While I was talking to him, I was checking the shop he had problems with. I wouldn’t have bought from it. Here’s how I checked it:-

1. Check the Page

Open the front page of the site in one browser window and then use another window to get to a page that ought to be secure (the payment/checkout page is my usual one). Look at them both. Do either of them show any logos from well-known payment (Barclays, RBS, Protx, …) or security-checking services (thawte – who else?)? That’s not entirely reliable, but it’s usually a good sign because those companies attack people using their marks without permission.

Look at the payment/checkout page – does the address in the address bar start “https”? If so, is the padlock in the browser status bar (usually bottom right) closed? That usually means it’s encrypted with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate.

2. Check the Certificate

Open the certificate details. In Firefox-based browsers, double-click the padlock, then click the “View Certificate” button. Then pick “Subject” in the second list box. Usually, it looks like this:-

Basic Certificate Screenshot

Some shops now use Extended Validation certificates and give a bit more information. Here’s one from a train company:-

Extended Validation Screenshot

3. Check the Registrations

By this point, the payment processing and actual transaction are looking pretty good. Finally, I check the recipient. Find the business details on the web shop. Does it include a geographic address? If it contains a company registration number, look it up on the Companies House website.

Then I find the business details on the domain names – you can use CoolWhois to look up domain names. If any of the addresses or numbers don’t match (Website, SSL Certificate, Whois), then I call them to ask why their website says they’re based in Bristol but their domain name is registered to Bolton. If they don’t answer messages, or – worse – the domain name says “Non-trading Individual” and the address has been omitted from the public listing, I give up on them and look for another shop. There’s no point securely paying someone that you can never reach if there’s a problem.

4. Buy Stuff and Check the Statements

All being well, I then buy stuff and check my credit card statement each month before I pay it. I think any web shop owner (or webmaster – I help some people with this sort of thing) should be taking care of the basics above. Do your shops measure up?

Despite the above checks, I can only remember not buying something online once in the last year. A couple of times, I’ve worked through the above steps and it’s changed which shop I bought from – and I’m pretty sure it saved me from losing £400 on one purchase.

For the technically-minded, Changes in Spam Levels this week Posted by simonw illustrates the level of disruption and may grow an interesting discussion from server managers – it seems the reduction is less than the 75% reported in some news services, but still significant.

This is great news for all good internet users. It’s disappointing if the spam hosting service won’t have to pay any of the costs they’ve inflicted on other computer users in some way. The only practical negative that I’ve noticed so far is that much of the stopped spam was pretty easy to identify and filter out, so the reduction in spam reaching my “unsure” mailbox hasn’t been anything like 50%. Still, less spam hitting the filters means less computer power used, which means less electricity and network data transfer used, which means lower costs for us. Yippee!

And finally, I smiled at this comment over on the WebmasterWorld discussion:-

“Our spam email has dropped so much in the past 2 days that I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with our email accounts.”

As early as the mid-1990s I was taking part in meetings and presentations with a company called MAGEX who was attempting to sell their idea and ultimately their software, to the music industry.  The software allowed someone to legally buy an mp3 and download the file to a specific computer.  The track would not play on another device and therefore once bought, could not be copied or shared.

This concept had its limitations but the main essence was to get the record industry to stop wasting their time and money fighting illegal downloading of music, and concentrate on how best the music industry could embrace the Internet and the phenomemnon of peer-to-peer sharing sites such as Napster.

Remember, this was a time long before MySpace, YouTube and other social networking sites.

Universal, Sony and BMG were among representatives at those meetings who simply couldn’t see past how much money they were losing, and not what they could gain, and moreover, didn’t want to consider what would happen to them in the future.

I beleive what I witnessed in the space of one year or so, was successful businessmen not wanting to step outside of their comfort zone.

The result was that the music industry chose to ignore the changing patterns of music consumption; and only recently, ten years later, are they embracing the Internet through social media websites and free downloads; a lead that was given to them by small independent labels and artists who, if truth be known, need the money more than they do!

I felt engaged to write this post after reading that Mick Jagger, lead singer with The Rolling Stones, has been invited to help the European Commission (EC) to draw up a report on e-commerce and online shopping.

Jagger will be part of a committee (including Steve Jobs of Apple) who will advise the EC on the issues surrounding the online shopping sector, including a particular focus on online selling and downloading of music through eCommerce websites.

Neelie Kroes, a European Union competition commissioner told the BBC that one of the points to be raised will be why it is not as easy to buy music files online as it is to have a CD shipped around Europe will be under investigation.

To tie this in with the purpose of this blog – how to generate online business success – the business lesson I learnt by way of my first-hand experience with MAGEX and the music industry in the 1990s was that if you are successful in business there are at least two reasons why you should look for change and not stagnation:

1. Success should breed more success – look for other ways to expand your business and increase your success further instead of allowing your competitors to gain the upperhand.

2. Every millionaire I have ever spoken to always has a story to tell of when they made a ‘make or break’ decision.  They NEVER tell the story of how they played safe and took no risks or that once becoming a millionaire they are not looking to increase theor wealth.

And if your business is a success you may want to reward yourself with a cruise holiday?

Research by StrategyR Global Industry Analysts (GIA) claims that eCommerce increases the distribution of a business and therefore leads to better growth.  Furthermore, in the current economic climate, while other areas of sales are decreasing, eCommerce is still a growth area.

The study, Distribution Channel Research: A Global Outlook, states the market for eCommerce is “bubbling with growth opportunities” and goes on to suggest eCommerce as being “a new and more efficient way to reach customers and channel partners”.

Keep your customers engaged with frequent changes to your eCommerce website. Add incentives by providing special offers, price discounts and even design changes.

Have you ever frustrated when your local Tesco or Asda move products around or wondered why they display things in a different aisle? If you knew exactly where everything was there would be more chance for you to go into the shop, collect only what you want, pay and go.

The leading supermarkets are great at turning passive shoppers into positive customers.  Have you ever come out of your local Tesco or Asda supermarket with more than what you went shopping for?

When managing your eCommerce store, consider the frequent changes these stores make and how it keeps you looking around the whole shop, and possibly spending more time and money. From this perspective, you will start to see things differently.  Now, if you understand and mimic this style of proactive push marketing, you will be one step ahead of your nearest competitor, unless that is Tesco!

Finally, by way of concluding this series of 10 tips for better eCommerce success

If you are adding an eCommerce shop to your existing business then it will compliment your business strategy as long as you undertake the advice I have given you over the course of this series of blog posts. Online business success is no different to any other forms of business success. Good development and design, professional management and marketing, and ongoing research and analysis will bring you eCommerce business success.

And remember… it doesn’t matter how successful you are, your nearest competitor is only a click away!

Don’t spend too much time deliberating on whether you should try this or that.  To err is human, but failing to exploit opportunities on the web can be suicidal and is a major threat to your internet success.

This may sound harsh but if you are not prepared to spend a reasonable budget on your eCommerce plans, then don’t be surprised if you fail!

Too many times I have been asked to manage a business’ online development, only to be told that there isn’t enough money!

By enough I mean the going market rate.  Too many times a business will be wasting marketing money and time on offline advertising such as Yellow Pages and Thomson Local, and when it comes to developing and marketing an eCommerce website, expectations outweigh a budget.

If you build it they will come

That’s not to say, if you throw enough money at an online business it will succeed.  Like any other part of a successful business, you will need the correct budget, time, management, expertise, website, software and team.  Just don’t try to fit your plans and expert advice into a tight budget.

Learn hard and fast

Always have an unbiased assessment of your online business and be prepared to spot your mistakes. Learn the art of covering your mistakes and rectify them before your competitors come to know about them.

Business is all about speed. Speed is essential in identifying and rectifying mistakes, but also in being there at the right time with the right products and services. Being positive but not frivolous will reap eCommerce business success.

Backend operations are the backbone of your online storefront. Spend time analysing and getting to know the backend administrative area provided by your eCommerce software.

Features such as inventory management processing, customer history, credit card processing and the reporting systems. The backend functionality is as useful to you for managing the system as it is for the frontend to be aesthetically pleasing and easy to use, for your customers.

All your backend operations are expected to be accurate, scalable and provide real time data. Your choice of eCommerce solution should largely depend on the strength of your backend operations and how much information it will provide you with on your customers, and how customisable it can be in helping to manage selling your products or services.

A potential threat to your eCommerce operations is systems failure owing to faulty backend operations. Ensure the existence of a strong backend platform before opening for business.

As before, I am going to recommend OS Commerce as the software package that fits with all your requirements to set up a successful eCommerce site.

Make a bigger web footprint by managing an ongoing internet marketing campaign.

Make sure your developers are well versed in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).  Don’t be surprised if they’re not!

Many companies offer website design & development, while others simply concentrate on online marketing.  It is preferable to deal with one company who are experts in both, or at least will oversee the whole project, as both are necessary for a successful eCommerce business.

It’s no good having the best looking eCommerce website on the Internet, offering the best prices in the UK, if no one can find your site!

To be successful online, make your eCommerce website visible

Since a large majority of your new customers are going to be introduced to your website via a search engine such as Google or a directory such as Yahoo, you will necessarily need to spend time and money on getting your eCommerce site seen in the major search engines.

It is difficult to break into competitive online markets, but the longer you lave it the harder it becomes. You can either hire a professional internet marketing company to manage this for you or carry out Internet marketing by yourself.

Associate your web site with others providing complimentary products or services

This will again help you in increasing your web presence both for search engines and for your customers.

It should be a vital part of your strategy for business growth to keep a record of all your existing customers and others who may have visited your online store but left without buying anything.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is of the utmost importance.  It will help to build your customer base. Develop innovative ways to inform past customers about new products and the latest updates to the eCommerce store. As recommended in my previous post, Better eCommerce Business Success #5,  you can send newsletters to both customers and potential customers who have requested email notification of special offers, new products or services etc.

Some eCommerce solutions include a CRM system but a bespoke CRM system may be more suitable.   To get ahead of your competitors, try different ways of communicating with your customers.  Be sure to keep a record of any campaign results.

Always remember the point I made earlier, it is easier to make money from existing customers than find new ones, so look after your customers and make them feel special.

This is called push marketing. It is when you go to a store for one thing and come out with another!
Don’t create an online shop and expecting your customers to browse your eCommerce site in the same way they may walk around your bricks & mortar shop, looking for bargains or whether you sell their size in a particular colour.

The quicker they can find what they are looking for, the stronger the impulse is to buy.

Design your online store in such a way that the customer is left in no doubt what you sell and what your selling points are, whether it be free delivery, tax free or low prices. Your customer may not have been ready to buy, but when they are, you want them to think of you first.

Offering a free newsletter sign-up is a good way of continuing to push your products and services at customers and potential customers alike, while they are not actually on your website.

Place your best products or services, or those you want to promote, on your home page. Make them stand out so visitors to your online shop notice them.