LAB EXERCiSE FOURTEEN

Good day!

As a company, we have taken great interest in your current product, “Kiss Me Jeans.” It has come to our attention that as a beginning company owner, an online store is the perfect solution that will allow you to lay a strong company foundation and establish a well-known name.

It is not only our company’s pleasure to guide you through this exciting process, it is also our duty to make sure young entrepreneurs, like yourself, are well informed of the different sites available that will optimize your business platform.
I have taken this task upon myself to research the vast “cyber-world” of eCommerce, resuting in a complied collection of the top three databases. The three sites include Magento, PrestaShop and ClickTale.

The following information will expand your knowledge on the variety of sites listed above. I have taken the liberty to lay out the pro’s and con’s of each platform, specifically targeted towards your international jean business. Please note, although I have researched certain websites, I encourage you to try out the business programs to form your own opinion. I am here to guide you, however there is no better critic than yourself. After reviewing my notes, please visit the following website and review the checklist of common mistakes made by beginning business owners: http://www.getelastic.com/webinar-recap-selecting-the-right-ecommerce-software-in-six-weeks-or-less/.

To begin, I would like to start off with the eCommerce store called Magento. Right off the bat lets look into your future. I am optimistic that your company will expand and create an impression in the jean sector. Therefore, let me begin with the fact that Magento is a branch off of the Magento Enterprise Edition. The edition is a pay for website that is aimed towards advanced companies with more experience. Once your company flourishes, you will be able to expand your line “Kiss Me Jeans” and further establish a reputable brand name. The only downfall is the cost of signing with the upgrade edition. Other than the upgrade “perk”, other features that you may take note of are: multiple currencies with tax rate management, shipping worldwide, versatile payment (PayPal, checks, money orders, PayFlow Pro …) and mobile commerce with iPhone optimization. Take notice that a variety of these positive aspects deal with international success. As I stated before, we are looking into the future with high optimism that you will be reaching a larger market and will be utilizing these specific advantages. As far as customer satisfaction goes, there is a whole other realm of benefits targeted at the consumer. Wishlists, coupons, secure socket layer encryption, promotional pricing, tracking and history of consumers; all of these being tactics that ultimately satisfy the buyer.

Although there are nearly unlimited positive aspects to Magento, some unfortunate downfalls are the minimum requirements, the constant upgrading (6 times since March 31, 2008) and the adding of modules for extra services. Moreover, after reading reviews by customers, slow speed and difficult management are among the reoccurring complaints. For more information visit: http://www.linuxlinks.com/article/20090228064402368/Magento.html.

Next site worthy of your time is known as PrestaShop. A brief overview PrestaShop has made available to its users is as follows:

“PrestaShop has an intelligent Back Office tool and module blocks for adding and fine-tuning each storefront. This allows non-technical people and shop owners the ability to style aspects of their Front Office look without touching a single line of code or CSS.”

With that brief summary in mind, take time to note the following services offered by PrestaShop. PrestaShop also offers unlimited currencies, yet takes international compatibility a step further with unlimited dialects and languages and import/export language translations (13 default language translations). On the home front, customers can receive special deals, coupons, wishlists, a loyal costumer program, sponsor-a-friend/affiliate program and text message alerts regarding new orders and inventory levels. All these options provide an enjoyable experience for the customer, ultimately leading to a long lasting relationship between you and the buyer.

Just like Magento, there are a few negative aspects that come along with PrestaShop. For one, PrestaShop is not concerned with large, prosperous businesses – only small to medium size. Moreover, the two main dialects that have full support on the site are English and French. The only problem with this is we are located in the United States where English and Spanish would be the most useful languages. Other issues are the additional cost for modules and the room for upgrade. PrestaShop has only gone from 1.0-1.3 since July 31, 2008. Some customer complaints that I noted were the issues that PrestaShop can’t export, it doesn’t have an official one-page checkout ability and if you had one product that comes in different colors and sizes, PrestaShop would actually make hundreds of products instead of grouping it into a bundle.

The last option that I have stumbled across is called ClickTale. This eCommerce platform is for those who do not want to manage their business on their own or for those who need help getting their account started. With this program, you will receive extensive training, installation assistance, a dedicated account manager and privacy assurance. All of these benefits help the company owner to have an appealing, overall satisfying and organized online business. It will not only make your job easier, but will make the consumer want to visit your site due to the ease and accessibility to your products. Furthermore, ClickTale promises enhanced capabilities, however, on the main page it only lists “real-time alerts, dedicated servers and custom recording history”.

This site seems to be perfect for company owners that would appreciate a step-by-step tutorial and constant maintenance opinions, yet it is a program one must pay for. The lowest level, known as the Bronze tier, cost $99/month. There is also Silver for $290/month and Gold for $790/month, however before signing up, ClickTale makes it a point to mention that there is a 30-day money back guarantee. This buffer notice leaves me with high hopes that hey are nearly 100% certain their product will satisfy you. The other fallback is the simple fact that information of the program is not listed upfront on the first page. This site needs to be picked through and “dissected” to find all the advantages such as demographic statistics, customer subscription, and intensive customer tracking/recording.

After reviewing my very brief description of these three highly prestigious eCommerce sites, I do hope you have discovered a sense of calm. Searching for a store online is a fun and enjoyable experience. As a colleague, I am here to guide you through this exciting process. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the bureau.

Good luck with your endeavors.
Kylie Astle