Archive for the ‘eBiz Insider’ Category

With 10 million new users can Google+ take the crown?

It’s well known that Google has had a little rivalry with Facebook for sometime now and has tried repeatedly to create the next, more popular social network to knock Facebook down off of its throne. Several attempts with Wave and Buzz have come and fizzled out just as fast, but now there is Google+. With a very Facebook-esque interface, Google+ has already reached 10 million users since its recent launch. The difference this time is that Google isn’t just opening the doors to everyone, you have to be invited into this kingdom. Is it enough to take over as the ruler of the social world or is it too similar to the current king? Techies are having trouble defining and separating it from current networks, so what is this new platform really about and what impact is it expected to have in social media?

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eCommerce ideas to heat up the summer

Summer is in full swing with barbeques, vacations, and the steamy weather happening throughout the country. July is surly an exciting time of the year not just because it is our nation’s birthday, but because it is the halfway point of the year. It’s a great time to see what your eCommerce store is doing right, and where it needs to improve. It also marks the beginning of holiday season preparation in the world of retail which means it’s time for eCommerce store owners to start putting their plans together. Being such a busy, important month of the year for merchants, Practical eCommerce went to the experts to create a list of the most innovative eCommerce ideas for the month.

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Federal Reserve Board sets new debit card interchange

Debit card fee reform has been a hot button issue between retailers and credit card companies and banks for months now. As the big banks tried to get it postponed, retailers pushed to get a lower rate on enormous fees paid in debit card transactions. The big banks did end up making out a little bit after yesterday’s ruling because fees didn’t go as low as retailers hoped for. Beginning October 1 of this year, a typical web purchase will cost retailers about 25 cents, versus $1.40 today. Debit fees will shrink to 21 cents per transaction, higher than the expected reduction taking it down to 12 cents. It is still a big win for retailers who will save big money on reduced fees come the fall.

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Businesses want a 360 degree customer view

Owning a business means you of course need customers to be successful. To be successful long term, you need to retain these customers while continuing to acquire new ones. But how can you do all this unless you really know who your customer is? A current Aberdeen research being conducted is showing that more than half of all Best-in-Class sales organizations that have the best customer retention rates, shows that they are constantly analyzing and segmenting their customer base to identify more sales opportunities. Getting a solid picture of who your customers are helps both you and the customer by providing them with better service and you with an established sense of loyalty which will bring them back to shop. So how can you figure out who your customer is and start using that information to your benefit?

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9 reasons you should be using them

Everybody would love to increase their business’ marketing team, but financial reasons often prevent this from happening. But what if you were able to increase your team, for free? Introducing, the brand advocate. A brand advocate is defined as “any customer who has been officially commissioned to speak on behalf of your brand without compensation.” Companies from Ford to Walmart are using advocates, and are benefitting from them in a major way. Brand advocates love to meet new people and they love to provide them with relevant information which will in turn affect people’s shopping habits and decision making. Wouldn’t it be great to have a few of these behind your brand, writing compelling content to entice shoppers and posting your praises on social networks? Learn all the major reasons you should consider starting an advocacy program in your business.

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