“Online retailers are, according to Shop.org’s eHoliday Study, expecting increased holiday sales this year and, in preparation, are attracting bargain-hungry shoppers with free delivery.”

This is good news! After a couple years of worried customers and lagging sales, this comes as welcome encouragement. This also tells us that while customers are willing to spend money, they are still looking at price as a deciding factor. Offering your customers an incentive, like free shipping, to buy your product could be the deciding factor your customer needs to make that important decision to complete their sale.

Advertising is also taking a very affordable turn this year. More and more people are using social media to promote their websites. These avenues are usually inexpensive, if not free, and more popular every day. From the BizReport article:

“According to the survey nearly half (47.1%) of online retailers surveyed are increasing their use of social media this holiday season.”

Given the array of social media sites that cater to specific demographics (national, hobby, music, etc.) as well as the more generally popular sites like MySpace and FaceBook, you have the ability to reach either specifically targeted or a more varied customer base. You can reach them when they are looking to spend money, catch their attention, and sell them on your product – With free shipping for a limited time only.

With the recent state of the world’s economy, the industry is seeing an increase in fraud . Traditional fraud methods continue to be prevalent but there is also an increase in “friendly fraud”. With the Holiday Season in full bloom, fraudulent activity will be more apparent now than ever.

ACFE President James D. Ratley, CFE, said that the support of organizations around the world helps make Fraud Week an effective tool in raising anti-fraud awareness.

“Fraud continues to be a serious problem, and the state of our economy requires all organizations to be even more vigilant,” Ratley said. “Once again, we want to say ‘thank you’ to all of the Fraud Awareness Week supporters for helping to shine a spotlight on the urgent need for fraud prevention and detection.”

Not only is it important for businesses to be privy to internet fraud scams, but it is equally important for consumers to understand the risks and to learn what to look for when shopping. See this article, as I feel it provides a needed level of awareness for consumers.

According to the National Retail Federation, nearly half of consumers plan to use the Internet to purchase holiday gifts this year. But these shoppers need to be aware and prepared for a very real concern when surfing the Web — online fraud.

The internet provides a convenient outlet for additional shopping. The other side of that, of course, is that the internet also opens new opportunities for unlawful activity from all corners of the globe.

My hope is that this week of Fraud Awareness will turn into a daily awareness of the risks of, and opportunities for selling and buying on the internet. Be aware of some of the issues we discussed in this week’s articles in addition to our ongoing efforts of mitigating risk.

If you, the supplier, find an instance of fraud on your account that we missed, please cancel the transaction but also make us aware of the order. We analyze our data closely, and the more data we have, the more successful we will be at separating the good orders from the bad in the future.

On behalf of our Fraud & Disputes Department, I would like to wish you a happy and safe selling experience during this Holiday Season.

Sebbe

Clothing:
Ties4Guys.com Ties and accessories for fashion-forward guys
Shop:Lush Quality leather bags
Shaman Fun Funky Fashion with Flare
Bitablue.com Stunning Chinese dresses

Home and Decor:
Alefs in Wonderland Specialists in paper trees and exotic butterflies since 2000
Shangri-La Enterprise Beautiful water and ink art
Russian Crafts Everything from Nested Dolls to hand-crafted tree ornaments

Infants:
Hippy Grandma Eco-Friendly products for both mom and baby
Zakeez Inc. Soft cuddly comfort for baby and parents
Jolie Bee Classic smocked dresses for the little ones

Toys and Games:
Peru Handcraft Games, Teddy Bears, Hats, and so much more
Backgammon Hellas Wooden game boards for the whole family
RusToys.com Handmade wooden toys

Jewelry:
Chaotic Trading Jewelry for the whole body
Amberizon Authentic Baltic Amber earrings, jewelry, key chains, and carvings
No Nickel Watches and jewelry for sensitive skin

Beauty:
Summer House Natural Soaps Natural soaps that feel and smell terrific
Dreadsock Protection and comfort for deadlocked hair
Kimberly Sayer of London Affordable, effective, high quality skin care

Sports:
Muay Thai Art A full range of Thai Boxing gear
Krupee Freefly Suits Freefly jumpsuits designed by Freeflyers
Prime Cuts Bodybuilding DVDs A vast library of Bodybuilding and Fitness DVDs

For Fun:
Jing Tea Shop A selection of tasty teas and beautiful accessories
How to Breakdance A personal favorite, hours of fun and good exercize
Roses & Sweets Flowers, candy and gifts for everyone on your shopping list

2Checkout sincerely wishes you all joy and peace this Holiday Season!

A recent article found in Internet Retailer revealed that 85% of consumers plan to shop online this holiday season.  Sixty-nine percent plan to make holiday purchases online.  The survey goes on to say that 57% of shoppers are planning to use the Internet to “compare different retailers to find the best price.”

This comes as no surprise during a time of economic upheaval.  But is your ecommerce site ready to convert these shoppers?  What if you offer the same price as many other retailers?  Or even a higher price?  Are dollar signs the only card consumers are willing to play this holiday season?  No.

During an economic challenge, the focus isn’t necessarily just on price alone.  What shoppers want is value.  Sure, it’s an old-school term, but it still holds just as true today as it did in the ‘70s and even the ‘30s.

What customers are really searching for is the most for their money.

How do you prove to them that your site offers greater value than the millions of others they’ll encounter?  Through your copy.

You’ve got only a few weeks left before the frenzy of online shopping breaks loose.  Use this time to take one last fresh look at your site copy.  Does it:

1.  Clearly differentiate you from your competition on every page? If I were to happen upon your site during my holiday surfing, could I – in 10 seconds or less – determine that you are a better option than the eight other sites I’ve just seen?  If not, insert some copy that lets me know why I should buy from you and not them.

Some call this a unique value proposition (UVP) or a unique selling position (USP).  I call it good sense.  If you don’t already know how you’re different or better than the competition, it’s time to do some high-speed brainstorming.  If you do understand your differentiating factors, don’t keep them a secret.  Make them known to your site visitors.

Maybe you offer free shipping. Or free returns.  Do you provide samples or swatches?  Perhaps you have a rewards program similar to frequent flyer miles. It could be that you really do offer the lowest prices.  Whatever your “hook” is, you’ll want to communicate that through your copy on the Home page, Category pages and Product pages.  Continue through until the buyer hits the checkout process to ensure she doesn’t forget why you’re the best choice.

2.  Hang a welcome sign on all your doors? I just returned from SMX East in New York where I spoke to a session full of ecommerce site owners about this very topic.  I’ll fill you in on the gist of my presentation and save you the $1,600 admission fee.

Econsultancy.com recently conducted research of over 60 ecommerce sites and found that the Category pages were the ones that lacked the most.  I’ve found the same in my professional experience.  We tend to pay the most attention to Home pages and individual Product pages. However, over 60% of visitors come into your site through other pages.  Make sure you’ve got them all covered.

While 60% of people who land on Product pages leave immediately, according to the study, only half that many (about 33%) leave Category pages once they arrive.  There’s a natural affinity between Category pages, consumers and also the search engines.

If a visitor landed on one of your Category pages, would he get enough information to make him stay and shop?  Or would he be part of the 1/3 that clicks away?   Make sure you provide easily viewable images, not small photos.  You’ll also want your Category pages well branded, including copy that explains your UVP.  Lastly, don’t skimp on descriptive copy at the top of your Category pages and/or beside or underneath images.

RosettaStone.com, OmahaSteaks.com and Walmart.com give some creative examples of incorporating these elements.

3. Use canned copy? There’s no doubt, there are numerous benefits to using manufacturer-provided copy on your site.  It’s well written; it’s free, and it’s easy to insert into your site.  But it does absolutely nothing to set you apart from the crowd.  As a matter of fact, just the opposite is true: it only serves to make your site blend into the masses of other resellers online.

Consider your customers’ experience.  Suppose they search for a particular stuffed Teddy bear that you – and millions of other sites – sell.  The shopper goes to the first site and reads the copy.  She looks at the images and makes note of anything the site offers that she could take advantage of (discounts, free shipping, etc.).

She moves on to the next site.  Same exact copy.  In fact, same exact pictures.  Hmm… nothing new here.  She clicks away to the third site and on it goes.  It won’t take long before she’s seen enough and decides to buy at the next site she visits because they all seem to be exactly the same.

Take the extra time and effort to use unique copy instead of the same, tedious text others are using.

When you give financially strapped shoppers a solid reason to purchase from your site, you do them a huge favor.  You cut their shopping time down, and you enlighten them as to how you can provide better value for their money.  While it takes a little more work, it also pays off with much higher returns.

Karon Thackston is President of Marketing Words, a copywriting agency specializing in SEO copywriting. For additional information about copywriting services, visit www.MarketingWords.com.

• February 16: President’s Day (Washington’s Birthday)
• May 25: Memorial Day
• July 4: Independence Day
• September 7: Labor Day
• October 12: Columbus Day
• November 11: Veteran’s Day
• November 26: Thanksgiving Day
• December 24: Christmas Eve (not a Federal Reserve Holiday, but early closures may effect when payments are received)
• December 25: Christmas Day
• December 31: New Year’s Eve (not a Federal Reserve Holiday, but early closures may effect when payments are received)

For those who really like to plan ahead, the Federal Reserve Bank provides a look ahead all the way to 2012.

• December 24: Christmas Eve (not a Federal Reserve Holiday, but early closures may effect when payments are received)
• December 25: Christmas Day
• December 31: New Year’s Eve (not a Federal Reserve Holiday, but early closures may effect when payments are received)

For those who really like to plan ahead, the Federal Reserve Bank provides a look ahead all the way to 2012.

Summer House Natural Soaps is a family business rooted in our 200-year-old house and barn on beautiful Cape Cod. It’s a great place to raise flowers, herbs, chickens, children, and of course, to make soap. We draw our inspiration and some of our fresh ingredients from our own gardens, the surrounding pine forests and cranberry bogs, and the sea coast just a few steps away.

All our soap is carefully made in small batches using the cold-process method which best preserves the beneficial qualities of our ingredients. Using the highest-quality vegetable oils, we mix our batters by hand and pour them into wooden molds which are wrapped in blankets for three days while the alchemy of saponification unfolds. After the soap sets, the bars are cut, cured for three weeks to further develop mildness, and beautifully wrapped in handmade papers. We think you will enjoy using our soaps as much as we enjoy making them.

Handmade soap makes a thoughtful gift for so many people: teachers, co-workers, aunts, uncles…you get the idea. We have a number of holiday gift basket combinations available, or you can contact us for a customized gift basket.  Also available are cranberry holiday soaps which are perfect for gift giving.

Click here to visit Summer House Soaps

Click here to apply to be a 2CO Spotlight.

You’ve just entered the Fantasy world of Pepika dolls and animals. Whether you’re looking for a unique present or for an inspirational piece of handicraft or you just want to see something cute and beautiful that will make you smile, then this is the place to be. Pepika amigurumis are unique, one-of-a-kind creations, made with special care and love.

Amigurumi doggie is made with multiple yarns and stuffed with polyester fiberfill. He has a blue satin ribbon bow tied around his neck and is accented with a felt embroidered nose, mouth, and a pair of black plastic eyes.

Click here to apply to be a 2CO Spotlight.

The Red Bank Chocolate Shoppe is located in downtown Red Bank, New Jersey. It is owned and operated by Candy Maker Amy Berry-Dunfee. Our goal at the Red Bank Chocolate Shoppe is to deliver high quality homemade chocolate products with the flavor of an old fashioned candy store.

We offer many unique product and gift options and can work with you to create any custom combination of our products for any occasion. From homemade caramel turtles to our famous “Red Bank Twist”, we can create something that will truly stand out and be a favorite of your family and friends at your next occasion.

We also cater to many corporate clients as an outlet for them to say “thank you” to their many loyal customers. Receiving a gift box or specialty tower from the Red Bank Chocolate Shoppe is a truly a unique and ideal way to deliver that message.

Click here to apply to be a 2CO Spotlight.

Canada’s fashion cult boot, Mukluks, blends seamlessly traditional Canadian Native Art with trendsetting fashion. Some boots have rabbit fur fluffy pompoms along with extravagant bead work on the toes and calves, while others are less fancy, revealing more of the traditional First Nations craftsmanship.

The Mukluk moved into the forefront of fashion when celebrities Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, and Beyonce Knowles were photographed sporting them. Everyone has their own personal style, but rest assured they have a pair of Mukluk boots to suit the taste of even the most discriminating fashion diva. To order a pair of genuine handmade Mukluks made in many beautiful styles and colors for men, women, and children go to www.authenticcanadianmukluks.com.

Click here to apply to be a 2CO Spotlight.