News

Catch up on the latest exciting news from WSM and check out our valuable resources and articles posted by our in-house experts every week!

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Aug

11

2020

SEMA Market Report Summary

author: Christopher

SEMA 2020 Market Report in 15 minutes (as it relates to automotive eCommerce) The 90 page report was packed to the brim with incredible insights but we realize given the current state of the world, you may not have had time for such light reading. So, we’ve taken some time to extract and analyze some of the most relevant findings from SEMA’s most recent work of art. The good news is that demand for aftermarket products isn’t going anywhere. In fact, if you own...

Jun

24

2020

How to Build a Successful eCommerce Business: Part 2 Choose an eCommerce Platform

author: Christopher

Choose the Right Platform Starting an eCommerce business is more than just building a website and launching it. It requires ongoing maintenance and support to keep your website running. Which is why many businesses choose to build their site using an established eCommerce platform. The eCommerce platform you choose can make or break your site—literally. So find a partner with excellent customer support to troubleshoot technical issues. Here’s what to look for in an eCommerce...

Apr

22

2020

How to Build a Successful eCommerce Business: Part 1 Establish Your Strategy

author: Christopher

Who This Article Series is Ideal For You want to sell aftermarket parts without the overhead of a brick and mortar store or perhaps you have a physical location but want to expand your reach and give customers the option to buy online. You don’t have the time or funds to hire a full-time development team to build a site from scratch, especially when you can leverage existing technology that’s proven to work. Additionally, you prefer to have full control over the design , branding...

Mar

16

2020

Web Shop Manager Statement Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

author: Christopher

Web Shop Manager Statement Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) Out of an abundance of caution and consideration for the health and safety of our customers and employees, Web Shop Manager would like to be completely transparent about our operational response during the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are some of the ways that Web Shop Manager is supporting our customers, employees, and communities during this difficult time. Customer Support Web Shop Manager believes that...

Mar

29

2017

March 2017 Web Shop Manager talks Muse Awards, upcoming events, and new website features.

author: Alex

2017 started off with a bang and March has been no exception. We've got new site releases, upcoming events we'll be attending, we even won another award! In this issue: WSM Wins 2017 Muse Award New ChannelAdvisor Integration March 2017 New Website Releases New Product Enhancements Upcoming Events WSM will be attending WSM News BAK Industries Website Redesign Wins Gold Muse Award The new website for BAK industries has garnered quite a lot of...

Feb

16

2017

Web Shop Manager At The 2017 Ultimate Callout Challenge

author: Alex

After having amazing success in 2016 with the first ever Ultimate Callout Challenge , the event is back. The 2017 Ultimate Callout Challenge will be hosted at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, IN April 21st-23rd, 2017 and features drag races, sled pulls, and a truck show. An addition to the UCC event this year is the Diesel Performance Industry Expo . The DPI Expo will be one of the largest gatherings of vendors in the diesel industry. WIth a partnership between UCC...

Sep

19

2016

Automotive Marketing Agencies

author: Thomas

For any of you who may have come across the much celebrated TV series Mad Men, the days of suave smoking, cocktail drinking advertising executives are well and truly in the past. At the apogee of the Madison Avenue advertising firms, clients eager to get ahead would queue up to hear the words of wisdom of a handful of men who dominated the burgeoning advertising industry. With less gullible consumers today that have grown wise to the likes of smoking Medical Doctors recommending menthol...

Sep

15

2016

How to Grow Small Business

author: Thomas

The abilities of your San Diego web design are endless, and when you have an e-commerce store with a lot of products, it can be overwhelming deciding the placement of individual elements from images to checkout. Here we break down some simple e-commerce solutions that will grow your bottom dollar and your small business brand. Strategy for eCommerce Business Growth: Checkout Even though the checkout is going to be the last part of the shopper's experience, it should be the first...

Sep

9

2016

Adding Ecommerce to an existing website

author: Thomas

With the exponential growth of Ecommerce over the past five years especially, more and more people are looking to jump on the bandwagon and monetize their creative talents or sell products to a potentially global marketplace. Chances are though that with the growing popularity of content management systems (CMS) such as Word Press, many people will already have an existing website or blog that may have accumulated a sizeable following and popularity among their readership. Furthermore,...

Sep

7

2016

AIM Expo 2016 in Orlando, Florida

author: Thomas

This year will mark the fourth edition of the American International Motorcycle Expo (AIM Expo) that is to be held in Orlando, Florida from October 13th to 16th, 2016 at the Orange County Convention Center. In a very short space of time, it has become the leading Expo across the country, attracting close to 19,000 attendees for the AIM Expo 2015 edition and originating from more than 50 countries worldwide as well as from all 50 states in the US. Last year’s figures are impressive...

Aug

23

2016

CDK Global, Inc. and WSM

author: Thomas

CDK Global, Inc. is an independent company that trades on the Nasdaq. It was formerly known as ADP Dealer Services until changing its name almost two years ago on October 1, 2014. CDK Global is the world leader in providing integrated information technology solutions and digital marketing tools specifically for the automotive retail industry. This is the reason why Web Shop Manager is proud to work so closely with CDK Global. WSM’s ability to interface with third party software is...

Aug

15

2016

Sema Car Show Las Vegas

author: Thomas

Web Shop Manager is happy to announce that we will be present this year at the world renowned SEMA Show 2017 that is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from October 31st to November 3rd 2017 in Nevada. This follows our recent announcement that we are due to attend the PWA Conference in September in California . We believe it is very important to be present at all the major industry gatherings in order to meet our clients and friends while staying abreast of all the latest...

Aug

11

2016

2016 PWA Conference

author: Thomas

The Performance Warehouse Association will be hosting the 2016 PWA Conference next month from September 11th till the 14th at the Embassy Suites Anaheim – South in Garden Grove, California. Meet Web Shop Manager at the PWA Conference in Anaheim As a member of the PWA, Web Shop Manager is proud to announce that we will be present at this year’s PWA Conference in Garden Grove. We look forward to the opportunity and pleasure that this well established conference offers us to...

Aug

4

2016

2016 Gold Muse Creative Awards

author: Thomas

In June 2016, the results of the Muse Creative Awards were released to great praise. Web Shop Manager was recognized for their work with five of their clients who worked closely with Web Shop Manager to redesign their websites. Along with four Gold Awards, they were also awarded an honorable mention for the following ecommerce websites . Gold Award - M067-E-commerce - Rockridge 4 Wheel Drive Website Redesign Gold Award - M067-E-commerce - Fast Scions Website...

Aug

2

2016

Create Brand Awareness

author: Thomas

If you're just getting started designing that e-commerce store or attracting online customers for your brick and mortar business, you might feel a little behind. The good news is, you're entering a time when being an online store is not only accepted but preferred by more consumers. Plus, the tools are better, and web designs are easier for customers to use on all screen sizes. However, before you get started, you need a launch plan because if you don't let people know you're out...

Aug

1

2016

Golden Ratio Automotive Design

author: Thomas

For generations now, every young boy has at some point picked up a toy car and admired the beauty of form and elegance that meld together to form utter dynamism and design. Every girl and boy have picked a flower and contemplated the sheer beauty of nature. What is it that appeals so to our sense of aesthetics from such an innocent age? It is known as the golden ratio which is a number that resides at the heart of the very nature of things. It is responsible for symmetry, super symmetry...

Jul

29

2016

Time for a Redesign

author: Thomas

It's not uncommon for website owners to look past the design of their static pages and basic service and product information. Especially when you have the fast-paced and exciting world of social media that demands daily attention. But before you take on more products or join another social media platform, take a step back and check out your website. And we mean really look at it. These days it's critical that your web design serves the purpose that you set out to do – give...

Jul

28

2016

Reduce Bounce Rate for Higher Sales

author: Thomas

It’s amazing how much customer information you can get from a simple number like your bounce rate. Your bounce rate lets you know whether people are staying on your site once they’ve arrived, or if they are leaving immediately before you even have a chance to show them what you’re about. Here we look at a few ways to reduce your bounce and increase sales. #1: Break up the text If the first page your potential customers see is a five hundred word paragraph,...

Jul

27

2016

Title Tags and Descriptions

author: Thomas

While there’s been much debate about the importance of meta keyword tags in 2016, some meta tags still play a very solid role in your SEO efforts and should not be ignored. For starters, your meta descriptions are the first thing people see when their search results are pulled up. It’s those 160-220 characters you see before deciding which website to click on . Some meta tags are only written in HTML code and won’t be viewed by people, but are provided to explain to...

Jul

16

2016

Successful Ways to Reward Customers and Gain Loyal Shoppers

author: Thomas

When running an online business, it's critical that your customers are loyal. You don't want their business once – you want it over and over again. However, as new e-commerce stores and businesses pop up online, it can be tough to keep the attention of the people who have traditionally come to you for services. After all, we all like to check out the latest and greatest thing on the block. Here are a few ways that you can keep shoppers loyal, even when someone new comes in...

Jul

15

2016

2 Simple Web Design Fixes That Will Amp Up Your ROI

author: Thomas

When customers think about your web design, they think of attractive fonts, vibrant colors, and stylish images. But as a web designer, you have A LOT more to think about. An effective website design strategy starts and ends with research, using all of the tools available at your disposal. You not only want to entice the visitor to come to your site, but you want them to stick around and convert – and this takes a user interface that is easy to navigate, has fast upload times, and...

Jul

8

2016

2016 East Coast Diesel Nationals

author: Thomas

The Web Shop Manager team is heading to the east coast! Web Shop Manager's CEO and E-Commerce thought leader, Dana Nevins, is going to Catawissa, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 16th. 7th annual 2016 East Coast Diesel Nationals If you are going to be in the area and want to discuss how you can dominate your local diesel market or ecommerce in general, let us know. We would love to talk with you about diesel dominance! The largest "DIESEL ONLY" event on the East Coast is now...

Jun

24

2016

Do You Want to Go Viral?

author: Thomas

Going viral is sought after by businesses and individuals alike and for a variety of reasons. However, you should approach going viral by throwing caution to the wind to ensure that you make a positive impression that will help your business (and not hurt it). Here we'll let you know the pros and cons of going viral and a few steps you can take to get started. The pros of going viral You’ll get more brand exposure and traffic to your e-commerce website , and this means...

Jun

21

2016

Managing data: Are You Using the Right Tools?

author: Thomas

While managing data might not be your favorite task on the to-do list, it's one of the most critical when you want to run a successful online business. And there are a ton of excellent tools out there that give you a genuine insight into how well you're doing. It is not unreasonable to strive for having the best auto parts website in the United States . With that said, not all of those amazing tools will necessarily be right for you. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself...

Jun

3

2016

June 7-10, 2016 IRCE Exhibition Chicago

author: Thomas

Web Shop Manager CEO, Dana Nevins, and Senior Account Executive, Jordan Masciorini, will be attending the 2016 IRCE tradeshow in Chicago from June 7th to 10th. If you would like to discuss our custom e-commerce platform in person, it would be a pleasure. Schedule a Meeting with Dana and Jordan >"/> hbspt.cta.load(217664, 'b25bb2ba-85b3-4d33-8125-52cfe59edd27', {}); IRCE: The Retail...

Apr

7

2016

April Newsletter: BAK Industries Redesign & Webby Award Nominee

author: Dana

BAK Industries, a new look & experience for 2016 A Big Thanks to BAK Industries for building their 3rd generation website with Web Shop Manager. Each version on which we have collaborated has raised the bar on automotive eCommerce web design and the automotive manufacturing space online as a whole. Does your current website design and functionality meet your needs? Can you accomplish your business goals in 2016 with your current web technology?...

Mar

8

2016

March Newsletter: Your Hollywood eCommerce Blockbuster!

author: Dana

Cinema Vehicles, welcome to Web Shop Manager Please join us in welcoming Cinema Vehicles , America's largest full service picture car company to the Web Shop Manager automotive platform. Form meets function with a 100% custom search experience to drill down to cars such as Elenore from Gone in 60 Seconds, the Charger R/T from The Fast and the Furious or the Gran Torino from Starsky and Hutch. Does your current website design and functionality meet your needs? Can you...

Aug

12

2014

Using Automotive Classifieds to Build Your Customer Base and Grow Traffic

author: Dustin

A few weeks ago we wrote about our automotive classifieds service Readers Rides and the benefits it could give your site. This week we will focus on using automotive classifieds to build your customer base and grow your organic search traffic! One of the many benefits of using automotive classifieds includes having unique, user generated content published to your site. Google values fresh content being published to a site because Google’s main goal is to help users find exactly what...

Jul

8

2014

5 Awesome Automotive Web Design Banners

author: Dustin

Effective automotive web design often goes hand in hand with online banner ads. We aren’t talking about paid ads you see on Google – we are talking about call to action banners within your automotive eCommerce site that entice users to click through your site to your specials and featured products. Pictures speak a thousand words, and if you have an attention grabbing banner it can be incredibly effective in pulling in potential customers and ultimately making a sale. Why is...

Jun

10

2014

10 Tips To Turn Browsers Into Buyers

author: Dustin

The first thing you need before trying any of these 10 tips to turn browsers into buyers is a solid foundation. What we mean by this is your site should be user friendly, easy to use, great to look at, and accessible from any device. See our previous article 5 Benefits of Responsive Web Design to see how a responsive site can benefit your business. Now let’s get on with our 10 tips to turn browsers into buyers so you can make more sales with your eCommerce business!...

May

13

2014

Readers Rides Automotive Classifieds

author: Dustin

Readers Rides is an amazing automotive classifieds service that Web Shop Manager has developed and offers to the automotive eCommerce industry. Readers Rides aims to build a community of automotive enthusiasts within your site that can actively interact with one another. This sense of community draws people back to your site over and over again, giving you more sales opportunities and developing a loyal customer base that will recommend your site to friends and family. Readers Rides allows...

Apr

8

2014

5 Benefits Of Responsive Web Design

author: Dustin

It is becoming increasingly more difficult to have a successful online business today without utilizing responsive web design. If you want to stand apart from your competitors in 2014 and make more money, it is crucial to make your site responsive and ensure that anyone can access your site from any device. This article will outline the benefits of responsive web design and how it can help your business achieve more and reach more customers. Consider this infographic from Digital...

Mar

11

2014

Benefits of a CMS for Big Data & eCommerce

author: Dustin

A Content Management System (CMS) like Web Shop Manager makes it easy to build and maintain a high quality website without having limited or any knowledge of HTML and CSS. Content Management Systems are also fantastic for making websites that will have big data and a large amount of products. There are several advantages for utilizing a CMS for designing or creating a website, which include but are not limited to: Ease of use: A CMS makes it easy to create, edit and publish...

Feb

10

2014

10 Tips for Selling A Product

author: Dustin

Start with your current customers – The importance of creating a long lasting relationship between your company and your customers is crucial to success. Going to current customers first can create a slew of recurring purchases for lifelong revenue and invaluable word of mouth advertising. Use call to actions – Call to actions are often not completely true, but they do help sell products. A great example of a call to action is placing “limited supply...

Jan

14

2014

What Google’s Keyword (Not Provided) Means for Your Site

author: Dustin

Keyword (Not Provided) - What is going to happen to my SEO efforts? The looming reality that soon 100% of keywords will be (not provided) in Google Analytics does not change SEO practices of keyword research and content optimization – it only tweaks them slightly. Google has gotten stricter about secure (https) searching and regrettably what has come from this is that all search data that was available to us through Google Analytics is now becoming blocked or “(not provided)”....

Dec

24

2013

How To Rebrand Your Company: Rebranding Strategies To Consider

author: Dustin

With technology advancing so quickly and memes coming and going in the blink of an eye, companies often find themselves stuck in a vicious circle of having an “old” brand that is no longer connecting with customers, resonating with employees, but feels familiar and “safe”. Rebranding is something that is often advised against, but it could help a company that is suffering from decreasing sales, low web traffic, and other symptoms of a brand that people do not want to associate themselves...

Dec

10

2013

3 Examples of Great Automotive Logo Design

author: Chris

A great automotive logo design can help your business stand apart from the hundreds of other automotive eCommerce sites out there. Below are three examples of what makes automotive logo designs appealing to potential customers and three examples of great logos that Web Shop Manager has designed for our clients. Your automotive logo does not need to be what you sell: Although many companies opt to include a car or truck in their logo, most companies decide for their logo...

Nov

26

2013

Developing a Brand: Building an Automotive eCommerce Brand

author: Chris

Building a brand is the most important aspect of your automotive eCommerce business due to the sheer number of competitors in this industry. When you have a recognizable brand that is synonymous with value and automotive expertise, you have a winning combination. Brands should be easily recognizable and eye or ear catching. Simplicity is key when branding your company: if you look at some of the biggest brands, you will notice that their brand logos are extremely simple without an...

Nov

12

2013

3 Easy Ways to Write for SEO - SEO Content Writing for Users & Google

author: Chris

Google constantly states that websites should focus on producing quality content for users and not search engines. With the main focus of SEO efforts being so wrapped up in targeting keywords and trying to rank highly on the SERP, this is a hard pill to swallow. People love beautifully designed sites, but content is still king, and there needs to be compelling SEO copy for both users to want to stay on the page and for Google to crawl and index your page. 1) Write interesting and...

Oct

14

2013

5 Ways to Increase Social Media Presence to Help Your Automotive eCommerce Site

author: Chris

1) The more people you get talking about your product or brand, the higher your conversion rate. First you need to decide exactly what conversion means to you – a sale, a newsletter sign up, or someone simply staying on your site after landing on the homepage. Whatever you decide, people turn to their connections on social media to ask questions and find answers – get your brand or product in that message! Social media is an important aspect of branding and marketing actions...

Oct

7

2013

Utilizing SEO Part 3: Creating Unique Content and Ensuring Optimal Keyword Density

author: Chris

The final blog post in our Utilizing SEO series: Creating Unique Content and Ensuring Optimal Keyword Density The last two weeks have covered basic SEO definitions and conducting keyword research. Now that you understand what Meta Information is and how to conduct keyword research, you can begin creating unique content and implementing what you have found into the backend of your site and start tracking your site’s performance. Creating Unique Content for Your Page...

Sep

30

2013

Utilizing SEO Part 2: Search Engine Optimization How To

author: Chris

Dustin de Koekkoek , our in-house SEO Specialist, is back for Part 2 of the Utilizing SEO series! Last week we covered basic definitions that you will encounter often in the world of SEO. Now that we have a basic understanding about search engine optimization, keywords, and their role in SEO, we can move on to actual keyword research. Search Engine Optimization How To: What is keyword research? Keyword research is the most fundamental part of any SEO strategy – it...

Sep

23

2013

Utilizing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Part 1: SEO Definitions

author: Chris

Our in-house SEO Specialist, Dustin de Koekkoek , is back to share a valuable new blog series on understanding basic SEO to help your site reach the highest ranks of Google searches! The first step to mastering SEO? Learning what some of the main phrases and keywords mean using this basic SEO guide! SEO Definitions: Meta Information & Keywords When planning to do SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your site, it is important to note that there are some basic SEO...

Sep

19

2013

How to Set Up Google Authorship

author: Chris

Google values blog posts that have Google authorship markup much higher in searches than those without Google authorship. Take advantage of this How-To article written by Web Shop Manager's in-house SEO specialist, Dustin de Koekkoek , to help your blog posts reach the top of Google searches and be read by more viewers! How to Set Up Google Authorship Steps Step One: Verify your email address on Google+ Google first wants to make sure that you are the owner of your email...

Aug

27

2013

Develop a winning coupon strategy!

author: Mark

Consumers on the hunt As the technological age has allowed the consumer to become better informed about products prior to purchase, it has also afforded them the opportunity to search for the best deal when they make the decision to purchase an item online. They should no longer be merely characterized as “online shoppers”, but in fact they are now sophisticated price evaluators, with the simple goal of paying the very least for what they want. More and more recently...

Aug

13

2013

Customer Case Studies

author: Chris

Here at Web Shop Manager, we love to get feedback – both positive and negative about the performance of our company, technology, and service. We take the opinions of our clients seriously. What we love even more than client feedback though is results! Actions speak louder than words after all and numbers don’t lie, especially for the companies featured in our new Company Case Studies page on Web Shop Manager. We are proud to be partnering with these automotive aftermarket...

Jul

22

2013

Web Shop Manager Named #28 in 100 Fastest Growing Companies by SDBJ

author: Chris

Web Shop Manager, a leading eCommerce solution for the automotive aftermarket and related-industries, captured the 28th spot on the list of the “100 Fastest Growing Private Companies” by the San Diego Business Journal . Web Shop Manager grew 148.15% from 2010 to 2012 . Their core mission is making online businesses more successful by providing cutting-edge eCommerce technology, industry experience, and expert management of...

Jul

9

2013

Why Your Site Needs Year-Make-Model Lookup

author: Chris

Speedy, smart, and intuitive search features are critical to the experience your customers have on your website. Searching and finding exactly what they are looking for can make or break your online conversions and repeat business. Find ways to help speed your customer’s search and keep them coming back for more using cutting-edge search options. Cater to the Customer When visiting your automotive website for parts, almost every customer knows exactly what vehicle they are...

Jun

26

2013

10 Ways to Drive Buyers to your Brick and Mortar Store

author: Chris

For a brick and mortar auto parts store owner the internet can be seen as a threat or used as an advantage for more business. About 80% of customers research products online, but 75% of them still prefer to buy in-store. Here are 10 ways you can position your website to turn online searches into in-store customers. 1. Quality Content for Locals Create high quality content on your website, but make sure it includes local search terms. The key is to show up in local search results for...

Jun

26

2013

10 Steps to Perfect Product Merchandising in e-Commerce

author: Chris

Product merchandising for e-Commerce is as, or possibly more, important than brick and mortar merchandising. Not only must you display your products in a clean, clear image, it must interest and entice your customers enough for them to make a purchase. These 10 steps help answer the basic questions your customer has about product merchandising: what will this product do for me? This question includes roadblocks in your customer’s mind about your product: does it work with the...

May

17

2013

5 Digital Marketing Trends That You Should Act On

author: Merylee

Website marketing is all about using the broad fundamentals of traditional marketing strategies -- engagement, interpretation, and adaptation. Web analytics tools have made it easier to gather data and make that data work for your business, so it's just a matter of knowing what to do with the information that's at your fingertips. Below are five trends in digital marketing that have become keys to success online today. These trends should be considered pointers on how you can make the...

May

16

2013

Owned, Paid, and Earned Website Marketing - What You Need to Know

author: Merylee

Marketing your ecommerce business on the web can be a real challenge, especially since it may be difficult figuring out how to start and where. Knowing both the how and the where can get your business off to a good start, or help unlock the full potential of your online business. There are three basic kinds of website marketing strategy that ebusinesses need to master: Owned Paid for Earned Let's look at all three and what they mean for your business. Website...

Apr

17

2013

7 Tips for Creating an eCommerce Website that Earns Loyal Customers

author: Merylee

If you're running an eCommerce business, your long term success relies on building brand loyalty and a solid customer base. These are the people who will keep coming back to you for their needs and will also recommend you to friends and family members. Establishing this sense of brand loyalty can be difficult early on, however, and sometimes there are no second chances when it comes to creating repeat business . Here are seven tips that will help you generate return customers and build...

Apr

5

2013

5 Tips for DIY SEO: Search Engine Optimization on a Budget

author: Merylee

Search engine optimization (SEO) can mean the difference between getting found on Google and getting lost in the vast information landscape of the internet. If you're a small eCommerce business, having an cost effective SEO campaign is crucial for getting a good start, but you may be intimidated by selecting and hiring a professional firm to handle your SEO duties. Thankfully there are a few things that you can do on your own for free that can help improve your site's SEO. Here are five...

Apr

5

2013

5 Tips for Effective eCommerce Blogging and Content Development

author: Merylee

One of the most common pitfalls of blogging for eCommerce businesses is sheer blandness. Many blogs become dumping grounds for press releases, reports, and minor bits of news without any sense of personality or purpose. It's content without a reader in mind, and who wants to read that? Even if you are a corporate brand, your blog needs to provide some sense of your business’s voice and vision. That's why it's important to consider what makes certain blogs successful and (more...

Mar

28

2013

10 Reasons Why Your eCommerce Website Should Use Responsive Design

author: Merylee

Studies indicate that more and more people will be accessing the web through their smart phones and tablets than through their desktops or laptops. Given this trend, businesses now have to make an important decision to remain competitive: create a separate mobile website or develop a responsive design? If you're unfamiliar with the term, responsive website design (RWD) refers to how a site adapts to the width of a device's screen. That means that a single site can be viewed on all...

Mar

28

2013

Google Analytics eCommerce Tracking - Traffic, Events, Conversions, and Other Goals

author: Merylee

If you want to find out how well your eCommerce website is performing, you need to track your numbers. Looking at your search engine rank and your traffic isn't enough, though. You need to consider your conversion rate , how those conversions are coming through your website, and how you can gear your site toward increasing conversions. One of the great things about Google Analytics is that it can help you do more than just track standard website traffic numbers. There are tools in...

Mar

26

2013

4 Tips for Revamping Your eCommerce Website

author: Merylee

If you're looking to improve your current eCommerce website , it's important that you take time to figure out exactly what needs to be changed and how these changes can be properly implemented. This process isn't something you should rush into. Rushing to a launch a new and improved version of your online store can lead to more headaches down the line (and possibly another relaunch), yet many online business owners have trouble knowing exactly how to start and where to focus their energy....

Mar

8

2013

The Changing Landscape of Marketing

author: Merylee

It should come as no surprise that the web has completely changed the way that marketing works. Old strategies no longer apply in a world that is interconnected. In fact, new companies that try to apply old marketing strategies will most likely fail, especially small businesses. Let's take a look at the the changing marketing landscape and compare it to marketing in the Internet Age . We'll also explain why this change is a good thing for your business. "Broadcast" Marketing - How...

Mar

8

2013

Creating Marketing Videos for Your Website Marketing Strategy

author: Merylee

If you want to get your business noticed, creating marketing videos and incorporating them into your website marketing strategy can be a worthwhile endeavor. Not only do great marketing videos say a lot about your eCommerce business and the products and services you offer, but if made right your marketing videos can be a tremendous asset to your overall website marketing strategy. As many business owners find, creating marketing videos is easier said than done. I'm sure we've all seen...

Mar

4

2013

5 Reasons Why Alternatives to Ebay Can Help You Sell More Products

author: Merylee

eBay remains one of the most popular ways to sell products on the web. Many online businesses began as eBay ventures, growing over time into successful full service eCommerce websites . Having both an eBay presence and an eCommerce site on its own is a great way to reach as many potential customers as possible. However the fees associated with selling through eBay can take a significant toll on already slim profit margins – for many online retailers transitioning the majority of...

Mar

4

2013

Social Media Strategy for Your eCommerce Website

author: Merylee

So we all know that effective use of social media strategy is a great way to make your eCommerce business flourish. But what a lot of people don't know is how to make social media work for them. Simply having a presence on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and other social media outlets isn't enough to build out your website marketing strategy . For that matter, irrelevant or non-engaging updates aren't enough to build a social community around your brand, no matter how consistent....

Feb

21

2013

Building Big Brands for Small eCommerce Businesses

author: Merylee

Big brands have major advantages over small businesses when it comes to search engine performance. But small businesses shouldn't feel down or defeated. There are many ways that you can build a brand and get your name out there, allowing you to compete with major companies and competitors in the ecommerce marketplace . Building Big Brands: What Makes a Brand? There are multiple factors that go into building brands, and it can actually take years to effectively implement them. But as...

Feb

21

2013

10 SEO Tips for eCommerce Websites

author: Merylee

If you want to establish a presence for your ecommerce website on the internet, it needs to get found on search engines for the products you sell. This can be easier said than done, but there are some easy eCommerce SEO tips that you can incorporate into your site to make sure that your business gets found. If you've never heard the term before, SEO stands for "search engine optimization." It basically refers to ways that you can make your site more competitive on Google, Bing, and...

Feb

5

2013

10 Steps to Increase Sales Conversion on Your eCommerce Website

author: Merylee

Converting website traffic into paying customers is the main goal of any ecommerce website. The conversion rate is calculated as the percentage of visitors that become customers (number of visits divided by the number of purchases or leads generated). If your online store is suffering from low conversion rates or you need a conversion boost to meet your revenue goals for the year, here are 10 steps you can take to achieve greater ecommerce success: 1. Define Your Ideal Buyer...

Jan

10

2013

5 Steps to Leveraging Yelp in Your Internet Marketing Strategy

author: Dana

Yelp boasts over 71 million unique viewers per month and if you haven’t begun to harness the power of Yelp with your business listing – get started now. With proper management and the right elements in place, your Yelp page can persuade even the most discerning consumers to spend money with you instead of with your competitors. In your arsenal of social media marketing tools, Yelp is a direct link to savvy consumers who are ready to be dazzled by doing business with you. Spending...

Nov

30

2012

New Pinterest Business Pages And The Benefits For Your Site

author: Dustin

Pinterest has taken over the world quickly grown into the social media wonder child. If you are still trying to market effectively on Facebook, you have another social network that refuses to be overlooked. If you have an eCommerce site filled with high resolution, original product images you need to put Pinterest on your marketing priority list. Pinterest is basically a visual bulletin board where similar products, for example recipes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, are...

Nov

23

2012

The 5 Minute Guide to Increase Holiday Season Sales

author: Emily

Ok…start your stop watch….now! Here is the five minute read with six ideas to help increase your bottom line from now until the end of the year. No fluff, just value here. 6 Ways to Increase Revenue this Holiday Season Grab Bags. Include products you are trying to liquidate along with samples of popular products, all for a bargain basement price. This way you can sell product you want out of your sale section and your customers are sampling products that they will...

Oct

8

2012

PayPal ExpressCheckout - Increase PayPal Sales By 18%

author: Normandy

PayPal Express Checkout & Web Shop Manager Unite! In the world of eCommerce, the faster you can get a customer through the checkout process, the better. As a part of Web Shop Manager’s (WSM) never ending quest to provide our clients with the most powerful applications and effective eCommerce solutions, we are now offering support of the PayPal Express Checkout feature! PayPal Express Checkout has been increasing users' PayPal conversions by 18% ! But what exactly can...

Sep

19

2012

3 Website Design Strategy Tips That Add Creativity To Your Site

author: Dustin

As is the case with most things in the world, website design strategy has changed and evolved throughout the years. In the beginning it was expected that most of the best website platforms would have a similar look, layout, and functionality. What was different was the content. This left very little room for creative expression in the world of web design, but things have changed! 1) Illustrations & Illustrative Design Illustrations & Illustrative Design have become a...

Sep

10

2012

Increase eCommerce Sales With Category Trees

author: Alec

E-commerce Categories are the sections of your website that are broken down into related topics that you can place relevant products into. Think back to the times that you have shopped online and it becomes immediately apparent how important they were to your overall experience, but are you aware of just how important it is and their potential to increase eCommerce sales? What categories will be presented on the home page? How many will there be? How many sub-categories will this one have?...

Sep

6

2012

Using Google Analytics & Website Metrics- Part 2

author: Alec

Google Analytics Metrics & How You Can Improve Yours! Having a deep understanding of what your Google Analytics account is telling you through all the different data and metrics is a very important step towards mastering selling online. In case you missed part 1 of this blog series, you should check it out here: “ Using Google Analytics & Website Metrics- Part 1 .” Carrying on with the same theme, this article will delve deeper into the metrics themselves, explaining...

Sep

4

2012

Adding Personality To Your Website Designs

author: Dustin

Being a web designer isn't just about creating a functional website that serves its purpose, obviously that’s a major part of it, but it isn't the end of the road. A designer of any kind has the extremely unique ability to utilize emotions, and the decisions these emotions lead people to make. The average consumer isn’t just looking for a product. At face value that may seem like the case and the consumers themselves may even think it to be true, but there’s more to it than...

Aug

20

2012

Responsive Web Design & What It Means For The Future

author: Dustin

Day by day the number of devices and browsers that need to work with your website grows. Responsive website design represents a fundamental shift in how we’ll build websites in the future. So what is responsive web design? Essentially, responsive web design is the process of building a website that adapts to the user instead of making the user adapt to it. Depending on the kind of device the website is being viewed with, the site itself will display a little differently. Someone viewing...

Aug

8

2012

Using Google Analytics & Website Metrics- Part 1

author: Alec

Creating and maintaining success in eCommerce is very much an ongoing battle. You can’t get everything moving in the right direction and then simply let your well oiled online selling machine fare on its own! Using Google Analytics and website metrics as your guide is a great way to keep an eye on what is and isn’t working on your website, and track the effects that changes have on things like traffic on site visibility. Those who have spent time using Google Analytics know...

Aug

1

2012

A Look at eCommerce Statistics

author: Alec

Utilize the Growth of eCommerce and Start Selling Online! Often research is not meant to necessarily inform us. Rarely do we come across research where there isn’t a moment of “Yes, I thought that was case” or “I figured as much”, and this is especially true to those of us who have been involved in eCommerce statistics in regard to online selling in general. However, when you take a moment to analyze the growth shown in this eCommerce infographic, and...

Jul

9

2012

Reducing Bounce Rate & eCommerce-- It's Important!

author: Dustin

The Bounce Rate on your individual website pages is an extremely important metric to keep track of if you are striving to improve your online success. “Bounce Rate” is a term used in web traffic analysis that represents the number of visitors who land on a site and leave before delving further into the site and viewing other pages. There is no standard for the amount of time a visitor can spend on a site page and still be counted as a “bounce” upon clicking the back button or navigating...

Jun

21

2012

Is Mobile Web Browsing The Future?

author: Dustin

It has been projected that by 2014, if current trends continue, there will be more users accessing the internet via mobile web browsing than with a desktop computer. While at first this may seem like an alarming prediction, it only makes sense once you consider the ways in which mobile technology has developed over the past decade. Mobile devices seem to be getting easier to use and more versatile every few months at this point, and there’s not much left that can’t be done on the web...

Jun

21

2012

3 Tips to Entice Impulse Buyers on Your eCommerce Website

author: Alec

A solid merchandising strategy is a must when it comes to retail success in a brick & mortar setting, so why would this be any different for eCommerce ? Setting up a store in a specific way that is meant to entice customers and convince them to buy more is not a strategy limited to physical retail locations; you can utilize these same marketing strategies on your eCommerce website for impulse buyers! The internet is inherently perfect for customers who tend to make “impulse...

Jun

15

2012

The Importance of eCommerce Branding

author: Dustin

When you set out to build something as complicated as a fully operational company, you’re actually creating much more than that. In order to be truly successful, you have to create a brandA brand is a complicated and ever evolving entity that is made up of many components that have to come together seamlessly in order to work as intended. Often times, consumers buy products based on what the brand represents alone. People are ruled by emotions, both positive and negative, and it is your...

Jun

13

2012

eCommerce Shopping Cart Features - Quick View & Add To Cart

author: Alec

One of the main goals of an ecommerce site is to decrease the time it takes consumers to add products to their cart. By utilizing a "quick view" feature, a site can remove many obstacles (including clicks) and help shoppers initiate their ordering with relative ease and efficiency. When a visitor is browsing through product pages, constantly clicking on products, and subsequently hitting the back button, it can become tiresome. Providing a more fluid shopping system can be a huge...

Jun

7

2012

3 Ways to Improve the Checkout Process

author: Alec

The eCommerce checkout process implemented in your eCommerce website plays a vital role in how successful the site will be, and how many conversions it will generate. Often times, however, it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. This is understandable since the website design process can be hectic; constantly making tweaks and improvements until you settle on a site layout that encapsulates the vision you originally had perfectly. Throughout all of this, the checkout process is...

Jun

1

2012

Evaluating Pinterest and Web Design

author: Dustin

It’s no secret that Pinterest has swept through the internet and captivated an impressive number of people in a short amount of time. For the uninitiated; Pinterest is a relatively new Social Networking site that offers a fresh take on the ways in which we use Social Media. Essentially, the site is a giant community scrapbook; users find pictures or information they like on the web and “pin it,” which subsequently attaches it to their Pinterest account and shares it with...

May

25

2012

5 Tips for Your eCommerce Product Images

author: Alec

The imagery on an eCommerce website is extremely important to the amount of success, and conversions, that site will generate. The customer does not have a tangible product to hold or inspect, and as such it is the responsibility of the website itself to provide high quality eCommerce product images, and general eCommerce images throughout the site. The speed and impatience in which people generally surf the web (most people just scan content on pages instead of reading lengthy...

May

4

2012

Minimalist Website Design, What's The Deal?

author: Dustin

Before going into any detail on minimalist website designs, it needs to be made clear that no style of web design is better than others. It all depends on what the website is trying to accomplish and the general needs of the customer (after all, that’s who everything we do as web designers is for). This article is only meant to highlight the effectiveness of minimalistic web design and the reasons why it can often times be a successful route to take. With that being said, minimalist...

Apr

30

2012

Word Of Mouth Marketing Leads To eCommerce Success

author: Alec

Word of Mouth Marketing is a part of everyday life; a basic part a human interaction that has always been around, and is only getting more prevalent as technology advances. But why is it so effective? What is the real appeal of WOMM? A big part of the answer is the lack of bias that comes with it. A friend telling you about an amazing new automotive eCommerce website they did business with is immeasurably more credible than an advertisement produced by the corporation itself, because...

Apr

18

2012

Using Textures Effectively in Web Design

author: Dustin

In web design the line between a pattern and a texture is one that is a little bit blurred; the terms have been thrown around almost completely interchangeably, to the point that a lot of people have skewed perspectives of each. Patterns are elements of an image that can be made into tiles. Typically a pattern will be a small, repeating image that is rendered in a way that looks symmetrical. A texture, on the other hand, is usually a larger picture that doesn’t have any repeating...

Apr

5

2012

Reader's Rides & Automotive eCommerce CMS All in One!

author: Alec

What is Reader's Rides? Reader's Rides is a comprehensive profile that can be built by registered users of a website, and allows them to keep track of cars they are building and show them off to other users. Complete with pictures, descriptions, and lists of parts used in each project, the Reader's Rides section functions as an online community. The overall idea for this feature has been requested periodically by numerous clients in the automotive eCommerce industry, with the idea...

Mar

26

2012

5 Must Haves for Your Automotive eCommerce Product Pages

author: Alec

Every year, the amount of people that choose to enjoy their shopping from the comfort of their own home increases. The ease of use is the major factor here, quite often they need something but don't have the time to run to the store. This increase creates a huge market for those looking to start a web presence, so it's very important to offer the highest quality online shopping experience possible. But it takes some effort; there's an inherent level of mistrust when it comes to shopping...

Mar

19

2012

SEO Tips and Tricks Part 3: Online Business Directories

author: Alec

Running an eCommerce website, or any online presence for that matter, requires quite a bit of attention. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can just launch a website and it will do all the work for you; e-business is still business and the more effort you put into it, the more successful you will be! The "set it and forget it" mentality won't get you very far in an e-business. The web is a constant competition for supremacy; similar companies are always vying for the top spots...

Mar

7

2012

Pinterest-- A New Kind of Social Media

author: Alec

Itâ€™s no secret that Social Media in general has become a huge part of not only our social interactions, but the worldâ€™s business interactions as well. The age of Social Media is here to stay, so what else is there to do but embrace it? Sure, you donâ€™t need your own personal account to get by, but as a growing business it could be quite foolish not to take advantage of some of these websites. Interested in Using Pinterest for Business? Pinterest is a relatively new Social...

Mar

1

2012

User Interface Design: Catering to the User

author: Dustin

User interface design, or user centered design, is simply designing an application or software program while focusing on the experience it will present to the user. It’s a concept that’s easy to understand and agree with, but can be somewhat tricky to implement. When it comes to web design, the reason why it can be problematic is that it’s difficult to find the right balance between aesthetics and functionality. As challenging as this can be, it is also a crucial factor in whether or...

Feb

24

2012

The Importance of Bandwidth in eCommerce Web Design

author: Alec

Importance of Bandwidth Whether you're in the web hosting business or in the market for a new website, bandwidth is a term that will be thrown around quite a bit, and it's important to understand exactly why it's such a huge factor. The simple explanation of bandwidth is the amount of traffic that passes between your website and other computers connected to the internet. Depending on the quality of the network provided by your hosting company, you will have higher or lower bandwidth...

Feb

15

2012

Color Theory In Web Design

author: Dustin

In its entirety, Color Theory is an extremely complicated concept that encompasses many different ideas. Essentially it is a guide to color mixing and the impacts that certain colors have subconsciously on the human mind. While it wouldn’t hurt to learn as much as you can about it, this particular post will focus solely on this one aspect of Color Theory in web design and how it is relevant to a high quality website design. It goes without saying that one of the most important...

Feb

10

2012

SEO Tips and Tricks Part 2-- A Social Media Plan!

author: Alec

As with anything that grows and evolves at a rapid pace, the internet and the way it affects marketing has changed quite a bit in the past few years. The web has become a much more in depth experience to its users, and its potential for successful marketing has become inarguably clear. In terms of gaining visibility and support from the public, there are few tools at your disposal as powerful as Social Media. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter have given business owners the...

Feb

7

2012

The Importance of a Site Revamp in eCommerce

author: Dustin

eCommerce and other types of businesses that are focused heavily on the internet and all of its applications are extremely fast moving by nature. Technologies and ideas are constantly being developed, and subsequently replacing previous standards in functionality. It’s a fast paced environment, and as an online business owner it is your responsibility to avoid being left behind. Every once in a while it’s a good idea to give your website a site revamp; whether it’s a complete redesign...

Feb

3

2012

Wireframes and Sitemaps - What's the Deal?

author: Alec

The team at Web Shop Manager firmly believes in the power of planning and strategizing concepts in order to produce a final product of the highest quality. Too often web design companies will put all of their effort into the aesthetics of a website, and worry about functionality after the fact. That is not how we operate; at WSM we will begin your process by building a Website Wireframe. This ensures that your site will be built efficiently and work properly when it is time for launch....

Jan

31

2012

New Google Policy And What It Means For You

author: Dustin

A few days ago, online juggernaut Google announced that as of March 1st they will be implementing a new Google privacy policy. These changes will primarily be in regard to privacy and overall functionality of the services that Google offers. The goal seems to be to create an even easier to use platform that blends seamlessly between multiple applications. Any services that use your Google account will be interconnected in order to provide the easiest and most fluid browsing experience to...

Jan

27

2012

SEO Tips and Tricks Part 1

author: Alec

Search Engine Optimization is a complex and intricate process that takes time to perfect. It’s safe to assume that every web page has certain SEO aspects that can be improved upon. Optimizing your site is a marathon, not a hundred yard dash; it’s important to constantly be on the lookout for improvements you can make. Below is a list of a few do’s and don’ts on how to do basic SEO that can instantly increase the SEO value of your website. First and...

Jan

25

2012

Keep Your eCommerce Website Fresh!

author: Alec

Getting your online eCommerce website up and running is a huge step for you and your growing e-business , but it’s not the only step that needs to be taken. The work isn’t done just because you have some sort of online presence. Just like a brick and mortar store, your site needs to be constantly growing and evolving with the flow of business in your industry. There are so many different options nowadays for people who are browsing the web that a kind of “browsing...

Jan

18

2012

Importance Of Repeat eCommerce Customers

author: Alec

For any kind of business, the importance of repeat customers is second to none: it is much easier and more cost effective to maintain repeat customers than it is to bring in new ones. For an eCommerce website, it is especially crucial. Marketing, ad campaigns, and the numerous other advertisement strategies that are necessary to bring in more business consume a massive amount of resources. Even after spending all this time on generating more clients, it is entirely dependent on timing. A...

Jan

13

2012

Blogging for Leads and eCommerce Success

author: Dustin

Simply creating a website that is designed to generate conversions is not enough to make your business thrive in the way you want. Ecommerce blogging is great for connecting with customers! While a solid design and user interface is the first and arguably most important step, maintaining the website’s content once it’s up is crucial. Blogging is your best friend for this, and learning how to properly blog will give you the edge you’re looking for to take your online...

Jan

9

2012

eCommerce Websites & SOPA, Can Your Website Be Affected?

author: Alec

The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, is one of those things that sound like a great idea, an idea that will do nothing but good. Piracy is illegal, right? People who make their living in the entertainment industry lose a ridiculous amount of money each year to websites dedicated to pirating and torrents, so it's easy to take a step back and feel sympathetic for them. But is SOPA the way to fix this issue? This is the question a number of online industry leaders have been asking, including...

Jan

9

2012

Google Analytics Goes in the Header

author: Alec

Here at Web Design Solutions our primary goal is to help you be successful in your online ventures. Whether this is through industry tips, superior customer service, or quality website management for eCommerce , your satisfaction is of the utmost importance. Recently we posted an article explaining the importance of a Google Analytics account , and some basic information to get yours up and running. Tracking Code In The Header Is Just Better One of the most crucial steps in...

Dec

28

2011

A New Website For The New Year?

author: Normandy

The holidays are over and now existing and aspiring eCommerce business owners are thinking ‘what can I do to different in 2012?’ A new website can be just what is needed to take advantage of the booming eCommerce web sales. The US census bureau reported that in the 3rd quarter alone, e Commerce sales hit $48.2 billion dollars! A new web site design or a brand new website could be just what you need to get your part of the pie. With the economy on an upward trend and eCommerce...

Nov

18

2011

Affordable PCI Compliant Web Hosting!

author: Normandy

Web Shop Manager offers a cost effective eCommerce solution capable of 100% PCI compliant web hosting to anyone looking to start up an online business. Most small business are left to figure out how to be PCI compliant on their own, but here are Web Shop Manager (WSM) we can guide you to operate a successful PCI compliant ecommerce store. Shopping online should be easy, fun and productive. When consumers have to worry about their personal information, it takes away the allure of shopping...

Aug

30

2011

Product Descriptions' Effect on Marketing eCommerce Products

author: Normandy

There is so much that can be done on the web to promote your eCommerce site and your online products, but often business owners will forget one of the easiest and most cost efficient product marketing tactics. So what is the simple way to sell more products on your website? Write original, keyword rich and unique product descriptions. Although the effect of these changes may not be as instant as putting up some pay-per-click ads, the effect is a proven, long term online product...

Aug

16

2011

Adding YouTube Video To Website

author: Normandy

As eCommerce website developers , we often get asked the question, “What can I do to make my website stand out from the competition?”. While there are many ways that we can suggest for our clients to proceed in differentiating themselves, we often suggest that they add videos to their product pages because of its effectiveness and relative ease. However, we find that this advice rarely gets acted upon! My assumption is that many people think that adding a video to their product...

Jul

14

2011

Content Driven eCommerce

author: Emily

Lifestyle brands and enthusiasts alike come to us at Web Shop Manager (WSM) because they are passionate about what they do and need a platform to translate that passion to fellow enthusiasts. Their dream may be to turn that hobby that keeps them up all night into a legitimate revenue stream. It is one thing to have a phenomenal eCommerce website designed for conversions, but for fellow enthusiasts, it is also incredibly important to articulate that passion in a way that helps the consumer...

Jul

5

2011

eBridge Software and Web Shop Manager Form Partnership

author: Emily

eBridge Software and Web Shop Manager Form Partnership to Offer Web Shop Manager eCommerce Integration and ERP Intergration to Over 40 Accounting/ERP Systems This partnership allows Web Shop Manager merchants to integrate web sales orders, update inventory and shipping details automatically to over 40 major Accounting/ERP packages. BURLINGTON, Ontario [June, 2011] – Web Shop Manager , a leading eCommerce software provider and eBridge Connections , a world leading...

Apr

29

2011

Setting Up Google Analytics Goals

author: Normandy

Your new ecommerce website is attracting visitors in droves and you are getting more sales than you ever did before. This will keep you busy for a while, but eventually you will want to raise the bar even more. You can always increase your marketing budget to try and bring more visitors to your site, but what if you can just get more sales from the visitors that are already there? The more information that you can gather from the visitors of your site, the more you can make your...

Mar

22

2011

Your Web Shop Manager Site

author: Normandy

Using Google Analytics Information is power, and with the astonishing amount of information that you can get from a Google Analytics account you will start making better decisions for your company’s website. The purpose of using Google Analytics is to observe your website’s traffic, monitor your site’s goals as well as your shopping funnel, track your email campaigns, banner ads and social media efforts, create customized reports and dashboards and so much more! If...

Feb

24

2011

ADP Lightspeed eCommerce Data Integration

author: Emily

ADP Lightspeed is an Order Inventory management and processing system. Used to take orders and monitor physical inventory. From www.adplightspeed.com “ADP Lightspeed dealer software products help dealers maximize: parts inventory control, business processes, sales management control, service management control, rental management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and dealer profitability.” ADP Lightspeed is not the first third party software provider that Web Shop...

Jan

21

2011

Increase External Links

author: Emily

In a nutshell PageRank, often referred to as Google PR, is Google’s way of determining the “importance” of a web page by looking at what pages are linking to it, or the quantity of backlinks. PageRank is defined by a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the highest possible score. Google PageRank determines the position of your eCommerce website on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS). PageRank is based on a complicated algorithm, with importance weighted on backlinks....

Dec

28

2010

Product Options with Inventory

author: Emily

Web Shop Manager™ (WSM) is introducing a new Product Inventory Management system that works in conjunction with Product Options that our eCommerce clients are already familiar with. Product Options with Inventory can be used for Inventory Management when there are 10 red-small t-shirts, and 12 red-mediums. Assigning inventory levels to these configurations will ensure that your customer will not be able to order more than you have on hand. In addition, you can use this system to...

Dec

22

2010

Updated Catalog View & Product View

author: Emily

The Best eCommerce Catalog & Product Pages Web Shop Manager™ (WSM) has released version 3.3.3 with some exciting changes to the Catalog and Product page views. You may have already noticed some subtle differences around your eCommerce website. The recent enhancements include: Enhanced Catalog Layout A new option has been added to the System>Configuration>Catalog tab. When “Enhanced Catalog Layout” is enabled, additional information regarding Categories...

Nov

19

2010

Automotive eCommerce - Evolving With The Aftermarket

author: Dustin

Having been involved with Automotive eCommerce websites since the mid 90's, we have seen the growth of technology for the automotive aftermarket industry first hand and have become automotive eCommerce specialists in the process. It is amazing to see the growth in involvement of the internet surrounding a field where most people are restoring vintage rides and avoiding technology for the sake of simplicity and nostalgia. On the other end of the spectrum, newer vehicles have...

Sep

13

2010

Simple Content Management System

author: Emily

Managing 10s, 100s, or 1000s of products from one intuitive dashboard has always been what Web Shop Manager™ (WSM) has offered to our clients . From that simple idea, we continue to improve WSM ( eCommerce CMS ) based on client and staff feedback and suggestions. Listening to those recent suggestions we have added a simpler product update feature that will save time, and just makes good sense. The new easy to use Content Management System enhancements come in the...

Sep

2

2010

How To Make A Photo Slideshow

author: Emily

Creating Slideshows Easily Creating slideshows for your eCommerce site pages or home page is incredibly simple using Web Shop Manager™ (WSM) as your content management system (eCommerce CMS). Photo slideshows can be used in a variety of ways to get the attention of site visitors and emphasize special features of the eCommerce site. For instance, a photo slide show can be used to showcase a new product, or a popular one. A slideshow located above the fold (shown...

Jul

6

2010

Increase Number of Repeat Visitors

author: Dustin

Internet Marketing often focuses on increasing web traffic, and providing enough information to help customers convert (make a purchase), however what many fail to realize is that it takes multiple touch points with each site visitor to establish credibility, earn their trust, and capture the sale. Therefore, increasing the number of repeat visitors vs. first time visitors is imperative to increasing the bottom line. Make your Website Sticky In addition to multiple touch...

Jun

21

2010

How do I turn Site Traffic into Increased Conversion Rates?

author: Dustin

Having warm bodies visit your website is one thing, capturing more money is something entirely different. In lasts months blog post we addressed reducing bounce rate and approaches to keeping people on our websites longer. The purpose of keeping them on the site is to lead them toward conversion. But, how do we convert them? What measures can we take to increase website traffic conversion rate? 1) Define your Audience It is absolutely imperative to match your message...

Jun

10

2010

Competitive Marketing Analysis

author: Emily

A competitive marketing analysis plan should be an integral part of your eCommerce business’ strategy. There are many ways to start thinking about a marketing plan however; there are two very different schools of thought. The first is to make decisions based on instinct, while being influenced as little as possible by outside sources. Do not look at eCommerce competitors, and shoot from the hip. The second looks at eCommerce competitors with an...

May

27

2010

Selling Fashion Online (Fashion eCommerce)?

author: Dana

Fashion eCommerce is a large and continuously growing market. It is easily accessible for anyone with Internet capabilities. This saves customers time and allows them to find things worldwide that they would not normally have access to. Anyone can start selling fashion online once they have an established website. For more details on how to start a fashion website, please refer to our previous fashion blog post, “ What to Know Before Starting Your...

May

4

2010

Reduce Bounce Rate For eCommerce Site Pages

author: Dustin

How do I Measure my Site Pages Effectiveness using the eCommerce Metric, Bounce Rate? With so much emphasis on driving traffic to eCommerce sites , you must also consider Bounce Rate. As online merchants of both services and products we should be concerned with this metric because of its correlation to our revenue stream. Simply put, the longer we can keep site visitors engaged, and on our site, the longer we have to persuade them to click ‘add to cart’, or pick up the...

Apr

16

2010

6 Months of Hard Work & Improvements

author: Emily

The Best Content Management System just got better... Over the last six months Web Shop Manager TM (WSM) has received some serious improvements. We believe that you will find that our Content Management System (eCommerce CMS) is the most comprehensive, easy to use CMS out there. We are continuously working on adding more features, and fine tuning WSM to help our clients run their shopping carts more efficiently, and to make more money. Order Management for eCommerce Stores...

Mar

3

2010

Looking for Comprehensive & Easy To Use Content Management Systems? Look No Further.

author: Emily

We may begin to see the sun peaking through the recession clouds, but we are not of its shadow quite yet. However, the quickest companies to rebound will be those that are willing to invest in the technologies that allow them to increase market share. And where has the market turned? The Internet. “When the recovery fully takes hold, the growth will be driven by the web, and retailers that want to survive and grow need to fish where the fish...

Mar

2

2010

The Changing Face of Automotive Aftermarket eCommerce

author: Dustin

In a recent article released by TruckingTimes.com entitled “How Many Exhibitors Does it Take to make a Good SEMA Truck Show?”, David Herrmeyer makes some interesting observations about the current state of the truck industry. In today’s market which is full of iPhone apps and bargain basement discounters, it is important to look for a competitive edge to differentiate yourself and market your added value. Web Shop Manager™ agrees with David that “…an Internet presence is now a...

Dec

17

2009

Social Media Optimization: Making the Most of your Time

author: Emily

We all know there should be 26 hours in the day. Could that be a Christmas gift? No? Yeah, that’s what I thought. We only have so much time in a day to dedicate to each task. The best solution is to make every move we make and every eCommerce blog post we write worth it. By focusing your available time and efforts you can increase your ROI significantly by marketing through social media. You wouldn’t buy a new Ferrari and then leave it out in...

Dec

3

2009

How To Measure Effectiveness of eCommerce Sites and Blogs?

author: Emily

How can you know where you are going when you don’t know where you are starting from? There are many great (free) tools to use when evaluating and benchmarking the effectiveness of your website and eCommerce blog . Then, you can take that information to develop the direction of your blog and website. Not knowing how you are doing is a detriment to the work you have already done. Please consider the following tools when evaluating your site: 1....

Oct

31

2009

5 Expert Blogging Tricks to Sweeten the Success of your eCommerce Blog

author: Emily

We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last 6 posts in our series “ Developing an eCommerce Blog ”. Now seems to be the perfect time to provide 5 tips that will help take your eCommerce blog to the next level. So here they are in no particular order: 1. Use Coupons to Capture Holiday Shoppers – You know you love clicking and clipping coupons, and now there is a study to prove that everyone else does too. Harris Interactive recently released a...

Oct

5

2009

Using Social Media For Marketing: Buzz or Just Noise for my eCommerce Site?

author: Emily

Using Social Media For Marketing: is it just hype or a viable channel for marketing and relationship building? The answer is…both. There are aspects of social media (this does not just mean Twitter) that connect real people, and in turn connect those real people to your product or services. It is important to know the various types of social media available to you and how to use them effectively. Try incorporating some of these technologies in your 2010...

Sep

2

2009

How To Get Readers For Your Blog

author: Emily

It is a well known fact that in business it is easier to keep customers than it is to find new ones. The same goes for subscribers to an eCommerce site. It is worth a bit of work to gain and keep loyal followers rather than spending copious amounts of time looking for one hit wonders. It is crucial that you engage them by giving them the fresh content that they expect from you, their trusted source for information. For a little help developing content for your...

Aug

31

2009

How To Start A Fashion Website

author: Brooke

Interested in a fashion (or fashion planning) website? There are many reasons why someone may be interested in starting a fashion website , and all reasons are relevant. Since the Internet is the fastest way to share information, you may be someone who is interested in following trends, keeping up with celebrity fashion, or looking for new ideas for your own wardrobe. You may be a fashion designer or stylist yourself and need a website to easily show your design...

Aug

24

2009

AJAX Checkout: One Step Checkout with Improved Shopping Cart & My Account Views

author: Paulette

When I first heard that Web Shop Manager was upgrading to a one step checkout, adding to an already awesome eCommerce web software , I thought to myself, why? What is a 1 page eCommerce checkout? What does it do for my eCommerce business? What does a one page checkout mean to my customers? What makes it a revolutionary one page checkout? What the heck is AJAX checkout, besides a cleaner for my house!? So I completed some research to find my answers and discovered why Web Shop...

Aug

3

2009

3 Tips On How To Make Money Writing Blogs

author: Emily

The ultimate goal of an eCommerce blog is to make money. It may be a simple goal of paying your eCommerce hosting fees or perhaps you have grander visions in mind. Whatever the goals are for your eCommerce site you will need to get consistent traffic in order to make any of the following revenue generating suggestions profitable. In order to drive traffic to your site I suggest you take a look at a previous post in the series “ Developing an eCommerce Blog...

Jul

15

2009

Automotive eCommerce for the Automotive Aftermarket

author: Dustin

If you have been looking for the ultimate Automotive eCommerce solution you have come to the right place. Created by an automotive enthusiast for the automotive aftermarket, Web Shop Manager has every feature you could want when it comes to your eCommerce options. The fact remains that people do not want to buy parts from a broker: they want to buy from another enthusiast who will help them when they have tech questions and be there if they need help. Our platform with its complete...

Jul

3

2009

How to Title A Blog Or Website

author: Emily

Before you begin thinking of a strategy for eCommerce blog post promotion you must first think of how to title a blog and of course selling more products . There are many ways to create an attention grabbing title, here are (4) of my favorites: Ask a question – This is a great tactic for engaging an audience. Provide an answer to the question in your post and then ask for comments that will add value, and perhaps a few ideas you hadn’t thought of...

May

31

2009

How do I Develop Innovative Content for my eCommerce Blog?

author: Emily

Building on what we discussed previously in " 5 Important Questions to Ask Before Starting an eCommerce Blog " I would like to offer some suggestions for developing news worthy blog topics for your eCommerce site through developing innovative content. The most important thing to consider when formulating your innovative content driven posts is your audience. Ask yourself who am I writing this for? It should be the same people that visit your eCommerce website...

Apr

20

2009

The Ultimate Website Logo Design Feedback!

author: Dustin

Our biggest hurdle in meeting customer expectations is understanding what it is that they like or what creatively. Part of that is customer communication and feedback on the design services we provide, that is why I decided to share today the most amazing logo design feedback we have ever received after building hundreds of website logos (and website designs) over the last decade. This is in response to 8 logo concepts... I like the logos. Some more than others, but here is my...

Apr

20

2009

5 Important Questions to Ask Before You Start Blogging For eCommerce

author: Emily

Blogging for eCommerce provides an incredibly effective, online extension of your brand. Blogs can also increase online sales , aid in customer service,grow brand recognition, and develop meaningful relationships if handled well. There are no stamps to buy, no cold calls to make, and you will be connecting with people that are ready and willing to listen to what you have to say in a casual, interactive atmosphere. Now that you are curious about blogs and whether one...

Apr

6

2009

Developing An eCommerce Site: List Hundreds of Products, Organize Thousands of Items, Import Millions of Parts

author: Dana

If you are looking to start developing an eCommerce site and are unsure how or where to get started...you've found your starting point. Web Shop Manager has everything you need. Whether you are looking to develop an informational site or sell Hundreds, Thousands, or Millions of products online, WDS is your new best friend. Developing an eCommerce site has many factors to consider from deciding what your pages will look like to thanking your customer for their purchase. One of the greatest...

Feb

24

2009

Web Development Project Spec Sheets, Why?

author: Dustin

Being a Web Development firm at our core, we create a lot of big web development projects from the ground up. The most affordable, successful, complete, on time projects always start with a detailed specifications sheet. Literally a 10 page, outline format description of every view and page on the site that a visitor would see. There are multiple reasons for this... To get an accurate price quote quote before committing to the project and development team. Something to...

Feb

8

2009

How to get the Best Website Design

author: Dustin

We're always asked by our new clients if there is anything they can to to help our Web Designers through the process of creating their online presence. To that we reply with an enthusiastic and resounding YES! . Of course you're hiring us to take care of the whole process, but the more direction we have the better the end result will be. Decide what style website you want - retro, future, art deco, classy, simple, contemporary, web 2.0, glossy, organic. Take note of other...

Jan

30

2009

10 Items to Consider When Creating an Ecommerce Site

author: Paulette

Deciding that you want to sell your products or services online is exciting. Trying to figure out what you need to make it happen can be exhausting. Finding the right eCommerce solutions company and Content Management System (eCommerce CMS) for developing your site can be frustrating and expensive. I experienced all of these feelings and more when assigned the task to start creating an eCommerce site for my employer. If you sell a product or service developing an eCommerce site may be...

Dec

10

2008

Manufacturer eCommerce for Dealers

author: Dana

In an effort to make Web Shop Manager more Manufacturer friendly we have added the following features to the Dealer package (some are applicable to all packages)... You can now block Dealers or other users from the free shipping option. You can now force Dealers or other users to only have Invoice for payment method. You can now set special messages for each step of the checkout for the Dealers or user groups. Limit certain pages, categories, & products to specific...

Nov

28

2008

Live Chat for eCommerce

author: Dana

WSM just launched our new Live Chat for eCommerce module which is available to all users in the Dealer package. Tests have shown conversion rates increasing from 2% to 20% with customers you engage in Live Chat for eCommerce customer support using suggestive up sell and cross sell techniques. Additionally you can be helping more people at once while doing other tasks using chat. By: Dana Nevins

Oct

23

2008

eCommerce Survey Module

author: Dana

We are proud to announce our new Advanced Survey module so you can keep your finger on the pulse of your customers wants and needs. It offers many different question configurations including...

Yes or No
True/False
1 through 5
Fill in the blank
Multiple Choice with images

By: Dana Nevins

Sep

11

2008

Managed eCommerce - Reloaded, Again!

author: Dana

After a lot of fussing we are finally able to show the world our new site. Along with all the new managed eCommerce features we have been launching we felt the need to our website to the next level as well.

Please let us know what you think!

By: Dana Nevins

Aug

1

2007

New eCommerce Checkout System

author: Ryan

The new eCommerce checkout system for WSM3 is now live! Completely redesigned and enhanced, this new system features a much easier and faster checkout experience for your customers needs. By: Dana Nevins

Jun

30

2007

eCommerce Photo Gallery and Event Calendar

author: Ryan

FREE to all Web Shop Manager V3.0 users is a fully featured eCommerce photo gallery with nested albums as well as a basic event calendar to keep your eCommerce site visitors on top of things. By: Dana Nevins

Jun

1

2007

Web Shop Manager V3.0

author: Dana

After a 2 years of planning and 1 year of web development it's finally here. If you are currently using V2.3 please contact us to coordinate your free upgrade to Web Shop Manager V3.0. The list of new eCommerce features are endless! By: Dana Nevins

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BEDSLIDE - Client Testimonial

"The best thing out of everything was that our sales went up. The new site had a better design, the checkout process was better, and ultimately achieved all of our goals. That site has been up for a year and a half and we’re very happy with it, it’s still awesome." - Jake Plappert