Fastest Way to Build an eCommerce Store

Shane Emerson

Looking for the quickest possible way to start your online store? Pick the right eCommerce platform and rest assured building your store would become an effortless process.

When it comes to choosing an eCommerce solution, you have mainly two options, viz., self-hosted, and hosted eCommerce platform.

 

Why Choose Hosted eCommerce Platform?

Server Space is Rented

A hosted solution will enable you to quickly build an eCommerce store. You don't have to handle the technical hassles of running your online business. When you choose a hosted solution, you only rent server space; no buying server, or looking after its maintenance.

 

No Handling Technical Aspects

Your website is hosted on someone else's server, which means you don't have to worry about web hosting, upgrades, and maintenance. The hosted eCommerce provider takes care of everything so that you can focus on designing your store.

Focus on Marketing

When you launch an online store with a hosted eCommerce platform, you can spend a majority of your budget and time on the most important aspect of your business - marketing. You are in a position to amplify your marketing efforts and grow your business.

Run your Business from Anywhere

A hosted solution is a cloud-based eCommerce platform, meaning the server is hosted on the Internet. This allows you to handle your online business from any Internet-enabled device. No depending on office PCs to manage your business.

Internet connectivity to your laptop is all that is needed to connect to your business. To put it simply, a hosted solution gives you the flexibility to run your business from any Internet-enabled device.

 Affordable

You have to pay a reasonable monthly fee to use the hosted solution. Any customizations and upgrades to the software are delivered via the Internet. The operational cost dramatically reduces when you choose a hosted platform.

Also, hosted eCommerce platforms come with drag and drop functionality that eliminates the need for coding to design the store. Without knowing CSS and HTML, you can design the store as per your needs.

 

Why Avoid Self-Hosted eCommerce Platform?

High Capital

Honestly speaking, a self-hosted solution is not suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. Startups and new entrepreneurs should stay away from self-hosted eCommerce platforms. This is because a fair amount of investment is needed to launch an online eCommerce store using this platform.

Purchase your Own Server

With a self-hosted solution, your eCommerce software runs on a dedicated server that has been specifically designed for your online business. You own the server, which means you are fully responsible for its maintenance.

Server Management

The headache of managing your own server can be a daunting task. Server management includes installation, monitoring, backups, and maintenance. You will be left with no option but to hire a dedicated IT team for server management. Regular server maintenance and backups are very important to ensure website speed.

High Operational Cost

What's the point of choosing an eCommerce solution that increases your operational cost and lowers your margins?

Self-hosted solutions are typically offered on a monthly/annual licensing fee. Moreover, hosting and development requires considerable investment in IT infrastructure. The large upfront cost is one of the major disadvantages of using a self-hosted solution.

A self-hosted solution is commonly described as an on-premise eCommerce platform. This is because the server and other IT infrastructure lie within the premises of your organization. So connecting to a device that is outside your organization can be a daunting task.

On the whole, a hosted solution provides a cost-effective way to run your eCommerce business. Without handling any technical aspects, you can comfortably run your business from any laptop that is connected to the Internet.

If you want to be successful in your online venture, choose an eCommerce platform that makes it easy to manage an online business. With a hosted solution, you can spend more time on designing strategies that help you to increase the conversion rate.

About the author:

Shane is an American writer for various digital news publications. After being in the e-commerce industry for more than 15 years, Shane has a good understanding of what it takes to make an eCommerce business successful. He also likes to cover newsworthy events related to business management software, customer relationship management (CRM) and Quoting software

Article source: http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/ecommerce/fastest-way-to-build-an-ecommerce-store.html

Five Most Powerful Twitter Tools

Social media marketing relies on having an established presence on multiple platforms.
Twitter is a key tool for your online business identity. Here Silvia Pencak explains the ins and outs

I�m a Twitter enthusiast. I use it on a daily basis to both, connect with other like-minded people out there and promote my business to those who might benefit from working with me. Even though I use other social media sites as well, I still find Twitter the most powerful tool out there for those who market to businesses.

If you use Twitter daily like me, you might as well start using some of the smart tools and resources to get the most out of your time.

1. Hashtags
Hashtags or �#� help group tweets within the same topic. They�re great if you�re looking to promote your event or connect with audience interested in specific theme. For example, you can use hashtag #quote when posting a quote and quote lovers will find it way easier. As a brand strategist I like to use hashtags like #brand, #branding, #strategy, #MagneticBrand etc. You can also use hashtags mentioning brands #coke, #starbucks; places #Hilton, #Toronto; hobbies #swimming #blog; events, or anything else. You can search for a specific hashtag to connect with people with similar interests to yours.

2. Tweet Chat
Tweet chat is a great way to find other people who talk about topics that interest you and build lasting relationships. There are dozens of tweet chats running almost simultaneously. Simply find your favorite, ask about the schedule and enjoy. Some of my favorite: #leadfromwithin, #bizforum, #smallbizchat. Share your favorite tweet chat in the comment section below.

3. @ (�AT�) Messages
Connect with others out there by sending them a public tweet. Compliment them for something they recently did, whether it�s a blog post, book or event; share your insight or feedback, answer their question or recommend a great resource. AT messages are your ticket to getting noticed on this crowded network and building relationships that make a difference in your business.

4. Retweets (RT)
This is yet another great tool to help you both, share great content and gain attention of people you�d like to connect with. With over 20K twitter followers it�s very hard (and almost impossible) for me to stay in touch with everyone personally, but trust me, when people retweet my stuff, they get my attention. I usually check their profiles, mention them in my own tweets, send them a quick helpful tip or idea, or even add them to one of my lists. I believe many out there do it similarly. Remember, reaching out on social media helps you get noticed much faster.

5. Lists
If you�re not using your twitter lists, it�s about time to start. It might be fun to read through full twitter stream if you have couple followers, but trust me, it�s not fun with couple thousand followers. With twitter you can create up to 10 lists where you assign those you want to follow more closely. For example, some of my lists are: branding, influencers, RT friends, friends & groups, small biz, etc. Some of them are locked, as I don�t want anyone to see them. I use locked lists for my competitors, clients and prospects. Some of them are public, because I want people to see my friends or resources (e.g. designers, bloggers, etc.). Also, you might want to know that I almost never check my public stream. I only check my lists. So chances are, if you�re not on one of my lists and you don�t keep in touch with me by �AT� messaging me or �RT�-ing my content, I probably never get to see your tweets. (Oops!) What lists can you create to get more out of your twitter time?

Silvia Pencak is The Magnetic Branding Expert and Mentor. For over 7 years Silvia kept building successful venues in Europe and Canada. She became known as the expert in building a powerful brand and is often asked for advice in management, marketing and organizational areas of building a powerful small business brand. She understands that the power of branding, authenticity, relationship building and marketing efforts can make or break a successful business.

Article Source: http://abcarticledirectory.com/files/blogspot/five-most-powerful-twitter-tools/