Net Syndicate Blog

From 26 May 2011, the law concerning the use of cookies and similar technologies for storing information on a user’s computer equipment is changing.

This will mean you will most likely need to change what you do on your website to ensure that you comply. You need to do something NOW as this law will be enforced from June 2012 onwards. 

Previously, if you wanted to use cookies, or similar technologies for storing information, on your website you had to tell visitors to your website how you use those cookies and how they can opt-out if they object to them being used.

The new law means cookies can only be placed on devices where the user or subscriber has given their express consent. This means the user has to be provided with clear and comprehensive information about the purposes of the storage of or access to that information, and have given his or her consent. The only exception is where the cookie is strictly necessary for a service requested by the user.

I have attached a link fully explaining the new law based on an article in Computer Weekly here:-

http://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/The-cookies-monster-How-to-deal-with-the-new-cookies-law#.T56kxb8gXxY

Also, the ICO website has information you should consult at:-

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/privacy_and_electronic_communications/the_guide/cookies.aspx

Actions you will need to take:-

• Perform an audit of your website
• Access how intrusive the cookies are?
• Decide on the best solution for obtaining consent.

Net Syndicate can help you with this audit.

Please contact david@netsyndicate.co.uk or call 0845 009 5560 to discuss further.

Net Syndicate is pleased to announce the availability of nopCommerce 2.50. To find out about the full list of fixes and changes please visit our website at www.netsyndicate.co.uk or call 0845 009 5560. 

Highlight features: 

• Significant performance optimization.

• Allow store owners to create several shipments per order.

• Pre-order support.

• Enhanced shipment tracking.

• Google analytics script for e-commerce.

• “Upload field” product attribute control type.

nopCommerce User Guide (nopCommerce 2.50) is the definitive guide to installing, configuring, building, maintaining an e-commerce site using the nopCommerce. Covers the entire application from start to finish and is written in a simple to understand manner. Get your copy by calling 0845 009 5560.

Net Syndicate is pleased to announce the release of nopCommerce 2.4. As well as many new enhancements nopmmerce now includes:-

• Mobile device support
• email marketing tool.

A full list of the functions and features of Version 2.4 can be found at www.netyndicate.co.uk or contact 0845 009 5560.

Net Syndicate is extremely happy to announce the availability of nopCommerce v2.40.

Highlight features

• Mobile device support (disabled by default).
• MailChimp plugin (email marketing tool).

Further details at www.netsyndicate.co.uk

Contact 0845 009 5560 

• Using mobile technology your customers can and it’s easier than you think!
• Having a dedicated mobile application for your online store means that customers can search for and buy products via their smart phone
• Our system is currently available on the iPhone and iPad, with Android coming soon. The mobile app can be fully customised and branded with the ability to add products and pages
•  It’s your own store with your own brand and products
•  Low project start-up cost and low on-going costs
• Currently integrates with PayPal Mobile payment syste.
  

  Can be fully integrate with our nopCommerce ecommerce system.

  Call 0845 009 5560  or email ecommerce@netsyndicate.co.uk for more information.

We are extremely happy to announce the availability of nopCommerce 2.20 . Visit this page to see the latest version and how Net Syndicate can provide you with one of the best .net open source ecommerce system available today.

The abandonment of online shopping carts is a concern for all businesses. With UK abandonment rates in the region of 50%, the average online business could be missing out on potential sales equivalent to 100% of its current turnover!

What are the reasons for shopping cart abandonment and what can the ecommerce business do to reduce this? Here are just a few of the key reasons and some suggestions:-

·         Delivery costs - high delivery charges was given by 46% of shoppers as a reason for abandonment. This is something that retailers can solve by offering free shipping where possible (at least over a certain threshold), or by making charges as low as possible, especially in comparison to rivals in their sector.  Also, if customers are reaching the shopping cart and then bailing out due to delivery costs, then this suggests that this has not been effectively communicated until this point, and shoppers may even have gone to the checkout to find out these charges without any strong intention to purchase. Delivery charges should be made clear on product pages at the very least, and even better if they can be prominently displayed on the homepage and around the site, as B&Q does here with its free delivery offer.

·         Comparison shopping - 37% gave this as a reason for abandonment. These customers possibly had no intention of buying, but wanted to compare total costs with another website. There is less retailers can do about this, but providing a good user experience and making it easy for them to find the information they want, as well as offering a competitive price, may make it more likely that they will return after their research is complete. It could also be argued that these shoppers shouldn’t have to reach the shopping basket to find out all  the price and delivery information they are looking for, as this could be provided on product pages.

·         Couldn’t find preferred payment option
For 24%, the lack of a suitable payment method meant that they abandoned the checkout. To combat this, retailers should look at their customer base and decide whether offering alternatives to debit and credit cards would help them to attract extra business.

·         Item unavailable at checkout
23% abandoned carts because the item turned out to be unavailable when they arrived there. This is just bad usability, and an excellent way to annoy your customers. Customers should not be finding this out on the shopping cart page.

·         Couldn’t find customer support
22% were unable to find a contact option.  They may have had a query about the product or website that needed to be answered before they went ahead with the purchase, or simply needed some reassurance, so not providing clear contact details can mean lost sales.

·         Security concerns
If 21% are abandoning for this reason, it suggests that some sites are not doing enough to make customers trust them. Displaying clear security information and logos, as well as contact details can all help to address these concerns.

(Statistics and Information provided by www.econsultancy.com)

We are extremely happy to announce the availability of nopCommerce v2.00 for download and upgrade. nopCommerce 2.00 was rewritten from scratch. Our development efforts were focused on moving nopCommerce to ASP.NET MVC 3.0, architecture improvements, further enhancements and fixing bugs. nopCommerce is the leading .net open source ecommerce system.

Highlight features

·    Architecture improvements

·    Moved to ASP.NET MVC 3.0 (Razor syntax)

·    Really pluggable architecture (just drop a plugin to the /plugins folder in your nopCommerce directory)

·    SQL Server Compact support

·    Code-First Development with Entity Framework 4 (data access)

·    More flexible ACL implementation

·    More user-friendly admin area

·    Added unit tests

This new release features many new improvements and additional functions. (extract from press release by nopCommerce august 2011)

Net Syndicate’s Managing Director, David Swain commented “nopCommerce is true to its word and has produced, in our view, the best .net open source ecommerce system available”

More information on 0845 009 5560, email ecommerce@netsyndicate.co.uk or visit www.netsyndicate.co.uk

ecommerce sales have increased in comparison to traditional stores with many businesses and individuals turning to online shops to sell products online. The following are some guidelines to start or improve your online product business.

Finding Products
Visitors can’t buy products that they cannot find. It’s critical that your ecommerce site helps them to easily locate what they want, and a good site search function and clear navigation are critical factors. Visitors should be able to search for products by entering descriptive words or item numbers and get an accurate and helpful list of products. Navigation should be clear and show types of products (categories) available. This, together with promotional items, discounts and other special offers, provides the visitor with a good experience of your ecommerce website..

Simple Checkout
Make the checkout simple. Long and complicated processes will turn users away from buying your products. The shorter and easier your checkout process is, the less abandoned and aborted shopping carts you will have. Work to streamline the checkout process so it involves as few steps as possible.

Accessible
Make sure your website works in ALL the major browsers. Test all functions, product displays and features to ensure users can view the website correctly.
 
Website Traffic
To get sales you need traffic/visitors. You may have a great design and the coolest products out there, but if no one is seeing them it really doesn’t matter. Make sure that you have a marketing plan or someone who is dedicated to promoting the site because simply putting it up will not draw enough visitors.

Trustworthy
There are a lot of scammers out there and unfortunately that means that those who are trustworthy need to be able to prove it. Visitors will be hesitant to make a purchase online until they feel that they can trust the merchant. A common practice is to include badges for any associations, as well as for payment methods like VeriSign, Sage Pay or PayPal.

Optimized for Search Engines
Online searches provide some of the highest quality of traffic that you can get to your site. People who find your site through a search are looking for what you have to offer, so they are pretty likely to buy if your site does a good job. Many ecommerce sites suffer from poor search engine optimization. This is a huge topic that cannot be covered here, but if you are not familiar with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) make sure that you consult with a professional.

Maximising Selling Opportunities
Develop a number of promotional areas to get customers interested and returning to the site, such as:-
• Register for newsletter, catalogue or more info
• Cross sell products “People who bought this also purchased….”
• Add related products. Relate each product to another and show them on the product page
• Offer bundles. If you sell shoes, think about selling the cleaner and shoe bag as well.
• Email promotional item to registered customers on a regular basis with links back to the specific product page.
• Offer basket discounts
• Sell your customers gift cards for Birthdays, Christmas etc…
We could build up a big list here……

Add in tracking Code
Track users on your website and gain vital statistics and usage information. A must is to set up Google Analytics for your ecommerce website.

Turning visitors into buyers, however, is not simple. There are several factors that you need to consider and improve on to entice visitors to spend their hard-earned cash on your website. Here are some of the important factors:
• Simplicity or ease of use
• Attitude and accessibility
• Responsiveness or the quality, speed and helpfulness of your email replies
• Transparency of your policies including privacy and return policies
• Selection and presentation of products.

Net Syndicate is the main partner for nopCommerce’s ecommerce solution in the UK.
Contact 0845 009 5560 or email david@netsyndicate.co.uk

Net Syndicate has been asked to undertake an evaluation of two well-known .net Open Source Content Management Systems by one of its major clients. The evaluation will look at mojoPortal and Umbraco and the report will be published later in the summer.

Net Syndicate provides ecommerce systems based on the nopCommerce ecommerce platform as well as web design and development and database integration.

Contact 0845 009 5560 or support@netsyndicate.co.uk