September 27, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Many were hoping for a big announcement at the last Apple event earlier this month, that would confirm or deny the latest rumors of a Verizon iPhone, but Steve Jobs stuck to a script that kept the subject off the table. Now, only a few weeks later, Verizon iPhone rumors have resurfaced, and this time leaks are coming from the actual technology companies that are said to be developing iPhones for Verizon’s CDMA network.

Rumors resurfaced last Friday, just 24 hours after Verizon’s CEO, Ivan Seidenberg, suggested that the iPhone would not be a Verizon reality anytime soon. According to a report by Digitimes, the latest rumors can be traced back to Taiwan-based hardware maker Pegatron, who will reportedly start manufacturing a Verizon-compatible iPhone in November. Other rumors say that Verizon is waiting to roll out their LTE 4G network for the iPhone, which should be out by the end of 2010. There are also leaks stating that the CDMA/LTE iPhone is already being tested on Verizon in Boston and component manufacturers are suggesting that Apple is preparing to build at least 3 million Verizon capable iPhones in December to prepare for a January 2011 launch.

As the Verizon iPhone continues to become more of a reality, ecommerce merchants should prepare for a large influx of mobile shoppers. Currently, many websites average 3% of their traffic from iPhone users, which is a number that could easily double with the iPhone expanding to the Verizon network. This means that mobile commerce could become a large revenue stream for many, giving mobile optimized sites a leg up on the competition. If your ecommerce store isn’t setup for mobile phones, consider switching to CoreCommerce or 3dcart before it’s too late.

September 23, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

What is the third most popular place Americans log onto the Internet? The answer is Starbucks, and it’s third only to home and office. While Starbucks is mainly a brick and mortar company (that can be found on almost every street corner or strip mall across America), chairman and CEO Howard Schultz recently credited Starbucks logging online, for saving the company from its downward turn in 2008.

Founded in 1971, Starbucks quickly became a household name in coffee-driven city, Seattle. By the early 90′s, Starbucks was opening a new store for every day of the year. As Starbucks continued to evolve with ventures like Hear Music, menu expansions, a partnership with Apple, and more, it began to lose part of its core “soul” as Schultz put it, which took the focus away from coffee and made it easier for other companies to provide Starbucks with some worthy competition. This, combined with a rocky economy and $3.00 latte’s, led to the company’s first loss in sales and traffic around 2008, just a few years after their first store closures in 2005. Now, just a few years later, Starbucks is back on top, and Howard Schultz stated at Tuesday’s nights entertainment industry conference, The Grill, that he owes it all to Facebook, Twitter, and social honesty.

Everything began with the launch of MyStarbucksIdea.com in 2008, which provides an online forum for customers to share ideas, ask questions, and wage complaints. As of 10am yesterday, there have been 96,878 ideas shared on this site, which are grouped into 3 major categories: Product Ideas, Experience Ideas, and Involvement Ideas (community giving, social outreach, etc). This site has allowed millions of customers to comment on ideas, share insight, and vote on what ideas should be implemented. Starbucks also maintains accountability by providing a list of ideas that have been implemented thanks to the site.

Beyond MyStarbucksIdea.com, Starbucks also provides their customers with other forums to get in touch and share their stories, concerns, and more. The Starbucks Twitter account has over 1 million followers, their YouTube subscribers are close to 10,000, and their Facebook account is the largest out there, with 13 million fans. While Starbucks does have a leg up when it comes to getting fans and followers, there is still much to be learned from their strategy. For instance, they do not use these accounts to push deals or drive sales, they instead use them to build relationships, which is what true social media is made for. Rather than having PR companies run these social media accounts, Starbucks lets current employees explain the true Starbucks experience. Their Twitter account, for instance, was started by a 28 year old ex-barista who had moved into IT at the company. By doing this, they have been able to squash false rumors before they got out of hand, publicly deal with complaints (which earns them trust and recognition), and provide quick updates regarding big changes, like their new addition of free Wi-fi without the need of a gift card. By using social media, Starbucks was able to rebuild its brand and earn customer loyalty. Starbucks was also able to better share information about public, social, and local outreach including Rebuilding Together New Orleans, their work with fair trade farmers, Project RED, their Ethos water, and much more.

While smaller brands do not have the same opportunities with regards to number of followers and fans in social media, this doesn’t mean that they won’t see a gain in sales through earning customer loyalty and building a brand in social media. Starbucks just recently began traditional advertising campaigns including print, billboards, and television (and those commercials only air on MTV). As such, they clearly have been able to get by with word of mouth and online advertising for quite some time. They are just one success story, proving that social media is not just a good strategy, but a necessary means to success.

September 22, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Over the last year, more luxury brands have decided to make the move to start selling online via their own ecommerce store, and now Marc Jacobs is throwing his hat in the ring with the launch of his first online store yesterday. As is typical with most ecommerce sites from luxury fashion designers, the new online store from Marc Jacobs has a variety of Adobe Flash elements to mimic the feeling of shopping in an actual retail store. When you first arrive at MarcJacobs.com you feel like your in front of a real Marc Jacobs boutique, and you can either watch videos from recent fashion shows, or jump right into shopping for clothing, accessories, and fragrances. The interactive store has 7 floors that can be navigated to via a virtual elevator, which can drop you off on each floor, and has a unique look and feel. Consumers can also shop online in a more traditional manner, by using the top navigation to jump to specific sections of the site.

Included with the launch of the new Marc Jacobs ecommerce store are optimized versions of the site for mobile phones and the Apple iPad. Fans of Marc Jacobs fashion are very excited about the launch, as they can now browse and shop for all of his designer pieces in one easy to use online store. One of the most expensive items on the site is a Marc Jacobs Genuine Alligator Veronica purse in yellow, which can be yours for only $14900.00. If that is a bit out of your budget, then you might want to look at some of the more affordable items like the Marc Jacobs watches and sunglasses. Watches range from $150 to $275, and sunglasses range from $98 to $110.

September 21, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

TransFS.com has been leading the way online in credit card processor comparison shopping, as merchants can use the site to ensure that they get the best rates from the right provider that matches their needs. Now the company is taking steps to re-brand the company as FeeFighters.com, which will allow the company to have a brand that better conveys their mission to find merchants the best and most affordable credit card processor possible. The company has always had a mission to fight inflated credit card processing fees, and from now on anyone who hears about FeeFighters will have a better idea of what the company is all about. FeeFighters notes that merchants using their site have saved an average of 40% on the cost of their credit card processing, which can be a major help to any company who is trying to increase their profits.

The new FeeFighters brand has taken over TransFS.com, as users who try and visit the old site will be redirected to FeeFighters.com to get the same great service, but with a new logo that includes a friendly financial ninja. Twitter has even changed for the company as the old @TransFS account is no more, and anyone wanting to follow the company on Twitter now needs to go to @FeeFighters. Changes have been slowly rolling out for FeeFighters over the past week, but only yesterday did the team officially announce the changes via a press release. If you are concerned that you might be paying too much in credit card fees, or are just now looking for a credit card processor, then it is a must that you head over to FeeFighters and give their system a try.

September 16, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Many women are familiar with Dressbarn inc. for having a number of retail locations across the United States that sell women’s clothing, but now fans of the brand can shop direct on the newly launched ecommerce site. Announced yesterday, Dressbarn.com is now open for consumers to browse and purchase all from the convenience of their own home. Dressbarn stores have always been popular with budget-conscious women, who want to get professional clothes without paying designer prices. In addition to Dressbarn, the company also owns clothing chains Maurices and Justice, which both have online stores as well. The newly launched Dressbarn online store has over 1,000 items for women to choose from, plus they offer gift cards that are always a great option for a holiday present.

Fans of Dressbarn who make purchases over $50 at the online store before October 31, will get free shipping. This offer is available because Dressbarn wants to celebrate the launch of the new online store, and drive consumers to the site to see what all the buzz is about. Not only is Dressbarn getting a lot of attention for the new online store, but they also just reported that their fourth-quarter net income rose to $42 million, or 52 cents a share, from $25.6 million, or 40 cents a share, in the same period last year. Some of the success is attributed to the efforts of Dressbarn over the past year to revamp their offerings, open new stores, and remodel older stores to better attract female shoppers. Now that the online store is live, you can expect to see it being promoted in retail stores, direct mail, email, and even via the Twitter and Facebook accounts of Dressbarn.

September 15, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

The rare 1964 Pontiac Banshee Firebird Prototype (XP-833 Concept Car) was sold to Len Napoli for $214,500 at the 2006 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale. He tried to sell it on eBay in 2007 for $1.3 million but it did not sell. In 2008 he went to eBay Motors again trying to sell for $200,000 more at $1.5 million, but it looks like that was not a success either, as the 1964 Pontiac Banshee Firebird is back on the online auction block again. This time the price started low, but it has still not met the secret reserve price, which could be in excess of $1 million based upon its prior eBay auctions. There have been 23 bids on the 1964 Pontiac Banshee Firebird so far, but that has only pushed the auction to a top bid of $65,100, which is well below the Barrett-Jackson auction price from 2006.

The reason this car is so unique is that it is one of two prototypes left, and it was created by John Z. Delorean when he was General Manager at Pontiac Motors, which recently went out of business. Originally intended to be a competitor to the Ford Mustang, the sleek styling of the Pontiac Banshee Firebird made higher ups worried that it could hurt Corvette sales, so the project was scrapped. Luckily many of the design elements of the Pontiac Banshee Firebird were used on future GM models. In addition to the rarity, this model has less than 1,500 miles on it, and still looks to be in mint condition. The auction lasts for 4 more days, so don’t miss your chance to take a look at this rare 1964 Pontiac Banshee Firebird.

September 15, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Halloween is the second most lucrative e-commerce holiday, second only to Christmas. Because of this, thousands of online merchants gear up each year to promote costumes, candy, decorations, and cards in the hopes that Halloween will start their Q4 holiday shopping season off with a bang, boo, and scream. As merchants prepare themselves for success, its important to know how far Halloween online spending has come and where it’s expected to go. The below infographic demonstrates the trends in Halloween sales over the years as well as target demographics and more. Understanding this data can help e-commerce merchants take their sales to the next level during this Halloween shopping season.

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Based on a work at zippycart.com.

As you can see, Halloween spending went down last year, with only 62.1% of the US population participating in Halloween. The reasons for this decline included the rough economy as well as trends from 2008 wearing off. In 2008, Halloween participation experienced a slight bump, which experts attributed to the rise in popularity of the Twilight Series. In 2009, only $4.75billion was spent on Halloween, which is a decline of over $1billion from the year before. Luckily, 2010 is expected to be a far better Halloween shopping season, with participation levels expected to meet 65%. As such, merchants should start advertising their Halloween sales and deals now, to ensure that they can capitalize off of this resurgence.

The infographic also goes into detail about what consumers are spending their money on each year. Most online sales can be attributed to costume purchases while offline sales are mainly for candy and greeting cards. After covering what people are spending their money on, the infographic continues by explaining the demographics of Halloween shoppers. This shows that ages 18-44 all spend a decent amount on Halloween each year, and that more women participate than men.

If you want to ensure your website ranks well for Halloween, consider optimizing it for the top 10 search terms shown in this infographic. This data comes from Google Trends, which shows the trends of various terms from 2004 to the Present.

Halloween is very popular and merchants throughout the nation spend months preparing for this fun holiday, with many already announcing sales. Still, some merchants might just be starting to plan their marketing campaign, since October is still two weeks away. The data in this infographic should help these merchants get off on the right foot, as October closes in.

September 10, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

The Twilight Saga has been a pop culture phenomenon since the first book in the series came out in 2005, which was soon followed by the film adaptation of the book in 2008. The fantasy book series revolves around Bella Swan who moves from Phoenix, Arizona, to Forks, Washington, and winds up falling in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. In 2009 the second Twilight movie debuted, and then this year the third Twilight movie premiered, but now fans will have to wait until November of 2011 for the next installment in the series called The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. November 2011 is when part one of the final movie will be released, and this will be followed by part 2 releasing in November 2012.

This week something unique was announced for the true Twilight fans (aka Twihards), which is a chance to travel to the Vancouver set in early 2011 to visit while the film is in production. However the only catch is that you have to be the winner of an eBay auction which is currently underway, where the proceeds will go to benefit non-profit organization, Stand Up to Cancer. E! Online was one of the first to announce the charity auction, which started with an opening bid of only $100. Since then there have been 62 bids, and the current auction bid stands at $9,600, with the next bidder needing to go to $9,700 to have a chance to visit the set of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. So if you are one of the biggest Twihards around and have an extra $10,000 to spend, you might consider taking a look at this auction. The auction does not end until September 17 however, so it is likely that the final winning bid will be well over $10,000.

September 9, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

As e-commerce evolves, so do the ways we reach our customers online.  One of the newest trends in online selling is social commerce, in which merchants use popular sites like Facebook to connect with customers, advertise to prospects, and even host their own storefront connect to their e-commerce solution.  To stay on top of social commerce, merchants need to understand what demographics exist at each social network, so that they can better market to their target audience.  This new infographic, created by All Assisted Living Homes, sheds light on the fastest growing demographic on Facebook: senior citizens.  Clearly, the landscape of Facebook is changing in more ways than one, but few are aware of this growing trend of people over 65 taking classes about Facebook and using it as a social outlet and gaming source.  Checkout the infographic below to learn more:

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September 8, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

FeeFighters.com, formerly known as Transparent Financial Services, just came out with this infographic that explains Interchange. “Interchange is the largest component of fees that businesses pay to accept credit cards.” The infographic shows a variety of variables that are considered when determining your interchange fees.  If you are an ecommerce merchant that wants to learn more about where your money goes when accepting credit cards, then review this infographic for more information.

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Brought to You By FeeFighters.com (AKA TransFS.com)

September 7, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Online auctions have been around for over a decade, but over the last year a number of Internet companies have been experimenting with new variations on the online auction model. One of the newest companies to jump into the mix is London based Dibbing.com. The new online auction site was launched by UK based Sit-Up Shopping, who also runs Bid.tv, Price-Drop.tv, and SpeedAuction.tv. What makes Dibbing unique, is that products start off at a listed price, and then the products become cheaper as people ‘dib’ them. You get 3 free credits to start off with, and each credit (dib) costs 50 pence each. When you ‘dib’ a product, you get to see what the current price is for 10 seconds, during which time you can decide if you want to purchase it. Each time this occurs for a product, the price continues to go down until someone makes a purchase.

There are a wide variety of items listed on the site, like designer handbags, vacuums, Blu-ray players, digital cameras, and iPods. Recently someone purchased ladies Fendi sunglasses for £34.50, after the product initially listed for £120.00. Another person picked up a Tom Tom XL Classic for £65.50, after it initially listed for £160.00. While some people are only getting 15%-20% off items, there are a number of people who are picking up products for 50% or more off the originally listed price.

In late July, another online auction site based out of London called MadBid.com, raised over $6 million in Series A funding from Atomico Ventures. Their model is very similar, but the difference is that you can see the price at all times, and you pay to bid with your credits. Another site similar to MadBid in the mix is Swoopo, which was founded in Germany in 2005 and launched in the U.S. in late 2008. While it appears that these types of sites are more popular in Europe, it is very possible that more people in the U.S. will try out these unique online auction sites.

September 1, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

In anticipation for today’s 10am PST Apple event, a variety of Apple related rumors have taken the Internet by storm with regards to what new technology or enhancements the infamous company will unveil today.  While most of these rumors are founded in leaks or logic, some come simply from those who dare to dream big.  One such “dare to dream” rumor is that of the elusive Verizon iPhone.  While this rumor stirs up before every Apple event, it became more of a reality in late June this year when Bloomberg Reporter, Amy Thompson, leaked the rumor that Verizon is set to have the iPhone in 2011, based on confirmations from internal sources.  This rumor was quickly picked up by well-known media outlets, and simply died out rather than meeting with any actual denials from Apple spokespeople.  It is because of this, that many feel today’s Apple event might culminate in the big Verizon iPhone announcement.

Many iPhone users are excited about the prospect of moving to Verizon, as many have reported that “it would be nice for my phone to actually work just as good as a phone as it does a pocket computer.”  Of course, the act of moving to Verizon would cause serious competition for AT&T, who are already needing to compete with Verizon’s answer to the iPhone, the Droid. This impact on AT&T could mean that AT&T will make it harder for Apple to leave, especially when AT&T also powers the 3G capabilities of the iPad and the iPod Touch.

This time last year, many were certain that a Verizon iPhone would be announced, only to face disappointment at the end of Apple’s yearly music event.  Today, we reached out to our own internal sources at Apple asking whether this rumor would ever come to fruition, and were met with mixed responses.  Many stated that an announcement about an Apple iPhone would not occur at a yearly event and instead will happen only a month or two before a move to Verizon.  Others suggested that even those at Apple are waiting in anticipation.  Overall, the overwhelming theme behind the answers we received was this: For the iPhone to go to Verizon, Apple would have to build an entirely new phone to work on Verizon’s technology.  This phone would have to be tested, and will likely not be as advanced as the current iPhone 4. Right now, the iPhone works on mobile technology that many other carriers use, so it is likely that the iPhone would move to those other carriers before Apple ever rebuilds the phone for Verizon.

That said, we can’t ignore the matter of supply and demand.  Many loyal Verizon customers are also avid iPhone fans, but have heard horror stories about dropped calls.  These customers now have the Droid to carry them for awhile, but if the iPhone were to move to Verizon, it’s assumed that many would drop their Droids fast.  Yes, the demand is definitely there with Verizon customers, but the question still remains: Will Apple every provide the supply?

September 1, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

An infographic is a graphical display of information created for easy consumption and viral appeal. Infographics can be used to explain large amounts of data through images, a specific process, or to clarify a topic that is hard to grasp. Infographics serve a variety of purposes including engaging users, building a brand, link building, and improving a site’s authority with regards to the topics covered in the infographic. Because this new medium is becoming a must have for many online businesses, a variety of companies are springing up to offer services related to the design and syndication of infographics and for the greater part of this year, SubmitInfographics.com has done just that. While their consulting and work in this space is not necessarily coming to an end, it is turning the page to a new chapter and remodeled website dubbed Killer Infographics.

Matt Weston, a spokesperson for Killer Infographics told us that “there isn’t one central hub online where businesses can submit their infographics and be certain that they will receive the appropriate credit and link for their efforts.” Because of this, the team at Submit Infographics has sought to provide a solution to this problem. At Killer Infographics, anyone can submit their infographics for free and “as long as they meet the not at all strict guide lines,” their infographic will be live for the world to see within 2 business days.

The team at Submit Infographics believes that this makes their original job of syndicating infographics null and void. “If we can provide a common location where everyone goes to review infographics, vote for the best, and add their own, then the user base will do the rest for us,” Weston suggests.

Killer Infographics is still in its infancy, with the site only launching in full force yesterday, but it is already showing great promise. The site will soon have a variety of features to help users create their own infographics, vote on existing ones in the gallery, earn featured positions for improved visibility, and much more. Time will tell if this site becomes the next Digg of the Infographic space, but rest assured it will at least achieve it’s current goal: “To add yet another site to the mix that decreases productivity online because it’s too fun not to use.”

August 31, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

It may be accidental or a targeted move by Microsoft to increase the price of their Xbox LIVE gold only days before they start shipping their Kinect sensor, which is their answer to the motion controlled gaming options from PlayStation and Nintendo.  The price hike was just announced, and it is not only going into effect in the U.S., but Xbox LIVE gold subscribers in the UK, Canada, and Mexico, will also experience a bump in price. Effective on November 1, the prices will change in all of the countries, but those in the U.S. who have yet to sign up for Xbox LIVE can take advantage of a great deal on a 12 month subscription. Currently a 12 month subscription in the U.S. costs $49.99, but that price is set to go up to $59.99, but for a limited time you can purchase it for only $39.99.

While all Xbox users can get the free access to LIVE, only those LIVE Gold members can take advantage of the great features like multiplayer support, Netflix access, Twitter & Facebook access, and the use of Video Kinect. The pricing has not gone up for sometime, but now as Halo Reach and Kinect are set to launch exclusively on Xbox, the company seems to feel like it is the perfect time to adjust prices so that they can continue to offer a great service to subscribers. Some Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers do not feel that higher fees are justified, whereas others still feel like the fee is reasonable for what Microsoft provides.  Only time will tell whether this change in price will effect Xbox sales during the holiday shopping season, but it’s likely that this change will only come with a few grunts and growls before fans give in and pay the increased fee.