AspDotNetStorefront and the Product Detail Page
Presented by Jo Benson, AspDotNetStorefront
Thursday April 12th, 9-10 am
In this session we will learn how to find out what’s working and what isn’t on the Product Detail Page. Jo Benson will focus on the layout of the product page and tools that we can all use to point us at breaking points (i.e. Google Analytics, CrazyEgg).
Essential Strategies For Reaching New Customers Despite Google’s Updates
Presented by Michael Stricker, WebiMax
How do online retailers prepare for the impact of Google’s latest changes to SEO? How can you be sure that your pages and your products will still be seen as Google’s vision for SERPs continually changes? In this webinar, you’ll learn essential strategies that help online retailers not only survive, but thrive. We’ll discuss topics like:
On the heels of the recent USPS-initiated upgrade to their Rate and RateV2 services, comes further change on the horizon.
USPS Announces:
“Rate and RateV2 versions of the domestic Rate Calculator will be retired on March 31, 2012, requiring all integrators to migrate to the latest versions”
What does this mean for you?
ML8, version 8.0.1.2 and earlier + ML9, version 9.0.1.3 and earlier
If you are using the built-in USPS real-time shipping rates, you will need to take action before March 31, 2012.
We recommend that you upgrade your AspDotNetStorefront store to MSx/MultiStore in order to continue to use the USPS real-time rate services. MSx uses the recommended “RateV4″ version API in its built-in USPS integration, with no issues.
Custom Development Partners are aware of the upcoming changes and can best guide you in managing the right solution for your store.
How do I know which version I am running?
The easiest way to tell which version your store is running on is to open your Admin Console and look to the left column of your Home page.
MSx licensees
This change will not affect your store. Continue operations as usual.
We are aware of the issue with USPS domestic real time shipping.
This new issue, caused by changes made by USPS over the weekend, only impacts older versions of our cart (8.0.1.2/9.0.1.3 and before) . It does not impact the newer versions of our cart. Our policy, in general, is to continue to release new versions of our cart that are compatible with the most recent versions of other software and services, rather than to patch old versions of the cart each time someone makes a new change to their software or service. Source patches are not available.
In this case, we’ve made an exception and released a compiled patch to solve this problem for those of you using older versions of the cart.
That said, we’d like to help you prepare for the inevitable future.
Other software and services that you rely on will continue to release changes and updates that will create new issues for those of you using older versions of our software. We will not always release patches. Our focus and our energy is on making sure the most recent releases are fully up-to-date and compatible. So, we urge users of older versions to plan ahead and be prepared for the time that you will need to upgrade your cart in the future.
If you missed your chance last fall to buy Update Rights, we have a special opportunity from now until the end of January for you to get a “store in waiting.” This will allow you to purchase your new, upgraded license now, including a MoreStore, (a total value of $1795) for just $799. Use this store in waiting to upgrade to the newest version of our software anytime in the next year.
Don’t wait until you are in a crisis. Get on the upgrade path now and be prepared to keep your store running smoothly as the world of software and retail services continues to change daily and unpredictably. Click here to get your store in waiting before the end of January.
Online sales on Cyber Monday this year topped 1.25 billion. That makes November 28, 2011 – the biggest online spending day in history. With an increase of 22% over last year, online shopping will only continue to grow. Big cyber sales bring more cyber criminals. A well rounded fraud protection strategy for your site is more important than ever.
Mandated in much of Europe, Asia and South America, Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode (also known as 3D Secure) have proven to reduce fraud by up to 40%. 3D Secure adds an extra layer of fraud protection for your online store. If you are looking to increase sales overseas, this protection is a must!
What is 3D secure?
3D Secure is an additional system of payer authentication, validation that the online shopper is the cardholder. This added layer of security allows consumers to shop online more securely. It also allows merchants to reduce their fraud risk. In exchange for adding this feature to their web store, Visa and MC provide merchants with chargeback protection, liability protection and lower interchange rates. Verified by Visa and MC SecureCode allow card holders who have signed up to create a PIN number that must be included to complete the checkout process on any site that has enabled 3D secure.
How does AspDotNetStorefront support 3D secure?
At AspDotNetStorefront we have integrated Cardinal Commerce’s Centinel Thin Client into our MultiStore 9.2 software. Cardinal Commerce is a wonderful third party 3D Secure enabler. With this integration, our customers have the option of simply turning on that feature in their AspDotNetStorefront cart and then signing up with Cardinal to enable Verified by Visa (VbV) and/or MasterCard SecureCode (MCSC) if they choose. There are potentially three scenarios an AspDotNetStorefront merchant might encounter when adding 3-D Secure to the payment processing for their site.
1. Their payment processor and/or payment gateway allows 3D Secure to be enabled…with any third party 3D secure enabling software (i.e. Cardinal Commerce) because they do not offer that feature themselves.
2. The processor/gateway offers a 3D secure environment within their system but allows the merchant to choose to use the processor’s 3D integration or a different, third party enabling software company, like Cardinal Commerce.
3. The payment gateway or processor already has software to enable 3D secure and they have designated it proprietary to their merchant accounts and will not allow an AspDotNetStorefront merchant to use anything but that proprietary software.
AspDotNetStorefront merchants will need to speak with their payment gateways to find out which option they have.
Currently 48 of the top 50 issuing banks will allow merchants to enable 3D Secure either with the banks own software or with a third party enabling software. Many banks have chosen to not develop their own enabling software, preferring third party enablers (like Cardinal Commerce) to integrate into their processing system.
Cardinal Commerce’s Centinel Thin Client is an Add-On for merchants to implement an additional piece of security for their customers. It does not replace a merchants fraud protection suite…it is only a part of it.
Visa and MasterCard assume financial responsibility for any chargeback’s that occur, liability and control the interchange rates that are charged. Cardinal Commerce allows the connection between the merchant and Visa/MC’s 3D Secure.
Cardinal Commerce charges on a month to month basis. There is a onetime set up fee and there are monthly charges based upon the volume of transactions.
While the adoption rate of card holders and merchants in the US has been slow, many countries overseas have mandates in place requiring the enabling of this additional security measure. Fraud rates show dramatic decreases in countries where 3D Secure implementation is wide spread. For our merchants who wish to expand overseas, this is a very important component for boosting consumer confidence and conversion.
Helping you to keep your customer’s data safe, build trust and protect your business are all vitally important to us at AspDotNetStorefront. We want to make it as easy as possible to set up sites that make it tough on cyber criminals AND protect your most valuable resource, your customers.
At the end of last week, Google announced that it is temporarily capping the size of all new feeds, to restrict the addition of new products to the stunningly successful Google Shopping. We can’t know how long this will last, or whether it is a precursor to closing entry to new merchants, but if you haven’t signed up for your feed yet, please take our advice and hurry.
We’re taking a break from webinars until we’re past the busy holiday season. We’ll be back with new e-commerce topics in early January 2012.
Have suggestions on what we should cover when we start up again? Please let us know by taking a minute to answer our webinar survey.
How Shopper Uncertainty is Hurting Your Online Success…And What You Can Do About It
Presented by Shane Lundy, Vice President of Business Development for buySAFE
Thursday November 10th, 2011
“73 percent of consumers say shopping is riskier online than offline.” - CyberSource
“83 percent of online users worry about their identity being stolen from an online purchase.”– VeriSign
“99 percent of customers would terminate relationships with companies that fail at building customer trust.” – CMO Council
It’s clear that not all shoppers feel safe when buying online. For online merchants, this shopper uncertainty leads to increased cart abandonment, lower profits, fewer repeat buyers and difficulty achieving profitability. In order to address this issue, online merchants must understand the primary concerns of online shoppers and provide solutions for those concerns. Register for this webinar to learn more about the concerns of online shoppers and how solutions such as buySAFE transactional guarantees can improve your website conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
Q&A with Shane Lundy, Vice President of Business Development for buySAFE
Do consumers have different attitudes about buying online than buying offline?
Absolutely. Shopping online is a fundamentally different experience than shopping in a store where you can walk out with the item you’ve just purchased. According to Cybersource, 73% of consumers say that shopping online is riskier than shopping offline. There are many factors involved when a consumer is deciding whether or not to make an online purchase: the reputation of the merchant, the technology that secures the website, the price of them item, the options available in case something goes wrong, etc.