E-Commerce 101

So, you're interested in opening a web based business? I thought it would be beneficial to you to give you a brief lesson that will help you to prepare for the task you're undertaking. Let's begin with some basic terms.

Shopping Cart: This is a form of software used to make a site's product catalog available for online ordering, whereby visitors may select, view, add/delete, and purchase merchandise.

Merchant Agreement: A written agreement between a merchant and a bank containing their respective rights, duties, and warranties with respect
to acceptance of the bankcard and matters related to the bankcard activity.

Merchant Services Provider (MSP): This is a bank or other firm that provides processing for credit card transactions. Most MSP's provide merchant
accounts.

Running an online store is not as difficult as you may think it is, but it is very important to make sure you're doing it safely as a customer's credit card information could become easily available to hackers if not properly protected.

When you build your web store, consider functionality first. One of the first things you should ensure that you have, whether its going to be a custom
built store or a store built through an e-commerce builder, is a shopping cart. The shopping cart is the heart of your site's online buying experience. There are numerous shopping cart software suites available either for free or at a cost. For those of you who may not be as web language savvy, consider pre-made store interfaces or our quick cart store development application. This is a cost efficient alternative for those who are not ready for a fully customized and maintained web store.

Once your shopping cart is in place, be sure to consider your web store's security. It is important that your site has an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate. This is what encrypts the credit card data that your customer inputs at the time of purchase as it travels through the internet to the banks. Not having an SSL certificate or other form of adequate security makes your customers vulnerable to hackers and identity thieves. This puts you and your business at a huge risk. Save yourself the hassle and problems, ask us about about our SSL certificates.

The final important piece in selling items online is the merchant services provider, or MSP. This is the company that transacts the business between
your company and the customer. There are 101 merchant service providers out there, but make sure you research them carefully. MSPs charge you depending upon the amount of money you transact each month. Charges range from 0-$100 for setup, 0-$35 per month just to have the service, then anywhere from 1.5%-3.5% of the amount for "qualified" Visa and Mastercard transactions. When you have a "non-qualified" transaction, it can range anywhere from a 0-1.5% surcharge to the qualified charges. Use a company that will benefit you and the business that you are trying to conduct. Inquire about our merchant services to see if we work for you.

No matter what e-commerce solution you choose for your business, keep these fundamentals in the forefront of your mind. The security of your customers
should be the most important issue of all. With the proper due diligence, you can ensure that your business is properly equipped to accept payment while still ensuring the security of your customer's information. Compare multiple companies and see just which one serves your needs the best. If you have any other questions or concerns related to e-commerce, please contact one of our designers at 1-888-NEOTERIC or 1-888-636-8374.

What is Website Maintenance?

Many people, individuals and business owners alike are having websites built. In all the excitement of getting a new website, most folks don’t care to think about the “big picture.” Ask yourself, what is in store for the life of the website? As everyone knows, websites do not maintain themselves.

Site maintenance is a tedious and time consuming task which most people do not want to be bothered with; but it is definitely a necessary evil. The web development industry changes on a regular basis and for the everyday person who owns a site, maintenance falls to the wayside in the midst of marketing, advertising, and production. Maintaining a website could entail everything from coding updates, to changing keywords, meta data, content and pictures. It also means enhancing the site’s search engine placement (known as Search Engine Optimization), which is a rapidly evolving event in itself.

Many design companies will charge hourly for site updates, but one of the benefits to many of the NeotericExpressions packages is that we can include unlimited maintenance for only a fraction of the cost. For a simple informational website, you could have our designers at your beck and call to make any changes to your site for approximately $2 a day. Some companies are charging up to $70 per HOUR, so in reality this is a huge savings for you.

If you decide to have a website created for you or your business, don’t let your site go unmaintained. Whether you keep your site up by yourself or with the help of an outside party, be sure that the site is being kept up to date with the latest coding trends and requirements to make the biggest impact on your marketing audience. For more information regarding website development and maintenance, view our website at www.neotericexpressions.com or call us directly at 1-888-NEOTERIC (1-888-636-8374).

♦ Your Committed Web Professional ♦

Wedding Invitation Wording Help!

I peruse the Yahoo! Answers questions from time to time to loan some advice and help, and recently came across questions about some funny or entertaining themed-wedding invite wording. Here are a couple examples:

Depending on the theme, invitation wordings can be kept entertaining yet tasteful, like these casual verses:

Verse 1# - Wording perfect for a Ski-themed wedding
Life was all uphill until we met...
now it's a downhill run!

Join us on the slopes
for a wedding in
winter wonderland
at date, time, location...


Verse #2 - perfect for those two fishermen lovebirds (no offense! to the fisherwomen!)
We reeled in true love...
Anna
and
Jonathan
invite you to join them
as they make it O-FISH-AL
at their wedding
at date, time, location...

Verse #3 - golf-themed wedding wording
We've paired up, par for the course
and playing through!

Please join us,
Anna
and
Jonathan
on our wedding day
as we turn a stroke of luck
into a winning streak!
on date, time, location...


Themed wedding wording can be pretty tricky to tie into your wedding invitation but with a little humor and some open-mindedness, you never know what you'll create. If you need some additional verse options, email us for some free wedding wording options with subject line "Free Wedding Wording."

Cheers!

♥

How do I plan my wedding?

Planning a wedding is the most exciting experience you'll have. It takes you through a range of motions in the name of the Mother of all Emotions - Love! While planning your wedding seems pretty simple when you're in the beginning stages, it can get quite complex pretty quickly. Here are some of our tips on how to stay sane, and to ensure you're not caught up in the commotion of it all.

How to start planning: Invest in a planner, be it a person or a book of information on weddings. There are so many pieces and parts that go into making sure your wedding event bases are covered, no one dare try to remember them all. By getting a wedding planner (or hiring one), you will save yourself time, energy and frustration down the road. The earlier you invest in one of these helpful tools, the better off you’ll be during the course of your planning stages. Your planner will be kept up to date about whom, how and when your other event details will be coming together, handy for referencing specific details that are difficult to remember once you get too far down into the planning process.

Do some “window” shopping: How will you know where to find a great wedding dress? Where do you get ideas on your wedding invitations? How will you score a great photographer? You have to get out and start looking! Pick up a wedding magazine, or ask your friends who had nice weddings if they can refer you somewhere. Even in search engines, you can find information on popular events like bridal shows and trunk shows at formal wear places, which often have great deals on wedding wear and discounts on vendor pricing. Vendors will be available to greet you, so you’re sure to have tons of resources at your fingertips when you visit these events. Who knows, you might even find exactly what you’re looking for during your observations and searching.

Seek out some "married" friends for advice: We understand not everyone had a lavish, elegant, extravagant wedding ceremony, but perhaps they had one that was right for them. How did they go about planning it? What types of elements did they include? Where did they get their inspiration from? These and many more questions will open up doors of opportunity for your imagination, and you can perhaps find some inspiration of your own that will help get your planning off to a great start.

Buy one (or more) wedding magazines: Go ahead, gawk at someone else's wedding dress, listen to someone else's wedding ideas, watch a few wedding shows, read a few magazines on wedding etiquette... it doesn't hurt! Magazines are a great way to be envious in the comfort of your home or when otherwise have some down time. This is a great way to gain insight and inspiration as you read about do it yourself wedding decor ideas, proposal stories, ceremonial bloopers and more. The more you learn about the "do's and don'ts" of others past experiences, the more you'll be able to develop your plan for your big day.

♥ Good Luck and Congrats! ♥