Showing posts with label Shop Online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shop Online. Show all posts

Monday, April 11, 2011

10 Best Shopping Cart Wordpress Themes

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10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes 10 Best shopping cart Wordpress Themes. A WordPress ecommerce theme can be easily added to your default WP installation to transform your regular blog into a well oiled online ecommerce store. E-commerce themes for WordPress come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you need to sell physical products or digital products from your WP storefront, there’s a theme that can do that.

There are several free WP store themes available if you’re just getting started and need to save a few dollars.

Review list of best WordPress shopping cart plugins. Covers top 10 free and shopping cart plugin comes as a WordPress theme that you can install. Best Free Wordpress Themes Rated by Users, Live Demo and Free Download. top wordpress themes, wordpress shopping cart, wordpress themes download. 10 Best ecommerce WordPress themes for your online business. WordPress shopping cart plugins can be easily integrated with the theme. Here is the collection of best new premium ecommerce wordpress themes and shopping cart for your wordpress ecommerce.

The downside of using a free WordPress theme is that they’re not well supported or updated and you may not want to take the risk of something breaking and then losing customers. A great alternative is a premium WordPress ecommerce theme that includes quality support and frequent updates. Below we’ve put together a review list of the best WordPress ecommerce themes available today. These include both premium and free themes that you add to your WP site to start selling today. For more WordPress resources to improve your online store, see our list of premium WordPress plugins.

 

1. ShopAholic (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $25

ShopAholic is organised ecommerce WordPress theme. The theme supports Multi Column displays up to 4 columns to display your products. Theme provides wide featured slider to promote top products. Theme offers Category customization, Scrollable latest products. Old browsers like IE6 compatible. Images are also automatically resized.


10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

2. sShop (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $65.00

eShop ecommerce WordPress theme is very easy to install. Unlike other themes you don’t have to install every component step by step. The theme comes with built in shopping cart that supports multiple gateways like PayPal, Google checkout, bank transfer and more. The theme supports all the blogging functionalities.

The price is reasonable because the theme comes with all the shopping cart features.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

3. enVirashop (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $30

enVirashop is a very neat ecommerce WordPress theme designed  to sell but also provides an exciting shopping experience. The theme comes with Custom favicon, custom logo, 5 shopping cart colours, custom banner texts and featured post.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

4. eStore (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $39

eStore by Elegant Themes probably is the most stylish WordPress ecommerce theme out there. I find it a bit hard to setup the theme at the beginning but once you are done you will have a very stylish estore for sure. They offer 30 days money back guarantee. eStore theme comes with five unique color schemes. WordPress shopping cart plugins can be easily integrated with the theme. Product images are automatically resized into thumbnail. Elegant theme offers great product support.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

5. Wp FlexiStore (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $35

Wp FlexiStore is integrated with WP E -Commerce plugin to create a versatile and feature packed WordPress powered shop, with 3 different layout options and unlimited color possibilities. You can mix up content on the homepage with swappable content areas, and change between 2 different footer areas, or use both! Wp FlexiStore is a versatile WordPress ecommerce theme that you can re-brand it to suit your business by simply changing a few settings.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

6. rgbstore (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $30

rgbstore is a pretty cool WordPress ecommerce template. Theme comes with three color variations: red, green and blue. Other features are: Custom Post Type for Slider, Custom Post Type for Testimonials, Menu Manager, Auto Image Resizing with New Post Thumbnail, 2 Sidebar Position, 6 Page Templates, Custom Widget, jQuery Slider, Multi Level Dropdown Menu, Cufon font replacement, Cross Browser Compatible, PSDs files Included.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

7. WP STORE (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $65

The theme is already integrated with eShop shopping cart plugin. WP STORE features: One click auto install, shopping cart included, multiple payment gateways, shipping options, tax managements, grid view/list view, blogging functionality and many more.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

8. ESTORE (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $35

ESTORE is a very clean and well organized WordPress ecommerce theme. ESTORE Features: New Custom Post Type for Slider, New Custom Post Type for Portfolio, New Custom Post Type for Products, New Custom Post Type for Testimonials, New Menu Manager, Auto Image Resizing with New Post Thumbnail, 4 Sidebar Position, 7 Page Templates, Option to use Left or Right sidebar position, Custom Widget, jQuery Cycle, jQuery PrettyPhoto, Multi Level Dropdown Menu, Cufon font replacement, Cross Browser Compatible, Well Documented, PSDs files Included.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

9. SOFA $hopper (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $40

SOFA $hopper is a very trendy WordPress ecommerce theme. It does include 3 major payment gateways to process buyer shopping basket at the checkout; PayPal, 2CheckOut and Authorize.net. In addition, e-mail orders are also supported. The theme has Stock Inventory management built-in as well as Orders Overview/Tracking straight from front-end. Another cool thing is a featured products banner rotator – Piecemaker (Adobe Flash), fully integrated into system. Other Features: 8 built-in Widgets, Switchable layouts, multiple prices per product allowed, Entirely settable via theme Options page.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

10. OScomm (Premium WordPress ecommerce Theme)

Price: $35

OScomm is a clean, modern, web 2.0 style wordpress Ecommerce theme suitable for Online Store and shopping cart sites. This theme is compatible with WP Ecommerce plugin.

10 Best Shoping Cart Wordpress Themes

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Sunday, February 27, 2011

How To Have All The Latest Gadgets Without Going Broke

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How To Have All The Latest Gadgets Without Going BrokeGadgets have become the part and parcel of our life. Hardly any of us can imagine our life with different gadgets. The gadgets help to promote the quality of our life and thus the budget plan for buying gadget should be done under the purchase ability of an individual. So, here some tips How To Have All The Latest Gadgets Without Going Broke.

How To Have All The Latest Gadgets Without Going Broke

Warning
Before we begin, a word of caution: Go down this road and you will lose money. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. That said, if you're smart about timing, anal about upkeep, and diligent with your documentation, it's possible to attain bleeding-edge bliss without leaving a trail of financial havoc in your wake. The truly adept upgrader can even come close to breaking even. Here are some guidelines to follow in your new never-ending quest to remain current.

Learn Your Life Cycles and Laws
Moore's Law, Bell's Law, Kryder's Law—someone's always pronouncing them dead or obsolete, but many of these guiding tech principles are the main reason you're continually playing catch-up. The relevant ones also exert tremendous influence over when, how, and why your gear evolves. If you plan on leveling up at regular intervals, you'd do well to familiarize yourself with all of them. Having even a basic understanding of these informal laws can give you a sense of why the laptop you bought two years ago seems old and busted now.

Beyond that, they also shape various tech industry roadmaps. Companies like AMD, Intel and others are all fairly transparent about their update cycles. But figuring out how those plans carry over to actual gadget updates can take some work. For those devoted to Apple products, tools like MacTracker will help you divine specific product release date patterns and pricing history. Unfortunately, PC users don't have anything as useful.

Still, you can also start tracking company announcements and specific release dates yourself by going back and reading gadget sites and company press releases. Once you have a year or two's worth of data, spreadsheet those numbers to look for patterns. Macrumors has already done most of the heavy lifting for Apple upgraders. But you can also set up your own calendar alerts if you're feeling ambitious. It may seem like overkill, but staying one step ahead of new product announcements is paramount to earning top dollar for used gear.

How To Have All The Latest Gadgets Without Going Broke

Also, keep in mind that the end of November through the beginning of January (that'd be right now…) is the absolute worst time to sell your gear. With Black Friday/Cyber Monday/X-Mas/CES in the mix, we're right in the middle of new product announcement season. This is also accompanied by heavy discounts from retailers looking to clear inventory. Wait at least until mid-January before you even think of putting your gear on the market.

Save Everything
Resist the urge to toss out receipts, boxes, warranty cards, and other seemingly useless pieces of paper and cardboard. Nothing is more reassuring to a new owner than receiving a gadget that's neatly packaged with all its original materials. Also keeping all your materials will assure potential buyers that you're not a crook. You not only buy yourself a ton of pricing leverage when you save everything, but things like a receipt will also facilitate the transferal of warranty and registration info. If you have unused space in a closet or garage, start constructing your box tower now. Grab a Rubbermaid bin or two for storing everything else. If space is at a minimum, gadget boxes also made into makeshift bedside tables, desks or bookshelves.

How To Have All The Latest Gadgets Without Going Broke

Brands Matter
A lot. Just as some cars retain their value better than others, so do some gadgets. If you're going to swap your gear every year, it's best to focus the stuff that'll fetch the highest price in the second-hand market. To get a sense of which brands retain their value, keep an eye on completed eBay auctions. eBay Pulse gives you access to the top 10 most popular searches, popular stores, popular products, as well as the highest priced and most watched items on eBay. It doesn't hurt to do a specific searches for the item(s) you're selling on Craigslist, either. Like it or not, Apple products tend to retain their value much better than other brands. Other big brands like Sony and HP are also proven performers.

…But So Do Categories
Just like brands, certain product categories are always easier to traffic. Don't wast your time on items like printers, external hard drives, HDTVs, or any other gadget that is either already relatively cheap (new) or exceedingly awkward to transport. Laptops, desktops and smartphones, on the other hand, are usually in demand and easy to unload on the unsuspecting masses.

The Configuration Dilemma
If you're reading this, chances are you'll be itching to spring for the tippy-top-of-the-line gear. That can be a mistake. Always think of your target market when buying a new product. It may be the case that your potential customers won't share your affection for the latest Core i7 processor or your propensity for massive memory reserves. Here, it helps to pay close attention to company earnings calls to figure out what the most popular items are in a given quarter. Then use that info to make an informed choice. While it's possible that certain high-end or flagship models will be in great demand, people shopping the second-hand market are usually looking for bargains. Just keep in mind that a re-seller's sweet spot isn't always the priciest item.

Care for Your Precious
It goes without saying, but a scuffed, dinged or otherwise flawed gadget will command a dramatically reduced price. When you purchase your new gear, invest in cases, covers, furry linings and whatever other prophylactics you think will be useful. You don't need anything fancy or stylish, just enough to keep your gear safe. And hey, when it comes time to sell, you can always offer these protective cases and charge a little extra.

Warranties
Remaining current means you'll be dumping your gadgets back into the market after a year—often less. You should also seriously consider extended warranties. Don't worry, you can usually recoup the price of these plans when you sell you gear. Note: This is especially important if you're selling stuff online, where a buyer won't be able to test drive or physically inspect the item. Their peace of mind = money in your pocket.

Preserve Your Batteries

Cosmetic appearance is important. But proper internal maintenance should be high on your priority list too. Since most our mobile gear is powered by fickle lithium Ion batteries, you'll want to do everything you can to keep them healthy and happy. If laptops are your thing, software like Coconut Battery (for Macs) will help you stay on top of load cycles and internal temperature. Most companies also offer strategies and tips for keeping your batteries healthy. Follow them.

Get to know Trade-in/Recycling Sites
They should be last resorts if you truly want to maximize the amount of money you can get for your gear, but combing through sites like Gazelle and YouRenew will give you a good idea of just how fickle the gadget resale market can be. Want to know how quickly your fancy smartphone depreciates once the new version is announced? Take a look at the payout rate for the 3GS.

Timing Is Everything
Once you've figured out what you can sell, the next question you need to ask is when. Here's the answer: Right before the announcement of the next-gen version. Days make a huge difference here; selling at the right time can mean as much as 10- to 20-percent more cheddar in your pocket. It doesn't hurt to read gadget blogs to stay on top of all the latest news. We recommend gadgetmostwanted.blogspot.com, but there are apparently others. Just remember, falling behind on news is not an option. Something as innocuous as a rumor can send other like-minded upgraders scurrying to the Web and flooding the resale market.

The Art of Pricing
This is definitely more art than science. But do it right, and you can walk away with close to what you originally paid. In rare instances, even more. Ever notice all those ridiculous Craigslist ads asking for triple the retail price? Don't do that. But depending on the item, it can be smart to start high—particularly if you are selling a hard-to-get or high-end item. Even in the second hand market, people still equate a higher price tag with higher quality item. It can pay to make that gamble. If the timing, product, and condition is right, you can frequently get away charging retail (minus tax). Bam, you just rented a gadget for 8-percent of its retail price. In the end, there is a subtle dance to arriving at a fair and attractive price without short selling yourself. With practice, you will learn it.

Hone Your Salesman Skills

Your gear is in pristine shape, everything is in order, and it's time to write your ad. If you're funny, be funny. If not, just be straightforward and comprehensive. "Here's this Used Thing, Gimme Money" will not do the trick. When you get responses or enquiries, try not to appear overeager or desperate. But don't be vague or elusive, either. Spend a little extra time and effort to list your gadget's meaningful specs and take some nice (flattering) pictures. Answer questions in a timely manner. It's also a good idea to use one or two representative shots and then link to a Flickr gallery with better, higher-rez pics. People like to see effort.

Act Locally
Sure, PayPal's convenient, and eBay and Amazon gets you tons of eyeballs. But if you really care about squeezing every last penny out of your used gadgets, nothing beats a good ol' fashion face-to-face transaction. And that's why Craigslist should be an upgrader's first stop. Yes, spam and scams tend to abound here, but there are also tons of decent, respectable people simply looking for good deals. The added benefit of selling locally is that the person can actually see what they're getting, minimizing the risk that you'll get caught up in some endless online dispute. Oh, and there's also no transaction or shipping fees. Just remember to always insist on cash.

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Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App Stores

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Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App StoresDiscuss ‘bout Smartphone Mobile App Stores, it's been less than a year since Apple launched the iPhone App Store, but now virtually every mobile OS is showcasing its own take on the mobile application storefront. How do they all stack up? Here the top list of Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App Stores.

The first thing you'll notice about these efforts—coming from such traditionally competitive companies as Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia and Microsoft—is just how similar they all sound. App World? App Catalog? App Market? Mobile Marketplace? This outward likeness actually runs pretty deep—these stores are advertising uncannily similar feature sets, for both users and developers:

Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App Stores

Although it might not evident in the feature-by-feature breakdown above, there are two distinct kinds of app store: The primary store, which is the first and only source of an OS's apps (see Apple), and the secondary store, which is built around an existing stock of third-party apps, and with preexisting developers in mind (see BlackBerry, Microsoft, and Nokia). It's a combination of these different lineages and divergent policy choices that make the smartphone app store experience so varied.

Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App StoresApple's iPhone App Store
At least for now, the App Store is the standard by which all others are judged. Beyond that, it's given us a rough guide for what works. With a $99 dollar developer's fee and a novice-friendly SDK, the barriers of entry for an iPhone developer are fairly low. Distribution, payments and to a large extent marketing are managed by iTunes, which iPhone owners are necessarily familiar and comfortable with.

And, of course, there's the iPhone: This store may only serve one handset (and its very similar nonphone brother), but it's a wildly popular one. This makes the app store uniquely attractive to developers, because it provides access to the largest uniform app-buying market in the world. Microsoft can argue that Windows Mobile 6.5 will connect developers to x gajillion different customers through y zillion different handsets, but this variety is a curse: Handsets have different resolutions, processors, 3D hardware, input types and basic feature sets. A motion-sensing 3D game with a GPS social networking feature won't work on a lot of WinMo handsets, but a 2D, keypad-controlled Asteroids clone won't make a developer rich.

But the App Store is far from perfect. Apple, like all App Store owners, has the final say in what gets listed, delisted or banned, and they aren't afraid to remind us of this. Along with the typical risque/racist/infringing content prohibitions, Apple enforces strict and often limiting rules against apps that compete with the iPhone's native set—iTunes, Mail.app, Safari to name a few—and apps that their partnered carriers aren't too fond of, i.e video streaming and tethering apps. Now, all these rules are showing signs of loosening with OS 3.0, but as long as the App Store is the sole source of iPhone apps, any rules will seem like too many rules—especially if you're accustomed to a totally unregulated system like Windows Mobile 6.1's. Hence, the gray market.

Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App StoresAndroid App Market
This second major entrant into the app store race represents a consciously different approach than Apple, but not in that many ways. Immediately, we see a lot to compare: A single-handset userbase (at least for now), low costs for developers and a presence as the primary—though not sole—source of apps from Day One.

But the App Market is a different breed than the App Store. Most importantly, it's not the only place you can get apps. Google has been much more lenient about what they allow in their store since the beginning but in the rare case that they don't approve of an app, as in the case of tethering apps earlier this month, you can just go download an .APK file and sideload it onto your G1 anyway. This is a healthy middle ground for everyone involved; Google doesn't alienate users by destroying entire categories of apps, but isn't forced to come into conflict with carriers because of overly liberal policies. Google has also made their Market more friendly to consumers, with a no-questions 24-hour return policy.

Great! Then why is the App Market so underwhelming? Well, the G1 wasn't exactly a runaway hit, and the store got off to a slow start. Paid apps weren't made available for months after launch, and when they arrived they didn't benefit from the convenience and familiarity of a storefront like iTunes. Moreover, there's no guarantee that things will change that much in the coming months—more handsets from more manufacturers will boost Android's user numbers, but will lead to the WinMo-style toxic fragmentation that Apple so adamantly avoids.

Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App StoresBlackBerry App World
Matt took a dive into the newest mobile app store, and found it agreeable, but not spectacular. RIM's is the beginning of this "secondary" app store concept, and it shows: You'll be hard-pressed to find anything here that wasn't previously available elsewhere. It is simply an aggregator for existing applications.

This was a given, as developers have been cranking out BlackBerry apps for years now. But App World was a great opportunity for RIM to give the lethargic dev community a shot in the arm. Instead of doing that, they've made the store almost hostile to would-be app writers.

Listing your wares in App World costs a hefty $200, which gives you the right to upload 10 apps, but doesn't come with any new SDKs or development tools. The payment system is Paypal, which is clumsy to use and a pain to set up. A minimum non-free price tier of $2.99, probably intended to filter out spammy apps and cover Paypal's transaction fees, discourages developers from even trying to make simple, useful apps, eliminating the $.99-to-$1.99 sweet spot that has been central to Apple's success. App World feels like an afterthought, and a reluctant one. UPDATE: It should be noted that the 70% dev revenue share figure in the chart is incorrect, and has been update to 80%—a marked advantage over the other stores.

Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App StoresWindows Mobile Marketplace
With Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft will introduce the Windows Mobile Marketplace. So far, their announcements have shown an awareness of the pitfalls of both Apple's and RIM's approaches: They're emphasizing non-exclusivity and app approval transparency, a 24-hour return policy and wide device support, but also making sure to get big-name app and game developers on board to ensure that users actually have something new to look forward to at launch.

On the developer side, it's a mixed bag. As in every other store, the dev take-home is 70% of each sale, but the listing fees aren't great. $99 gets you five apps a year, but anything beyond that will cost an additional $99. I'm sure this will help vaccinate the Marketplace against the fart app epidemic that Apple has proven so prone to, but it'll do so at the expense of potentially useful free and $0.99 apps—again, a crucial price range. One important factor that's still TBD is the payment system. Microsoft says they'll support both credit card payments and carrier charges, but hasn't yet said how that'll look. In both cases the process will need to be as seamless as possible.

Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App StoresNokia Ovi Store
You probably haven't heard much about this store, set to debut within a month, but it's kind of a big deal for the 40m+ Symbian S40 and S60 users that it'll serve apps to. It's planned to shoehorn into Nokia's new Ovi app suite, which we were introduced to with the XpressMusic 5800, and provide a go-to source for not just apps, but ringtones, wallpapers, and basically everything else that you might have found in a 2001 vintage carrier WAP store.

There has been a decided lack of fanfare surrounding this launch, probably because there just aren't that many Nokia smartphones in the US. But its success or failure will be informative: It will be the most open of all the app stores. For the time being, there is no developer fee, and app listings are free and unlimited. You can easily publish tons of different kinds of content—Flash Lite apps, Java apps, Native S60 apps, multimedia uploads and others—which will be subject to a vetting process that Nokia has assured will be minimal. As Nokia-averse Americans, we can view the Ovi Store as an experiment in laissez-faire app-mongering—a multi-handset, mixed-media, unfiltered feed of Symbian content.

Most Wanted Smartphone Mobile App StoresPalm App Catalog
And finally, we have Palm's App catalog. This is the store we know the least about, but that is already set for a different course than all the others. At launch, the only handset it'll serve will be the Pre—though Palm has indicated that other WebOS handsets are inevitable. It'll be the first—and likely exclusive—source of WebOS apps, and developers will be furnished with a solid, though fundamentally limited, SDK.

Palm's still-vague plan for the App Catalog will no doubt be central to the success or failure of the Pre, but we can make an educated guess at what to expect, assuming that Palm doesn't get taken over by idiots in the next couple months: Palm will vet the apps thoroughly, provide an in-house payment system, and make development simple and cheap (previewed Mojo SDK apps have shown great promise). The end result will probably look something like the iPhone App Store, but with one huge difference: there will be no local natively running apps—the Mojo SDK doesn't provide for that, just for what amount to turbocharged, locally-stored web apps. Granted, these web apps will have privileged access to some of WebOS's core functions, but it's doubtful that high-end gaming, as we've seen on the iPhone, will even be possible on the platform. These limitations (along with WebOS's multitasking advantages) will affect the nature and quality of the apps that are listed in the store much more than the Catalog's policies, though exactly how, we'll have to wait and see.

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Friday, February 25, 2011

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

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Top Best E-Commerce Planning QuotesGo Professional means more planning and research. If yo plan yor web e commerce then this is the best ways do planning ecommerce website. Whether theming an e-commerce website or doing a full-scale build, one of the most important parts in the whole process is the planning. Planning a build before you start can sometimes seem like a bit of a tedious and time-consuming task, but not only will it make everything run a lot smoother, it will also save a lot of time. website altogether called online shop, e shop, online store etc. It does require technic and practice.

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

You may be wondering where you even begin, and that’s what this article will help you answer.  Try out to have an eCommerce website for your shop before it is too late. Ecommerce website or electronic commerce website is a kind of website where every aspect or service can be sold or bought. Now a day's almost community is addicted to internet and sometimes it is really easy to shop online rather than shopping from a physical business outlet. Outgrowth of ecommerce

What Do You Want Your Site To Do?

Let’s start at the beginning. Since we are talking about an e-commerce site, I’m guessing that the aim is to sell something. We need to figure out ways to make it more compelling to buy that something.

Try to make it as easy as possible for the customer to buy your products. The well-known three-click rule applies here: You want your customer to get to what they are looking for in three or less clicks. Any more, and they may just give up. The user interface should be a primary subject to plan for.

Who’s Going to Buy From You?

Another important factor to take into account is your audience. This is something that you should consider researching properly; knowing who will want to buy your products is something that influences your design.

Do You Require Special Site Features?

Depending on what you are selling, you may need features that other e-commerce sites do not. For example, a clothing e-store may need a refined search so that the customer can filter a search by colour or brand. Alternatively, you may want to allow the customer to use coupon codes. You should plan what features and functions you think you need or want to add.

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

What Are Your Limitations?

Everyone has limitations — work out what yours are when you are building your site. Do you have a budget for the build, and if so, how will this limit what you can do? What technical limitations do you have? Is there any part of the build that you won’t be able to do by yourself? How does the technology limit your build?

You can do nearly anything with enough hard work, but remember that not everything will be possible.

Do You Have All the Tools You Need?

It depends on how much of the build you are doing, but you will probably need graphic editing software (i.e. Photoshop, Fireworks), a web development application (i.e. Dreamweaver), e-commerce and online store management software (i.e. Magento, OSCommerce, etc.) and the obvious things like a domain name and web hosting.

What E-Commerce Platform Are You Going to Use?

Since we are talking about e-commerce, we should take into consideration what’s going to power our website. There are countless of e-commerce platforms out there, and one of your tasks is to find one that fits your needs.

Depending on your knowledge and what your needs are, there are a various number of options that you would be able to use. If you think that you have quite a comprehensive knowledge on the subject, then maybe you should consider going for an open source cart or even building a platform yourself. If not, then there are also hosted carts to take into account.

Let’s have a look at a few platform options from different categories.

Magento

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

Magento is probably one of the most popular open source carts in the e-commerce platform market and, in my opinion, is probably the best free cart out there (there are also enterprise and professional versions with a yearly cost that will provide additional support).

Magento has some awesome features including analytics integration, capability of wish lists, multiple images for products, advanced product filter search, advanced customer service, tonnes of payment methods, marketing/promotional tools and so much more.

Recently, Magento has also released the world’s first mobile commerce platform. This could be very interesting, even more so now that smartphones with huge screens (such as the iPhone) are all the rage.

Shopify

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

Shopify is a very interesting hosted platform. Compared to something open source and self-hosted like Magento, it is extremely simple to set up, manage and update. You could have a site running within minutes if you wanted to.

But Shopify does have a slight lack of features (by intent — to keep things simple), its price is a monthly fee plus, on top of that, a commission for every sale, and a hosted platform means you have less control of your platform (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for people who just want things to work).

Content Management Systems With E-Commerce Addons

Another alternative that has recently arisen is that of WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla! shopping cart plugins, giving these content management systems e-store capabilities. There are a few, including eShop, Shopp, and WordPress MiniCart. This is great if you want a quick add-on for you existing site, but not perfect if you want a fully manageable e-commerce site.

Custom E-Commerce Site

An alternative to all this would be to go the DIY route and build your own platform. Of course, this will need a fair bit of web development knowledge and also a lot of time. But putting in all that work could be worthwhile if you have highly customized needs. Plus, if you build it yourself, you’ll be guaranteed full ownership of everything, including your code base.

Case Examples of E-Commerce Sites

Do a little bit of research into what other e-commerce sites are doing right and wrong. Try to learn and consider all your findings when you’re building your e-store.

Let’s have a look at some of e-commerce sites.

Amazon

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

Amazon is the world’s largest online reseller, but what makes the site so brilliant? One of the main factors is the simplicity of the site: Even though it looks cluttered, it’s still easy to navigate and find what you are looking for. For example, think of any product you want to buy right now: You’ll probably find it or learn that it isn’t available on Amazon.com within three clicks.

Amazon also boasts about its customer service and if your customers are happy, then you’re doing a good job.

Other huge e-commerce sites you should look at are Zappos, Threadless, andThinkGeek.

Google Product Search

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

Google Product Search is not really an e-commerce site, but it’s worth looking at to illustrate an important concept about planning and building e-commerce websites:simplicity is important. And if we can think of one company that excels in this concept that best, it’s Google. Google has been known for its simplicity since the beginning and this remains the case when using its product search.

Google Product Search is also great for when you have your e-commerce site up and running as well: By uploading a list of your products to Google Product Search, you open a whole new portal to your online shop.

Another remarkably simple but successful e-commerce site to look at is Woot.

Shoe Guru

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

Now that we’ve had a look at the largest, let’s have a look at some smaller e-commerce sites. ShoeGuru is an amazingly simplistic site, and its design is perfect for displaying their clothing products. The design comprises of a nice graphical site that gets the message across.

Doorstep Dairy

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

Doorstep Dairy is a great example of a great-looking site that is both fun to use, yet still easy to purchase from.

Nation Toys

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

Nation Toys is an excellent and colourful site that compliments the vibrant products they sell.

Crocs Store Romania

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

Crocs Store Romania is probably the best version of the Crocs site (for some reason they have designed the sites differently for each region).

Mock-up and Design

Once you’ve done your planning, what do you do next? Well, everyone works a different way, but you may want to make a mock-up or wireframe of what your site will look like. Some people like to go straight into Photoshop or other design software at this stage, but personally I like starting out with pencil and paper (very old fashioned, I know) because  it’s easier for me, but it may be different for you.

If you do decide to start out the old-fashioned way, try Paper Browser: You just print out the templates and draw on them, giving you a true perspective on paper.

Best Ways to Planning your E-Commerce Website

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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Money Saving Tips to Buy Gadgets

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Money Saving Tips to Buy GadgetsSave money and saving money more to buy gadgets.  Read on the article for some effective tips for right approach toward the plan to buy gadgets. The main issue about purchasing gadgets is purchasing comfort, economy, and health; therefore, it is required to have some green tips for enjoying green effect in life with about these gadgets. Gadgets have become the part and parcel of our life. Hardly any of us can imagine our life with different gadgets. Great Money Saving Tips We all can use extra money.

Money Saving Tips to Buy Gadgets. Read on the article for some effective tips for right approach toward the plan to buy gadgets. Campus on a Budget: Money Saving Tips For College Students. While at $109000, this isn't exactly a money saving gadget. It's really helpful and, like your tips, shows us all great ways that we can use discredit yourselves to buy labeling what should really be side notes.

Money Saving Tips to Buy Gadgets

While purchasing gadget we should consider the features of the said gadget first and accordingly need to think about the utility of the features of the gadget for the purchaser. For example, before purchasing a mobile phone, one has to see if all the features of the phone are really required by the users or not. Those who are simple user should not go for hi-end phones for the sake of fashion or status only.

Energy saving factors is of great importance while the purchase of a gadget is concerned. It is always wise to buy gadgets with 5-or 7-star ratings because these ratings ensure the energy efficiency of the said gadget. More the gadget is energy efficient; it is proven as more economic.

Money Saving Tips to Buy Gadgets

While we purchase a new gadget we often consider the features and price but we forget to consider the after sales service and warranty section of the gadget. It is true that quality gadgets hardy gets damaged during first 2-3 years and that covers the warranty coverage of the same provided by the manufacturer. However, after- sales service efficiency should be one of the prime factors in selection of a gadget and before purchasing it should be verified if the service center for that gadget is located at near by location. It will not only save money but will also save time.

Another deciding factor to buy gadgets is the availability and price of the spare parts of the same. If spare parts of a gadget are not available or it is too costly, it is better not go for that item. Otherwise, in case of damage the whole investment will go in vein. Those who are concerned about output of the gadget and at the same time is running on tight budget may consider the option of purchasing refurbished or open box items. Refurbished items are retailer repaired products and open box products are sold-back products. Both of these items are available against lesser price than the new one but they render service as new products. However, before considering purchase of repaired or refurbished items, it is always wise to verify the reputation and background of the retailer so that in requirement the customer may ask for his assistance for servicing.

It is always good to go for branded items while purchasing a gadget. This may incur little more investment, but it will prove ultimately big saver of money. Online shopping to buy gadgets is a great idea because some of the online stores offer huge discount around the year. If one can avail these discounts, it will help in saving considerable amount of money.

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Monday, February 21, 2011

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

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Top Best Android Apps Must HaveTime is precious and all business entrepreneurs will undoubtedly agree with the fact that time is money. Gadgets and technology get together. This year, sales of smartphones based on Google's Android operating system have begun to surpass Apple's iPhone in the U.S., according to Nielsen. With increasing interest in Android handsets, mobile application developers are starting to make business-specific apps. Here are 10 apps from Google's Android Market, selected with the help of Google, that are popular and highly rated (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 the highest) by users.

When you are looking for a smartphone other than an iPhone, the Andoid smartphone might be the one you're looking for. Cellular South reveals the best Android apps for business and reminds users that Android is also for professionals. The choice of apps for the Android mobile operating system is bewildering, so Jason Hiner picks out some of his favourites. If you own an Android smartphone, you can make your life a lot easier with apps that enhance your business productivity while you're on the business ecommerce.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

Documents to Go 3.0 (DataViz)

Free viewer; $14.99 for full version
Rating: 4.5 stars
View, edit, and create Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF files. If you want to edit or create files, you'll need to buy the full version.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

PocketCloud (Wyse Technology)

Free for limited features; $14.99 for full version
Rating: 4.5 stars
Access Windows, Mac, or Linux desktop files and applications from your handset. It's free to use with home machines, but workers who want to use this with a corporate computer on a network need to buy the full version.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

Ignition for Android (LogMeIn)

$29.99
Rating: 4.5 stars
Your computers become an extension of your Android smartphone with this app. Remotely access and control both work and home computers, as long as they're connected to the Internet.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

UPS Mobile App for Android (UPS)

Free
Rating: 4 stars
Track packages or freight shipments from your handset and estimate shipment costs and delivery times. This app also lets you access your address book and payment info at UPS.com and find the nearest UPS service locations.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

TouchDown (NitroDesk)

Free 30-day trial; $19.99
Rating: 4.5 stars
Workers can connect to corporate e-mail with Android devices and get new e-mail messages pushed to smartphones rather than needing to remember to download messages. TouchDown supports encryption, and the IT department can wipe data on the device should it be lost or stolen.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

Astro File Manager (Metago)

Free; $3.99 for app with no ads
Rating: 5 stars
This app helps you copy, move, delete, and rename files on your smartphone. It also lets you send files as attachments to e-mail messages and read and extract compressed files, such as Zip and Tar files.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

Evernote (Evernote)

Free
Rating: 4 stars
Evernote helps you remember things, whether it's a receipt from that last business dinner or the name of the executive you met at a conference. The app lets you type a text note, clip a Web page, snap a photo, or grab a screen shot and store it, organize it, and find it later.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

Travel Organizer (TripIT)

Free
Rating: 4 stars
When you're on the road, you can see the details of your itinerary, get maps and directions, and make phone calls straight from your itinerary with the tap of a finger.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

Expense Reports (Expensify)]

Free
Rating: 4 stars
Never lose another receipt. Log expenses, scan receipts, and take comfort that a free service will back up those receipts online. This app also lets you import expenses and receipts from your credit-card or bank account.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

Dropbox (Dropbox)

Free
Rating: 4.5 stars
Sync files between your computers and mobile devices. Share links to files and save photos and videos from your camera to your computers. This app also lets you browse a Dropbox folder from your handset.

Top Best Android Apps for Business Must Have 2011

Admittedly, I feel more confident downloading apps from the Apple store than I do from the Android Marketplace because I know that Apple strives to protect. Cellular South Touts Android Apps for Business Users The software can business users the possibility to easily find the most useful and fun Android apps available today. Top 15 Android Business Apps Highly useful Andriod apps for a wide variety of business tasks, from travel aids to financial transactions to office productivity.

10 Must-Have Android Apps for Business Whether you're running the next great business pitch from your phone or you just need to jot down ideas and edit documents on the go, we have you covered. 101 Best Android Apps in Business Here are the results for 101 Best Android Apps in Business on 101 Best Android Apps. Vote for your favourite applications.

10 must-have Android apps for business  Whether you're running the next great business pitch from your phone or you just need to jot down ideas and edit documents on the go business online. 11 Must-Have Android Apps for Business Among all the apps pouring into Google's Market, here are a few notable gems.

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