Risks of eBusiness

Ecommerce is a fantastic way for businesses to connect with customers around the world in a way that has never before been possible. Yet, that is not to say that ebusiness does not have risks that entrepreneurs must be aware of before setting up a presence online. Security is the most obvious risk, as online merchants will be handling and storing sensitive information. However, a misunderstanding of the ecommerce world--how much time, money and planning it takes--is often the downfall of merchants as well. Finally, technology is key to securing the smooth transactions of ebusiness.

In-Video Shopping: Η (δια-δραστική) επανάσταση στο ηλεκτρονικό εμπόριο

Εδώ και αρκετό καιρό, η αγορά του ηλεκτρονικού επιχειρείν αναζητεί λύσεις για το πώς θα μπορέσει να αντιμετωπίσει δύο προκλήσεις του διαδικτύου: πρώτα την εύρεση δυνατοτήτων χρηματοποίησης των βίντεο κλιπ και γενικότερα του περιεχομένου των βίντεο και ύστερα την αναζήτηση τέτοιων τρόπων, ώστε η online διαφήμιση να γίνει για το χρήστη πιο ελκυστική, πιο βιώσιμη και ως εκ τούτου πιο αποδοτική.

Use Social Media for Better Customer Service

If you think social media is just for sales, you'd better think again. Your customer service department needs to be active in social media, too. Here's why.   
Social media marketing is more than just spreading a marketing message through social networking tools like Twitter or Facebook. It is about brand management and defense on those same social tools, and turning that defense into marketing opportunities. In many cases, social media marketing will often transcend the typical marketing communication messages and campaigns, because it comes from sources other than the marketing department.
The customer service department is an unlikely place for social media marketing to happen, but because of the public nature of social networks, it can be a great place for brand defense and word of mouth marketing to happen, all because the customer service department is on the ball and handling customer complaints.
Here is an example of how social media marketing usually works.

8 Guaranteed Ways to Drive Customers Away

If your long-term customers are leaving--and not coming back--you're probably making one of these mistakes.

Your most profitable customers are almost always long-term customers.
Don’t lose them by making any of the following mistakes:
1. Change too many players. It’s tempting to assume long-term customers love your brand. More often than not they love your employees.
Customers don’t buy from companies. They buy from people—your people.
Since relationships are the lifeblood of a small business, don't rotate salespeople, customer service reps, or key contacts unless you have to. Do everything possible to protect and foster the relationships your employees forge. Employees are rarely interchangeable where strong business relationships with customers are concerned.

Your Homemade Website Isn't Cutting It Anymore

Americans spent $200 billion online in 2011. The opportunity for retailers is huge--but you're not going to grab it with a DIY website.
A report this week from Forrester Research confirmed what just about everybody in business already knew: Americans are buying online and they are buying a lot.

The study reported that Americans spent more than $200 billion online in 2011 and projected that total would rise to $327 billion in 2016. The 2016 figure represents 9 percent of all retail sales (up from 7 percent in 2011).
Among the report’s interesting findings:

• 53 percent of Americans made an online purchase in 2011.
• 58 percent are expected to make an online purchase in 2016.
• People believe they get the best deals when shopping online.
• Tablet devices like the iPad have spurred online impulse buying.

Facebook e-commerce: the next big thing?

A group of e-commerce start-ups, backed by some of the tech world's most pedigreed financiers, are betting that Facebook Inc can become an e-commerce powerhouse to rival Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc.

As the world's largest social network hurtles toward a $5 billion initial public offering, it will come under more pressure from Wall Street to find new sources of profit growth and reduce its reliance on advertising, which accounted for 85 percent of its 2011 revenue.
Some entrepreneurs and investors increasingly think "f-commerce" - meaning e-commerce on Facebook - is the answer. Start-ups such as BeachMint, Yardsellr, Oodle and Fab.com are coming up with novel ways to persuade Facebook users to not just connect with friends on the social network, but to shop as well.

The Email Insider Summit

April 25 - 28, 2012
South Seas Island Resort, Florida


New to Email Insider Summit?

The Email Insider Summit is a unique event where the biggest brands and brightest minds caucus for three-days on state of email marketing. The event, hosted at a luxury resort, is perfectly structured to offer all attendees the most valuable mix of high-level sessions and networking functions.

Interactions 2012, Global Customer Conference

NICE's annual Global Customer Conference
held in cooperation with the NICE User Group (NUG) Community,
will bring together more than 1,500 customers and industry leaders
to network, share best practices and learn about exciting new
solutions for their organization. 

Join us at Interactions 2012 in Nashville for an experience that’s like one of those catchy tunes you always remember.

Multichannel Commerce: Μύθος ή πραγματικότητα;

Η καταναλωτική αγορά και η συναφής οικονομία της  βρίσκονται μπροστά σε μια νέα πραγματικότητα. Ένα νέο ανταγωνιστικό περιβάλλον έχει δημιουργηθεί. Σε αυτό, οι μάρκες, το εμπόριο, οι εταιρείες στον χώρο των εξ αποστάσεως πωλήσεων και οι αποκλειστικά διαδικτυακοί παίκτες (Online Pure Player) μάχονται για το ποιος θα κερδίσει τον διαδικτυακό καταναλωτή. Για τους διαδικτυακούς παίκτες, η προσαρμογή  στις εξελίξεις της αγοράς γίνεται ικανοποιητικά, καθώς οι  ίδιοι μπορούν εύκολα να προσαρμόσουν το επιχειρηματικό μοντέλο στις απατήσεις της αγοράς, εφόσον κριθεί αυτό απαραίτητο. Αντίθετα για τους δε παρόχους πολυκαναλικών δικτύων διανομής, αυτό αποτελεί ένα αρκετά πιο δύσκολο εγχείρημα, διότι δραστηριοποιούνται σε δύο εντελώς διαφορετικές αγορές.

E-Bootcamp 2012: The Essential Entrepreneurship Conference

The Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students, in conjunction with Princeton's Business Today, present to you the 2012 edition of Entrepreneurship-Bootcamp. Held at Stanford University, E-Bootcamp is an all-expenses paid trip designed to put the most brilliant minds in the world at the mercy of an elite group of founders, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists who will stop at nothing to turn their ideas into gold.

Which payment gateway should I use for my site?

The on-line payment systems are e-commerce businesses allowing money transfers to be made only through the Internet. They function as a fast and secure electronic alternative to traditional methods as cheques and money orders. The systems perform payment processing not only for online vendors, auction sites, and other corporate users but between their costumers, for which it charges a fee which is much less than the bank wire transfer equivalent.