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  • The Must Have Security Features for Any eCommerce Platform

    The Must Have Security Features for Any eCommerce Platform

    The rapid growth in the ecommerce industry, in many ways, is also a result of the level of confidence that people have in the online payment mechanisms. eCommerce websites that are able to showcase their use of the best in class security features, in terms of payment processing, as well as customer data privacy, are on track for success at a scale.

    A bit on ecommerce security

    Regardless of the scale of any ecommerce enterprise, what makes them such an appealing target for cybercriminals are the volume and value of data they host. Hundreds of customers share their personal details, banking information, and other useful data (that is supposed to remain confidential) to register with, use, and get the best of ecommerce services.

    Thousands of ecommerce-related cybercrimes take place on a daily basis, with even giant ventures, like eBay, falling prey to these attacks. Online security is, thus, an aspect where compromises should never be made on. Sufficient resources should go into tightening the security of online business platforms to their utmost.

    The following is an elaborate list of some of the most quintessential security features that every ecommerce platform should possess:

    Go for layered security

    According to cyber-security experts, the best method to ensure that an ecommerce platform is safe from cybercrimes is by going for a multi factor authentication mechanism. Adding layers to the security protocol makes the security tougher to breach, and the violation endeavor more time-consuming.

    This, in turn, discourages hackers from targeting your ecommerce website.

    For instance, a firewall for the website’s server is common and necessary. However, it is wise to enhance its utility by preparing a detailed contact form and necessitating strong passwords from registered users that contain combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers.

    SSL certificates: a must have

    When sensitive information is being exchanged, the exchange taking place between the internet browser of the end-user and the website needs to be secured. SSL or Secure Sockets Layer encrypt these communications so as to secure them from unauthorized access.

    Installation of SSL certificates, along with other protocols mentioned in the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, have been made compulsory for ecommerce entrepreneurs, who are lawfully held responsible for securing the information provided by customers.

    These certificates can either be availed for free or via paid subscriptions, depending on the agency in charge of installing these certificates.

    Adopting VPNs

    Public networks are accessed by large numbers of people, and hence, always on the hit list of cyber criminals. These networks might not be the safest option for operating an ecommerce platform.

    Adopting a Virtual Private Network that is equipped with offsite servers and secures communications via encryptions is a much smarter decision when it comes to safeguarding online transactions.

    Encryptions are of paramount importance because they do not allow external online parties from actively or passively involving itself in communications between websites and end-user servers.

    The cost of availing VPN services depends on the mode of services that you have opted for. Open-VPN and SSL-VPN are two cost-effective security options.

    Security auditing

    Frequent security checkups and audits are recommended for sustaining and bolstering your ecommerce website’s safety-net. Audits help weed out potential threats that may have found their way onto these portals.

    It is, thus, a good idea to eliminate records of past transactions, just like it’s done by new online casinos and apps. Since these portals deal with round-the-clock cash flow, they take security concerns rather seriously to ensure that their clients’ information is safeguarded properly.

    Their tech teams are always on guard regarding malicious attempts made on their servers.

    Protection against DDoS targets

    DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service, a form of cybercrime that has kept website security teams awake at night many times. Moreover, they keep adapting to more complex versions so as to dodge measures that are generally employed against these attacks.

    Cloud-based DNS facilities that come equipped with transaction provisions help guard websites against DDoS attacks by removing suspicious or unnecessary traffic.

    Investing in an efficient service that fights DDoS attacks is a much more pocket-friendly move than trying to tackle them on your own. Not only do DNS services safeguard ecommerce websites, but they also provide 100% DNS guarantees that enable more reliable communications between the website and servers.

    Concluding remarks

    In order to ensure long-term success for an ecommerce platform, its website security must be the first base covered during development. It is one of the most important pillars that hold these platforms up and should, thus, be updated, maintained and checked religiously.

    Whether it’s a multi-brand online retail store, an online service provider, or a thriving online casino, you need to ensure the best of information security, always.

  • 5 Things Can Boost Your eCommerce Business

    5 Things Can Boost Your eCommerce Business

    After days, weeks and even month of hard work, your ecommerce website is finally ready to conquer the online world. From an idea in the back of your heard, to the process of turning concept to the reality of a published site, here you are, ready for the next step: getting sales.

    Easier said than that in an increasingly competitive online world, but just because the road to success might require a lot of work, and a smile or two from lady luck, doesn’t mean your site won’t be among the few ones that will make it to the top.

    Here is a brief SEO guide for ecommerce websites including 5 tips that could help you along the way:

    1. Bring targeted traffic to the site

    It is important to make sure you understand what targeted means. If traffic is the key to a website success, qualified traffic is its holy grail. Whilst thousands of visitors to a website is what we all ultimately strive for, nothing is more important than ensuring that the visitors who come to your site are actually interested in the products or services you specialize in.

    That means that traffic for the sake of it is not sufficient. What you really need is qualified, targeted traffic!

    There are many ways qualified traffic can be brought into a site and they all fall under the category of internet marketing:

    • SEO or search engine optimization will ensure that the content in your site and the structure of your site is aimed at providing your user with an optimal experience and a wealth of information visitors are looking for. SEO is a complex process which requires a lot of work and an adaptability of thoughts some people possess more than others. For that reason, you might want to enlist the help of a professional firm specializing in SEO.

      If you choose to do this yourself, then be prepared to set aside time and effort in order to familiarize yourself with the requirements of SEO.

    • Advertising: A sometime expensive process, advertising represents the quickest way to bring qualified traffic to a site. There are many advertising platform you can choose from including google AdWords, Facebook ads, pay per click systems etc. The idea is to test the waters so to speak by going small, to see where any dollar you might spend in one platform will generate more traffic for your site in another.

    2. Upsell and cross-sell products

    An often-neglected area of online ecommerce sites, upselling and cross selling products within your site can be one of the best (and most economical) ways to maximize revenues.

    We all know how tough it is to not only bring visitors to a website but to turn them into customers and the idea that they should be able to come in, click on the BUY HERE button and then be allowed to leave doesn’t make any sense.

    You have worked hard to bring them to your site, you’ve convinced them that your product is what they are looking for and they have made a purchase. Now is the time to tell them about the other products or services you specialize in which might be of equal benefit to them. Say you specialize in health supplement and your customer has just selected a one month supply of one of your products.

    An upsell campaign might present him or her with the opportunity to earn discounts on a 3 month purchase instead. Another one might be to offer further discount if the order is marked as auto renewal.

    A cross-sell campaign might tell them that the particular product they have just purchased might work even better with this other one.

    Upselling and cross-selling is a unique way to increase sales revenues. Make sure you use this system in your own e-commerce site.

    3. Don’t let abandoned carts go to waste

    Customers, for a number or reasons often choose not to complete a purchase on sites. E-commerce sites will usually have the necessary tools to list abandoned carts and as a savvy business owner, you should at least try to find out why the cart was abandoned in the first place. The good thing about an abandoned cart is that you already know who the customer is and the details of his or her email.

    A simple set of recovery emails can go a long way in turning these abandoned carts into actual purchased. Here is a sequence of emails you could send:

    • Thank the customer for initiating a purchase and remind him or her of the products that are waiting in the cart.
    • Remind them how uniquely impactful these products can be and how they have made a difference in the lives of so many other people who are using them.
    • Offer an incentive, like a discount code valid for a number of days only.

    There are also specialized recovery tools which you can use. These tools come at a cost but claim that through their appropriate use, they can help you recover up to 50% of all abandoned carts.

    4. Work on your content, fine tune your descriptions, add photos, videos

    Make sure your SEO tags and titles are informative and accurate. Don’t rely on automated descriptions pulled by your e-commerce management software from the content of your products page.

    The idea that once a product page is up, there’s nothing else that can be done to improve it is false. On the contrary. Search engines actually like regularly updated content.

    5. Use social media

    Making used of social media is an important aspect of a successful eCommerce business.

    Recent research indicates that social media platforms such as Facebook generate more traffic than google. As the world begins to incorporate the use of social media in their online activities, so should you.

    Many companies with limited advertising budgets start on Facebook and for good reasons. Using FB ads has been shown to boost sales by up to 37 percent for some and it would be a mistake not to try.

    Facebook targeted audience can help define a customer base that is going to be highly interested in your products and services and the more targeted your audience the less money the ad will cost.

    Spending less for more qualified traffic is a win-win situation and considering social media is driving sales more than ever, it is an advertising platform you should definitely not pass.

    As final thoughts, it is important to remember that e-commerce sites have the potential to be highly rewarding in terms of revenues earned from sales. The mere fact of putting a site out there is not sufficient though.

    As a business owner, you will be required to apply both time and effort to ensure that your site becomes successful. If you are prepared to do the hard work, follow the guideline above, then you will give yourself the tools to succeed where many others have failed.

    It’s up to you!

    Author Bio

    Erica Silva is a blogger who loves to discover and explore the world around her. She writes on everything from marketing to technology, science and brain health. She enjoys sharing her discoveries and experiences with readers and believes her blogs can make the world a better place.

    Find her on Twitter: @ericadsilva1.

  • How to Convert MOV to MP3 Using Movavi Video Converter

    How to Convert MOV to MP3 Using Movavi Video Converter

    Although MOV was originally developed for QuickTime and Macs, nowadays it is a bit more widely compatible than that. Still, if you’re interested in just the soundtrack or audio from a MOV video, it would be better to convert it to a format such as MP3 that is more or less universal.

    Using Movavi Video Converter you will be able to easily extract the audio from MOV videos and save it as a MP3 file. To do that you’ll essentially use it and convert MOV to MP3 – which shouldn’t take any more than a few minutes.

    If you already have the MOV file that you want to convert, you can go ahead and launch Movavi Video Converter. To add the video click on the ‘Add Media’ button in the upper left corner, then select ‘Add Video’ and find the MOV video that you want to convert. Rather than doing that you may find it easier to drag and drop the file into the main working area, which will add it as well.

    Next up you need to set it up to convert the video that you added to MP3, and to do that you should first click on the ‘Audio’ tab in the lower part of Movavi Video Converter’s interface. Under that tab you should see a ‘MP3’ category and you can select it then pick one of the presets. Each preset should have a different bitrate that will determine the quality of the audio fie, and you can either pick one or choose to use the original bitrate.

    At this point you can click ‘Convert’ to start converting the video to an MP3 audio file. However you may want to first click on the folder icon beside the ‘Save to’ field to set the destination folder. In any case that is pretty much all that is involved in converting MOV to MP3 with Movavi Video Converter.

    Keep in mind that you can convert any of your videos, audio or image files using Movavi Video Converter, and can also use it to create animated GIFs, grab screenshots, and much more. Its presets will help you to ensure you can easily convert videos or automatically optimize them for specific devices or platforms.

    All in all you should have no problem extracting audio from any video format using Movavi Video Converter. By knowing how to do that you can save a soundtrack that you like, save the voiceover instructions in a how-to video, or something else entirely. The same steps can be used to convert any formats as well, so you can effectively ensure your videos are compatible, optimized, and ready for any use whatsoever.

  • Spread the Word: Generating Interest in Your New Business

    Spread the Word: Generating Interest in Your New Business

    Starting a new business can be tough. What can be even tougher is getting people to pay attention to it once you’re up and running. In the digital age, word of mouth moves fast and trends spread like a wind-driven wildfire. The tricky part is generating the spark in the first place.

    So, how do you get the word out? If you’re saving money with reasonable hosting prices, you can also use a number of inexpensive methods to get your business noticed. These tips will help you begin generating interest in your new business to spread the word.

    Think ahead and budget for advertising

    Have you created a budget for your advertising or public outreach? If so, you are already ahead of the game in comparison to other fledgling businesses. However, most young companies prefer to put off advertising until they can afford it. This really depends on your goals and your financial obligations.

    That being said, having the cash on hand to invest in an advertising strategy is a huge help in spreading the word about your company. Common strategies include paying for ads in the local newspaper or pay-per-click advertisements on popular search engines.

    Social media is a powerful tool

    When you’re starting a small business, there won’t be a lot of extra money. As a result, advertising can be last on the list budget-wise. Social media platforms sometimes offer deals or limited-time discounts on promotions and advertisements from your business. These are usually month to month arrangements. That way, when you decide you’ve gotten everything you can out of the deal, you can cancel it.

    Engagement Builds Followings

    Speaking of social media, one of the best ways to spread the word is to be active and engaged. When you get feedback from customers, whether it’s negative or positive, responding to them helps build your brand. Existing customers like being able to communicate directly and new customers will see how much you care about customer satisfaction. This can also serve as damage control if a customer is unhappy. Being responsive and proactive can nip problems in the bud before bad press can propagate and harm your business—particularly when it’s just getting started.

    Cross-promotion and networking

    Networking with other small businesses can reveal cross-promotion possibilities, in which you can help one another generate business. With cross promotion, complementary organizations agree to promote one another in social media and on their websites. A jewelry company can promote your brand of silver polish, just as a sporting goods store can offer discounts for outdoor activities. Finding a symbiotic business willing to exchange promotions may take some time and effort—but it’s always worth it when it works.

    Word of mouth is a powerful Tool

    Having a solid product or a service people can count on is just as important as getting your brand out there. If what you’re providing is of high quality, satisfied customers will tell others what made them so happy. While social media, networking, and publicity are all key to generating interest in your new business, providing people with something they need and doing it well is what will tip the scales in your favor.

  • 5 Features to Look For in Powerful Computer Monitoring Software

    5 Features to Look For in Powerful Computer Monitoring Software

    Try it: here.

    Pretty much every computer monitoring software will let you track and monitor activities taking place on computers in your workplace – but their capabilities can differ quite a bit.

    If you want to have a tool that can help you to increase productivity by minimizing time wastage and improper computer use, it is important that you look for software that has the features you need.

    In particular, there are five features that you should look for in computer monitoring software that could make a world of difference:

    1. Automated scheduled reports

    Although sometimes it can be helpful to manually track employees’ activities, for the most part you will want to use automated reports.

    It helps if these reports provide relevant overall data as well as specific information about individual employees that can be used to evaluate and assess them at predetermined intervals.

    2. Logging and searching

    By logging keystrokes it is possible to find data breaches or other security risks. However it is important that the keylogging itself is customizable, and provides a reliable and user-friendly way to search through logs rather than having to scour them line by line.

    3. Web usage timers

    Being able to filter out certain websites and online platforms is a useful part of most computer monitoring software, but it is even more useful to have web usage timers.

    Essentially these timers will let you allocate a certain amount of free browsing time, in order to allow employees to access the internet freely for a fixed duration so that not too much time is wasted.

    4. Easy installation and setup

    The level of complexity involved in installing monitoring software varies – but one with an easy installation that doesn’t take long to set up is definitely preferable.

    Not only will it make it faster and more convenient, but it will also mean that installing it on new workstations that you may eventually add will be easier as well.

    5. Customizable alerts

    Every company is bound to have different needs and may need to keep an eye out for specific types of computer activity. That is why it helps if your monitoring software has customizable alerts that you can set up to encompass any activities that are relevant to your company.

    Ideally these alerts should instantly notify you of any issues, so that action can be taken immediately.

    Of course in addition to these features you should make sure that the software you select is user-friendly and is something you can easily familiarize yourself with.

    The user interface, controls, settings and other aspects of the software will all play a role in that regard.

    As you can see the scope of computer monitoring software can vary quite a bit, and its features will definitely dictate exactly how it can be used to track and monitor activities.

    By ensuring that these features are present, you should be able to choose a powerful monitoring software that can be tailored to suit any requirements.

  • Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Digital Signature Vendor

    Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Digital Signature Vendor

    Thanks to the digitization of workplaces, a great deal of paperwork is now replaced by electronic documents. When it comes to sensitive documents like contracts, non-disclosure agreements and others that need signatures though, executives still have to run from pillar to post, making sure all documents are duly signed by all members involved.

    You know that digital signature can solve this problem and you’ve heard that they are safe and authentic. However, you still have your doubts, and rightly so.

    You must absolutely ask all the necessary questions and be a hundred percent sure that the digital signature vendor you are planning to engage is absolutely the right choice.

    Digital signatures are undoubtedly a secure and legally protected service that can save you the trouble of printing, faxing, mailing and scanning papers just for procuring a signature.

    However, it is so only when you have a reliable and authorized service provider. Unfortunately, e-signature providers have cropped up in large numbers and not all of them have a high standard.

    Here are the factors you should consider before choosing your digital signature service provider:

    1. Is The E-Signature Legally Protected?

    While e-signatures are ESIGN and UETA compliant and very much legally accepted in all high-value transactions, they require process evidence and an embedded audit-trail if they ever need to be presented in court.

    The process evidence is a sequential record of all the steps a customer took during the e-signature process. Additionally, look for a detailed and consistent audit trail.

    Look for a vendor who diligently records every event and provides a legally acceptable proof.

    2. Are The E-Signature And The Documents Secured?

    Ask your vendor if they will protect your documents and e-signatures using appropriate digital signature technology. Ideally, they should create a digital fingerprint that can be used for verification purposes in the future.

    Some vendors don’t have enough authenticity to create a tamper-proof solution for all e-signatures. You need to avoid such providers and make sure you use someone credible.

    Since the e-signature vendor will have access to your most sensitive documents, and will be storing them in a cloud, you need to make sure that they will protect the integrity and confidentiality of your information.

    Make sure they have proper mechanisms and appropriate electronic infrastructure to support highly secured cloud storage for documents.

    3. Does It Work With Your Existing File Types?

    Going paperless needs just as much flexibility as you find in the world of hard-copy documents. Signatures are required on a wide variety of documents from invoices to forms, contracts and agreements.

    E-signatures on such documents should be just as easy. Ascertain that your e-signature provider allows you all the flexibility you need and works with all the different formats, and applications you use such as Outlook, Word, and Excel or file types like PDF, SharePoint and AutoCAD.

    Also make sure that the e-signature solution works well with your existing workflows, your CRM tools and database management systems.

    4. Is It Easy To Use?

    To facilitate maximum adoption at all levels and by all people you deal with, an e-signature should be extremely useful. People should be able to complete the process within a few clicks, without any additional training on how to use e-signatures.

    Signing on a paper is one of the most basic, ingrained habits of people; it is something they can do in their sleep. Breaking away from the familiarity of paper-and-pen signatures to adopt e-signatures isn’t an easy transition and a complicated process could make it harder.

    5. Is It Open To Customization?

    As a part of your branding, you wish to give your clients/customers a seamless experience. When the time comes for an e-signature, they shouldn’t have to go to a new page to sign.

    The e-signature interface should be enable to be customized so that it can reflect the same colors and interface as that of your brand to avoid confusion.

    6. Does The E-Signature Provide Multiple Modes Of Signature Capture?

    There are multiple ways to do an electronic signature. Clicking on ‘sign here’, entering a password, initialing, and a few other creative ways can be adopted to complete the process.

    Check with your vendor if they support multiple formats.

    7. Is The E-Signature Mobile Friendly?

    Mobile is an absolutely indispensable part of business today and hence, the e-signature solution must be compatible with mobile. Your clients should have absolutely no trouble signing a document on a smartphone or tablet.

    8. Does The E-Signature Solution Have A Proper Consent And Notice Provision?

    According to the ESIGN Act and other accepted rules for e-signatures, the user performing an electronic signature must be very clearly notified what the e-sign entails and must seek consent for the same.

    They should have the option to not indulge in the process should they choose to. If there is ever a problem with the client’s consent and your vendor has failed to follow the right process, the e-sign can be invalidated.

    Conclusion

    As you can see, the seemingly simple process of electronically signing a document is rife with little intricacies which, if not followed, can lead to serious organizational and legal problems.

    It is important to understand that when electronic signatures are being given as much legal significance as a real-life signature, an equal amount of care must be taken.

    An e-signature vendor, who isn’t a well seasoned and highly credible industry personnel, may not be the right person to handle such sensitive matters of your business.

    It is hence imperative that you exercise extreme caution when selecting an electronic signature service provider.

    Rose Martin is an editor at Rantle East Electronic Trading Co. Limited – Electronic components distributor & IC supplier in Hong Kong. She has a master degree in electrical engineering. She likes to share her views and perspectives on electronics manufacturing industries, production, technologies and entrepreneurship. You can reach out to her at martinrrrose[AT]gmail[dot]com.

  • What to Look for When Shopping for eCommerce Stores

    What to Look for When Shopping for eCommerce Stores

    One of the easiest ways to acquire an online store is by searching an ecommerce marketplace platform like Exchange by Shopify. This platform allows you to shop for online stores or to list your own for sale.

    If you have been doing this for a while and now want to sell for a profit, you can do so on Exchange. If your journey as a store owner is only beginning, you can also find stores for sale on this platform.

    There are plenty to choose from in different industries and niches. In order to make the most out of your shopping experience, and to make sure that you find what you are looking for, make sure to inquire about the following details.

    What’s in the box?

    Buying a store won’t always result in the same kind of purchase. On top of the actual store itself, there are many other factors that pertain to the maintenance or profit generating abilities of said store.

    For instance, you can get the previous owner’s email list when you buy the store, or the previous owner’s physical inventory. This depends on whether or not they are willing to give it to you for the agreed upon purchasing price.

    Most of the time, a store listing will specify what else is included in the deal. This is so they can make the overall deal sweeter. Some even agree to offer their personal support after the transaction is made.

    A store for your own size

    You can purchase an established online store or acquire a tiny startup store. Depending on what kind of store you are interested in, you will find different price tags attached to the offers.

    Keep in mind that you don’t have to start from scratch, but you have the possibility of starting anew without the actual headache of finding a domain, setting up the website and everything else related to starting up the online business.

    You can skip all of these and get a startup store, which will allow you to create your own logo and rebrand it, making it yours completely. Alternatively, you could just buy an already established store that’s already doing well.

    If you eye a store that already generates a pretty penny, you can take it over and set yourself up for smooth sailing.

    Checking out the categories

    On Exchange, available websites are shown in categories that represent each store’s main trade. For instance, if you are looking to buy a store that sells beds, you might find them in the furniture section.

    If you want to invest in an online shop that trades in sports goods, you will mostly find all eligible candidates under the Sports category. The same principle applies for all other categories.

  • How to Determine Whether it is Possible to Repair a Dead Hard Drive Yourself

    How to Determine Whether it is Possible to Repair a Dead Hard Drive Yourself

    Has your hard drive suddenly died and left you high and dry? If there was nothing important on it then it the easiest option is to just buy a new hard drive, but if you have important information that you don’t want to lose you may be thinking about repairing it.

    Unfortunately repairing a dead hard drive is easier said than done, and in some cases it may not even be possible for you to do it yourself.

    But before you get to that though, you first need to identify what the problem is – at least roughly.

    It is important to note that a ‘dead’ hard drive is one that is completely inoperable. Sometimes hard drives may fail for other reasons such as bad sectors that may make them unable to boot up.

    If that is the case you may be able to repair your hard drive using software, and recover information from it by plugging it into a different computer.

    However if your hard drive is dead then there could be several causes. The most common are issues involving the motor, disk head, or PCB board.

    If the motor or disk head of your hard drive are the issue then you should be aware that repairing it is extremely difficult.

    To do so you would have to open up the hard drive and diagnose then fix the problem – which is generally not something that amateurs should attempt.

    In most cases if you try to repair a dead hard drive yourself in this way, you’re likely to permanently damage it and lose whatever data is on it for good.

    On the other hand if the PCB board is the issue then you may be in a bit of luck as you can buy a replacement PCB board and switch it out relatively easily.

    It will still need a bit of technical expertise and you’ll have to make sure that the replacement board that you buy is compatible with your hard drive – but it is at least a possibility.

    The only caveat is that there it is difficult to know beforehand whether the PCB board is the issue. Normally if there are scorch marks near the PCB board then it is likely to be the problem, but they aren’t always present.

    As such your best bet will be to just try replacing it anyway – and see if it works.

    As you may be starting to realize, as much as it may sound like a good idea to repair a hard drive yourself – there is a lot involved in actually attempting to do so.

    If you really want to be sure of salvaging the data on your hard drive it is always best to take it to a professional who has both the tools and the expertise for the job.

    However if you’re feeling adventurous and would like to give it a go for yourself, at least you now know how to determine whether or not that is possible.