patented; Google and Amazon, for example, hold many hundreds of patents. But the U. S. Supreme Court may be about to greatly restrict the issuance of patents. To help us understand the case at hand and its relevance to software and Internet developers, we are joined by Lawrence M. Hadley. Mr. Hadley is a seasoned intellectual property attorney and a partner in the firm of Hennigan, Bennett and Dorman, in Los Angeles. He speaks with Practical eCommerce's Kerry Murdock.

Oleg Chehovsky is head of the marketing department for Pentasoft Corporation, developers of Avactis ecommerce software. In this supplement to "Cart of the Week," Chehovsky talks about his early years in website development, and how he became involved with the Avactis online shopping cart.

Getting ready to launch a brand new website, logo, or advertisement? Want to know what other professionals think before you release it to the world? Upload your concept to Concept Feedback, a free online service found at ConceptFeedback.com, and get quick, actionable feedback from the professional business community.

If Google Analytics seems overwhelming, try focusing on a few basic goals in the beginning. Regularly check your site's overall trends and traffic sources, be aware of a sudden shift in traffic, and monitor conversions from major advertising sources so you are spending your money wisely.

One of the best ways to increase shoppers' trust is to invest in third party security certification. There are quite a few shoppers out there who are still skeptical about buying online, and security certificates go a long way to boosting a shopper's confidence in online stores.