Tag Archives: WebSurveyor Corporation

About 2423 days ago Setting Up a Website

How to Avoid “Abandoned Cart Syndrome”

It’s often referred to as “abandoned cart syndrome” when a shopper leaves your website after flagging products for purchase. Something happens between the time they add an item to the cart and checkout. The question is, do you know what it is? “Potential customers who leave your website prematurely aren’t going to tell you what turned them off, so the burden is on you to figure out what that is,” says Gary Chen, an analyst for small and medium business strategy at the Boston, Mass.-based Yankee Group market research firm. It could be any number of things, says Chen, including difficult navigation, out-of-date information, surprising shipping costs or taxes, payment restrictions, identity theft concerns or unclear return policies. Why customers abandon their carts The New York-based eMarketer research firm included some eye-opening findings about why customers abandon their carts in a recent report. Citing data collected by WebSurveyor, an online survey software and hosting service, among the most often cited reasons that online shopping experiences during the holiday season last year were unsuccessful were: comparison shopping (30 percent), shipping cost too high (27 percent), ran out of time (27 percent), product out of stock or backordered (16 percent), and technical problems with the shopping cart (8 percent). Tips to avoid cart ditching A Direct Marketing Association survey conducted by online retailers in October 2005 offers some tips to limit shopping cart abandonment. 1. Try to limit the number of clicks in the shopping process. Experts say that registration before buying is a big turn-off to customers unless they understand what’s in it for them — fewer clicks the next time. Limit the number of steps a customer has to take to pay you. It’s that simple. 2. Track pathing, a networking approach that alters network communication paths. Make sure that customers aren’t dumping the virtual shopping cart because of slowness involving technology on your end. 3. More transparency in pricing. The sooner a customer knows the price, including shipping and handling, the better. Consider installing a quick S&H calculator on the site to help. 4. Test for navigation glitches. The best way to understand the customer shopping experience is to test drive a shopping cart yourself. That way, you can find broken links or mislabeled items before your customer jumps ship. 5. Improved customer support via the website. The big companies now deploy instant chat on their sites. That might be out of the price realm of smaller companies, but make sure the shopper knows how to contact you, where you are located, what your policies are and where they can e-mail a question. Needless to say, respond promptly. 6. Encourage buyers to use an electronic payment service. Paypal or one of the major credit cards is a good way to help complete the sale. Customers are turned off by having to mail a check before they receive goods. Troubleshoot by returning to the basics If customers keep abandoning their shopping carts on your company website instead of completing the purchase, you may want to consider going to a professional instead of handling the problem in-house.  “Basically, there are two methods to add shopping cart functionality: go with a hosted online e-store to handle this for you or use software to add a shopping cart to your existing site,” explains Chen. The trend is the former — to outsource the store — because most SMBs don’t have the time or inclination to program a shopping cart, says Chen. “It’s often smarter to go with an existing off-the-shelf online solution, such as Yahoo! Stores or Pro Stores Pro Stores, now owned by eBay. Don’t think you can do a better job yourself.” Plans for these hosted sites can cost less than $100 a month, says Chen. Some companies, such as Doral, Fla.-based Fortune3 offer both an e-commerce hosting solution and do-it-yourself option. Fortune3’s Web shopping cart “wizard” software costs a flat $495, although the fee is waived if an e-tailer uses Fortune3’s Web hosting solution (plans start as low as $30 a month). “A shopping cart shouldn’t be sophisticated for both the owner and the customer,” says Fortune3 CEO Fortunato Farache. “A shopping cart should be four things: functional, fast, good-looking and secure. If the consumer senses a defect in any of these areas, they will likely leave the site.”

About 2423 days ago E-Commerce

Accepting Online Payments

Starting your first online store can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience. One such consideration is giving your customers enough choices upon checkout. But according to a recent report by WebSurveyor, a Herndon, Va. online survey company, one of the reasons why customers abandon a shopping cart is due to “payment issues,” including when the site does not accept their type of credit card. Another survey by Allurent, an Internet commerce applications maker from Cambridge, Mass., found that 37 percent of customers who abandon a shopping cart do so after initiating the checkout process.   “The more payment options you can provide to customers, the greater the likelihood they’ll purchase something at your site,” says Jeffrey Grau, senior analyst for retail ecommerce at eMarketer, a New York-based research firm. “In addition to credit card payments, you should also offer online payment services, such as PayPal, and even accept checks or money orders — the more options the better,” adds Grau. If you’re confused about where to start, consider the following payment pointers. Credit cards Small-to-midsized online businesses say they prefer to be paid by plastic over other payment types, according to results of a 2006 survey by Financial Insights, an IDC-owned market research company in Framingham, Mass. A recent survey of nearly 9,000 employees of online merchants in 22 countries found that credit and debit cards — with familiar brands such as American Express, Visa, MasterCard and JCB — showed the strongest usage among its customers. To get started, Visa encourages merchants to visit its site to help Web store owners go through the steps to apply for a merchant account. Basically, you first need to contact an “acquirer,” a merchant bank or other financial institution that grants a merchant account and enables credit card payments from customers. “My advice to a Web merchant is to use any bank to get started, an institution you already have a relationship is a good idea,” suggests Derek Sivers, rresident of CD Baby, of Portland, Ore. the largest seller of independent music on the Web. Small businesses that accept credit cards advise that there is an initial cost to the business in terms of fees to the merchant bank or other financial institution. After that, every credit card transaction costs you about 2.5 percent of the sale, plus gateway fees, monthly statement fees, etc. Pricing is set between the merchant and their bank based on the number of services provided, and not negotiated by Visa directly. Some businesses advise that the fees are only a short-term problem because once you accept credit card payments, your online sales should increase and you may be able to negotiate with banks on fees.  “The point is to simply get a credit card merchant account and live with it for six or 12 months — and then you can play hardball by pitting multiple banks against one another who want to fight for your business,” says Sivers. Given the global nature of ecommerce, always ask your bank to let your online store accept all popular card types, including ones that may be popular in other countries such as JCB in Japan and Swift in the United Kingdom. As a merchant, you want to accept as many cards as possible. PayPal In case you missed the Inc Technology article, How PayPal Works for Businesses, PayPal is the world’s leading online payment service with more than more than 114 million accounts globally. The Financial Insights report found many of the nearly 9,000 surveyed employees of Web merchants said they also prefer to accept PayPal and other secure online payment solutions. According to the eBay Inc.-owned service, and the millions of merchants who rely on it, PayPal is a quick, safe and relatively inexpensive option for those who want to set up online payments for customers. Merchants can review the different types of accounts at PayPal. The  easiest way to get going is opting for the Website Payments Standard, which simply involves signing up for a PayPal Business Account, verifying your information and then adding a little payment button on the site. While free to buyers, PayPal merchants must pay a fee to use the service. Transaction fees depend on monthly volume: PayPal charges 2.9 percent + $0.30 USD for PayPal payments between $0 and $3000; 2.5 percent + $0.30 USD for $3001 and $10,000; 2.2 percent + $0.30 USD for $10,001 to $100,000; and 1.9 percent + $0.30 USD for $100,001 and higher. Transaction fees are deducted right away, so when a merchant receives $100, it’s really $97.50 (at 2.2 percent + $0.30 USD). Unlike credit card merchant accounts, PayPal does not charge a set-up fee, gateway fee or any monthly fees.

About 2423 days ago E-Commerce

Using the Web for Market Research

Each year, about 600,000 new businesses are started in the United States, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. And last year the SBA backed 100,197 loans to businesses adding up to $19 million in 2005 — a record amount. It sounds like a wonderful time to start your next business, but more loans available also could mean more competition. It is equally important to make sure your idea is original and solid. After all, you have to pay the money back. Here are some smart ways you can research with your fingers. Use Keyword Search A step beyond doing a simple Web search, keyword search actually tracks what people are looking for most using Google, Yahoo! and similar engines. You can type in your business product or service and gauge the public interest in finding it. Keyword search is handy for two reasons. “First, you’re going to be reminded of product niches that you might not of thought of.” says Jennifer Laycock, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Guide, an online guide to search engines, portals and directories. For instance, typing in “babysitting services” may also give the search frequency for “animal sitting services.” “Second, these services will also give you a guesstimate of how many existing sites already use that phrase,” Laycock continues. “How many existing sites already offer that product.” She says it’s not uncommon for certain keywords to be heavily searched for, but have few site offerings. “In other words, you can find a hole in the market,” she says. WordTracker and Trellian’s Keyword Discovery are popular keyword search engines. Find competitor links If you are going to use a traditional search engine to test business ideas, use it to find competitor links. For instance, typing “link:www.competitor.com” into Google will tell how many sites link to the website. “It is a great way to see a competitor’s link development and PR campaigns,” says Shari Thurow, Web expert and author of the upcoming book Search Engine Visibility. “Is the competitor promoting a product or service similar to your own? Maybe you can get publicity because you have a new or better product.” Read blogs The newest trend, personal, business and critic blogs are updated much faster than traditional websites — and can be another gauge of public opinion. You can search them by using Technorati, Blogpulse or Ask.com’s Block Search. “Blogs tend to move at a faster pace and be more informal in tone, so you’re more likely to pick up conversation about a new product type or need on a blog than on a standard web site,” Laycock says. Conduct online surveys Online surveys are yet another way to gauge public opinion. Surveys have traditionally been conducted to help do market research about whether an idea or a product will be appealing to consumers. The Internet actually provides a less expensive alternative to in-person surveys or telephone research. Now many companies offer to conduct online research for you or give your company the tools to carry out your own surveying. Some online survey companies include EZquestionnaire, KeySurvey, and WebSurveyor.

About 2788 days ago Business Software

The Skinny on Survey Software

With more than 100 online polling software packages to choose from, picking the right one can be tricky. Here, three options to suit various needs. Product Features Cool Extras Price SurveyMonkey Basic Web-based software lets you design and conduct polls and view results online. Customize surveys by uploading your company’s logo to survey pages. Subscription costs $19.95 a month for up to 1,000 responses. WebSurveyor All the basics, plus loads of bells and whistles, including the ability to translate surveys into most languages. Send thank-you notes to poll respondents and reminders to others. $1,495 to $4,995 a year. Pricier packages include consulting services and extra support. Perseus Survey Solutions/EFM Workgroup Aimed at mid-size companies, this sophisticated software allows multiple employees to conduct surveys simultaneously. Control the number of polls being sent to any given audience to avoid annoying them. Expect to pay at least $7,500 for the software, but once you buy it, it’s yours. Related Content The Survey Says… Want to know what consumers think? Put down the comment cards and poll them online instead.

About 2788 days ago Business Software

The Survey Says…

Don’t trust online polls. That’s what traditional-minded researchers have been telling business owners for years. The Internet isn’t diverse enough to be a valid testing ground, they argue, so data gathered online is bound to be skewed. If that argument was ever valid, it no longer is. Consumers of all stripes are giving feedback to businesses online. One out of every four American Internet users–about 33 million people–has rated a product, service, or person online, according to a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, an initiative of the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center. That number is expected to grow as consumers become accustomed to having more interactive relationships with companies, says Lee Rainie, director of Pew Internet. “We’re well past the time when this was an activity of early adopters,” he says. “This is how consumers want and expect to communicate with businesses.” At the same time, new technology offered by companies such as SurveyMonkey, based in Portland, Oreg., and WebSurveyor, based in Herndon, Va., is making it easier for companies to conduct online polls. The polling software aggregates hundreds of responses to multiple-choice questions into easy-to-read documents, complete with graphs and charts, that can be mined for information on everything from customer satisfaction to product development. Online polls have been a boon for Michael Kahn, senior director of consumer and trade marketing for Chicago-based Socrates, which sells do-it-yourself legal forms to business owners. Kahn regularly surveys customers to figure out what new products would appeal to them. One evening this past January, he sent out an e-mail inviting customers to fill out a poll consisting of 34 multiple-choice questions. By the next morning, he had received hundreds of replies. The response to one question in particular piqued his interest: A majority of property owners said they were likely to rent or lease an apartment without any assistance. Armed with the poll results, Kahn pitched a new product to his managers: a do-it-yourself background-check kit for landlords. Six months later, the kit hit the market. “I am in love with this tactic,” Kahn says. Web surveys are the quickest way to find out if a product or service is up to par once it’s unveiled. Open-ended surveys can also turn up suggestions on everything from cost cutting to marketing. Cameron Herold, chief operating officer of 1-800-Got-Junk?, a trash-removal company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, frequently sends surveys to his company’s customers and franchisees. He’s often surprised by the results. A recent poll revealed that franchisees thought a newly designed box for the back of the trash-removal trucks was a waste of money. “We thought it was amazing,” he says. “They told us it was terrible.” Another poll revealed that many customers were concerned about recycling, so Herold added information about 1-800-Got-Junk?’s ecofriendly initiatives in the company’s marketing materials. “We want to tell people up-front that we’re already doing something they care about,” he says. Besides getting feedback from existing customers, online polls can help attract new ones. Elizabeth Morley, director of corporate marketing at Books24x7, an online library of technical and business books based in Norwood, Mass., offers companies free access to her site on a trial basis. Before the trial period ends, Morley asks users to fill out an online survey rating the library and explaining how often they used it and for what reasons. Then she incorporates the data into a customized sales pitch. Being able to present concrete examples of how the online library helped a company’s employees during the trial period goes a long way toward convincing decision makers to sign up, Morley says. Web surveys can encourage employees to open up as well. Herold regularly polls his employees, encouraging them to be forthright by promising anonymity and by wording the surveys in such a way that prompts the “most brutal feedback.” He recently asked the members of his own work group to suggest three things he should be doing differently. Their answer: Go on vacation. “Not them, me,” he says. Employees are likely to jump at the chance to tell you what they’re thinking. But some customers may bristle at the notion of filling out a survey. Employees are likely to jump at the chance to tell you what they’re thinking, especially if they’re given anonymity. But some customers may bristle at the notion of filling out a survey, online or off. To sweeten the pot, DigitalMailer, a company based in Herndon, Va., that provides e-business services to credit unions, enters respondents into drawings for prizes such as iPod Minis and $50 gift certificates to Best Buy. Keeping people interested is the other half of the battle. Avoid asking too many questions related to demographics in the beginning of the survey–save those for the end. Also, keep the surveys as brief as possible. There’s no magic number, but, in general, the longer you’ve had a relationship with a customer, the more questions he or she will be willing to answer. Finally, be sure to provide a space where customers can make additional comments and suggestions. You may not always like what they have to say, but at least you’ll be informed. Resources To read the Pew Center’s research on Internet usage, which includes demographic information and analysis, go to www.pewinternet.org. QuestionPro.com offers tips on creating online surveys and provides a variety of free samples. Related Content The Skinny on Survey Software With more than 100 online polling software packages to choose from, picking the right one can be tricky. Here, three options to suit various needs.