by Christina Lee on January 2nd, 2009
A note to all business owners: now is not the time to neglect your online retail store front.
In the latest study by ForeSee Results, an online customer satisfaction research company, price became an increasingly important factor among the top 40 online retailers. Though overall satisfaction remained steady, it also dropped among more than a third of the retailers studied – "a shift that most can hardly afford in this economic climate," the study noted.
In comparison, one-fourth of retailers raised their scores, with Amazon.com being the only of the top five to do so. Amazon.com also tied with Netflix... Read more »
by Christina Lee on November 14th, 2008
Though the Internet will remain a popular destination for shoppers this holiday season, fewer retailers expect their sales to increase significantly, according to a recent survey.
The National Retail Federation found that the number of consumers shopping online – 44.2 percent – has remained almost flat since last year. In the meantime however, compared to 77.5 percent of retailers last year, only 56.1 percent of them expect holiday sales to increase by at least 15 percent.
In addition, the Internet will continue to influence an increasing number of holiday purchases – at least 33.6 percent this year, compared to 30.2... Read more »
by Carrie Hinkel on December 18th, 2007
There’s no doubt that for online retailers, shipping costs are one of the biggest expenses. And with oil prices rising, they’re not getting any cheaper. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t money for you to save. You just need to be a little creative! Cutting costs on shipping rates is more than just the price you’re paying to UPS or FedEx. There are plenty of other factors involved, and every part of the shipping process should be looked at carefully.
Ways to cut costs
Shipping containers – Could you be using lighter, smaller boxes, or for smaller items, padded envelopes... Read more »
by Leeia Ladipoh on December 17th, 2007
Small businesses that specialize in retail items will be interested to know about one of the biggest phenomenons of the holiday season – the shopping search engine.
Online retailers are increasingly using these sites to promote and sell their products to targeted buyers, so let’s take a look at how you can make these sites work for you.
What Shopping Search Engines Are
If you have been on the planet for more than a decade, it is a sure bet that you have heard the term search engine. Google is the best example of a search engine although there are... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on December 3rd, 2007
If you’re interested in starting an online retail business, it’s a good idea to educate yourself about the basics of drop shipping . Drop shipping is a great tool for those seeking to build successful e-commerce retail companies. When you work with one or more drop shippers , you are able to offer products for sale via your website without having to keep an inventory or handle packing and shipping yourself.
To enjoy the benefits of drop shipping, you will need to locate wholesale suppliers that offer drop shipping service. Once you have found suppliers with the types of products... Read more »