5 ways small businesses can cut costs – eBiz eXtra Issue 17
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Did you know? |
IRCE kicks off next week
27% growth in registrations means record attendance
Internet Retailer Convention & Expo (IRCE), arguably the largest eCommerce industry trade show, hits Chicago June 8-10th. This year’s theme is ‘Time to Reboot’ and will focus on the return of double digit growth in eCommerce. McCormick Place West will be filled with over 6500 attendees from over 1300 companies. IRCE gives eCommerce merchants a chance to meet potential vendors and learn about industry trends. The exhibit hall floor will feature booths from over 400 vendors from every aspect of eCommerce, while over 90 sessions and panel discussions take place in conference rooms. And, as with any convention there’s also the nightlife, where vendor-specific evening activities abound.
Registration is still open at www.irce2010.com. Solid Cactus is an IRCE exhibitor (Booth #338.)
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92% report using the Internet for research and product browsing.
-Jones Lang LaSalle Retail
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| Internet Retailer 2010 |
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eCommerce News of the Week
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General eCommerce Business
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5 ways to save money with technology
Mashable’s Jolie O’Dell offers five money-saving methods to try in your business, including switching over to paperless systems and letting employees work from home. Try cutting costs with open source software like GnuCash, OpenOffice and GIMP instead of spending hundreds more on QuickBooks, Microsoft Word and Photoshop. Also, be on the lookout for programs in the beta stage; while not finished, you can often get free use and added releases for being part of the beta testing test, says Jolie. Read more.
Multitasking tips for the do-it-all business owner
“Your blog is not your job,” says blogger Chris Brogan. In a short, to-the-point blog post, Brogan reiterates that marketers and merchants are not paid to blog, tweet or Facebook. Instead, these are communication tools for business. But communicating too much, he says, can take people away from their main business objectives. He gives five helpful tips to remain vigilant in the upkeep of these tools, including using an egg timer for Twitter and keeping a post-it note of objectives in clear sight. Full story.
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Social Media & Blogging
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50+ questions to ask when hiring a social media company
Research is a requirement when considering outsourcing marketing efforts. To help find the right company to manage social media, Outspo, Outspoken Media’s blog, provides a list of 52 questions business should ask. This comprehensive checklist is split into a few categories: brand monitoring, reputation management, social media measurement, community and, finally, ‘the right fit questions’. The latter is crucial to a continued working relationship. For example, does this company’s core values match my own? And, how customized does their strategy feel? Full story.
10 places to find blogging inspiration
Bored with your blog? HubSpot’s Kipp Bodnar says inspiration is never far. Comb through sales or customer emails for common questions, then answer them in a clear and thorough post. Look to the nontraditional route. Think “beyond text” and go multi-media. What other media might your readers be interested in seeing? Try an all photo post or using video or audio excerpts. Create informed buyers by educating readers on recent new or industry developments. Maybe you’ve read an interesting book or magazine related to your industry. Weigh the pros and cons and write a review, telling readers why they should read or subscribe. Read the full post.
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Mobile Commerce
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More 500 companies using mCommerce
Internet Retailer reports 76 of the Top 500 online retailers are using mobile commerce, up from 34 in 2008. Of those nearly 80 retailers, 23 offer applications for specific brands of phones, versus mobile sites that work on any smartphone. Interestingly, IR found that the stores using mCommerce are either very large or small, leaving a gap in the middle. Only 30 are in the Top 100. Of these 53 companies, 92.2% display images on the mobile site, 82.1% feature showcased items, 80.4% offer search and 76.8% allow purchases. Full story.
mCommerce catching on, but mostly for browsing
eMarketer reports that mCommerce is catching on, albeit slowly. Only one in five multichannel retailers has an mCommerce presence, according to Multichannel Merchant. PriceGrabber.com’s “Smartphone Shopping Behavior” study revealed 35% of web-enabled mobile phone owners have used their phone to browse for items, but not necessarily buy. However, the study notes top purchases in 2010 were digital content, consumer electronics and books. The study further revealed the top barrier to mCommerce sales was the small screen size. Full story.
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