What's New This Month :
Web2Corp, the company that owns the Chamber of E-Commerce, has been working hard over the holidays to unify all of their properties and services, as well as updating each service individually. As such, we have a lot of new things this month. As always, stop on by the Chamber at any time to check them out.
New Look and Feel :
The Chamber of E-Commerce is being re-done with a new look and feel that is more user-friendly and less cluttered. While we will still offer the same tools and power that have been making the Chamber so popular with business owners, they will now be more accessible and easier to find. We've done our best to respond to your comments and questions over the last year, and we hope you like it. Please drop us a line at support@ChamberECommerce.com if you've got any comments or suggestions on our new look.
Website Builder Manual :
The Website Builder that we offer for free to all of our members is designed to make building your e-commerce site as simple as possible. That said, some of the builder's tools aren't going to be obvious unless you know a bit about building websites yourself, or unless you read the handy manual that we've just finished and posted at http://www.chamberecommerce.com/help/chamber_e-
commerce_sitebuilder_help.htm. If there are any questions about the manual or about the website builder, feel free to e-mail us and we'll get back to you.
New Website Builder Features :
Speaking of the Website Builder, we're adding some awesome new features to our free e-commerce creation platform. Starting in February , you will be able to choose a layout, color and either use your own logo or choose from our library of images to integrate into your template. With the launch of Web2Corp's Template Superstore, this means that there are now thousands more templates that you can choose from to build your site on the Chamber. If you were ever worried about your site looking "cookie cutter" if you use our website builder, worry no more. And of course, if you really want to stand out with a custom designed webpage, the Chamber will be happy to have one of our professional designers make one for you, for only $299!
Google Maps Integration :
Wish you had an easy way to include a map to your location on your website? Now, with Google Maps integration, you can. Starting in February , you will be able to enter an address into the Website Builder and have it show a map centered on that area on your page. Make it easier for customers to find your store and add a Google Map today!
Pre-Populated Stores :
This feature is still in development at the moment, but it's so exciting that we just had to briefly mention it. We're currently working with a major supplier to offer all of our members items that they can sell on their own web pages.
You'll get all the convenience of having a warehouse full of items that you bought wholesale without any of the overhead, offering you an incredible money-making opportunity. This is the same way that eBay's PowerSellers work, but with the Chamber of E-Commerce, you don't have to bother with all of the fees and hassle that makes eBay so frustrating for many users.
Log in to your account at the Chamber of E-Commerce or join today to make use of any of these great new features.
Building a Better Website, Part II
In last month's newsletter, we started our series "Building a Better Website". This month, we continue with tips on how to keep customers coming back to your site after they've been there once, as well as offering you advice on how to ask your customers for feedback:
Keep it Current :
Nothing will keep bringing customers back to your website like updating the content frequently. There are numerous ways to do this, from offering different deals and products to keeping a blog on your site and keeping it current. A blog is a great tool to reach out to your user base and start a dialogue. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, making your customers into citizen marketers is a relatively inexpensive way to harness that awesome recommendation system of the "word of mouth".
Of course, putting the effort into updating your site won't help you at all if no one knows that you've changed anything. Consider posting site changes on to an RSS feed that site visitors can subscribe to, or you can start sending out your own newsletters to subscribers, just like we do here. Make sure that your newsletters all include a call to action for all of your readers, such as:
Visit the Chamber today to see all of our new features!
Reward Customer Loyalty :
If you shop at virtually any online retailer, you will note that they offer you what are called "Loyalty Incentives." Buy a book at Amazon.com and in your e-mail a few weeks later will be a discount code for free shipping or 10% off your next purchase. This encourages past buyers to come back and make their next book purchase at Amazon as well. Implementing something like that will help ensure that your satisfied customers return for more business.
Listen to the Customer :
While the customer, contrary to popular belief, is not always right, a business that doesn't listen to its customers is bound to fail sooner rather than later. There are numerous ways to solicit feedback on your business and your website to make sure that they are doing what your customers want them to. Ask your customers to fill out a survey about your site to receive a coupon, discount on their next purchase, or a chance to win a drawing. Think of ways to encourage feedback from your users, and be creative.
And, of course, make sure to reply promptly to e-mails or other feedback that your customers leave you. Nothing makes a person's opinion feel valid like hearing from the business owner after posting or e-mailing it to the company.
Understand Web Browsing Habits :
You have, on average, three seconds to get your users' interest before they give up and go to a different page. This means that they won't scroll down and they won't hunt around for interesting tidbits unless they are "power users". Make sure that the top of every page grabs their attention quickly.
Also, keep in mind that most website users scan through your page, especially if it has a lot of text like these newsletters. Make your page "scannable" so your readers can pull out the data that interest them easily.
Note that in this newsletter, we have clearly broken the text up into discrete chunks that are well organized That means that if you want to only read what's new with the site this month, it's easy enough to do that. If you'd rather skip ahead to "Building a better Website," it is easy to navigate to and find that area by "scanning" down the page. The simple fact is that your average user will not want to read the whole page, so make it easy for them by chunking your content and organizing it well. See the sidebar for a resource that goes into more depth on this.
Internet Retail Business Facts from comScore Networks:
comScore Networks is one of the web's leading internet researching firms. From their website (www.comscore.com), they describe themselves as: "a global Internet information provider to which leading companies turn for consumer behavior insight that drives successful marketing, sales and trading strategies."
They recently sent out a press release about consumer spending on the internet in 2006. It's full of great facts, but it is also a very long article. We've excerpted a little bit from it to show you how exciting a time it is to be in the online retail business right now. You can read the whole article at: http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1166.
comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today released a report on consumer online non-travel (retail) spending at U.S. sites during 2006, including the holiday season (November 1, 2006 – December 31, 2006). For the full year 2006, online retail spending reached $102.1 billion, marking a 24-percent increase versus 2005. Online holiday e-commerce accounted for $24.6 billion, up 26 percent versus last year.
“2006 was certainly an exceptional year for online retailers as e-commerce spending eclipsed $100 billion for the first time, and growth remained very strong with a 24-percent increase versus last year,” said Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore Networks. “The online holiday shopping season of course played a vital role in the year’s success, as spending accelerated during the final two months of the year, helping push total online retail spending over the $100 billion threshold.”
Q&A : Answers to Those Burning Questions :
We got a very positive response to our Q&A section in our previous letter, as well as a lot of new questions from readers who felt that their question wasn't addressed. If you have any suggestions for a question for out FAQ here, please e-mail us and we'll consider it for the Q&A list:
Q: I was wondering if there's someone I could talk with over the phone about this. I want to hear more and talk with someone live and also have questions to ask.
A: Absolutely! Visit the ‘Contact Us’ page for all contact information. We offer live chat as well as email support.
Q: I'm trying to add a link to my website manually and can't seem to figure it out. How do I do that?
A: Click the ‘Hyperlink’ icon on the middle toolbar. It looks like two interlinked chains. You can also check the new Website Builder Manual for detailed instructions.
Q: Is technical support included with my membership?
A: Certainly. Our skilled website designers and developers are available during our regular business hours. Please visit our ‘Contact Us’ page to chat live or to send us a message.
Q: Is the merchant account that lets me receive payment over the internet for my products included in the monthly price of $39.95?
A: Yes. The Merchant Account creation is already integrated into our Website Builder. You simply need to enter your email address and you can start receiving online payments immediately.
Q: Are website design and development done online or am I purchasing a box of software that you will mail to me?
A: Our Website Builder is entirely accessed and used online. There is no software to download or install. You can access the website builder from any computer with an internet connection. This gives you the convenience of being able to update your website from anywhere!
Q: After the site is created, can you upload my products for me?
A: We can add a test product for you, as well as walk you though the entire process, step by step. You will will be amazed how easy and fast it is to add products to your web store, especially if you've tried to use other products before and been frustrated with their complexity.
Q: Do I have full access to change things on the website?
A: Yes, you have absolute full control over your entire website.
About Web2Corp:
Web2Corp (www.web2corp.com) is a web 2.0 technology company based in the heart of Orlando, FL. With a wide variety of sites and social applications, including 10-year-old award-winning free web host Web1000.com and innovative turnkey e-commerce solution Chamber of E-Commerce (www.chamberecomerce.com), Web2Corp has something to offer virtually anyone on the ‘net.
Web2Corp is continuing to launch new sites and services over the next few months, and specializes in rapid creation and adaptation of technologies to address new markets of users by creating and simplifying useful products, reducing the level of user technical skills required, and lowering prices for consumers.
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