eCommerce in Iowa

It seems as though “New York state has won a round in court against Amazon.com over a new law requiring out-of-state online companies to collect sales tax from shoppers in New York — possibly $50 million annual windfall.

The law applies to companies that don’t have offices in New York, but have at least one person in the state who works as an online agent — someone who links to a Web site and receives commissions for related sales.”
(Newsday)

This seems completely incongruous and unconstitutional to assimilate brick and mortar with click and order. Our eCommerce business(es) thrive on doing business across states, across the world. If New York can actually make heads with this ruling, then what would stop other states from jumping on board. Eventually, we would have to (unfairly) file sales tax in each State that required collection, rather than just our own State. Seems asinine if you ask me.

Are we going to start forcing local (Iowa) stores to collect sales tax if they sell to someone in Nebraska? Will eBay need to force sellers to collect sales tax for new products/items they sell?

What are your thoughts and opinions? I want to know…

Christian Connett General, eCommerce amazon tax, new york, sales tax

For a limited time, for the next 20 new clients (existing clients can add a new store too!) - Shopping Cart Made Simple is waving the normal setup fee ($499.00) to get your own complete, all-inclusive ecommerce website.  You get free design, free hosting, free search engine optimization and submissions, first month free, free domain name, free statistics, and the most comprehensive website platform on the market…

Call or visit the website now: Shopping Cart Made Simple (www.ShoppingCartMadeSimple.com)

Christian Connett General, Resources, Search Engines, eCommerce eCommerce, free, shopping cart made simple

WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE ECONOMY?
2007 – Gas prices up; cost of operation up; credit harder to acquire; and consumer confidence down…

Things that every retailer dreads.  Whether you are selling socks and underwear, health food, vitamins, or exotic cats; 2007 was met with an obvious decline in sales for most.  2007 saw bankruptcy and cost-cutting.  More marketing gimmicks have also come out of the wood-work. 

BUT NOT ONLINE SALES
According to Internet Retailer, Last year online retail sales reached $165.9 billion, an increase of 21.8% from $136.2 billion in 2006.  They further cite that Internet sales grew nearly six times faster than total retail sales.

TRUTH IN NUMBERS
Internet Retailer also reported that Office Depot (with over 1,000 stores nationwide) actually saw OfficeDepot.com sales rise by 14% to $4.9 billion from $4.3 billion in 2006. That increase accounted for all the growth in Office Depot’s sales last year. Total revenue rose by 3.5% to $15.5 billion from $15 billion in 2006 while comparable store sales dropped by 5%.

Total sales at Circuit City Stores Inc. (No. 16) dropped by 5.5% in 2007 to $11.7 billion from $12.4 billion in 2006. Comparable store sales also dropped by 8% last year, but CircuitCity.com grew by 40% to $1.4 billion from $1 billion in 2006, according to Internet Retailer.

BananaRepublic.com, Gap.com, OldNavy.com and PiperLime.com sales were up while in-store sales were down in 2007.

EVERYONE WANTS TO SAVE MONEY
No one wants to drive, gas is rediculously expensive, and vehicle costs are growing as well.  More and more consumers are turning to their computers.  Why not?  You can rent movies, video games, watch your favorite shows and videos, download music, purchase books, and basically anything you could possibly need or want.

COMPLIMENT WITH ONLINE SALES
Here is a trend that is steadily climbing, retailers are now turning to online sales to compensate for lost revenue.  They are complimenting their ‘brick and mortar‘ with ‘click and order‘.

AFFORDABLE AND EASY
It’s not expensive to sell online.  You can set up an online store fairly quickly.  With Shopping Cart Made Simple, you can have an online store in just days.  A professional, easy to use online catalog to sell any product(s) that you wish.  Low setup fee ($499) gets you setup, then $30 a month and you are selling your own products online!  Want to accept credit cards?  INCLUDED.  Accept Visa, Mastercard, electronic check, Dicover, etc, etc. 

LIST YOUR PRODUCTS IN THE SEARCH ENGINES
Want more?  How about an entire store that is already Search Engine Optimized?  Get prime search engine results!  Auto-generated Sitemap that is submitted directly to Google, Yahoo, MSN, Live, Ask to ensure your individual products are listed.  Shopping Cart Made Simple makes selling online very easy.  You can talk to a live person, that will actually set your store up for you. 

TIPS, TRICKS, AND FREE MARKETING
Exclusive tips and tricks to selling your products, marketing your business (for free), and much more! 

THE DEAL
This is an incredible deal for your own online shopping cart.  Here it is again:
Only $499 to set up your store, and $30 to start selling online.  Think about it… The economy is taking it’s toll on stores, but online sales continue to grow beyond retail sales…  Shouldn’t you be a part of it?

SHOPPING CART MADE SIMPLE
Check out Shopping Cart Made Simple today, and start selling your products online with your very own ecommerce store!

Christian Connett Resources, eCommerce eCommerce, economy, online store, shopping cart made simple

As an eCommerce provider, we have to help businesses/organizations make the best decision for their online payment needs.  Throught the years things have changes from one type of Merchant Account to another.  We align with several great providers that include Authorize.Net, PayPal, Google Checkout, and a couple of other options.

Throughout these trials, uses, and experience I have accumulated a bevy of knowledge that help propel clients into making the best decision for their needs.  I don’t want you to get something setup, just because “the other guy is doing it”.   Everyone has a different need, and some needs are just slightly different.

Regardless, I want to lay out some helpful information to help you determine the best FREE merchant/payment solution.  Although both Google Checkout and PayPal provide great services respectively, one solution works better for some companies while the other fits more succinctly.  So here are my tidbits of thought:

GOOGLE CHECKOUT vs. PAYPAL WEBSITE PAYMENTS

 Cost of Setup for both: FREE

Processing fees:
Google Checkout = 2.2% + .20 per transaction
Google processing is FREE if you spend equal or less than 10 times  your Adwords spending.  E.g. if you spend $1,000 in Adwords, then your first $10,000 in processing fees are FREE!

PayPal Payments = 1.9-2.9% +.30 per transaction
Paypal has a sales-volume base for the percentage.  So the more volume that you take in, the better the discount rate (percentage).

The security of both applications are unsurpassed, and are just as trustworthy (if not more PCI compliant) than paid solutions.

Now these are just some points on integrating one of the solutions for your ecommerce store checkout process.  There are many other options you can utilize from these providers as well.

You can invoice from either provider through email invoices.  Easily bill your client.

I have to admit that for your small business, PayPal can be the most advantageous of the two.  There are many other services that you can leverage from PayPal, including gaining control over your funds a lot faster. 

Google Checkout is integrated into your bank account.  As soon as GC processes a payment, the funds take 3-4 business days to automatically transfer into your bank account.  In the meantime, you do not have access to those funds.

Paypal however provides instant access to your funds via the PayPal Account.  You can send money as soon as 30 seconds after the transaction completes.  You can also transfer funds into your bank account (again 3-4 business days).  OR – sign up for the FREE PayPal debit card!  PayPal does provide a FREE debit card (Mastercard).  The card allows you access to your funds IMMEDIATELY.  I would suggest using the card as a credit card, because you will get 1% cash-back on every purchase that you ’sign’ for!  Thereby reducing your transaction fee by 1%…

PayPal provides recurring payment solutions, Google does not have this functionality as of yet.  PayPal is accepted as a form of payment on many merchant websites, whereas Google is simply a ‘checkout’ process.

You decide what works best for you.  Google Checkout is simple, especially handy if you utilize Adwords.  PayPal is a lot more flexible and can help manage funds/billing a little better.

If you have any questions about these or other solutions, give me a call – I am here to help you succeed.  I support small business, and I hope that you do as well!

To forward thinking…
- Christian

Christian Connett Resources, eCommerce

Are you thinking about moving your business to ‘Click and Order’?  Have you given it a little thought; a lot of thought?  Well I may have an answer for all of your eCommerce type questions. “Simply the best all-in-one ecommerce shopping cart solution out there.”  How’s that for a bold statement?  How about “Low Cost DOES mean High Quality!”

Let me introduce to you a world-class solution for taking your Iowa business, whether small or large, to the online ecommerce world.   Shopping Cart Made Simple – a simple to understand and use ecommerce system that states “your business didn’t come out of a box and neither should your online store”.  How great is that?  I know that I didn’t start my business out of a box, although my first office sure felt like one.   Shopping Cart Made Simple takes the steps with you – and not just expect you to go it alone and figure things out.  Besides, we all know what happens when you try to do something all by yourself, right?

Here is a few excerpts from the website (http://www.shoppingcartmadesimple.com/) -

Other “online stores” expect you to create your own website and use a generic admin to do so. Shopping Cart Made Simple will tailor your all-in-one e-commerce solution to meet your specific needs, your business didn’t come out of a box and neither should your online store.

I just love that line about your business didn’t come out of a box!  Here’s more -

You will be able to manage your products and inventory from anywhere you have a computer connected to the Internet! We have all the features your looking for without the hassle of hiring a design team or paying too much for your shopping cart system.

I would encourage you to at least check out what Shopping Cart Made Simple has to offer. 
Here are a few bullet points:

• Real-time Credit Card Processing
  • Full integration with Authorize.net, PayPal® , and Google Checkout.
•  On The Fly Shipping
  • Integrated with USPS and/or UPS accounts
•  Search Engine Optimized
  • Dynamically generated HTML pages, Complete control of Page Titles & Meta Tags, Sitemap Generator
•  Robust Product Capabilities
  • Cross-Sell technology, Color swatch options, Thumbnail generator,Multiple pricing, Quantity discounts, Multiple product options, and more
• Take Complete Control
  • Full WYSIWIG editor, additional website pages, contact form and more

Shopping Cart Made Simple has strategic partnerships with some of the biggest names on the Internet, including Google, PayPal, eSolutions Interactive, and more.

You make the decision, and let me know what you think!

Christian Connett General, eCommerce click and order, eCommerce, online store, shopping cart, shopping cart made simple

More than just an ordinary exchange of money between hands… Commerce as we have known it, has grown into an electronic world that welcomes (with open arms) merchants to the power of online shopping.  Seems like yesterday that you had just opened up shop in your very own storefront.  Do you remember what it felt like the first time you hung that ‘OPEN’ sign in the window?  What about that first customer that walked through the door?  Taking the proverbial step forward -> to the online storefront, has never been easier.

Many think that it’s a difficult transition, it’s too complicated to manage my in-store business AND an online business.  Not enough time, not enough knowledge… just not enough you?!!?

So many things to think about – I don’t know how to set up an online store, I don’t know how much it’s going to cost, I don’t know if it’s worth it!  I don’t know if I want to do this online thing.  I don’t know how to get in the search engine result pages, and I don’t even know how to get my products from the garage to the web!

I can change all that… as a matter of fact – I AM GOING TO CHANGE ALL THAT.  Keep reading, keep checking back, and feel free to send comments, questions, suggestions, ideas, cookies, or books.  I welcome you to eCommerce in Iowa – the next step for your business future.

To forward thinking…
- Christian Connett

Christian Connett General, Search Engines, eCommerce ecommerce in iowa, ecommerce iowa, forward thinking, merchants, online business, online shopping, online storefront