PayPal later became the norm for eBay and large etailers because it allowed people without credit cards to shop online.

Today, more and more online consumers are flocking to payment methods they feel provide the most security. Ideally, this includes methods that rely on users logging into third-party sites they trust, which, in turn, provide merchants with only a transaction number.

Read full article at Practical eCommerce

Pamela Hazelton is a senior contributor to Practical eCommerce.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/06/24.
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The rules and trends of social media are ever changing. It makes sense to follow people who stay on top of the latest happenings. Here are five of my favorite tweeters focused on our social world:

• Social Media Examiner (@smexaminer) makes it fun to learn. I love these guys because they break everything down into easy-to-understand language and supporting graphics. Visit site–>
• Mirna Bard (@mirnabard) is a social media consultant who focuses on reality rather than excessive hype. I’d followed her for several months before I won a consult, which was used to publicize my husband’s film efforts. Mirna’s strategies are realistic and she makes concerted efforts to understand people’s needs and goals prior to full project planning. Mirna also gets people engaged by asking questions rather than relying on shady statistics. Visit her site–>
• Mari Smith (@marismith) knows Facebook! Seriously, forget all those other “help” groups and sites out there, because Mari already has it covered. From the very basics to in-depth campaign creations, Mari’s resources are top notch. (On a personal note, lots of newcomers treat Mari like she IS Facebook support. She’s not. All the more reason to buy her books and/or user her services). Visit her site–>
• Tweet Smarter (@TweetSmarter) teaches, helps and analyzes all things Twitter. Dave and Sarah’s articles and posts are quite useful and they’re great at culling through all the garbage out there. If you want to truly understand Twitter from many angles, follow these fine folks. Visit the site–>
• Craig H. Collins (@craighcollins) is a social media consultant and coach. He posts regularly on Facebook and other social sites, focusing on providing a service to customers and potential clients. Visit his site–>

Of course, there are plenty of folk worthy of mention. My picks are based on current trends and my experience with their work. Know someone we all need to follow around? Share your thoughts in the comments box!

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/04/15.
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Post tags: #FF, facebook, social media, twitter

Success. It’s something for which we all aim. We read books, articles and listen to motivational speakers, usually only when we make the time.

If you’re looking for daily guidance or inspiration, follow and subscribe to RSS feeds for these key players:

• Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) works with Fortune 100 and 500 companies, but that doesn’t mean we can’t translate his oft-inspirational advice for small business folk. You’ll want to make reading his blog posts a daily ritual, for sure. Visit his site–>
• Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki) is the author of Enchantment (which I dubbed a must-buy last  month). He’s the co-founder of Alltop.com, but, most notably, was the chief evangelist of Apple. Guy takes a no-holds barred approach to business success, and uses terms we understand to explain what works and what doesn’t. Visit his site–>
• Stephanie Calahan (@stephcalahan) focuses on organization as a foundation to success. Her aim is to combat wasted time and resources, inspiring us to take simple steps daily so we may reap more benefits from our work. Visit her site–>
• Scott Stratten (@unmarketing) is a major influencer on Twitter, but I’m willing to wager a good number of his followers aren’t taking his advice literally… And they should, because Scott’s approach is to break out of the “bubble” in which so many “experts” and businesses are trapped, shifting attention to true, human marketing techniques. But it’s not all about marketing. Follow Scott around the web and you’ll see what I mean. Visit his site–>
• John Jantsch (@ducttape) is a small biz marketing consultant. The term marketing tends to scare small business owners because, more often than not, it coincides with the word “expensive”. You can, however, learn quite a bit by following John and reading what he has to say. Although most of his work is not geared toward the tiniest of businesses, it’s simple enough to translate and relate. Visit his site–>

Of course, there are plenty of folk worthy of mention. My picks are based on current trends and my experience with their work. Know someone we all need to follow around? Share your thoughts in the comments box!

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/04/08.
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I received Guy Kawasaki’s latest book, Enchantment, as I was wrapping up work on my own recently published commerce manual. I was put on the list* to receive a review copy, and when the release date (March 8^th) passed me by I felt quite guilty. Fortunately I was heading to California on the 9^th for the annual Miva Merchant conference, and what better way to pass the time while at 35,000 feet?

I’ll admit, when Guy announced the title of his new book, I wasn’t impressed. The word enchantment, to me, had little to do with business in our busy world today. When he revealed the butterfly cover, my concerns grew—all I could wonder was, How is he going to push this book to the masses with a weak title and “pretty” cover? Despite the fact he’d already explained the basic concept of enchantment (in the sense of his message), it was still a turn off.

Mid-way through Chapter One I was hooked, primarily because Guy’s writing style is exactly what I hope mine is perceived as… Direct, easy to understand, and sans sugar coating. Yes, Guy’s very blunt about key issues, going so far as to say the moral wrongdoers have no right to succeed in business.

Enchantment is a guide for advancement. From teaching us how to smile and give a proper handshake, to lessons on leveraging today’s technology, Guy’s directives are not only clear, they make sense.

Enchantment is not a guide for becoming an instant hit. It’s about building relationships atop strong foundations.

I was so impressed with Enchantment that I made a last minute change to my presentations, which focused on shopability. During my sessions I explained how small business ecommerce sites shouldn’t try to mimic Amazon.com’s layout and flow. I used the product page for Enchantment as my example (with a side-note suggesting that the audience buy his book. Yes, the entire audience).

This was when I realized Guy used more “pull” than “push” when it came to marketing his latest book and growing his readership (he explains both these methods in the book). I’ve seen more third-party tweets, facebook posts and blog posts about Guy’s book than I have any form of mass advertising. And that’s exactly what Enchantment is about—growing by means of relationships and support—something every business and person needs in order to succeed.

Steve Wozniak says, “Read this book to create a company as enchanting as Apple.”

I say, “Read Enchantment if you want to succeed in anything…”

* This is not a paid review. I was provided the book only for consideration of review, with no agreements made. I do, however, use an affiliate link while linking the book title to amazon.com.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/03/15.
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By key players (tweeters) I mean those who you might otherwise hire, associate with, or work alongside. They could also be people you respect. In the world of ecommerce, the most sought-after information is usability (shopability), SEO, marketing, social media and related campaigns.

Though I write for Practical eCommerce and visit the site often, I follow them on Twitter so I'm reminded of news and key strategies.

Many business owners still don’t grasp how Twitter can help them promote their stores and web sites. That, however, is a post for a different day. Today, I want to give you five reasons you should follow key players in specific fields.

1. They do the homework. A professional tweeter does his research and provides links to key articles and posts he thinks you need to read. This can be an immense time saver—after all, who has time to comb through thousands of web sites every day?
2. They have ideas. Popular, professional tweeters do more than just provide links. They provide commentary on the links they post, and share ideas (often with links to their own posts so you can read all the juicy details).
3. They’re usually more reliable. Key players with loyal followers are respected for what they do. This means more people listen and trust what they have to say.
4. They often work with successful businesses. And, let’s be real, success is what you’re after… no? Experienced communicators have witnessed both the good and the bad, what works and what doesn’t.

And the fifth, all-important reason you should be following these players? Because chances are, some of your competition already does.

When searching for the right pros to follow, don’t just look at the number of people who follow them, but rather their timeline and the number of people they actually engage. It’s quite easy to gain 1,000+ followers in a short period of time, but the bulk of them may not even be reading what the tweeter has to say. Also, don’t follow just one person in each field—you want a healthy mixture of information. Why? Because no one answer is correct for every single scenario.

Follow professionals for guidance and ideas. The real work, however, is still up to you.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/02/23.
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Why would you give away the keys to your business?

I’ll start by saying this. If you use a weak password and take little to no effort to protect it, you deserve to be hacked, raked over the coals and shunned. Simply put, passwords are meant to protect everything about us, our customers and the business as a whole. If you don’t care enough to protect customer data, why should customers care enough about your company to pull out their wallets?

For the sake of safety and security, here’s some DOs and DON’Ts to keep in mind when it comes to password creation and storage.

DO

• Use strong passwords. Passwords should be at least 8 characters and contain at least one number. Stronger passwords include letters, numbers and a special character, as well as a mixture of lowercase and uppercase letters.
• Use encryption methods to store passwords. Consider reputable software that “explodes” data if the master password is entered incorrectly after a specific number of tries.
• Use a unique, non-identifying master password. You shouldn’t use pet names, children’s names, birthdays or other common terms in any password. The master password on storage software needs to be so unique no one you know could guess it.
• Create and enter passwords only over secure connections.
• Use different passwords for different sites. You shouldn’t use your banking password, for example, for accessing forums.
• Change passwords frequently. I know there are arguments against this, but, the fact is, the action of keeping passwords fresh reinforces the need to keep them secure.

DON’T

• Store passwords in the browser. One only needs access to the computer to gain access to everything else. Auto-completion of logins and passwords is an easy way for employees to gain access to sensitive information, including PayPal and bank accounts.
• Share your password. If you must provide someone else access to an account, either create a separate user, or change the password  to something totally different. When the third-party access is no longer needed, change the password again.
• Save emails that include passwords. Since email itself, by default, is insecure, you’re better off logging into a site and changing the default password. Then delete the password email.
• Use common password reminder questions. Using questions that require simple answers (your maiden name, your home town, your birthdate, etc) makes it easier for others to hack your account.

Finally, you should maintain a list (sans passwords) of accounts that are password-protected, and maintain it as new ones are created. Should your data ever be compromised, use the list to quickly access accounts and change both password and secret question criteria. Remember, you can never go wrong by keeping your security tight and up to date.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/02/16.
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On October 6, clothing company Gap unveiled a new corporate logo. It was ill-received by their critics and customer base (not to mention thousands of designers), leading the company to invite the public to propose alternate logo designs. A new wave of negative comments followed, harshly criticizing Gap for its intent to utilize crowdsourcing efforts to come up with their new logo. In the end, Gap nixed the entire project, returning to the logo they’ve used for more than two decades.

What went wrong? Quite a bit… and as a result, Gap’s definitely lost some loyalists over the ordeal.

Customers and designers shunned Gap for selecting a logo so basic and unoriginal.

The first public outcry was over the new logo itself. Many argued it was entirely too simple – Likening it to a design which a 5-year-old could have come up with. Others argued that the original Gap logo was timeless, while the new one was restrictive. The modern aspect of it would be limiting. Gap itself argued it’s blue box logo is outdated, having been used for twenty years.

Then, Gap jumped on the crowdsourcing bandwagon, inviting designers to submit ideas.

Crowdsourcing is a means by which companies and individuals invite others – anyone, actually  – to design logos, create original illustrations, design book covers, etc. It’s widely used by startups and smaller businesses to help cut costs and select designs from a large number of freelancers. The lucky designer can receive a nice chunk of change, while all other entrants receive nothing.

On its Facebook page, Gap posted:

“We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to… see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project.”

This is when Gap truly got slaughtered. Thousands more designers and a number of firms jumped on the “shame on Gap” bandwagon, accusing the company of expecting designers and loyal customers to provide ideas and design work for free.

In the end, Gap scrapped the entire project, reverting to it’s blue box logo. But the damage had already been done. People are still talking about the company’s efforts to get free input, while charging top dollar for its clothing lines.

What can small business owners learn from the Gap fiasco? Several things the Gap powers-that-be should have already known.

• You need to understand your customers and why they’re loyal. If you’re not sure why? Ask them.
• Your logo helps brand everything about the company. People identify with logos, which is why so many successful companies have been careful to only make small changes and not “shock” consumers.
• Focus groups are a necessity. If that means selecting some key customers and soliciting their feedback, so be it. I’m willing to bet that had Gap done this, the company would have realized just how ill-advised changing their logo was.

Argue all you want about experts and their advice, the only people who truly matter are the customers – they speak for the masses. If customers tell you it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.

Any business – large or small – needs to bridge the gap between the company’s key decision makers and the people who pay the bills. Ignore the ones paying the salaries, and you’re bound to make a fatal misstep. By involving your customers in potential changes, the chances of making this type of mistake decrease dramatically.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/10/18.
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The reality is, Google Instant affects only the search method itself, and not actual results. Well, sort of…

With Instant, the top results display (what you see before you need to scroll) is adjusted as letters are entered into the search box. An auto-complete feature lets you quickly select (with mouse or arrow keys) the topic you want. Auto-complete is user-friendly for most because it makes the process easier for those who may not know the exact terms and/or spellings.

Can't remember how to spell my name? Google Instant with auto-complete will help.

The real-time results display, however, is what will affect non top-ranking sites. This is because Google’s now made it easier to scratch your initial search by simply hitting the back key. Since people can search without waiting for pages to load, there’s a good chance the number of hits on subsequent pages will drop tremendously.

Here’s what small business sites can expect as a result of Google’s new feature:

• Less incoming traffic as a result of highly common keywords. Large companies and longer-running web sites will get first dibs.
• The need to optimize pages for more unique keywords. This would also result in less incoming traffic (because people tend to search more on common terms), but an increase in conversions since results will be more appropriate to their search.
• The need for a more strategic SEO plan for Google competitors. If you’ve been putting off optimizing pages for Bing and other search engines, Instant should give you the kick you need. Not that these engines garner more overall traffic and recognition, but because they also have users that are loyal to searching outside of Google.
• The need to rethink any Google Adwords campaign. Since there will be less scrolling, the need to be listed in the top half of Google’s pages is more important. Keep in mind that more unique, definitive terms may provide better results per dollar spent than the most common keywords. However, I anticipate Instant will result in a boost in the number of clicks on organic results as opposed to pay-for – we’ll see.

The good thing about Instant is that it enhances the user experience, which all sites and businesses should strive to improve.

There’s one caveat, though. Instant doesn’t support any questionable content. So keywords that resemble anything “sexy” will result in a halt of both auto-complete and real time results.

About Curves (a client of mine) sells plus-size lingerie. Their mission isn’t to sell sex, though. It’s about instilling confidence in women who aren’t portrayed as the “ideal” build in today’s modeling world. Google Instant affects the most commonly used term of “plus size lingerie”, leaving the company to determine additional ways of marketing via SEO.

As the user enters "plus size l..." real results are returned. Auto-complete results are limited.

As soon as the "i" is entered, the real-time display and auto-complete halts.

Typing in a complete phrase and clicking the search button (or pressing the ENTER key) will return results, but as Internet surfers get used to Instant, the number of old-style searches will likely drop. And while anyone can turn off Google Instant, the default setting is “ON”.

For the general population, Google’s just enriched the search experience. Now it’s up to businesses to devise plans to take advantage of these changes and find more ways to cater to their target audience.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/09/09.
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Disclaimer: My thoughts on statistics aren’t a secret and I’ve written about how they can fool us. Just the same, Nielsen’s report is interesting in several respects.

According to the report, we spend nearly a third of our time online, with more than 22% of that time devoted to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

More interesting, though, is the company’s findings for mobile device use. According to Nielsen, email is still the most popular activity on smartphones and feature-rich cell phones. I find the results somewhat surprising, mostly because research I’ve done across non-business users leans toward social media being the primary action on smartphones, with a decent number of folk reporting they haven’t even configured email accounts on their mobile devices.

According to Nielsen, we're spending the bulk of our smartphone time composing and receiving emails. But are these findings skewed by the survey of specific types of users? Or are more users not making clear via social networks how much they spend using their devices for social media as opposed to email?

Perhaps a vast number of respondents are business users. This matters not, though, because the simple fact that people are reading and composing email with their devices shows us that email marketing campaigns are still a great way to communicate with current and potential customers. This also means, however, that we need to focus more on making sure the emails being sent are properly rendered across all devices.

The report also tells us what we should already know – people sure like to Tweet and update their Facebook profiles via their smartphone. Actually, the bulk of my online friends upload pics more via smartphones than computers.

Also not surprising is the usage of video sites, like YouTube. Apps make videos load more quickly than surfing mobile sites, and most devices have a means to upload video to the YouTube servers as well.

Overall, the report is pretty compelling in what it covers. While it wouldn’t be wise to simply take the numbers at face value, we also cannot ignore that smartphones are being used to complete many of the same tasks people already do on their desktops. If you had any reservations about  paying more attention to a mobile-friendly site for your online business, this should serve as a reminder that mobile access is a significant part of the “big picture” when it comes to the future of the web.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/08/31.
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I’m talking about SHOPABILITY – that which makes a store shopable by even the most novice user. You won’t find the term in the dictionary, but I’ve used it as an industry term for 11 years. And for 11 years, I’ve watched store owner after store owner refuse to lay claim to his piece of the pie. I’m not alone – I’ve had plenty of in-depth discussions with key players and successful store owners. We all recognize the same trait amongst underperforming ecommerce sites of all sizes: the layout, design and navigation is not ideal.

I’ve made great efforts to get store owners more involved with the process, most recently by hosting a LinkedIn group focused specifically on the topic. And still, even the free information is a hard-sell.

Why is this? I can think of 10 “bad” reasons online store owners ignore the obvious and think the expenditure of making a store “shopable” isn’t necessary.

1. They’re married to their work. The biggest offenders, sporting horrible navigation and less-than-ideal layouts, are store owners who design the site themselves. It’s like a writer refusing to let an editor do his job. But, a good writer knows you can’t edit your own work and catch every – even the most obvious – mistake.
2. They rely too much on statistics. Last week I wrote about how statistics can easily fool us into thinking we need to change things up or implement the latest technology. This is so not the case. It all boils down to a site being usable by the broadest number of people.
3. They don’t want to offend (insert friend or family member here). It’s amazing how many store owners accept compromise because they don’t want to tell their nephew, daughter or best friend that they simply aren’t helping. My best advice? Keep it all professional and keep family and friends out of your business.
   

   If you want to increase sales, you have to go back to basics. Shopability determines whether people stay or go.

4. They pour all their money into Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is often due to lack of research. Simply put, SEO is only one piece of the puzzle. It’s not the be-all and end-all for everything.
5. They pour all their money into Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and Ad Campaigns. Again, lack of research can mean a great deal of money flushed down the toilet. PPCs and Ads should only be put into play after the site is completely optimized for both shopability and SEO. No excuses.
6. They think their wife, mother and best friend are telling the truth. They mean well, but those close to us are often closed-minded to what makes an online store usable, and they often sugar-coat their reviews. eCommerce sites need a no-holds-barred review by someone who’s not afraid to tell you where you’ve totally failed.
7. They think the money spent on a professional usability test could be better spent on a nifty Flash presentation. Let’s be clear. People love video, interactive content, and super-cool gadgets. But even more so, they want to be able to find the products they want or need and buy them without feeling like a total idiot. Shopability first, then toys and Easter eggs.
8. They think Amazon.com’s site is the industry benchmark. Amazon.com is actually a good example of what not to do. They’re successful because of all the products and services they offer (they’re seen as a one-stop-shop), and their financial history. Finding exactly what one needs, however, relies on the consumer knowing exact names or popular keywords rather than a browsing stab in the dark.
9. They copy competitor’s features and navigation. The key to creating a shopable site and converting shoppers from another site is to find out what your competitors are doing wrong. And, there’s always something wrong. Copying doesn’t help correct those issues.
10. They think their product line is truly unique. This is an oft-used excuse for not investing in true shopability. And, most often, store owners are entirely incorrect. A simple web search often returns dozens, if not hundreds or thousands, of other online stores that carry similar or identical products.

Sadly, by the time small business online store owners realize they’ve ignored the all-important, there’s little left in the bank. By the time most reach the point they need to call someone in, they’ve already experienced a serious decline in sales and are just a step away from that do or die moment.

Wondering why your online sales aren’t where they should be? Even with a great SEO campaign and successful click-throughs on ads and affiliate links? Look no further than how your store actually operates.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2010/08/05.
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