Ecommerce Web Design Blog

Running your own affiliate programme can gain you qualified customers by taking advantage of one of the most powerful forms of marketing: referrals.

Affiliate programmes work by paying out commissions to registered affiliates who place banners on their websites that generate click-throughs to your website and subsequent sales. They are an easy way for both you and your affiliates to make money.

These programmes are big business, and there are a number of well-known affiliate providers operating in Australia and throughout the world. Some of the more well known ones include clixGalore, iDev Affiliate and Commission Junction.

One big benefit to these programmes is independence - merchants cannot under-report or fail to pay commissions. But there is a big disadvantage too: fees. Many well-known affiliate programmes charge considerable fees to the merchants that belong to them, sometimes even taking a cut of the sales they make (on top of the commission payments those merchants are paying their affiliates). This means that running your own affiliate progamme without using a third party provider could cut back on your spending considerably, while providing all of the traffic generating benefits. The bottom line: more money into your pocket.

As we have received so many requests to offer a built-in affiliate programme in our ozCart shopping cart software (that does not use any third party affiliate providers), we have just launched one.  We expect this to be very popular as in less than a day we have already been swamped with enquiries about it. Osc Works will also provide code-integration options for the iDev Affiliate programme for ozCart customers who request it.

Offering your customers wish lists as part of your shopping cart is a fantastic way of building loyalty and increasing turnover through your online store.  And just in time for Christmas, Osc Works has added wish lists as a standard feature in all ozCart ecommerce packages purchased from 1 September 2008 onwards. Existing customers can also purchase this facility through our add-ons shop.

So what are wish lists and why are they so useful?

Sometimes it is really hard to know what to buy someone else if they are someone who seems to have everything or just someone very particular about their likes.  If you are looking to buy something for them, an online shop which provides wish lists can help. Here's how.

• That person can go to the shop, create a wish list and put on to it all of the things in the store that they would be happy to receive
  
• They can also mark those products they would definitely not want to receive
• Once they make their wish list public, anyone with an account in your store can search for their wish list, browse through it and add items from that list to their own cart.

No matter what the occasion - weddings, birthdays or Christmas - searchable wish lists are a must-have addition to your online store.

Having a wish list in your store can also encourage customers to come back and buy later.  When you see something you like in a shopping mall window, you may say 'I must remember to come back and buy that', but in many cases you never do.  If you wrote the item down on a wish list and stuck it on your fridge, you would have a constant reminder of that product and be more likely to go back to the mall and buy it.  The same can apply in your store. Having a wish list gives customers the opportunity to mark products they are interested in an come back to them later.

As a store owner you get a list of the active wish lists in the admin section of your store and may be able to run promotions to customers who have added items to wish lists and not come back to buy them yet. You could offer them a  discount code for example to move them from dreamer to buyer.

If you have a need for speed, the new Chrome web browser from Google is definitely worth downloading. 

Performance

From the very first time we used it, Chrome delivered blistering speed when viewing HTML pages, using sites with Javascript, watching streaming videos  and moving through PDF files.  Even viewing our own business website at OscWorks.com.au showcased Chrome as providing superior speed compared to both Firefox and Internet Explorer 7.

User interface and Features - Chrome is clean and clear

The user interface is very simple but also very appealing. It includes features like tabbed browsing and the ability to create desktop shortcuts directly from your browser.

As Google is first and foremost a search engine company, it is no surprise that the Chrome browser comes with some superior search features. Like the ability to search browser history titles (and view thumbnails of your browser history in search results).  A system like the 'speed dial' option in Opera gives you quick access to your most frequently used sites, although overall we found using and managing bookmarks overall more difficult in Chrome than in Firefox or IE. 

Reporting was a nice touch, giving you an indication of how resource hungry your pages are to help you diagnose problems - by providing information about how processor intensive and memory hungry an individual page is.

The Downside: Chrome lacks add-ons and stability

Chrome is still 'beta' (pre-release) software, so it is lacking in some key areas that are well developed in Firefox and IE - especially third party add-ons.

We were also surprised not to find other features available in IE and Firefox that are considered commonplace today, like an email-a-page features. We found Chrome more prone to crashing on Windows Vista machines and we couldn't even get it to install on one of our office machines.

Our overall verdict is that Chrome is an excellent browser and if speed is your primary requirement, it is highly recommended.

In this second part in our introduction to ecommerce overview, we answer some common questions about what is possible with an ecommerce shopping cart.

How many products can I sell online?

While auction websites charge you for every product you list, an ecommerce website is your own - you can list as many products as your shopping cart software allows. Most ecommerce providers put limits on the number of products you can list. OzCart from Osc Works offers unlimited products in all its package options.

Can I sell products that can be downloaded (e.g. music)?

Yes - with ozCart from Osc Works, the process is automated. This means that when payment goes through from your customers they can automatically download your product. If your store offers music, ozCart also has the ability to offer short media clips so you can offer previews to customers before they buy.

What is the minimum time commitment for running an ecommerce site?

There's no minimum time commitment - the amount of time you put into it depends on the number of products you want to sell, how much effort you want to put in adding your site to directories and search engines and other marketing activity. The more time you put in, the faster your site will start to earn its potential.

Can I add an online store to an existing website?

In many cases, yes. If you have an existing website, you can create an ecommerce website based on the colours and style of that design and link to it from your existing site. Just ask us how.

What are my options for accepting payments? How can I accept credit cards through my site?

Accepting online payments through your ecommerce website can be a huge advantage  over offering a booking form, or asking customers to email their credit card details for you. Besides the security advantages, its more convenient for your customers (because they'll get a real time confirmation that their payment was processed), and ts more convenient for you too – you don't have to manually process payments when they are received. There are a number of payment choices that you have as a customer, from prepaid debit systems like Paypal through to real-time credit card processing. (More information about payment gateways)

Osc Works offers standard access to the following key payment methods in Australia nd New Zealand:

If the payment method you wish to use is not in the list, Osc Works may still be able to support it. Talk to us about your needs.

What is a merchant account?

Before you can accept credit card payments through your website, you need:

The software built into ecommerce websites from Osc Works provide access to major Australian and New Zealand payment gateways such as Eway, Camtech, DirectOne Paystation and DPS.

Customers still need to set up their own merchant account with their bank, and an account with the gateway provider so they can process transactions.  If customers already have a merchant account then this can be used with an Osc Works online store.

Can I see what people are searching for on my store?

Yes - the basic web statistics provided through your store provide information about the most commonly visited pages, and products listed. The reports are generated automatically on a periodic basis, but you can purchase more frequent reports from Osc Works if you wish.

What kind of reports are available for my online store?
Some of the reports you can choose from are:

Can I see a demo?

Yes, a demo of ozCart is available at shop.oscworks.com.au (admin demo username demo, password demo12 view admin demo )

Can I change the sort order of products and categories?

Yes, you can do this through the administration section of your site.

What support do you offer?

With Osc Works ecommerce solutions, monthly administrative support is included in your monthly payment. This includes help for your administration settings, setup of email accounts and three statistic reports per month on request. It does not include custom script changes, add-on modules or testing of your website. Should you require additional services or products fees will apply.

What if I require a customised solution?

Many of our customers have particular non-standard needs - for example, they may require a way to import their products into their shopping cart in bulk using an Excel spreadsheet, or to have a custom-module installed. We would love to help if we can and are happy to provide quotes for customised components before starting work on them. If we can't help with a request, we'll try to suggest another way you could try to achieve the result you want.

Can anyone use an ecommerce solution?

You don't need to be a computer expert to use an ecommerce website. The administration section of your site is easy-to-learn and use and provides considerable flexibility in adding products, updating their prices offering specials - and advanced special features like gift vouchers, wishlists, reviews and affiliate programmes.

What can I do in the administration section of my site?

There is plenty of flexibility in the administration of your site. With an Osc Works ecommerce site you can:

Osc works customises your store to the needs of Australian and New Zealand customers efore you receive it, so things like GST and shipping zones are already set up for you - but you can customise these further if you wish.

Can I send newsletters from the administration section of the site?

Yes. The newsletter function is very popular with our customers who wish to send their customers news, updates, loyalty programme information and offers.

For more information about ozCart ecommerce shopping carts from Osc Works, please visit our ecommerce packages pages.

No matter how experienced you are in business, a step into online business brings new terminology and ecommerce jargon that you will need to be familiar with. If you are not already familiar with shopping carts, ecommerce, payment gateways, merchants and secure checkouts, here is the place you can find out.

In a two part series we will answer the basic questions about Ecommerce that we get asked by new customers.

The three parts are:

• Basic Ecommerce FAQs
  
• What can you do with a shopping cart?
  

Basic Ecommerce Frequently Asked Questions

 What is ecommerce?

Ecommerce means buying and selling through electronic means - usually through the Internet. Ecommerce websites allow customers to browse through hundreds or even thousands of products, order online and have payments processed in real time, in most cases through using credit cards. Ecommerce is often referred to as an online shopping cart.

Will ecommerce help my business?

Ecommerce can help virtually any type of business. Small, medium and home-based businesses often have limited budgets available for marketing to new customer groups, but ecommerce allows the to reach out to a growing pool of online customers waiting to buy their products online. In Australia, the market for ecommerce is growing rapidly - analysts have calculated growth at about 30% p.a. How much help ecommerce can do for your business is only limited by how much effort you want to put into it. Even when sites are not selling products, they're helping showcase them and support the overall image your business projects to the world.

What is a shopping cart?

An online shopping cart is like a grocery trolley on the Internet. You go through the website like you do a physical store, viewing and putting the products you want to buy into your shopping cart. You can then visit the checkout where you can purchase them online using your credit card. Shopping cart software such as Osc Works' ozCart allows businesses to offer multiple payment options that are processed in real time.

Is online shopping safe?

Ecommerce is extremely safe compared to most physical stores. Physical stores are vulnerable to flooding, fires, robbery, pick pockets, shoplifters and employee credit card fraud. Whereas online, heavy electronic security protects customer credit card details during ecommerce transactions and stores have the option of purchasing strong forms of encryption like SSL (a protocol that creates a secure connection to encrypt information as it travels over the Internet) which allows online shops to use 'https' instead of 'http' in the website address for their shopping cart. At Osc Works, ecommerce websites are stored on dedicated ecommerce servers and stores have the option of purchasing SSL if they wish. No ecommerce system can ever offer a 100% guarantee, but your susceptibility to crime is less when customers shop online.

What software do I need to set up an ecommerce website?

Osc Works' ozCart software is already added into your site when you purchase it. To manage your product listings and the sales you receive, the only other thing you need is a web browser.

Why do I need my own ecommerce store?

If you're selling on auction sites or markets, then your own ecommerce site could save you time processing credit card orders and money through avoiding listing and success fees. It also means you can be selling to customers outside your immediate geographic area (as Internet customers could come from anywhere in the world), and selling when your store is closed as the Internet is open for business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ecommerce is also ideal if you're running a small business or starting up a new business.

Do I need to purchase separate hosting?

Not if you buy from us. Our ecommerce packages are all hosted by us, so you get web hosting space on the Internet as well as the shopping cart software as part of ozCart. You also get unlimited email support for administration issues to do with your store, and hosting issues.

Do I need to know HTML to run an online store?

No - you don't need to know HTML or be a graphic designer to run your ecommerce website at all. You manage your site through an easy-to-use administration section of your site, that runs through a web browser.

How much time do I need to commit?

There's a basic rule in business: the amount of time you put in determines how much you will get back.  A shopping cart website is an online business so just like a physical shop, the time you spend on it is up to you.