ECommerce Merchant Accounts: Do Not Sign Long Term Agreements

Here is a quick ecommerce tip when shopping around for a merchant account/gateway provider:

Do Not Sign Long-Term Merchant Agreements!

If you shop around a bit, you can find merchant account/gateway providers that do not require a long term commitment. Long term agreements benefit the provider and not you as a merchant. Signing a long term agreement commits you to staying with a processor regardless of your satisfaction and in some cases pricing changes. Cancellation fees and terms are hard to find in an agreement so check very closely before you consider canceling your existing plan or signing up with a new provider.  Read more... (123 words, estimated 30 secs reading time)

Social Media Metrics: A Study On What Companies Are Measuring When It Comes To Their Social Media Campaigns

Measuring and monitoring your brand in social media outlets is more important than ever. With customer word of mouth marketing on social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc, it is vital knowing what people are saying about your company. But that is only one use of Social Media. Marketing Sherpa recently completed a study of over 2000 companies to figure out what metrics companies were using to measure their brands online, and in particular, what percentage of companies were measuring each type of metric. Here is a simple graph of what they found (click on the picture for a bigger image):  Read more... (332 words, 1 image, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)

Staying Flexible in a Changing ECommerce Market

Considering that the market is both ever-changing and moving at a quicker pace than in the past, flexibility is more important than ever. The ability to dance with your customer base and anticipate the next move is no longer just a nicety – it’s become mandatory for business success and growth!  Read more... (151 words, estimated 36 secs reading time)