Running an Integrated WebStore for Dynamics POS 2009 has never been easier!

META tags are HTML tags used to describe the content of web pages. NitroSell eCommerce automatically generates and inserts META tags into department, category and product pages. Two types of META tags are generated – Keywords and Description tags – and they are populated with relevant data synchronized from your point-of-sale system.

For product pages, META keywords are taken from the Microsoft RMS POS item database such as the department name, category name, product name, lookup code and sub-descriptions. Additional data elements beside those found in the RMS POS and additional search engine keywords may be populated using the NitroSell Product Attribute Manager (NSc PAM). The META description tag is composed of a combination of the product name and the extended description.

What does a META keyword and description tag look like?

META Keywords: <meta name="keywords" content="Sidewalk Chalk Bucket 20 Pack, Pastels And Crayons, Student Chalks, Pastels And Crayons, Student Chalks, A0030778, S02564, S02564, buy, shop, order, store" />

META Description Tags: <meta name="description" content="Sidewalk Chalk Bucket 20 Pack: Colourful chalk perfectly shaped for little hands. Ideal for use on footpaths, schoolyards or playgrounds." />

How are they used?

The META description and the META keywords tags are not seen by users but search engines use them to supplement the index of pages listed in search results. NitroSell’s automatic generation of META tags ensures the webstore has unique descriptions for each page and that each page’s content is accurately summarized.

• When an order is placed on the webstore, the quantity for each item is automatically deducted  from the webstore stock level to ensure the data are correct prior to the next synchronization;
• When a web order is downloaded, the item quantities in RMS are automatically updated so that the quantities in the web order are added to the committed quantities in RMS. This ensures in-store stock is appropriately reserved for web orders;
• Once the web order is processed, the committed quantities are correctly recalculated automatically.

You can find this option in Sync, under File, then Configuration, then Sync Settings:

NSc Sync Inventory Control: Include unprocessed web order items in Quantity Committed

Secondly, for high volume webstores, we’ve added a webstore basket checking feature, which works like this:

• At every step of the checkout – registration/login, shipping selection, credit card entry and just prior to order confirmation – the webstore examines all items in the basket and performs the following tests:
  • Is the item still available, that is, is it still on the webstore?
  • Is the item in stock?
  • Is there enough in stock to match the quantity in the basket?
  • Has the price changed?
• If any test fails, the customer will get redirected back to the basket page, with a message displayed at the top of the page for each scenario and for each item. The items in the basket will also be changed automatically to reflect the latest information.

This is a critical feature for Retailers who under no circumstances wish to sell products that they don’t have in stock.

* Please note that the basket checking feature is currently only available on the beta version of NitroSell eCommerce. Feel free to open a ticket on the Partner Portal if you would like to expose this functionality on your webstore.

Often the very basics of setting up a successful webstore are overlooked and retailers prematurely reach out for costly Adwords and additional SEO marketing. All online marketing is useful but a successful eCommerce business involves raising the profile of your webstore by investing time and resources to ensure your site is user friendly, instills customer confidence and makes the most of NitroSell eCommerce’s in built Search Engine Optimization features.

Time to step back and take a critical look at your webstore: would you buy an item from your own site? (If you’re biased – ask a friend unafraid to speak his/her mind!)

• What does my homepage say about my business? Clear and uncluttered wins every time over fussy and complicated but your home page still needs to be engaging and invite interest from potential customers. Customers need to understand who you are and what you sell in a matter of seconds so the information provided on the home page is crucial.A clear, intuitive navigation panel will make shopping on your site easy and speed up the purchase process.Customers also look for signals that the company is a real business – it’s good to include a professional photo of your physical store(s) on the About Us page, along with a brief company history, to satisfy customers that you’re running a legitimate business and that you have their interests at heart. Don’t neglect Terms and Conditions and Returns Policies as clear information on these pages will continue to re-assure the customer that it’s safe to buy.Finally, don’t neglect your team as customers like to see faces, names and a willingness to engage. This not only works for shop sales but it has an impact on web sales.
  1. Make sure the homepage effectively showcases your business and creates impact and interest. If your page fails to impress at this stage it will mean a quick exit for most potential customers.
  2. Encourage customers to browse your site through clear, simple navigation. Too many departments will distract so think hard about how your customers are likely to shop on your site and make it easy. If you have distinctive brands that you sell – SHOUT about them and create links using the brand logo to take the customer straight to the brand.
  3. Utilize About Us, Terms and Conditions and Contact Us to instill trust. Who are you? Where are you? Who are your team members? How can you serve and assist your customers?
  4. Is it clear that customers can purchase products from your web store? Sounds obvious but some retailers only use web sites to advertise their shop without the ability to purchase on line.
  5. Invite communication by prominently featuring a telephone number – might not be used much but customers like to see it’s there if needed!

  Check out these great example sites:

  

  www.bellsshoes.co.uk

  

  www.amazinggrapeswinestore.com

  

  www.mungoandmaud.com

• How well are my products presented? Sounds obvious, but customers will not buy products they cannot see images of or those that have no or poor descriptions. “Blk Jacket 001234” or “Boys Nike T-Shirt” will not sell no matter how wonderful the product is. Add good images and extended descriptions to all of your items. Yes, this is tedious and it’s an ongoing commitment, but not only will good information help to sell the item but detailed, relevant extended descriptions will help your search rankings.Filling lots of items’ extended descriptions with the same information will have a negative effect on rankings and should be avoided. Customers often listen to other shoppers’ views so reviews and information sharing are welcomed. Providing information like this again adds credibility and trust to the web store.
  1. Creating unique descriptions that help to visualise the product is ESSENTIAL! It’s likely your RMS descriptions will be inadequate as you don’t need detailed item descriptions for shop sales. The web store is different and customers need to know much about the item they are viewing. If you have hundreds or thousands of products start by improving the descriptions on your top selling items.
  2. Ensure good product images are applied to every item and that these are consistent throughout the site. If I can’t see it, I won’t buy it. It’s just human nature for all customers to want to see what they are purchasing.
  3. Consider multiple and zoom/enlarged images for products. If certain products have lots of visual detail, the customer will want to see it.
  4. Invite and utilise your customer feedback. This can be in the form of Product Reviews or perhaps a forum or blog.

An example of a great product description

• What do my products say about my business? Customers are increasingly savvy when it comes to shopping online and will soon spot the tell tale indicators that them put off buying – is the site showing new items on a regular basis or are the same old products gathering dust? Do the special offers relate to the same products all the time? Why is the site trying to sell me sports supplements when all I want is aromatherapy oil?  A successful site is a constantly changing even if product lines stay the same. Customers still expect new offers, new incentives and reasons to go on to the site on an ongoing basis.Beware the dreaded “Out Of Stock” message – this will cause frustration if seen more than a couple of times and “Call for Availability” is just as poor as no one will ever call you. Instead amend the message to “Ships in 5 – 7 days” if orders are pending, or remove the item from sale if supplies cannot be replenished within a reasonable time frame. NitroSell eCommerce’s availability messaging is fully configurable and Customer Support can always be contacted if assistance is needed.Ensure the site has enough range of merchandise for sale as offering just a few items will cause suspicion. It’s strange but no one likes to purchase “The only item on the shelf” (Think of the last box of eggs in a grocery store or last loaf of bread – the subconscious question is, “Why is it the only one? Does no one else want it? Is this all you have?”)Having limited availability, particularly different sizes or colors, is sometimes unavoidable but generally all departments and categories should be well populated with a good range of stock. If some departments seem overloaded with items – break them down to make navigation easier. Equally if some departments have very few items remove them or include in other sections. Ensure “Special Offers” are genuine and are updated on a regular basis – try something new every week.Pay attention to brands and product titles that are often miss-spelt by customers. For example, when searching for “Kalms” herbal sedative it may be miss-spelt as “Calms” which means it would be missed in the searches. Include common mis-spellings of your products by adding them as Keywords in the Nitrosell Product Attribute Manager (PAM).
  1. Check the content of your Departments and Categories – if you only have one or two products in them, it’s best to remove them completely or include in other sections.
  2. Create interest for new season items and make available as soon as in stock. Make a feature of established products that are Best Sellers advocating why they are so popular.
  3. Take care with displaying linked items so that they actually match the product. This will not only make more sense to your customer but if used effectively, will help sell more products.
  4. Remove “Out of Stock” items immediately or amend the message to include a longer lead time for shipping if stocks can be replenished.
  5. Include common mis-spellings of products and brands so they are included when customers search for them.

  

• How do my prices compare? It’s not all about price when shopping online and chances are we can’t really compete on price all the time when going head to head with some of the larger retailers. However, there are lots of good practice pointers to help win the battle of cost comparison. This is also where value and trust play an important role in selling as the importance of good service needs to be reflected throughout your site.Firstly, prices should be not necessarily be the cheapest, but realistic compared to the market as an overpriced item will not sell no matter how well it’s presented. Consider charging less online as web sales are cheaper to process – no store rents, maintenance, and lower staff costs apply when processing web orders. Using web only special offers to entice customer to search on line in addition to buying in store and offering a “deal of the week” will maintain interest on the site.Get the best deal possible for courier/shipping costs and make sure they are realistic as expensive charges will cause customers to “Bail out” at the checkout. You can even remove shipping costs completely by including “Pick up in Store” as a shipping option which offers the advantage of physically meeting the customer.
  1. Research your market to see what other retailers are charging and review regularly.
  2. Offer a better price deal online compared to shop prices – this can be promoted in store to encourage customers to shop on line for the most cost effective deal.
  3. Motivate your customers by offering a genuine “deal of the week” available only on the web. If this is maintained regularly, your customers will have a reason to visit every week.
  4. Keep shipping charges realistic and as accurate as possible – try “free shipping over €50 or $100” as this will incentivise customers to spend more by saving on postal charges.
  5. Be clear and re-assuring about your returns policy – make sure this is prominently featured on your webstore as customers will expect to see it.

• Who are my customers? If a customer has purchased from your site before then they are many times more likely to purchase again compared to a customer who has never purchased – so start with the easy bit…. Communicate to your existing customers. It’s amazing how all retail and service industries know the importance of communicating with their customers but how few actually do.Contrary to popular belief, customers do not always switch suppliers because of price or convenience, they switch because of indifference. It does not mean there is anything wrong with product or a service provided. It means the customer feels they are not getting added value for their purchases – at least not enough to bring them back. Unless you have the biggest ranges or the cheapest prices you will need to communicate on a regular basis and share your passion about what you do and why customers should purchase again from you.Newsletters are a great idea and Constant Contact provides Nitrosell retailers with a fantastic marketing service.  It goes without saying – it will take commitment to run on a regular basis and keep ideas fresh and new so if a newsletter is not your thing then at least consider a blog. In addition to keeping your customers informed a blog is also a great way to improve SEO.RSS Feeds lets customers get instant updates via the Special Offers and New Products panels without even having to visit your WebStore. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) brings automatically updated information straight to your customer’s desktop.
  1. Know your existing customers and use your customer base in RMS to perform a postal mail campaign.
  2. Take advantage of RSS feeds are by enabling your Promotions/New Products panels and showcasing your products. This works particularly well when customers are eager to know about new products as they will be automatically updated.
  3. Invest time in Newsletters & Blogs to keep your customers informed – try Constant Contact or Mail Chimp. Both offer free trials.
  4. Use your site to share your passion about what you sell by creating information pages and update on a regular basis. Main brands should always be prominently displayed.
  5. Offer money off incentives periodically – a lower margin is better than no margin at all.
  6. Expand your horizons – sales from a local customer base is the obvious place to start but why not broaden your potential further? You will see more national sales if your webstore is competitive with similar products and even global sales if multi-currency and overseas shipping is enabled.

  

• How can my Bricks and Mortar Shop help? Do all walk in customer know about your web store? Is your shop actively promoting your web store? Think of the typical family shopping day with harassed husbands (sorry guys – it’s usually you men folk that give up first!) or perhaps tired toddlers who are shopped out for the day. Your store may be the highlight of the day but perhaps your customers are distracted and don’t have as much time as they’d like to browse.Having a webstore means they can return later in the comfort of their homes and shop on line. Don’t rely just on a few references here and there but physically tell your customers. Give customers an incentive to go on to your webstore and purchase for the first time by a promotion code that offers a discount on the first purchase.

• 1. Don’t assume your shop customers are all local – as they may not purchase whilst in the shop but like to browse on line and buy later.
  2. Print your webstore address on all your receipts, invoices and shopping bags – this has the benefit of adding credibility to your business as a whole. An inviting webstore in addition to a great walk in store shows commitment and enterprise.
  3. Make sure that your web address is advertised prominently both within your store and outside if you can – walk in customers are not usually in “online shopping mode” when shopping in store so you have to make the correlation for them.
  4. Don’t just rely on printed references to your site – train your staff to tell customers about your webstore at every available opportunity.
  5. Give your customers a great reason to check out your web store – issuing promotion code offers like“$10 off your first purchase” is a very effective way of getting the message across. These could be highlighted in advertising literature, marketing campaigns or perhaps physically handing them a voucher at the till.

Good luck and happy shopping!

NitroSell makes use of DNS Blackhole Lists (DNSBL) to help combat spam arriving at our mailservers. DNSBL maintains a list of IP addresses which are known to be the sources of spam on the internet. Every time our mailserver receives a connection from host on the internet, it looks up the remote IP address on all of the configured DNSBL’s. If the IP is found to be blacklisted, the connection is rejected, otherwise things continue normally. Sometimes blacklisted IP’s are dedicated spamming machines, other times these can be hosts which have been compromised and become hijacked for the purposes of sending out millions of millions of spam emails. Compromised hosts can be servers or even home and office PC’s.

To help combat this problem, we have now implemented an additional DNSBL on our mailservers which blocks emails originating from end-user IP address ranges. These IP addresses should never be delivering unauthenticated email to any internet mail server except for those provided specifically by their ISP. From what we’re seeing so far these changes have made a big difference!

End-user IP address ranges also include the IP addresses that you, our customers, send email from. Fortunately, we’ve employed some neat tricks to ensure that these changes don’t get in the way of our own customers sending and receiving emails.

No configuration changes are required in order to receive the enhanced spam protection. Hopefully, you have already noticed a big drop in the number of junk email reaching your inbox.

Some customers prefer to purchase online without the need to register an account because it can speed up the check out process and it reduces the amount of user information they to provide. Guest Checkout will allow the customer to simply enter basic purchasing information like name, billing address and contact number without the need to create an account.

The feature appears at the Checkout Page and lists two options under the registration box – “Checkout as Guest” or “Register an Account”.

* Please note that the Guest Checkout is currently only available on the latest version of NitroSell eCommerce. Feel free to open a ticket on the Partner Portal if you would like to expose this functionality on your webstore.

The need for good communication and effective marketing has never been so important for all retailers so that they reach out to new and established clients and retain customer loyalty. One effective way of marketing which all of our retailers can use is to set up Constant Contact marketing.

One of our retailers, Catherine Norman from Giles Norman Photography Galleries (www.gilesnorman.com) shares her experience with us:

• Why did you use Constant Contact to market to your customers in the first place?Our first introduction was through Nitrosell but I had attended some seminars and they were recommended and also I am on several mailing lists that use Constant Contact. We use newsletters and updates to our customers to maintain front of mind awareness, to remind them of upcoming occasions and to share interesting development.
• Who do you market to?Our target base would be mainly ABC1 but Giles Norman pieces appeal to a broad section of the market in terms of demographics. Constant Contact helps us to be very targeted in our approach. Our database includes our existing customers and advocates who have either visited our stores or already bought on line from us. We’ve recently broadened our sales focus into the American market so newsletters are a very cost effective way of keeping in such with our customers around the world.
  
• How to you find the time to create updates and come up with new ideas for your newsletter?We are still finding our feet with this and at the moment its a weekly brainstorming session where we decide what images to use and what events are coming up.
  
• What benefits have you experienced with marketing this way?Our online sales have increased steadily over the last year, with our pre Christmas Sales topping previous years significantly. We attribute a large percentage of this increase to using Constant Contact effectively and strategically.
  
• Would you recommend to other retailers?Absolutely! We find it very easy to navigate and extremely user friendly. The graphics work well and the images reproduce with great clarity which was obviously very important for us. These days, all business should have an online marketing strategy with this sort of system playing and vital part.

For more information check out http://www.constantcontact.com/?pn=nitrosell.

• Product weight: none specified, or too heavy;
• Store address: incorrect store zip code or state;
• Shipping address: incorrect customer shipping address, zip code, or state;
• Service unavailable: the shipping service does not operate to the specified shipping address.

We’ve upgraded our checkout process such that these kinds of errors are presented to the customer, giving them the chance to correct the cause of the error and re-attempt the checkout process.

In this way, the customer is given the most information possible to complete the process. Taking the above screenshot an example (click to zoom), all the customer has to do is correct their address details and return to complete the checkout process.

* Please note that the above checkout and shipping integration updates are currently available only to webstores running in the Beta version of NitroSell eCommerce. Feel free to open a ticket on the Partner Portal if you would like to expose this functionality on your web store.

These videos will walk you through 5 topics, explaining each in very simple terms.

How best to organise your AdWords account

How to control your advertising costs efficiently

Building Successful Keywords

Writing Engaging Ads

Tracking the results

I hope you found these useful!

If you are already a Beta customer with a question about this new feature or if you would like to enable this new feature on your WebStore, then please contact us via the Partner Portal.