Omni-Channel Shopping – A Gift to Next Generation Buyers

“Powerful marketing strategies can attract customers,” this sentence has become outdated now. With the arrival of tech savvy shopping era, eCommerce businesses are forced to implement smart marketing techniques. Omni-channel shopping is the most advance marketing concept where customers are targeted through different channels (including online and offline marketing modes). No matter what channels customers select to get connect with the brand, they are provided with flawless customer experience irrespective of time, place and channel.

Either it’s through an official website, mobile app or social media fan page, companies can leverage every channel for marketing their products and services. Even customers can shop using Omni-channel strategy.

They can connect to the eCommerce brands through social networking websites that redirects them to the official websites. Advertising through SMS texts and mobile apps are the latest trends igniting the eCommerce market with multiple options of shopping and advertising. Top products and services can be acquired by using Omni-channel eCommerce.

Omni-channel Gains for Today’s Shoppers

• Shop anytime and anywhere. Internet connection is not a compulsion. Yes, you read it right! If shoppers want to place an order, he/she get the liberty to order the products by just a phone call or a text message too.
• Shoppers can compare the price of the product from any channel where the product is available and order from the eCommerce store with the best price offer.
• Portable devices like smartphones, wearable devices etc. are also the channels used to connect with eCommerce websites.
• Customers get consistent shopping experience and customer service through Omni-channel eCommerce solutions.

Gains for Retailers

• Consumers find it easy to connect with brands and ultimately eCommerce business owners can also serve more customers using diverse channels for customer outreach.
• Some retailers also offer in-store pickup option that reduces the transportation cost to a great extent. Only eCommerce store having a physical store too can offer this flexibility.
• Retailers can offer real time discounts when customers are in the store to increase sales and profitability.
• Rise of the mobile era has benefited both customers and seller. Customers can buy effortlessly and retailers no more have to serve the customers in long queue.

All the retailers can stay connected with your customers through different means, and the customers can shop through any channel with an assurance of consistent customer service through Omni-channel eCommerce.

If we consider the research conducted by top eCommerce companies and market researchers; more than 60% of the modern age group shopping online demands for discounts and searches for better alternatives.

Top brands can offer attractive benefits like same day delivery (with additional shipping charges), price negotiations (depending on the seller) etc. Ecommerce companies can build smart marketing strategies for fulfilling customer requirements and broaden the retailing platform. Targeting millennial (individuals born between 1980 and 2000) age group and offering them personalized and attractive deals and discounts can benefit business. It is truly a gift to millennial as they can get what they desire very easily!

The Truth Behind Selecting CRM Solution Being Important

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is the methodology/software built for the management of company’s relation with customers effectively. Still there might be several individuals still unaware about the power of CRM solution. It has been established that businesses using CRM solution perform better as compared to the enterprises not using the CRM solution. It can be considered as a complete bouquet of business solution managing right from customer requirements to customer experiences.

Though there are several CRM solutions available in the market, it takes selecting the most befitting CRM solution to accelerate your business functioning. If you select the correct one, it will be a rewarding decision, it can make your business a nightmare.

Choosing the Right CRM Solution

It can add value to your business only when CRM users in your organization are satisfied with its performance.

Analyze the business thoroughly prior to selecting a CRM solution to avoid any further issues. The requirement list after analyzing the system will help you select the best suiting CRM solution for your business. There are CRM solutions suitable for small to huge corporate firms. Only huge enterprises invest in CRM solutions for organized businesses is just a myth. In today’s era, smart entrepreneurs are adapting technology inventions to simplify their business notably.

Factors like size of the firm, tech savvy employees, business complexities are crucial for selecting the solution. Match the objectives of the CRM solution with your requirement list, if it matches, that is the best for your enterprise.

Perfect CRM Solution is the Key to Business Success!

Well, imagine a scenario where you own a corporate business having complex processes to be carried out and you plan to invest in a CRM solution. But unluckily, this solution does not prove to be favorable. The wrong selection of CRM software jeopardizes business performance to a great extent. The reason might be either insufficient system analysis or less scalability and flexibility, or difficult integration.

Thus, it is advisable to carry out intense research prior to deciding a CRM solution and investing in it.

Why Selected CRM Solution needs to be Changed?

There might be several reasons responsible for changing CRM solution selected by the corporate business solution.

• Company is growing and the implemented CRM solution is unable to handle the changing requirements.
• New technology adaptation by the company may raise the requirement of a new CRM solution.
• CRM solution maintenance charges increased furiously that crashes company budget.
• Features offered in the selected solution seem to be insufficient for the growing enterprise.
• The change in the company policy might also affect the additional software used for simplifying company processes (CRM solution might be one of them).
• The selected CRM solution is less scalable given the company’s requirement.
• The vendor changes the maintenance policy very frequently.

It just takes a moment to select a CRM solution, but it takes huge amount of time and efforts to make that moment work well by taking right decision. Choose the solution that boost the business performance rather than a solution that reduces the profitability.

Top Challenges at Workplace While Implementing BYOD in Enterprises

Modern executive have started adapting the latest trends and culture to stay ahead in the race of modernization. Thus, organizations are getting new face by infusing the ever changing technology. The term BYOD is expected to revolutionize organizations looking forward to making workplaces highly flexible. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is the next generation policies that will definitely hit the company rule book in near future.

What is the Term BYOD?

Bring Your Own Device is the initiative taken to provide flexibility and convenience for work accomplishment. This policy will allow employees to stay connected with company’s system, no matter wherever they are. They might get some integration issues in the initial stage due to software and hardware variants. So, at times data and application adaptation might require high configuration and synchronization too. Empowering employees with improved and refined scalability, this future trend will serve the entire business arena.

As every coin has dual side, BYOD benefits are accompanied with challenges and risks that every enterprise is scared of. Though modern corporate business solutions are implying latest technology, they also need to consider the risks and challenges lying within the ever changing technology needs. Let us have an insight into the miscellaneous factors that need additional consideration.

Challenges in Implementing BYOD

Data Security is Biggest Challenge

Just think that you are working in an organization that has implemented BYOD policy. So, every employee brings his/her devices to work. In this scenario every device used in the company might have different software and their versions. The devices might be infected with various kinds of malicious threats like viruses, worms or Trojan horse. Preventing crucial business data from getting infected is very tough. Thus, data security in the enterprises supporting BYOD is a huge challenge for data management team.

Device Security is another Challenge

This new policy might be highly beneficial, but at the same time there may increase the complaints for lost or misplacing of personal devices used for performing business tasks. According to the a research conducted, more than 45% of the devices registered for BYOD were lost and found from public places. Organizations may lose crucial business data if the BYOD registered devices are found by any strangers.

Avoiding Attackers to Harm Data is Challenging

With the advent of this policy in the enterprises, data attackers may have a wider spectrum of data theft of crucial data. They may even sell it to third party maligning the company’s reputation. Important passwords, account details and other authentic information saved in the BYOD registered devices may be their prime target while hacking the devices. To avoid this situation, enterprises should prohibit the devices from having firewalls or anti-theft software.

Restricting Unauthentic Mobile Apps is Challenging

Employees using their smartphones and tablets may have several apps in their registered devices. The devices may be vulnerable at times as the apps may store crucial device data in their databases. Checking each and every device for malicious app and their functioning is impossible. It may even happen that an app might have received millions of downloads and have been in the list of top rated apps, but unknowingly it may save entire data of the device and send it to its database. This situation will not be less than a nightmare for enterprises. To prevent this scenario, organization implementing BYOD policy should allow only specific apps or software that are safe and disallow the rest.

Do you own an enterprise? Are you thinking to infuse a modernized approach i.e. BYOD in your enterprise? Flexibility and scalability of the business processes might be the main goal, but there might be several challenges too that can keep the company’s profitability at stake. It is advisable to play safe when huge data and security are the major concerns.

How Secure is the New WordPress Version 4.2.4 ?

Good news for all the WordPress Users: Version 4.2.4 – security and maintenance update is here! WordPress developers were recently provided with the latest version released for reliable web development solutions. Being security and maintenance specific, this update is expected to patch the security loopholes left by earlier version. It mainly focuses on 6 major issues including XXS (3 cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, SQL injection flaws and other bug fixes.

Four from the list of six new fixes allows developers to cover-up the security loopholes that may lead hackers to compromise WordPress website.

Why WordPress Released the New Version Few Days after the Earlier Version?

It is clear from the list of fixes offered with this version that the earlier WordPress version, though being a security update, was left with few issues that affected WordPress websites on the whole.

The earlier update contained 2 issues and 20 bug fixes from the previous update i.e. 4.2.2. But still developers had a great challenge to develop a WordPress websites that can keep hackers away. The safety breaches in this version were so severe that attackers can easily edit any post.

What Benefits will WP 4.2.4 Offer?

• No more SQL injection vulnerability.
• Attackers now cannot modify any posts.
• WordPress websites and CMS would be having security-first approach.
• WP users can avail excellent security and maintenance services.
• Reduced cross-site scripting vulnerability.
• Service providers can help WP engine customers by patching the update on customer websites.
• Bitnami WordPress users get automatic version update.

With WordPress 4.2.4 version update, website owners can sit back and rest as major security issues met earlier are now fixed. Professional developers can now lock the posts and avoid hackers to add or modify the WP website. So, for all WP users, it is time to update the WP version to avoid all security vulnerabilities making your website safe and secure.

Entrepreneur’s Attitude BUILD or RUIN Enterprise

Do you think it’s the business owner who is responsible for success and downfalls? Some might be thinking that not only his/her attitude but other factors too work upon that. I agree, but 90% of the result is due to an entrepreneur's attitude and dedication towards the work. Competitors might be succeeding and your business might be running at a low speed. Why is it happening? Is it because, you are lacking some qualities? Should your attitude be blamed? Is it taking your business to a dead end? Analyze yourself prior to analyzing your system and staff.

Right from the day an idea strikes an entrepreneur's’ mind, the work starts. Briefing the idea, creating strategies and gathering funds is what the initial steps should be. You can only get it right with the right attitude.

Let us see what those crucial factors are that affect the business severely!

Dissatisfaction

Dissatisfied entrepreneurs always tries to achieve great heights in their business. The dissatisfaction in the mind makes them stronger to gear up themselves towards new peaks. It is the attitude that makes their roadmap to success easy and fruitful. But if the dissatisfaction is affected by other factors like the employee behavior, workflow or any other aspect, it might even dismantle the created empire.

Dedication

“Dedication is the key to success”. This is an ancient belief that helps entrepreneurs to build and grow their business. Business owners must know their startup business needs and they must be highly dedicated to accept challenges no matter how difficult it would be. If they are not prepared for the worst case scenario, they cannot prepare themselves to defeat the competitors, which would result in a failure. A thorough analysis of the situation will give them the right envision that will help them formulate an unbeatable business solution.

Confidence

Confidence can make anything possible. It can take an enterprise to new heights. Overconfidence may block the success path. Entrepreneurs seeking success need to make mistakes, learn from the situations and gain experience. This way they could build the confidence to manage the functioning of the enterprise. The crucial decisions taken by the entrepreneurs are not 100% correct every time; it is possible that the result might be unexpected or undesirable. Confidence more than required brings disasters too.

Behavior

Every employee expects a professional yet friendly behavior from his/her boss, trust me, it’s their secret desire! The entrepreneurs need to be very smart to understand the situation and react accordingly. Taking employees’ psychology seriously, a strong and reliable company culture can be created to make the work atmosphere inspiring. If the entrepreneur behavior and attitude is unpleasant, chances are that you might lose valuable customers or your loyal employees might even transit from your enterprise.

Optimism

Optimism refers to being positive. Every entrepreneur, be it an owner of a small startup or a big company, is expected to have optimistic attitude. This will make them better entrepreneurs having thorough business insights. Practicing optimism will help the business owners to take the right decisions once they analyze the situation completely and implement it at the right time span. There might be situation where just a single small mistake would affect the business severely. Thus, an optimistic entrepreneur never differentiate any situation as weak or strong, they believe in making the solution strong that can beat the challenges with best returns.

I hope this article will help millions of entrepreneurs, who are either thinking to venture into the business or the ones who are in search of some guidance to grow their business. To all those, I would like to conclude with the sentence “It’s the attitude that can build and can terminate too!”

Is Personalized Shopping Forthcoming Generation Trend?

“Online shopping” are the words that can excite millions of users as well as scare many. As we all know there are pros and cons of every aspect and so is the case with eCommerce applications. But, in this case the myriad of benefits overshadow comes its scary side. Majority of the world’s population, surrounded by technology all the time, uses smart ways to live life. Online shopping is a smart way to spend money as per their desires, they believe! They are absolutely correct. Modern age shopaholics refer to eCommerce website for product quality and price. They can get better deal for the products as compared to brick and mortar shops.

They get better deal, better price, superfine quality and home delivery. Don’t you think these benefits are enough for one who wishes to buy a product from another country? Well, we all are aware of the scenario in which eCommerce web solutions are replacing bricks and mortar stores gradually.

Personalized Shopping Experience is New eCommerce Tactic!

Getting personalized shopping experience is what every shopper expects from eCommerce giants. Getting too personal with the customers will definitely annoy them. Online stores track customer’s browsing history and sell crucial customer data to the third party. They make the worst use of it by annoying the customers to a great extent.

Buyer like getting store discounts, real-time deals, complimentary items, compare price of the products prior to adding it to their shopping cart. Around 60% of the customers like personalized shopping but majority of them hates getting too personal. But, this percentage ratio may vary for different countries.

Customers avoid visiting online stores tracking their locations, feedbacks for their personal choices. They can even believe to what the store tells not to buy, due to some reasons. For instance an online medical store owner may ask their customers to avoid some drugs that may harm their health and the millennial do consider this as personalized suggestion. They are recommended the items that suit their taste, budget and are beneficial.

Is Personalized Approach Better than Generalized?

Well, if we start comparing both the approaches, we would find more reasons why companies are getting personalized. They use emails to send customers, who are specific about the deals, discounts or recommendation.

Who would not like the attention? Modern eCommerce business marketer uses this fact to improve business strategies. For all the attention seeker online buyers, personalized approach boosts their shopping experiences.

Whereas, this might not be the case with generalized shopping experience where store owners treat every customer equally. They use a generalized marketing strategy that might not work well in the eCommerce era where getting personal means more business!

Verdicts

Personalized shopping experience can be the next eCommerce trend that is set to change the online shopping phase completely. Buyer’s choice and affordability would be the most crucial aspects, eCommerce marketers need to focus in near future.

Tips to Block Hackers Accessing your Online Store!

“Hacking” is the malpractice that the entire world of eCommerce field is scared of. The biggest shopping destination i.e. online market is in the need of reliable security standards to avoid frauds and offensive practices affecting eCommerce websites’ rep. Online shopping trend was developed due to the ease and efficiency offered by online stores to the shopping process. But what if, they are “hacked”? What about all the crucial details of the customers stored in the website database?

Hackers do not care whether it is an eCommerce websites or a blogging site while stealing essential and sensitive details like customer and business data. Ecommerce web solution providers need to take extra care of the security standards infused in the website.

Protecting eCommerce website is smartness more than an art! I have listed few tips that would help saving the website getting hacked or fraud.

Avoid Saving Unnecessary Data

All eCommerce website would ask for sensitive credit/debit card details while a customer makes the payment in the checkout process, but not all of them save all the details received from the customers. It is better not to save the details that are not required whenever a customer returns to the store. Details like expiry date of the credit/debit card, registered name, CVV number etc. must not be stored.

Saving the unnecessary customer data that is not required is strictly prohibited by PCI standards. It might be inconvenient for the customers, as they need to repeat the data filling process. Explain them the reason of not saving their data. Saving crucial details increases the chances of data theft. “If you don’t have any secrets within you, no can reveal it even”!

Test Your Online Store

Ecommerce websites are required to test their security standards on a regular basis. It is one of the most crucial prerequisites of a successful ecommerce website. This will keep the hackers away by making your web store highly secure. It is important for online stores to adhere to PCI DSS compliance prior to initiate retailing.

There are possibilities that modern hackers might have infused vulnerability through advertisements or third party content. Consult ethical hacker to check the website and identify harmful elements, if any. Integrate security apps in your online store that helps scanning and identifying malfunctioning of the web store that might harm customer’s essential details.

Use a Secure eCommerce Platform

Ecommerce platform, used for the online identity of your business, is very crucial. Today, the trend of using open source eCommerce platforms is ignited by the web development companies. But, professional developers need to consider the intense requirements of the eCommerce website and choose the development platform accordingly.

Magento is the leading eCommerce development platform used by millions of web developers around the world. It can easily be configured with the SSL. This platform is highly secure and takes care of various factors affecting the security of the website.

Upgrade the System

Keeping the system up-to-date is the best method to keep the system away from becoming a victim to cyber-theft . As soon as the updated version is released, web development companies ensure the eCommerce websites get upgraded for better performance. Online stores using the latest version of the web development platform, reduce the risk of developing security loopholes. No matter which platform you choose, it needs to be regularly updated!

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) of the eCommerce website reduces the hacking risk. Thus, its upgradation is mandatory for discarding the hacking possibilities.

Encrypt the Website Data

It is significant to clear up or encrypt all the communication done through eCommerce website as hackers might get the crucial details from the transaction related communication. Of course no one would like their conversations getting public. Emails, chat or any other communicational means should be encrypted to maintain privacy.

Even the passwords prior to storing in the database should undergo the encryption process. Encrypt the hard disk of the system to avoid the data loss when the storage devices are misplaced or stolen.

Train Your Employees and Customers

Being an eCommerce business owner, educating your employees and your customers is the best practice to save your online store from security malpractices. Train your employees for the worst situation that can happen along with the security measures that saves user data. Make your customers aware about various possible methods used by hackers to capture intense details like credit card details, passwords etc. and save them from becoming cyber victims. Teach them to differentiate a suspicious behavior against the friendly one.

Incorporate security laws and policies to avoid the situations such as website being hacked or data being affected through unauthorized factors.

Modern customers consider cyber security as the highest priority in the eCommerce websites. Online stores lacking security standards aren’t considered reliable. No online business owner would get happy if his business revenue generation is affected due to insecure online system and cyber theft. A robust security ecosystem can save online store owners by increasing their store popularity over the internet!