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2010-03-17
Winter weather hits UK retailers to tune of £7bn
UK firms face a £7 billion loss because of the winter weather which brought the country to a standstill.
Figures from Lloyds TSB Commercial reveal that nearly three-quarters of small and medium-size firms, including those with direct merchant accounts, suffered in the snow.
Although they may have been able to continue offering online payment processing to customers, delivery services were hit and office buildings and warehouses were unstaffed.
The closure of premises affected more than a third of businesses, while 42 per cent struggled to maintain deliveries as roads were closed and transport systems disrupted.
Companies based in Wales and the north-west were the worst hit, while those in the Midlands coped the best with the poor weather.
"The combined impact of both the recession and winter will inevitably have caused cash flow problems for many businesses," said Stephen Pegge, head of external affairs for Lloyds TSB Commercial.
He advised firms to keep in touch with their customers during difficult times and make the most of online billing solutions.
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2010-02-17
Best iPhone apps for internet merchant account holders
Internet merchant account holders with an iPhone can use the handheld gadget to help them run their online store more efficient and effectively, it has been suggested.
Internet merchant account holders with an iPhone can use the handheld gadget to help them run their online store more efficient and effectively, it has been suggested.
Ecommerce advice firm ZippyCart has pointed out that online business owners can use their smartphones to manage retail operations on the go and over a range of sectors.
There are iPhone apps to aid social media optimisation, which will help to connect with customers and improve search engine rankings, website analytics programs to compare traffic and product successes and content management services to add blogs and news to a site, ZippyCart commented.
Furthermore, for sites that accept credit cards online there are mobile payment processing applications.
Online retailers have also been advised to partner with high street stores to give shoppers an extra way to receive their goods.
Tim Danaher, editor of news provider Retail Week, suggested that accepting online payments then delivering to a nearby shop could work "very well".
read more 2010-02-17
Expert: Avoid losing customers at online payment processing stage
Once online firms have encouraged consumers to browse the site and commit to buying, they must ensure that business is not lost at the online payment processing stage.
Once online firms have encouraged consumers to browse the site and commit to buying, they must ensure that business is not lost at the online payment processing stage.
Retailers must focus on smoothing out any rough spots in the transaction process, Bobbi Leach, general manager at e-business platform RevenueWire, said in an article for AuctionBytes.
She explained that the success of online retailers this year will depend on their efforts to squeeze inefficiency and confusion from their shopping processes.
Providing clear and strong calls-to-action will help to reduce the number of customers lost at the online payment processing stage, as will consistency on the sales path, keeping content targeted and closing the sale as early as possible, Ms Leach continued.
The importance of demonstrating security when accepting credit cards online was also highlighted by the ecommerce expert.
This has also been shown in a study by Vanson Bourne and GfK NOP for CyberSource, which revealed that consumers believe retailers should be responsible for making online shopping safer.
read more 2010-02-17
Online retailers 'should partner with high street stores'
Firms running internet merchant accounts should look into partnerships with high street retailers, it has been suggested.
Firms running internet merchant accounts should look into partnerships with high street retailers, it has been suggested.
Accepting credit cards online and then delivering goods to a local store run by another firm could work very well, said Tim Danaher, editor of news provider Retail Week.
"The last mile of delivery is the big challenge," he commented, pointing out that sending items to a high street shop for collection by a customer could solve potential delivery issues.
"All stores have storerooms and they keep quite a low inventory down there and they've got space to play with, so it could be quite low-cost," Mr Danaher explained.
His comments follow news from Alliance Boots that it plans to let other retailers use its 2,600 stores as pick-up points for goods bought online.
The move would drive footfall into high street stores and comes in response to Boots' own figures, which show that 40 per cent of online orders made over the festive period were collected in store.
read more 2010-02-12
Retailers warned not to ignore Twitter
Internet merchant account operators are being warned against ignoring Twitter, even if they are unsure of diverting resources towards social networking.
Internet merchant account operators are being warned against ignoring Twitter, even if they are unsure of diverting resources towards social networking.
Retailers must realise that Twitter is as much a customer relationship management channel as it is anything to do with sales and marketing, said Andrew Girdwood, head of search at marketing agency bigmouthmedia.
"Once that's realised it means rather more resources than one person occasionally tweeting away need to be assigned to the site and this keeps many retailers away from Twitter; even those who'd like to be there," he commented.
With the weaker recovery only just getting underway and budgets still tight, it can be difficult for firms to justify spending time, money and human resources on social media.
They should remember that there are many benefits to be had, Mr Girdwood continued, using Google Buzz as an example of the use of social networking to deliver traction and exposure.
read more 2010-02-12
Ecommerce firms 'must embrace social media'
Ecommerce businesses should embrace social media sites, as a survey has revealed that more than half of shoppers have connected with retailers through the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Ecommerce businesses should embrace social media sites, as a survey has revealed that more than half of shoppers have connected with retailers through the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Such people using online payment processing options are the most loyal customers, ForeSee Results explained.
The customer satisfaction measurement company highlighted that shoppers use the social media pages of their favourite retailers to find out about the latest offers and sales and for product information.
Ultimately, they are looking for a reward from the internet merchant account operator, so marketers for ecommerce firms can take a "salesy" attitude in the use of social media, it suggested.
"Make sure you have someone to monitor it [the social network account] and post good, timely information," advised Kevin Ertell, vice-president of retail strategy at ForeSee Results.
"Promote it to your most loyal customers through your regular communications venues - emails, ads, stores, coupons, etc."
read more 2010-02-11
Online retailers should be responsible for safe shopping, consumers say
Internet merchant account operators should be the ones to take charge of making online shopping safer, according to a new report.
Internet merchant account operators should be the ones to take charge of making online shopping safer, according to a new report.
Nearly a quarter of UK adults said retailers are primarily responsible for tackling cyber criminals and only one in ten admit that the buck stops with them when protecting their information online, the Vanson Bourne and GfK NOP study for CyberSource showed.
The research also found that 16 per cent of shoppers feel that banks are answerable, 12 per cent hold their internet service providers accountable and five per cent think online shopping safety is the responsibility of the police.
Despite shunning accountability, shoppers do take some steps to protect their details when using online payment processing services, such as looking for signs of security on the website and sticking to reputable retailers.
"Retailers should clearly inform consumers not only about the anti-fraud methods they employ, but also the efforts they take to secure sensitive payment data," commented Simon Stokes, managing director at CyberSource, established in 1994 and the firm to pioneer online fraud screening.
read more 2010-02-10
PayPal suspends Indian payments
PayPal has put a hold on local bank transfers and payments to and from India amid enquiries from regulators in the country that personal payments could constitute remittances.
PayPal has put a hold on local bank transfers and payments to and from India amid enquiries from regulators in the country that personal payments could constitute remittances.
The suspension of payments has affected those using online payment processing and internet merchant accounts.
Personal payments will be frozen for several months but bank withdrawals are expected to be available "within the next few days", spokesperson Anuj Nayar said in PayPal's blog.
Commercial payments to those with internet merchant accounts can be made, but funds will remain in the PayPal balance in an electronic form only and cannot be withdrawn in rupees to local Indian banks.
In 2008, PayPal processed $60 billion (£38 billion) in transactions worldwide.
Of this, $4 million came from Asia, while the majority was from Australia, PayPal's fourth-largest market.
Located in California, PayPal is the official payment merchant of eBay and was acquired by the online auction site in 2002.
read more 2010-02-09
Ecommerce retailers advised over 'spirit' of customer data laws
A significant proportion of US online retailers could be guilty of going against 'the spirit of the law' when it comes to making use of consumer data.
A significant proportion of US online retailers could be guilty of going against 'the spirit of the law' when it comes to making use of consumer data.
That is according to the attorney general of New York, Andrew Cuomo, who noted that some ecommerce businesses acquiring customer data while making use of online payment processing then share that information with other third parties.
While the majority do stick to the letter of the law by stating that customer data could be shared with others, often such advice is hard to understand or see.
A statement issued by the attorney general's office noted that such details are often "buried in fine print and cluttered text".
According to John Kindervag, this "violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the PCI Data Security Standard", which states that retailers making use of online payment processing must do all they can to manage and monitor the usage of customer information by third parties.
At the start of the month, David Smith, director of operations at the Interactive Media in Retail Group, noted that the majority of all retail sales will be made over, or at least influenced by, the internet by 2020.
read more 2010-02-09
Expert: Ecommerce will boom in 2010
Ecommerce is growing in Africa as legislation and access to the internet improves, a resident has said.
Ecommerce is growing in Africa as legislation and access to the internet improves, a resident has said.
Moses Kemibaro, managing director of digital agency Dotsavvy, said that Kenya is only just getting on the ecommerce bandwagon, but the medium is set to take off.
Writing in a column for TMCnet, the internet expert predicted that 2010 will be the year for ecommerce, as there has been a rapid rise in the number of service providers in the country.
"In the last six months, several ecommerce service providers have set-up shop," he added, saying that the introduction of an ICT bill in the country has aided this.
However, one element which stands in the way of the success of online payment processing is that many people in the country do not own a credit card, meaning some amount of mobile payment is preferred.
Website design and software integration company Magico has recently recommended investing in ecommerce, as an ideal way to manage and expand the business.
read more 2010-02-08
Social networking and images 'key to boosting ecommerce'
Online payment processing companies should use social networking websites and good-quality photographs to boost their customer base, an expert has claimed.
Online payment processing companies should use social networking websites and good-quality photographs to boost their customer base, an expert has claimed.
Stuart Baldry, writing for Tamebay, said that his recent visit to the Drapers/Retail Week Ecommerce Summit 2010 saw him pick up tips on how to boost client numbers and sales.
He said that communities for websites were a big part of the summit, with social media and reviews being ideal to boost customer engagement.
Mr Baldry added: "How I look at communities is you can really use it to sell, sell, sell: it's a place to connect with your customers more, an extension of your customer service if you will."
Another tip for firms using online payment processing is that the image is key to selling the item and the product shots need to be clear, offer views of all sides and be shown in context.
Business products supplier NEBS recently tipped websites like Facebook to boost ecommerce this year, saying the area will see explosive growth.
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