Monthly Archives

May 2014

branding belfast, ecommerce web design belfast northern ireland

Ecommerce – Misinformation On Creating Effective Ecommerce Websites

By | Blog

There is a plethora of information on the Internet advising how to create effective ecommerce solutions. Such is the amount of advice available that the good gets lost with the bad, and bad practice is encouraged during the process of the ecommerce build.
To avoid the obvious pitfalls or disastrous decisions that might be incorporated in the development of an ecommerce solution it is necessary to remember certain points and dispel the myths.

There is a common belief that you can never provide your customers with too much information. The reality based on consumer testimonials is that simple product information is sufficient and that being overwhelmed can be a purchase turn off. Avoid ambiguity and confusion so as not paralyse potential buyers and present technical data if necessary as separate downloadable documents.

Inspiring consumer confidence in your website requires more than a security badge on your checkout pages. Security online is vital but the objective should be to convince potential buyers of the reliability of your website through effective website written content. In High Street shops cross-selling works very well but does not work effectively online. Checkout protocol online needs to be decisive, focused and fast so the least distractions there are the better. Customers who are bombarded with too many extra choices may find it off putting and may be driven to your competitors’ websites. The lesson is not to litter your checkout with cross-selling products. Another element worth remembering is that your sales success online does not depend on your web design alone. There are equally important factors that make up the full experience such as returns policies, customer services, order fulfilment and dispatch and enquiries handling. It is as important to provide good customer services online as off line especially when it may be the first human interaction in the purchase process for the customer.

The myth that launching and sustaining an ecommerce business is easy needs addressing. It takes business acumen and many other skills to grow the business so do not fall for the premise that a 16 year old can create and sustain an ebusiness.

Our multi-award digital agency Belfast and winning marketeers/developers are also waiting to help with any digital marketing, adwords, web design belfastsocial mediaSEO Belfast or Magento ecommerce web design questions you may have. We also provide training for third party SEO software tools such as MOZ to ensure you can clearly monitor progress and ensure your campaign is of the highest quality.

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Reducing Fraud Risk Through Secure Ecommerce

By | Blog

If your business accepts credit card payments then you are susceptible to credit card fraud and computer hacking. High Street retail stores and ecommerce businesses acknowledge this danger and have taken measures to address this growing problem.
They have reset their credit card processing systems to integrate secure technologies and protocol that effectively blocks card fraudulence. Though not totally fool proof these protocols have dealt quite successfully with the threat that faced retail businesses, accepting the fact that they practically all use the credit card payment system.
Ecommerce websites are also susceptible to being compromised by fraudsters and hackers and it is imperative that they protect the business and their customers. To do this ecommerce business should ensure they are PC1 compliant with industry best practices for credit card payments. The council governing PC1 security standards are endeavouring to simplify the process of protecting customer information from fraudsters and website hackers. This will regulate PC1 data security standards on ecommerce website software solutions and ensure minimum level of security attributes in database archives on the Server and the physical premises of the Server. Non compliance with PC1 standards can nullify a company’s sanction for processing online transactions. No ecommerce website owner can afford to lose the online transactions of their business. Customer security demands that businesses adopt the appropriate initiatives to stamp out fraudulence and protect their integrity. The outlay of any fines for non compliance would be better spent on a skilled website design team in the first instance.
The problem arising from a hacked ecommerce website is that the fraudsters can validate card numbers with small purchases. Once validated the card can be used at a later date to withdraw large sums of money. These criminals can even convince merchant accounts to credit back funds to a stolen card account. The card holder in this way does not notice the changing account balance in the short term. Another fraudulent practice in ecommerce websites that have been compromised is to replace the payment data. While ecommerce business orders move towards completion criminals can divert payments to their own forged accounts instead of the merchant account. There is always a question of responsibility regarding securing ecommerce websites. Is it the website provider or the payment gateway agency who takes responsibility of credit card transactions? This issue will undoubtedly be resolved in the future with tighter security all round.
Our multi-award digital agency Belfast and winning marketeers/developers are also waiting to help with any digital marketing, adwords, web design belfastsocial mediaSEO Belfast or Magento ecommerce web design questions you may have. We also provide training for third party SEO software tools such as MOZ to ensure you can clearly monitor progress and ensure your campaign is of the highest quality.

brand design belfast, ecommerce web design SEO marketing Belfast

Ecommerce Requirements

By | Blog

Ecommerce website development has streamlined and smoothed many functions either individually or in an integrated fashion, that in effect has revolutionised online business.
The transfer of money over the Internet in a secure system has enabled shoppers to pay for their purchases with confidence online. The following operations also signal more professional online sales and create a shopping environment where the potential customer can complete a transaction ranging from product choice to payment online and delivery, without any glitches; automated data collection systems, electronic data exchanges; inventory management packages and supply chain management packages.

Internationally people are making transactions on the World Wide Web. Ecommerce businesses are a global phenomenon outreaching the boundaries of geographical and national limitations and open 365 days a year. The reservations you may have about Internet Trading are very often the product of a hastily and randomly created website which like any business without a business plan or marketing strategy will fail before it even begins. A strong business model is necessary to generate and sustain revenue in the ecommerce world. We only have to look at the big successes such as Ebay and Amazon to ascertain the need to have a credible business model to begin with.

It is therefore essential to consider the many facets of developing an ecommerce business. Building an effective website to sell products or services requires primarily a good business plan and then a Technically Cohesive Solution that integrates all areas of the online business model to provide the customer with a happy shopping experience. The system needs to be good enough to secure customer loyalty so they return for repeat purchases. Ensuring positive outcomes on any ecommerce website requires strong market research and effective marketing strategies, supported by a professional management and technical team. Providing complete information about products and services is paramount as is a common sharing of the information by customers, business associates, suppliers and shipping agents.

Technically the website system should be secure in every facet; it should also be reliable and stable and capable of responding speedily to new technical advances, as well as social and economic changes and innovation.

Our multi-award digital agency Belfast and winning marketeers/developers are also waiting to help with any digital marketing, adwords, web design belfastsocial mediaSEO Belfast or Magento ecommerce web design questions you may have. We also provide training for third party SEO software tools such as MOZ to ensure you can clearly monitor progress and ensure your campaign is of the highest quality.