Call Center, Inbound Call Center Solutions, Order Taking, Live Chat | 24-7 Intouch Gourmet Business Solutions Blog | Gourmet Food Industry Articles, Discussions, and Opinions The E-commerce Pattern: Core Conversion Marketing Strategies The third of the five “core” conversion marketing patterns is the e-commerce pattern. The two patterns I’ve already discussed are the Brochure site and the Portal site. As a refresher, the Brochure pattern is a known as the “sales support” pattern. The purpose is to provide information during the sales process and tell prospects how to get more information. The Portal pattern, also known as the “advertising model” and “subscription model,” monetizes content. For this discussion, I assume a site is generating reasonably qualified traffic and that the offering has a demand in the marketplace. The E-commerce pattern Also known as “online shopping,” “eRetail” and “eTail,” e-commerce sites are designed to handle the online purchase of a product or service. You accept payment on your website for a product or serviceThe buyer consumes the product offline. My goal here is to explore three strategies that are conversion deal-breakers for e-commerce websites. Category pages Product pages
6 Excellent Small Business Websites To Learn From This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. Small businesses are putting an increased focus on improving their websites this year, according to a recent report. With the slew of web design mistakes that small businesses are notorious for making, there is vast room for improvement. For small businesses looking to clean up their websites, here are six quick tips for improvement: Provide a succinct product description and purchasing instructions.Choose a web design that enhances content, rather than distracts from it.If you're asking users to interact with content, opt for a simple call-to-action prompt.Make sure the site is easy to navigate.Drive conversation by choosing engaging topics and asking interesting questions via a corporate blog.Put your service at the forefront. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, kemalbas
Top 5 Web Design Mistakes Small Businesses Make This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. If you're a small business owner, your website is the central hub of your company, and it's a pivotal part of your marketing and branding. Potential customers visit your site specifically for its content, meaning its appearance and usability are critical to its success and how those users view your company. Here are 5 common web design mistakes you must avoid to create a great user experience and grow your bottom line. 1. Many small businesses fail to make navigation a priority, but without careful attention to how people navigate your site, you could unintentionally be creating a frustrating experience for any potential visitor. Website navigation affects both usability and accessibility, so it's important to make it a primary concern. Use icons to aid navigation. 2. 3. 4. 5. Clutter also applies to images.
Social: Facebook Application | Exit41 | Online Ordering Monetize your social media investments Make ordering easier and more accessible for your most loyal fan base Create powerful, viral, word-of-mouth opportunities to reach new customers The power of Facebook! You’ve invested the time and effort into building your social media presence to truly engage with your most loyal customers, and your customers love it! Now, with Exit41, take your social media presence to the next level and drive online ordering sales. Easy for your customers… Browse most popular items right from Facebook and add selected items to cart Seamlessly complete the ordering process from your online ordering site Share your restaurant’s Facebook Ordering on profile page and into social stream Easy for your restaurant… SaaS model for ease and speed of set up and maintenance Easily configurable business rules across your enterprise Automated market mapping of delivery zones Product availability automatically reflected from POS Pricing and taxes dynamically pulled from POS