eBiz News: Free Affiliate, Listing and Security Tools

This week in e-commerce news Caspio announces an upgrade of its database application, buySAFE rolls out a widget, Shipping Sidekick partners with Commission Junction and the free directory Shops2see.com debuts. In research and survey findings, Cisco highlights tips for capturing the Gen Y market while Constant Contact reports that Mother's Day is one of the busiest buying seasons for Web shops.

If you've been considering creating a catalog or database for your site, Caspio's on-demand database platform lets e-tailers create these applications using step-by-step wizards without the need for programming. New features released this week in Caspio 5.0 include:

Relational DataPages — Comprehensive range of features for managing information and relationships between Caspio Bridge applications and other Web applications, with secure "push-and-pull" data routing capabilities through parameter passing, dynamic field handling, virtual fields and more;
Richer Application Interfaces — More flexible options to customize the layout and design of application interfaces;
Application Internationalization — Wizards to adapt applications to any region and country, including extensive data formatting and language localization.

Caspio Bridge 5.0 is available now and all on-demand customer accounts are automatically upgraded to the new version. Standard Caspio Bridge packages start at $39.95 per month, and a 14-day free trial is available at the company Web site.

On the security front, buySAFE launched the buySAFE Widget, a free utility that lets e-commerce merchants add the buySAFE trust seal and bonding services to their Web sites, according to the company, in less than 15 minutes. The buySAFE Widget makes the service available to e-commerce merchants regardless of their shopping cart or checkout platform, and complements integrated implementations of the buySAFE service currently available for merchants using the MIVA, Cart32, 3dCart, Zoovy and various open source shopping cart platforms.

The widget allows vendors to offer shoppers the option to purchase a buySAFE bond guarantee, with the merchant keeping a portion of any revenue collected. To qualify for buySAFE, online merchants must pass the buySAFE certification process, which ensures that they are financially sound, reliable and committed to delivering on the terms of the sale.

Merchants that use buySAFE experience higher conversion rates, higher sales and more frequent repeat shoppers, according to the company, and also earn additional revenue from any buySAFE bond guarantees purchased by their customers. To apply, visit the company Web site.

Next up is Shipping Sidekick Affiliate Program's partnership with Commission Junction. The Shipping Sidekick Affiliate Program allows businesses to advertise Shipping Sidekick to compare package shipping rates and delivery times between the various shipping companies. Affiliates will earn a $7 per paying sign-up referral payment.

After entering the destination and package information, Shipping Sidekick provides the published shipping rate and delivery time of each shipping company allowing you to choose the shipper with the best price for the delivery time needed. Published rates from UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL are provided on one screen, side-by-side. Each delivery company's ground, rush or priority and overnight shipping rates are included. Savings of $3 to $5 per package are common, according to the company, and a free shipping scale is offered with select memberships.

Through the Shipping Sidekick Affiliate Program, affiliates may begin advertising Shipping Sidekick free of charge with ready-made banners and links. Signups and payouts are automated and are paid at the rate of $7 per paid signup. Customers can sign up for a free Shipping Sidekick trial membership. For more information, visit the Shipping Sidekick Affiliate Program page.

If you want to gain more exposure for your Web shop, you can register for free on the directory Shops2see.com. The directory was set up to offer a clear overview of online shops that deliver products throughout the United States and that target the modern online consumer.

Each registered online shop can access a record of how many unique visitors it has received in the past week by logging in and accessing its personal pages. Multiple shop listings are welcomed.

The online stores are classified under different headings and consumers can search by name, keyword, product or service. Customers are invited to write personal reviews that will be posted at the site.

Meanwhile, the results of Cisco's second annual e-commerce study, conducted by its Internet Business Solutions Group (ISBG), offer examples of how to capture the under-35 market, which not surprisingly involves lots of social commerce techniques.

The IBSG study provides a comparative assessment of 27 Web sites in three categories — Global 300, Web 15 and Innovators. It focused on five distinct categories: ease of use, personalization, content, interaction and transactions. In addition, the survey looked at two different aspects of online shopping from a consumer's point of view. The first is foundational capabilities, which are non-negotiable "must have" characteristics including an intuitive graphical user interface, search capabilities and the convenience of the purchasing process. Second, are emerging capabilities, which are the more sophisticated aspects that add even greater value to the customer's experience, such as community and social networking and multi-channel integration.

"As retailers look to provide a more interactive, engaging experience and as video becomes more ubiquitous, retailers will start to use a YouTube-type approach to connect with and get closer to customers," Mohsen Moazami, vice president of Cisco retail and consumer products, said in a statement. "We believe video is driving an increase in customer loyalty and profitability."

The Web site for Scion, the car that debuted in 2003 to appeal to the growing number of Generation Y consumers, won the top spot in the survey rankings by employing a community-oriented online experience, according to the report. The survey outlined the following highlights:

Clear customer focus — Scion structured the site to meet the needs of its target market - what they drive, wear and listen to. Scion.com offers a boom box feature that enables users to listen to "Scion" music while they browse the site. In addition, Scion offers concerts by these artists in venues across the U.S. - all concert information is offered on Scion.com.
Sophisticated customization tools — Users can build their own car while on the site, selecting the model, transmission, exterior color, and available accessories that they can then save as "My Scion."
Integration between online and offline channels — Once a potential buyer has specified the model, color, and transmission, the details for their car can be e-mailed from the site to a local dealership. The dealership can then find that specific vehicle and arrange for the potential buyer to come in for a test drive.
Social networking and community participation — Scion.com has a section of the site devoted solely to registered users, offering one-on-one chats with Scion support staff and sponsors a variety of special events for its customers throughout the country.

In terms of the overall use of emerging social networking techniques, the study showed that 86 percent use some form of video during the shopping experience, up from 52 percent last year; 70 percent enable price comparisons, up from 48 percent last year; 67 percent provide a forum for customer reviews/ratings; 63 percent have some form of "Shop with a Friend"; 41 percent offer moderated message boards and 89 percent offer some product customization through guided shopping tools.

Finally, according to Constant Contact's 2nd Annual Mother's Day Outlook survey, 73 percent of U.S. small business owners anticipate strong Mother's Day holiday sales, up from 66 percent last year.

The strong optimism for the Mother's Day shopping season likely signals good news for U.S. small businesses, of which 83 percent deem Mother's Day important to their yearly earnings, up from 76 percent in 2006. In fact, U.S. small businesses owners rate Mother's Day as having a greater impact on sales than Valentine's Day, Easter, Father's Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, Labor Day and St. Patrick's Day, according to the report.

The survey goes on to say that 86 percent of small businesses will use e-mail marketing to promote Mother's Day sales; 42 percent plan to use other forms of online marketing (i.e. banners ads, paid search); 26 percent will send direct mail; 25 percent will use flyers; and 20 percent will advertise (TV, radio, or newspaper).

When asked which method is most effective at driving sales, 53 percent of small business owners say that e-mail marketing yields the best results, followed by online marketing (17 percent), TV, radio, or newspaper advertising (13 percent), direct mail (13 percent) and flyers (3 percent).

Michelle Megna is managing editor of ECommerce-Guide.com.

Do you have a comment or question about this article or other e-commerce topics in general? Speak out in the SmallBusinessComputing.com E-Commerce Forum. Join the discussion today!

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