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Store Design and Internal Marketing
We learn much from shopping behavior in physical retail stores. Here we link to articles on internal banner ads, navigation system, suggestive selling, building a community, e-mail reminders, user interfaces one-to-one marketing, use of color in sales, specials, sales, coupons, rebates, interactivity, grouping products, use of graphics and animation, and online "closing the sale" techniques. Special focus on personalization or one-to-one marketing.
Business Models and Case Studies
There's nothing like learning from someone who has already done it successfully. We have a particularly rich selection of online store profiles in a variety of industries. We've also collected a number of links to articles on Amazon.com-like Associates Programs. As we add to this site we'll be linking to articles on various business models, such as single product vs. multiple products, inventory vs. drop-shipping, comparing online with retail and mail order sales, margins and profitability, how to choose an "ideal product".
Miscellaneous
Here's where we place those fascinating articles which don't quite fit in our other slots.
Demographics and Shopping Behaviors
Here we point you to studies of shopping preferences and behaviors of online shoppers. While there's some overlap, you'll find demographics on Internet make up within our Web Marketing Info Center. Here also we place resources and techniques for analyzing your store visitors.
Theory and Academic Approaches
These articles may be more academic and rigorous than popular level articles, but they are vital to a thorough understanding and broad perspective towards online commerce. You'll also see projections of future trends in online sales.
Back Issues of Web Commerce Today
As a subscriber to Web Commerce Today, you have access to all the back issues, articles, links, and news they contain.
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Fulfillment Issues
Online web stores are first cousins to mail order. Drawing on the resources of this discipline we provide sources for fulfillment houses, mail order fulfillment software, shipping options, etc.
Internet Commerce Law
The law is rapidly changing. We provide links to federal regulations from the FTC and FCC which affect mail order, telemarketing, and by extension Internet web stores. While we can be exhaustive in state regulations beyond our own California, we link to more comprehensive articles covering other states. We touch only very lightly on copyright and trademark issues.
Transaction Sytems & Security
While we are moving towards the more uniform SET standards, widespread adoption is probably months, perhaps years off. In the meantime we provide you vital information on SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which encrypts transactions from purchaser to Web server, PGP and other e-mail encryption technologies which encrypt e-mail orders from the server to the store owner, SET (Secure Electronic Transactions) standards which encrypt credit card information so only the transaction clearing house house can decrypt it. We also link to articles on smart cards as they begin to be used on the Web.
Credit Card Issues
Setting up real-time online authorization of credit cards is an important technological piece in the puzzle of online stores. We help you see the pros and cons of various approaches, and will potentially save you lots of money. If you don't yet accept credit cards, we provide information on the advantages, pitfalls, and try to unlock the "mysteries" of merchant credit card processing systems.
Shopping Software Technologies
Unless are selling just one or two products, you'll need a shopping cart system. We provide an insider's view to what to look for, what to avoid, how they work. You'll find reviews, comparison guides, and shopping guides. We also delve into back office operations so you can maintain your own online store, integration with your accounting software. Published reviews of major store-building software and cookie technologies.
Business-to-Business Sales
A huge part of the Internet sales in the coming years will be business-to-business, using EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), purchase orders, etc. We provide links to articles on distribution channel dislocation, auctions and bidding, and providing both wholesale and retail purchasing on the same site.
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