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By Andrés Velasco, 28/01/2013
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Continuing with the series of posts on how to create your own Groupon in no time at all, today I will talk about packages available on the web that are ready to install in the server or else use in the domains offered. These products are known as COTS (Commercial Off the self), as they are not tailor-made, although there are some exceptions, as they can sometimes be modified is the customer pays more.

After looking at all kinds of packs and scripts, I have to say that there are many fakes, and you should be careful not to be taken in by a shiny appearance. Let us take a look at the prices of the products I found more interesting:

Wroupon

Two price plans, 89$ and 350$.

Oorjit

Two price plans: Standard 3499$ and Premium 3999$. No, I didn’t get the nines wrong. This is the fullest product, and the result would be a serious website with the capacity to compete at a high level.

Groupon-clone (by Agriya)

Tailor-made, so I was unable to get a price. But by taking a look at some of their customers, I am sure that they have a default template which can be then modified with not much effort.

Groupscript

A single 399$ price plan.

GrouponCloneStore

Default template is 79$, personalised design is 499$

Groupon-clone (by NDOT)

Free version, 145$ version, or unlimited version, with price depending on requirements.

See you in my next post, where I will talk about the tools available to turn our CMS into a Groupon.

Tags: clone, cots, groupon

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By Andrés Velasco, 14/01/2013
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Coupon and special deal site are starting to sprout like mushrooms. A number of factors are promoting this kind of web:

• The crisis: if I can save 50% when I go out to a cool restaurant, why shouldn’t I?
• The summer is a good time to launch coupons, as we like going out when the weather’s good, but we need plans, as routine is boring and we need to do new things. If these new things come through our email inbox and we don’t need to look for them, so much the better.
• We feel exclusive when we get one of those wonderful 50 coupons which we are interested in.
• These websites are easy to create and manage.

Heard about Groupon?

Let me give you a few data:

• In June 2009 they had 152,000 subscribes. In March 2011 they had 83.1 million.
• It has presence in 44 countries.
• 7,100 employees as of March 2011
• In the first quarter of 2011, it made a profit of 66.7 million dollars.
• In the same period, it had 56,781 customer activating coupons on its website.

Who wouldn’t want to have a similar page? The chances of competing against Groupon are minuscule, unless we are talking about other markets (China). Even so, the idea of creating more specific coupon/deal websites, or websites which provide a competitive advantage with respect to Groupon, seems good.
With a budget of less than 1,000 euros you can create your own coupon/deal website, so let’s give it a try. You need to follow these steps:

1. Visit other similar websites to get an idea of the market and what you are facing. Take a good look at the design and the way in which they are used. E.g. RetailMeNot, DealOfDay, CoolSavings, Groupalia, Atrapalo.com, DealOn.
2. Think of a name that includes keywords related to this sector: coupons, offers, deals, discount, sale…
3. And now for the technical bit. There are several options to create the website:
   • Creation from scratch: You’ll have to have at least a designer and a developer (this option surpasses the initial budget)
   • Buy a COTS (Commercial Off the Shelf) package including the coupon web application ready to be installed in the server.
   • Adapt your CMS: WordPress, Joomla, Magento, etc. to integrate the “couponing” functionality.
   • Do the same in Facebook.
4. Makes deals with companies interested in publication through this medium, design your coupons well, and upload them to your website. Giving out restaurant and wellbeing offers is a good way to start. You won’t find it hard to make deals with local restaurants, as they will gain more visibility and possible regular customers with your help.
5. Now comes the hard bit, Visibility. Promote yourself on Twitter and Facebook, create newsletters, use Google Adwords or Yahoo! credits, write a blog about the offers on your website, etc. Make people see you.

In my next posts I will examine these points in more depth.

Tags: cots, development, ecommerce, facebook, groupon

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By Andrés Velasco, 09/12/2012
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What sells best? Word of mouth. Comments add a product confidence factors for visitors. If I am hesitating between two products, and product A has received one good comment (or one good rating), but product B has 10 ratings, 7 of which are good, I will buy product B due to the trustworthiness given by the fact that 7 different people have tried it and approved it. There are even techniques to automate this analysis process.

As an e-commerce store user, there is a factor that devaluates comments to a very high degree: misspellings. Amazon has an entire team that corrects misspelt comments. Just this makes comments more serious, which makes us trust them more.

As for Ratings, they are a basic tool which every e-commerce store should have for its products, as it’s the first thing you see: starts, numerical scores… anything that shows the product quality/acceptance by customers who already purchased it.
In addition, these tools can be used to obtain patterns-purchase relationships between products and users. For example, if I gave the films The Lord of the Rings and Thor 4 stars, and Pepe gave 4 stars to The Lord of the Rings only, we probably have similar tastes, and it would be a good idea to recommend Thor to John next time he enters the store. This is known as a “collaborative filtering”, and can be used for cross-sale, for example.

The screen captures used in this post were taken from 3 online sites which have built these tools in a way I like:

• www.amazon.co.uk
• www.pixmania.com
• www.imdb.com

The first screen capture in the Ratings comes from www.imdb.com, which isn’t an e-commerce store, but I think the way in which they summarise the ratings for series/films is every interesting.

Tags: comments, ecommerce, online store, ratings, tools

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By Andrés Velasco, 25/09/2012
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We already talked in another post about the benefits of having analyses/reviews in our product pages. But we often don’t feel like reading a review, either out of laziness or because we are doing other things at the same time which prevent us from reading. There is a solution to this problem: videos. Not everything in YouTube is jokes, music videos, or political speeches. There is a wide range of videos related to all kind of products available to us.

Videos provide visual confidence in the product, as we can see its real size.

What kind of videos can you find on the Internet that will help you to sell?

• Unboxing: Videos showing the unpacking of a product, so you can see what is included in the box and how it is organised. In this case, hats off to Apple, as even its packaging is well designed.
• Use of product: These videos usually receive many visits, as they show how the product is used under normal conditions. In most cases, you can also discover more ways of using it than you had realised, and live comments from the people recording the video are included.
• Tests: In these videos, the products are tested out in terms of durability, performance, etc. You can find homemade tests as well as tests performed in specialised labs.

The platform par excellence to find videos is YouTube, but you shouldn’t forget about Vimeo, which has higher quality videos, although its catalogue is smaller.

This is one detail which should be taken into account when it comes to purchasing expensive products, as one doesn’t usually cough up  £100-200-300+ without mulling it over beforehand. If there is a video of this kind for the product in question, it will make the decision to buy (or not) quicker, as I already explained in my post on analyses/reviews, and it will make customers stay longer in your store, increasing their feeling of comfort.

I know that you probably don’t have enough human resources (and time) to find videos for your products, but why not allow your customers to find them for you? This contradicts what we have previously said, as you would be making your customers work, but now we are talking about fans. Customers who are loyal to your store probably won’t mind providing contents about the wonderful product which he or she bought for your website. You can also encourage users to submit videos through your Facebook fan page, or through Twitter. Of course, you’ll have to check out those videos, in case their content is not quite what you had in mind…

Talk again soon!

Tags: ecommerce, multimedia, online store, tools, videos

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By Andrés Velasco, 09/05/2012
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Brandon – Why don’t you buy on online retailers or at least compare prices online before buying in the mall?

Brenda – Ohhh Brandon, you know, I’m scare of giving my personal info away, and I always want to touch the product, feel it in my hands.

Brandon – You can find unboxing videos all over YouTube.

Brenda – Un…WHAT? You’re so advanced for me, at least You’re my computer expert and I’m sure you’re going to explain me all this things without asking for anything in return, don’t you?

Brandon – Ok ¬¬

Voice over –  I’m sure there are at least 4,000 people talking about this issue all over the world. It’s time internet analfabets jump to the ring and learn to do the things on their own way, but they need a guide or tips from experts to understand the way ecommerce works. That’s why we are here, to help them to do it.

My intention with this post is to answer those initial questions about buying on the internet, from the client point of view. I’ll talk about the seller point of view in the next post. Let’s see where this little chat ends.

Brenda - What’s Ecommerce?

Brandon – Buying and selling on the internet build ecommerce ecosystem. You don’t need to go to the pyshical store to purchase a videogame, there are multiple and safe online retailers where you can buy it. Even you can buy the videogame as a digital good, so you don’t need do worry about cleaning the dust over the physical box.

Brenda – But, How can I start? can I buy food? anything?

Brandon – You can find anything you want on the internet. A good beginning would be using Google and type the product you want to purchase. I can assure you that the first results will belong to online retailers. If you’re going to need stuff for your future children, then take a visit to mothercare.es . Otherwise If you’re looking for accessories for your mobile phone, or you need a new one, don’t forget phonehouse.es. There’s an awesome online store that sells medieval stuff, like swords, shields, armors,…and also knifes for your kitchen. I bought a knife to peel fruit and I’m very happy with it, the store is aceros-de-hispania.com .

Brenda – I’m atonished with the things you’re telling me, but What happens if I buy a pair of shoes and don’t fit me well? may I send them back?

Brandon – Of course Brenda, an online store is not interested in bad experiences from its clients. Take in account that Twitter, Facebook and forums are used to spread bad reputation about online retailers, and they are very fast channels, so the online retailers fight for getting good purchase experiences for their clients. If you have bought online and your experience was good, you’re going to tell it to your friends. This is like in the real world, you visit the same stores repeatedly because someone told you about it and you liked it. The best online retailers manage all the steps in the delivering back proccess, but read over the terms to avoid anything confussing. Anyway, most of online retailers ca be contacted by phone or e-mail, and with this I want to tell you that if you want to purchase in an online store which has not phone number, doubt about it.

Brenda –  As you said, this is so very similar to the real world, but I’m still scared about giving away my credit card info on the internet, and everyday you can see news about Hackers breaking into the systems and stealing info. I don’t know Brandon…

Brandon – Do you think it’s safe paying with credit card in a restaurant? It’s easier to copy a credit card physically than your bank info on the internet. Why? There’s a tool called SSL ( Secure Sockets Layer ) that can be installed in any website, and it works encrypting any communications between you and the store, so it makes you almost invulnerable against spying attacks. Web browsers, like Firefox or Chrome, can identify Websites that own SSL certification, and show you an icon with the status of it. If it’s green then you’re safe.

Brenda – Ok, so I watch out for the SSL icon and that must be enough for me to feel safe. Otherwise I don’t want to pay with credit card, are there any other ways to pay? may I pay when receiving the package?

Brandon – Paying when receiving the package is out of date, although many websites give you the options. Take in account that paying with credit card is safer in case they want to cheat you, because the trasnaction can be traced by the bank. There are other methods in which an intermediary takes responsabilities for you in the payment process, like PayPal. If a website accepts PayPal, you only need to log in with your credentials and accept the payment. Previously you must have signed up your credit card or bank account into your PayPal account.

Brenda –  It looks easier than I thought , I just have to use my favorite web browser and purchase!

Brandon – Don’t be so fast! The problem of purchasing on the Internet is not on the communications between you and the store, it’s in your computer. Most hacking cases report that Bank info is stolen in the client personal computer through trojan virus or similar. So it’s very important caring about the security in your computer. Donwload an antivirus-antispyware software to clean your PC. If you use Windows I recommend Windows Security Essentials.

Brenda – Ufff Brandon you must watch out my PC, I don’t know how to do it! :-S

Brandon – (¬¬ oh my god)

Brenda – With everything I’m learning with you I feel safer and with more confidence to buy on the internet. But, How do you find those awesome offers you’re telling me? 

Brandon – When you visit a mall, you explore any shop until you find the best price that fits your budget. I do the same, but online. I have a respository of a few online stores that I trust in, and they serve me as a price comparator. The best price, adding delivering costs, win my money. Watch out for the delivering terms and cost because they are very different in each store.

Brenda – Pufff  I’d rather take my car than paying for delivering costs.

Brandon – How much the gas cost? ¬¬

Brenda – Well, it’s not cheap and If I get into a traffic stuck…Brandon, I trust in my friends advices, because they spend a lot of money and have more experience than me reviewing products, because of that I always ask them about the experience with the products. But my friends do not purchase online, where can I ask opinions about products?

Brandon – A good number of online stores incluide tools for the clients to comment and rate products, so that’s available for you. I usually access Amazon, the biggest online store on the internet, and read over the review other clients write about a product I’m interested in.

Brenda – Oh yeah, that’s good my friend. It seems I have everything in my hands to begin with this ecommerce trip. But before we finish, may you explain me what does the word “unboxing”, you mentioned before, means in ecommerce?

Brandon – When someone receive a new product and wants to show everybody how it ‘s like, they usually record the process of unpacking the box of the product and do the first trials in it, like turn it on(if it’s electronic stuff), measuring the sides(if it’s something for the house)… . I really appreciate this practice because it helps me to build the product look-and-feel in my mind. This gives you more confidence and helps you answer for the questions you may have. YouTube is the perfect place to find unboxings of everything.

Brenda – Perfect Brandon, I’m going to gather all the info you gave me and try to purchase something on the internet, thanks for your help!

To be continued…

Tags: client, dummies, e-commerce, ecommerce, unboxing

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By Andrés Velasco, 02/11/2011
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There is much talk about usability and ”user experience” in e-commerce, but they are always global concepts that can lead to ambiguities. Let’s focus today on some basic points about the process of ”Checkout“ of our shop:

1. Do not force the customer to register during the”checkout”. If he/she goes there, it is assumed he wants to finish the purchase. Anything not related to that is noise, and could make the customer to leave without paying.

2. Do not wait for the last step to show the final price using discount vouchers, shipping costs, etc.. The sooner the better, you will avoid possible confusion and frustration.

3. If you have no SSL certificate for your store, at least make sure that the customer makes the payment through a secure gateway, if not you will lose the customer!. Security builds confidence.

4. The more payment and shipping options, the better. Every customer may have his own preferences regarding logistics company.

5. The confirmation page and the e-mail with the invoice, must contain all the necessary information the customer may require. Also add contact information of the “Customer Support Service“.

6. The customers may forget things during the Checkout process. Help him by offering product recommendations that are of interest. Personalized recommendations after “Checkout” make customers feel that you’re still thinking about their needs, increasing trust and intimacy.

7. Optimize the checkout process, making it simple. Think about how you can make each step easier. For example: Login (if necessary), choose shipping address, choose shipping options, payment details and confirmation of the order-delivery.

8. The client should always know in which step of the checkout process he is.For this purpose, I recommend using “breadcrumbs” as follows:

9. Think about what questions the user might make to himself through each step of the checkout process. Answer that question within the same step. For example: If you are on the page to choose shipping options, what happens if it is an international shipment?

The Checkout process is the most relevant to conversion. There is where we win or lose a customer. If during any step of the checkout process, we make the customer to think, then we are doing something wrong. As a rule of thumb give him everything on a silver platter.

Tags: checkout, e-commerce, usability, user experience

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