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

October is just around the corner, which means you cannot procrastinate much longer regarding what you want to be for Halloween. In order to help guys out with the process, we have compiled a long list of Halloween costume ideas for men in 2010. Some guys like to go with classic costumes which have been worn for decades during the Halloween season, such as a firefighter, vampire, or cowboy. However other guys go for the funniest Halloween costumes possible, or choose costumes for Halloween that reflect their favorite cartoons or comic book hero’s from childhood. Online prices for Halloween costumes for men typically range $40 – $200, but there are definitely options out there with both lower and higher price points. There are even deluxe Halloween costumes for men that can cost $695-$999, and these options are quite impressive. Examples of these deluxe costumes are Darth Vader or Storm Trooper for $695.95, which are in the list below at CostumeKingdom.

Because there are so many different directions that guys can take for Halloween, the toughest part is making a final decision as to which Halloween costume idea will come out on top. Many guys also have to take into account their significant other, as there are a lot of Halloween costume ideas for couples which can also be considered. Although not all guys want to wear a Halloween costume that matches their partner, which is why many couples pick their own costumes. This is why we also created a great list of Halloween costume ideas for women in 2010, so there could be more options to consider. Hopefully this list below will provide you with a perfect idea, or at least help you to think of an amazing Halloween costume for 2010.

BuyCostumes is a great online ecommerce store to shop for men’s Halloween costumes, as they have an excellent selection and affordable prices. In addition they also have a variety of online coupon codes that can be used when making a purchase. If you find a great Halloween costume idea at BuyCostumes, then you can use coupon code Vamp10 to get 10% off orders of $40 or more. You also have the option to use coupon code BOGO through the end of September, which allows you to buy one and get 20% off of the next costume. Some fun costume ideas for men at BuyCostumes include:

• Halo 3 Master Chief
• Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Persesus – Clash of the Titans
• Donnie Darko Bunny
• Green Lantern
• Cobra Commander – GI Joe

Spirit Halloween is a popular choice for many guys who are shopping for a Halloween costume in 2010. They have a great selection of new costumes, and almost any guy should be able to find a costume at Spirit Halloween. If you find a great costume then you should use coupon code SPRT10 to receive 10% off all orders, or maybe try AFSHIP75 which will get you free shipping on all orders over $75, and if you need to, you can utilize coupon code SPB1G1 to buy one costume and get one costume at 25% off. All of these codes expire at the end of September, so you only have a week left to take advantage of the offers like:

• DJ Pauly D or the Situation – Jersey Shore
• DJ Lance Rock – Yo Gabba Gabba
• Predator
• Mr. Potato Head
• Pac-Man
• Beer Pong Cup

Costume Kingdom is one of the go-to ecommerce sites for men around this time, as they have great coupon codes and an extensive selection of costumes to browse. Online shoppers who find a great costume they want to purchase can use coupon code Kingdom5 to get 5% off their order (Valid through Sept 30th), or use coupon code HALLOWEEN2010 to save 10% off any purchase. Be sure to review the deluxe Darth Vader and Storm Trooper costumes from Star Wars, as they almost look like the real thing. Some costume ideas from Costume Kingdom that men will like include:

• Darth Vader or Storm Trooper – Star Wars
• Ringwraith – Lord of the Rings
• Count – Seasme Street
• Jolly Green Giant
• Sumo Wrestler
• Jesus

Costume Discounters has very affordable prices for any guys shopping for a Halloween costumes in 2010 on a budget. In addition to great prices, they also have a fun selection of new Halloween costumes that just came out for this season. If you find a Halloween costume that you want to buy at Costume Discounters, then you can use coupon code FREE60 to get free shipping on orders over $60. Some good costume ideas from Costume Discounters include:

• Frank Furter – Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Lone Ranger
• Ron Burgundy – Anchorman
• Gumby
• Headless Man
• Kermit – Muppets

Halloween Express is known for having sexy Halloween costumes for women, but they also have a wide array of costumes for men.  If you find a great costume at Halloween Express and want to save some money, try and order soon, as they have coupon codes that are good until the end of September. You can use coupon code BOGO25 to buy one and get one at 25% off, or use CJ10OFF100 to get $10 off orders of $100 or more. Here are some good ideas for Halloween costumes for men at Halloween Express:

• Flying Monkey – Wizard of Oz
• Grim Reaper
• Star Wars Obi Won Costume
• Ryu or Ken – Street Fighter
• Uncle Fester – The Addams Family
• Pinhead

Amazon is the ultimate ecommerce shopping destination, where you can not only find a cool costume for Halloween, but almost anything else you want to purchase. Since it is Amazon, there are not any big coupon codes to use, but the prices are typically in line with the Halloween costume specialty shops. Below is a fun mix of Halloween costume ideas for men in 2010, which can be purchased at Amazon:

• Bigfoot
• Edward Scissorhands
• Invisible Man
• Teen Wolf
• Abominable Snowman
• BeetleJuice

September 24, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

eBay is always looking to diversify, and lately they have been trying to capitalize on popular ecommerce trends by launching their own version of successful online business models. Earlier this year they jumped into the fashion flash sale niche with Fashion Vault, which competes with sites like Gilt Groupe, RueLaLa, and HauteLook. Now eBay is looking to jump on the image monetization bandwagon, by debuting a new fashion gallery offering dubbed LookBook. There are other companies specializing in this type of technology like Pixazza or Stipple, but they give the image monetization functionally over to other publishers to use on their websites. eBay LookBook is looking to crowdsourcing or user generated content as a means of stocking up their gallery with photos of users in their favorite fashion styles. When users upload photos of themselves into the LookBook system, they can then tag up to three items in the image with relevant information about what the item is and where they purchased it. When other users go to LookBook to browse for new fashion ideas, they can click on items in the photos and eBay will connect the user to similar styles like those seen in the photo. Not only will this new ecommerce offering allow eBay visitors to stay on the site longer, it will also give eBay a way to drive more users to their listings to make purchases.

In an effort to create buzz around the new eBay LookBook ecommerce section, there is a contest currently underway where one of the top 25 voted fashion photos will win a $5,000 shopping spree at eBay. On top of the prize money, the winner will also get to have a photo shoot with Lucky magazine photographer Michael Waring, and a fashion consultation with Lucky editor Elise Loehnen. Judges for the contest include Loehnen, T.V. star and designer Whitney Port, editorial director of “The Inside Source” Meredith Barnett, stylist Annabel Tollman, and eBay trend expert Karen Bard. While this contest is a great way to get people to upload fashion photos, it is not a solution to keep users uploading photos for the long term. This is why eBay LookBook will also have daily giveaways through the end of October, which you can review in the list below. The only thing that is not clear is whether eBay will continue to give away prizes after this promotion ends, or if they expect that people will just want to upload photos for fun to show off their style.

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

CoreCommerce is one of the leading ecommerce software solutions online for small and medium-sized merchants, and is frequently updated to ensure that it provides the best features. Now the team at Sum Effect Software Inc. just improved their pricing model on CoreCommerce by becoming the first ecommerce solution to offer unlimited bandwidth without any transaction fees on their monthly plans starting at $49.99. Most of the ecommerce solutions targeted at small and medium-sized online businesses only offer you unlimited bandwidth or no transaction fees, but CoreCommerce is looking to differentiate their offering by providing both to merchants. Many merchants are concerned about additional charges for using hosted ecommerce software, and would prefer a pricing model which is more simplistic. Running an online business can already be hectic enough, and merchants do not want to stress about paying extra each month for their ecommerce solution. Now online business owners who work with CoreCommerce can stop worrying about paying extra each month for transaction fees or going over their bandwidth limit.

As we near the start of the 2010 holiday shopping season, there are many merchants that are preparing for their highest traffic and transaction volume of the year. Therefore an ecommerce software solution with unlimited bandwidth without any transaction fees could be very helpful for merchants to generate more profit this year. The new pricing model from CoreCommerce is sure to create a buzz in the industry, as merchants will be very compelled to switch ecommerce solutions to save money. It will also be interesting to see if this announcement from CoreCommerce will cause other ecommerce software solutions to modify their pricing models, so that merchants will have one flat monthly bill.

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

Despite the 2010 holiday shopping season being about 2 months out, there are already a number of predictions online as to what the hot toys will be this year. There are many different ways to predict what the top toys of 2010 will be, but one of the more accurate tools is Google, as they can monitor the trends in search volume for various toys. Not only does Google try and predict what the hot toys will be for the holiday season, but so does Toys ‘R’ Us who just release their list of what they predict the top 15 holiday toys will be. Last year in 2009 the hot toy for kids was the Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster, and part of the success was due to their affordability. Rough economic conditions made it tough for many parents and grandparents to spend a lot of money during the holidays, but things are looking to improve this year as Deloitte forecasts a 2% increase in holiday sales. In 2010 consumers are still cost conscious about their purchases, but there are some hot toys this holiday season that do exceed the $100 mark.

Consumers still have lots of time to research what toys they want to purchase this holiday season, but for now we wanted to provide some of the top toy predictions from Google and Toys ‘R’ Us, including small descriptions as to what each toy is.

Nerf Stampede ($49.25): This is not like the the NERF toys that you grew up with, as this fully automatic NERF blaster can shoot a stream of darts up to 25 feet. In addition to the fully automatic capabilities, the NERF Stampede ECS-50 also comes with three interchangeable 18-dart clips. Having this many darts should provide for endless hours of entertainment for almost any kid. The NERF Stampede is intended for kids age 8 or older, and it does require 6 “D” batteries to operate, which are not included when you purchase.

Mattel Sing-a-Ma-Jigs ($12-$25): The Sing-a-Ma-Jigs from Mattel are fun plush character toys that can have their bellies squeezed and kids can then hear the Sing-a-Ma-Jig’s favorite song. Each Sing-a-Ma-Jig requires 2 “AAA” batteries, which are included with each toy. Sing-a-Ma-Jigs are intended for kids age 3 or older.

Silly Bandz ($4 – $20): This is a great stocking stuffer for children age 5 or older, as Silly Bandz are a fun and affordable fashion accessory. Many young girls like to wear a dozen or more Silly Bandz in a number of colors on each wrist. Silly Bandz come in a variety of different themes, like dinosaurs, wild west, or princess. However one of the most popular themes in 2010 will be the Justin Bieber Silly Bandz.

Squinkies Cupcake Surprise! Bake Shop ($37): While you might think this is the cupcake equivalent to the Easy-Bake Oven, it in fact does not do any real baking. Think of the Squinkies Cupcake Surprise! Bake Shop as a coin-operated vending machine filled with a variety of Squinkies that fit on top of your pencil. There are hundreds of Squinkies to collect, and you can buy them in sets of 12 for about $16.

Cuponk! Game ($15): This is a fun game that involves ping pong balls and electronic cups, where kids attempt to make off the wall trick shots based upon game cards. Kids will have hours of fun making trick shots using various household items like chairs and stairs. Cuponk! is intended for children age 9 or older, and requires 3 “AAA” batteries which are not included with the purchase.

Star Wars® Imperial AT-AT All Terrain Armored Transport Vehicle ($105): Parents who grew up in the late 70′s and early 80′s will be big fans of this Star Wars toy for their children age 5 or older. This classic All Terrain Armored Transport walker is a major part of Star Wars Episode V, and some of us actually had a similar AT-AT toy back in the 80′s. The AT-AT requires 3 “AA” batteries (not included), which will allow it to have LED lights and authentic movie sounds and phrases.

PlayStation Move or XBOX Kinect ($99 – $149): Now that XBOX and PlayStation have motion gaming to match the Nintendo Wii, it is almost guaranteed that the Kinect and Move will be top toys for the 2010 holiday shopping season. Both motion gaming units can be purchased in a bundle that comes with a video game, so you can start enjoying it right away. Older kids will have this at the top of of their holiday wish list this year.

September 20, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

The Nintendo Wii has been the leader in motion gaming since it debuted in late 2006, as millions of consumers have jumped on board and purchased a Wii to experience motion gaming first hand. While the Nintendo Wii has had a great run, it now faces serious motion gaming competition from their biggest competitors, XBOX and PlayStation. In anticipation of the video game battle, Amazon.com has decided to expand their video game store with a section devoted to motion gaming, dubbed Motion Gaming 101. The PlayStation Move finally entered the market last week on September 17, and this hardware allows console gamers to turn their PlayStation into a motion gaming unit. Once gamers obtain a PlayStation Eye camera peripheral and the PlayStation Move motion controller, they can then play any of the Move enabled video games. XBOX will soon be in the motion gaming competition when their Kinect Sensor launches at the beginning of November. What makes the XBOX Kinect sensor stand out among the competition, is that it does not require a special video game controller. This is because the Kinect Sensor does all the work and monitors your movements to create a true motion gaming experience in your home.

The new Motion Gaming 101 hub from Amazon allows consumers to do the research they need to determine which is the right motion gaming system for them. As the 2010 holiday shopping season approaches, there will be a lot of questions and confusion around the motion gaming options. Consumers can use the Motion Gaming 101 section of Amazon to read customer feedback, review buying guides, and watch interviews with developers and players. It is likely that this will become the go to source for anyone wanting to learn more about the motion gaming niche of console video games.

Consumers interested in PlayStation motion gaming are eying the PlayStation Move Starter Bundle for $99.99, which gives them everything they need to get started, including the multi-player PlayStation Move game, Sports Champions. If the XBOX motion gaming system is the option you are leaning towards, then you will want to look at the Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures! for $149.99, which is a popular bundle that consumers are purchasing. Those consumers who want to stick to the motion gaming leader can purchase a Nintendo Wii console with Wii Sports Resort for $199.99.

September 17, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Many people think social media is all about tweeting things and playing FarmVille on Facebook, but there is much more to it, as social media can be instrumental in influencing the purchasing decisions of U.S. consumers. Before the creation of social media sites like Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook, people would utilize their social circle of friends to get advice and feedback about certain products and potential purchases. A recent report that was sponsored by Performics and published by ROI Research Inc., looks deeper into that data and gives insight as to which product verticals are most impacted by social media. The report is titled “S-Net (The Impact of Social Media),” and it contains a variety of useful stats that will help merchants in different product verticals decide how much emphasis they should place on social media as a means to drive online sales. The data from the report was generated via a 30-minute online survey that collected information from 3,000 U.S. respondents who access at least one social network regularly.

There were 11 verticals in total on the list, but some of them performed much better than others in terms of people seeking product advice and feedback. The automotive vertical had users who were very receptive to suggestions via social media, as 26% of people surveyed said they are likely to make an automotive purchase as a result of a recommendation from someone on a social network. Most people are not automotive experts, so it makes sense that they would seek out advice from those more knowledgeable about the best cars to purchase. Consumers also responded favorably to using social media to get advice before purchasing electronics and appliances. Despite this report coming from a small sample size of 3,000, the trends in social media influencing purchasing decisions are likely to continue, as more consumers seek quicker and more efficient ways to determine the best product to buy.

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

Advances in technology have made it easy to obtain shopping cart software to start an online business, but the ones that succeed often have a great marketing strategy that helps to drive people to their website. Sites like Zappos.com differentiated themselves from the rest of the pack with great customer service and amazing relationship marketing, which allowed them to generate the substantial revenues that attracted Amazon to purchase them for almost $1 billion. This is just one example of a company that jumped into a crowded online niche, and become a major success story.

There are a number of different marketing techniques like using pay per click advertising or SEO to attract more consumers to your online business, but there are other effective methods of promoting your business in a fun way. Word-of-mouth marketing encompasses a variety of techniques which work to create a buzz among consumers, and get them interested in learning more about your online business. One easy but effective approach to promote your online business is to use custom stickers and custom skins to spread the word about your website and create interest among consumers. You can add stickers into a customer’s shipping box on their first order, or pass them out to friends, family, and employees. The custom vinyl skins can be used to cover your laptop, iPhone, iPod, or iPad, so you can show off your online business wherever you go.

There are many places online where you can purchase custom stickers and custom skins. However some of these sites look very outdated, and do not give the impression that they can create amazing stickers for your online business. When you Google “custom stickers” you will find one ecommerce site on the first page of results that seems to set themselves apart from the competition. This new entrant into the custom sticker scene is Stickermule.com, who launched their ecommerce business earlier this year. They started work on their ecommerce site in February this year, and in working with Railsdog.com, they were able to quickly announce their official debut on their blog in late March. Rails Dog covered Sticker Mule on their blog just a week later and highlighted how easy the ecommerce site is to use for consumers, in addition to a number of technical features about site. Custom images are stored in the cloud with Amazon, and the site is running on the Ruby on Rails based open-source e-commerce platform, Spree, which was created by Rails Dog CEO, Sean Schofield.

When you arrive at the site, you will instantly enjoy the sleek design and straightforward layout that makes it easy to understand and use when creating custom stickers and custom skins. They have colorful homepage images that help show off how nice their creations look upon completion, and have three big boxes below that highlight their different product lines. Consumers can either choose custom stickers, die-cut stickers, or custom skins. When it comes to custom stickers, they have a number of different shapes and sizes to choose from, so you can get the right design to match you brand’s logo. Die-cut stickers are very cool, as they maintain the shape of your logo. The die-cut sticker example throughout the site is the mule from the Sticker Mule logo, but they also showoff a number of other design samples. Custom vinyl skins allow you to upload your design, and have it replicated on a skin that can be used for a laptop, iPhone, iPod, or iPad, They can be easily attached and removed whenever you like. The only downside here is that you have to order multiple skins at once, but Sticker Mule is discussing the option of adding one-off orders in the future.

If you have an online business, you need to make sure that you continually experiment with new marketing techniques. While the custom stickers and custom skins approach might not be right for all online business, it is definitely a great idea that most ecommerce sites can test for little money.

September 14, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

There are hundreds of great Halloween costume ideas for women in 2010, including a variety of new costumes that were just released this year. Most women love to dress up, and Halloween is one of the few times of the year when they get to pick out a fun costume to wear. Halloween parties happen for most of the month of October, and some women attend more than one event. Therefore some women need more than one Halloween costume idea, so they can wear something different at each party. Another common occurrence is for women to find their Halloween costume first, then find something for their significant other to wear. These are just some of the reasons why so many Google searches occur around this time for Halloween costume ideas for women. As many want to start their research early, and ensure that they get a great Halloween costume to wear in 2010.

Shopping online for Halloween costumes is one of the easiest ways to view and compare hundreds of costume options and prices in a matter of hours. Many small cities in the U.S. do not have large retail stores for people to shop for Halloween costumes, and if they do have stores, they can often be very expensive. This is why online shopping is quickly becoming one of the preferred ways to obtain a costume each year. Below is a list of some of the top ecommerce sites that you can shop for Halloween costumes for women in 2010.

Sexy Kitten Halloween Costume for Women

HalloweenExpress.com is known by many for having a great selection of sexy Halloween costumes for women, and sexy costumes are so popular that they made the top of this list. There are dozens of amazing costumes to choose from, and there are six Halloween costume ideas for women listed below that might help you in your online shopping quest this year. If you want to save some money, try and order soon, as there are still a couple coupon codes that are good until the end of September. Use coupon code BOGO25 to buy one and get one at 25% off, or use CJ10OFF100 to get $10 off orders of $100 or more.

Some Fun Costumes from Halloween Express Include:

• Sexy Cougar
• Sexy Referee
• Sexy French Maid
• Sexy School Girl
• Sexy Gangsta Girl
• Sexy Firefighter

Costumes for Women: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

BuyCostumes.com is a very popular online destination for anyone looking for Halloween costume ideas for women. They have a wide variety of costume options for women to choose, everything from the popular “sexy” costume to funny couple costumes and more. Their Halloween costume selection is one of the reasons why people keep coming back to the site year after year to make a purchase. If you decide to get your Halloween costume from BuyCostumes, you can use coupon code Vamp10 to get 10% off orders of $40 or more. You can also use coupon code BOGO through the end of September, which allows you to buy one and get 20% off of the next costume.

Some Fun Halloween Costumes for Women From BuyCostumes Include:

• Sexy Raphael (Red), Sexy Donatello (Purple), Sexy Leonardo (Blue), Sexy Michelangelo (Orange) – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT)
• Bride of Frankenstein
• Sexy Teddy Bear
• Fortune Teller
• Sexy Cookie Monster
• Zombie Nurse

Halloween Costume Idea: Snookie from Jersey Shore

SpiritHalloween.com not only has retail shops around the U.S. for the Halloween costume shopping season, but they also have a great online store where you can purchase direct. There are a number of cool Halloween costume ideas for women, and a variety of online coupon codes that will allow you to get a better deal. Using coupon code SPRT10 will get you 10% off all orders, AFSHIP75 will get you free shipping on all orders over $75, and SPB1G1 allows you to buy one costume and get one costume at 25% off. All of these codes expire at the end of September, so you only have a couple weeks left to take advantage of the offers.

Some fun Halloween costume ideas for women from SpiritHalloween.com Include:

• Snooki – Jersey Shore
• Lady Gaga – VMA outfit
• Sushi’s On Me
• Skeleton Bride
• Aphrodite – Clash of the Titans
• Chun-Li – StreetFighter

Dress as Betty Page for Halloween

CostumeKingdom.com is a site that most will come across and browse during the Halloween costume shopping season. They have a great selection of Halloween costumes for women, and a couple coupon codes that you can add to your order to get a discount. Online shoppers can use coupon code Kingdom5 to get 5% off their order (Valid through Sept 30th), or use coupon code HALLOWEEN2010 to save 10% off any purchase.

Some fun costume ideas from CostumeKingdom include:

• Betty Paige
• Sexy Girl Scout
• Cheshire Cat – Alice in Wonderland
• Sexy Snow White
• Medusa
• Sexy Tinkerbell

Get the Mona Lisa Halloween Costume

CostumeDiscounters.com is another great option for online Halloween shoppers, as they have lots of costume choices for women to browse. There are a number of new Halloween costumes for women in 2010, and Costume Discounters has a section dedicated to all that is new. If you decide to get your Halloween costume here, then you can try and use coupon code FREE60 to get free shipping on orders over $60.

Some fun costume ideas for women from CostumeDiscounters.com include:

• Mona Lisa Painting
• Princess Peach – Super Mario
• Marcia – Brady Bunch
• Bavarian Beer Girl
• Magenta – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Sexy Wolverine Girl

September 13, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

As more consumers in the U.S. have obtained broadband connections, it has become increasingly important for online retailers to use ecommerce videos as a way to increase sales. Many online retailers have ecommerce videos on their site, but only a small fraction of those merchants have clickable hotspots. This is where Ottawa-based Overlay.TV comes into the picture, as they have a new company focus targeted at the online retail sector. Overlay.TV has been around since 2007, but focused more on entertainment, working with clients like the Jonas Brothers and Barenaked Ladies to create interactive videos for their fans. Over the past few years the company has raised $9.2 million in venture capital funding, and has a strong stance about the positive future of clickable ecommerce videos.

In an effort to boost online sales, Armani/Exchange recently announced that they would be partnering with Overlay.TV to use their ecommerce video technology. The Overlay.TV clickable hotspot technology will be combined with ecommerce videos created by the MarketLive Intelligent Commerce Platform. This joint relationship with Armani/Exchange transforms their ecommerce site, and now the “How to Wear It” section has a cool interactive video experience. Overlay.TV generates revenue via these partnerships by collecting a small fee per click, or a percentage of any transaction which came via their clickable hotspots. When watching video in the “How to Wear It” on Armani/Exchange, you will see a small flashing yellow circle near the products that are clickable, which lets consumers know they can click to learn more or purchase. Other Overlay.TV customers include Zappos.com, Hollywood Records, and Kidzbop.com.

The image monetization niche has been increasing in popularity over the last year with Pixazza, Stipple, and GumGum. Therefore it will be interesting to see if there are any mergers or acquisitions between that niche and ecommerce video monetization.

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

Yesterday morning, Transworld was first source to announce that Volcom had officially launched their new online store, which finally allows consumers a chance to purchase from them direct. A video showing the new Volcom online store actually leaked onto YouTube on September 8th, the day before it went it live. Apparently someone was able to shoot video of the online store in action with their cell phone. This does not matter anymore, as anyone can now go onto shop.volcom.com and browse all of the clothing, bags, and accessories. At first glance the new online store looks fantastic, as it is full of color and great photos, plus it is very easy to navigate through and find exactly what you want.

The Volcom online store has five main categories that house all of the great products, which include Mens, Girls, Boys, Kids, and Snow. Consumers can easily hover over the category heading in the navigation and get presented with a menu of deeper level product categories, like Mens jeans or Boys sandals. Overall Volcom fans should be quite happy with the experience, as well as the fact that they can now browse all of the great products in one place and buy direct.

Volcom is not new to the American clothing scene, as they have been around since 1991 when the business was founded in California. The brand slowly gained a massive following of dedicated fans and in 2005 they made their initial public offering on NASDAQ, where their stock is still traded today under stock symbol VLCM.

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

Adding ecommerce videos to an online store is becoming a hot topic, as they help drive more traffic and can lead to higher conversion rates. Therefore it is likely that this trend will continue into 2011, as more merchants explore the different ways in which they can add ecommerce videos to their online store. Merchants that neglect adding ecommerce videos will be at a disadvantage in the next couple months once the 2011 holiday shopping season picks up. One of the easiest ways to add videos about your products to your online store, is by working with a company that specializes in creating automated ecommerce videos. The concept of automated ecommerce videos might sound too good to be true, but a number of companies are pushing forward in the space, and big names in the online retail niche are jumping on board. Automated video is a really easy option for the merchant, as they typically just need to upload a product feed or image, and the system can take care of almost everything else to complete a video. Below is a rundown of a variety of companies in the space, helping online businesses succeed with product videos.

Treepodia: This company was founded in Israel in 2007 by serial entrepreneur Tal Rubenczyk. The company also has offices in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and France. Their technology has allowed automated ecommerce videos to be created for online stores like AgentProvocateur.com, RiverIsland.com, ChristopherWard.co.uk, and SilverShake.com.

SundaySky: This company was founded in Israel in 2006 by Shmulik Weller and Yaniv Axen. Their headquarters are based out of Tel Aviv, but they also have a New York office. Their technology has allowed automated ecommerce videos to be created for online stores like Overstock.com, StacksandStacks.com, and Digicam.com.

Animoto: This company debuted to the public back in 2007, and is the product of a “bunch of techies and film/tv producers,” who wanted to create technology to automatically produce high quality videos. Their technology has a lot of applications for the general public, but also has capabilities geared toward merchants to create automated ecommerce videos. This has allowed their technology to be used by brands like SweetSpud.com, AdjustablePotRacks.com, and SmartSheet.com

Stupeflix: This company has been around since 2008, and was a 2008 SeedCamp winner for being one of the most promising European startups. The Stupeflix team is based out of Paris, and is comprised of Nicolas Steegmann, François Lagunas, and Etienne Albert. Clients include MyNewPlace.com, Previsite.com, and Orange Vallée.

The Talk Market: This company was launched in 2007, and is based out of New York City. The founding team includes Matt Singer and Amanda Eilian. They have received great press at places like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Fox Business. They do not list any clients that use their product, Talk Market Custom VideoSKU™.

Activate Media Group: This is a new company in the space from this year, and their headquartered in Los Angeles. Their Twitter accounts link to Bill Palmer, who looks to be the founder and head of the company. Since the company is so new, it does not appear that they have listed out any clients using their automated ecommerce videos yet.

*LiveClicker: This company has been around since 2008, and is based in San Jose, California. The founding team is comprised of Xavier Casanova, Justin Foster, and Walt Mann. They list a number of big companies on the site they have worked with, including Costco, eBags, and Shoes.com.

*Correction – It looks like LiveClicker is just a platform devoted to revenue generation via video commerce. They list The Talk Market as one of their partners for video content production. Thanks to Yaniv at SundaySky for the note!

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

Each year, Inc. magazine publishes an extensive list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S, and in reviewing the 2010 results it looks like 3 of the popular shopping cart software companies reviewed her on ZippyCart.com made the list. 3dcart, Volusion, and Interspire (Parent company of BigCommerce) all made the Inc 5000 list in the software category. Companies are ranked according to their percentage revenue growth over a four year period, and must be U.S. based, privately held, and independent. Subsidiaries or divisions of other companies are not qualified to enter into the running to be on the Inc. 5000. Below is a bit more insight into the three companies featured on ZippyCart and how they stack up on the Inc 5000 list. As the shopping cart software battle continues, it will be interesting to see if there will be any acquisitions or mergers in the space over the next year.

Interspire is licensed shopping cart software for online businesses, and was founded by Mitchell Harper and Eddie Machaalani. They wanted to create a more user friendly product for the masses, which is is a big reason they launched their monthly hosted shopping cart solution called BigCommerce in 2009. BigCommerce has quickly become one of the most popular options for online businesses looking for an easy and affordable way to start selling online. The company is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, (as reported on Interspire.com) but Better Business Bureau data reports that they incorporated in Texas in 2009. BigCommerce.com reports that the sales headquarters for the company is in Austin, Texas. Inc magazine reports that the company has a total of 16 employees, and that revenue was at $1.3 million in 2006, then jumped to $7.3 million in 2009. Overall Interspire was ranked at #633 because of their rapid growth. To learn more, read our Interspire Review.

3dcart also made the Inc 5000 list thanks to their popular hosted shopping cart software that merchants have been enjoying for a number of years. The company is based out of Florida, and helps power 1000′s of online businesses all across the world. Inc magazine reports that 3dcart has a total of 25 employees, and that revenue was at $634,335 in 2006, then it jumped up to $3.2 million in 2009. This growth allowed 3dcart to rank at #745 on the Inc 5000 list for 2010 and they are likely to rank even higher in 2011 with their recent release of 3dcart 3.2. To learn more, read our 3dcart review.

Volusion has been helping power online businesses for over a decade, which makes it is impressive that the company is still ranking well on the Inc 5000 list. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has been experiencing strong growth over the past few years, as more merchants realize what a great ecommerce solution they offer. Inc magazine reports that Volusion has 130 employees, which must be a big help in their growth. Revenue was at $4.8 million in 2006, and took a big jump up to hit $22.5 million in 2009. To learn more, read our Volusion review.

September 3, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Earlier this year, eBay hosted their annual Innovation Expo, which hosts hundreds of employees from the company to participate in developing new prototypes for products and cool innovations that will benefit buyers and sellers. These eBay employees that participated come from every department and level of the organization, and this year over 250 people on more than 70 teams competed for the coveted grand prize. The winning idea from the event this year was dubbed “simple green shipping,” which has turned into a new pilot program set to launch in October, simply called the eBay Box. Ebay is getting ready to test out this new venture, that will soon put 100,000 durable shipping boxes made from recycled products in the hands of eBay sellers.

The new eBay Boxes are very cool, as they’re made from 100% recycled content and are fully recyclable. However eBay is hoping that these boxes do not get recycled right away, as they want them to be reused at least five times, so that it can help to save trees and water which are needed to create new boxes. While most people are very excited about the idea, there has been mention online that this style of box sharing, could lead to sharing other things, like bedbugs. While this is unlikely to happen, it is possible since the boxes will be going to a variety of places before becoming too worn to use. If you want to get your hands on some free eBay Boxes, then you need to monitor this site, for a chance to participate in the pilot program launching in October.

September 2, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

There were no shortage of rumors on the Internet yesterday morning prior to the big Apple press event that took place in San Francisco at 10am PST, however only a few of the rumors turned out to be true. Some of the more popular Apple rumors were that there would be announcements about a new iPod Touch, Shuffle, and Nano, and all of these turned into reality yesterday when Steve Jobs confirmed that these products were coming next week, and that fans could start placing their pre-orders online today. Those who place pre-orders should expect their orders to ship next week. In addition to the new iPod’s, Apple also debuted a new and smaller version of Apple TV, which has expanded functionality so that users can now tap into Netflix. They also made it HD capable, and dropped the price of T.V. and movie rentals to 0.99¢, except for new HD movies on day of release which will run $4.99. Apple TV can be pre-ordered now, but it is not set to ship for about four weeks.

Other Apple items up for pre-order include:

iPod Shuffle: This new model comes in five different colors and has a storage capacity of 2GB, with a price point of $49.

iPod Nano: There are now two new models for Apple fans who want an iPod Nano to choose from. Although many view this as a mini iPod Touch. There are seven different colors to choose from, with the 8GB model retailing for $149, and a larger 16GB model for $179.

iPod Touch: The new model comes with most of the features that the iPhone 4 has, like a front facing camera, FaceTime, Retina display, and HD video recording. There are three models to choose from, with the 8GB model retailing for $229, 32GB for $299, and 64GB for $399.

Apple TV: This sleek and small black unit is much cheaper than previous models, as Apple fans can pre-order it now for only $99. However it is unclear if the new Apple TV will be a success with consumers, as they already use Netflix or stream movies on their computer.

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

While most online retailers view the holiday shopping season as their busiest time of the year, there are a number of ecommerce sites that view Halloween as their high point of the year. Halloween parties seem to happen for the entire month of October, and couples often attend multiple events. Kids are the spirit of Halloween, but it is the adults who go all out and buy high end costumes online so they can stand out among the pack when they go to a party. This is why Halloween costumes for couples are such a popular topic to start searching for when September begins, as couples want to make sure they have the perfect costumes picked out well in advance. When it comes to Halloween costumes ideas for couples, there are lots of different directions to go, as some costume options are sold as a package for couples, while other couples just buy two individual costumes and pair them together.

Thinking of the perfect Halloween costumes for couples to wear can be a difficult task, as there are hundreds, if not thousands of options to browse through. In addition there are dozens of online retailers that have ecommerce sites you can shop at for your costume, so the process can be a bit overwhelming. Therefore we provided a list of top Halloween costumes ideas for couples in 2010, and places you can purchase them online, plus some coupon codes to save you some money.

BuyCostumes is one of the most popular online destinations for people looking for Halloween costumes for couples, and they have a great selection to browse. Take advantage of their coupon code Vamp10, which can get you 10% off purchases of $40 or more. This is a great way to save, especially when you are buying two costumes from one ecommerce site. Below are six great picks from BuyCostumes.com

• Mr. Incredible and Mrs. Incredible
• Popeye and Olive Oyl
• Gothic Vampire & Gothic Vampira
• Fred Flintstone and Wilma Flintstone
• Ernie and Bert from Sesame Street
• Ace & Gary (The Ambiguously Gay Duo from Saturday Night Live)

Spirit Halloween has an extensive selection of Halloween costumes for couples, and you should be able to find something that fits your style and personality. Shopping early for Halloween can result in big savings and less stress, so if you shop at SpiritHalloween.com then you can use coupon codes on your order. Use SPRT10 to get 10% off of your order (Valid through Sept 30th), or use SPIRITBG25 and you can buy one costume and get one at 25% off (Valid through Sept 10th).

• Hans Solo & Princess Leia (Traditional or Sexy)
• Mario and Luigi
• Captain America and Wonder Woman
• Gangster and Flapper Girl
• Ketchup and Mustard Bottles
• Mad Hater and Alice (Tim Burton Style)

Costume Kingdom is a common destination around Halloween when couples are looking for great costumes to wear, and they have lots of options for adults. Those who shop at CostumeKingdom.com can save if they shop early, by using coupon code Kingdom5 to get 5% off an order (Valid through Sept 30th). Another coupon is HALLOWEEN2010, which is good for 10% off any purchase (Valid through Nov 1st). They also have a limited time special to get free shipping when you order is over $65.

• Neytiri and Jake Sully (Avatar)
• Batman and Sexy Female Robin
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Gorilla and Banana
• Gomez and Morticia Adams
• Pirate and Pirate Winch

Costume Discounters has lots of great deals on Halloween costumes for couples, and it is not surprising that the site will be very popular over the next six weeks. Like many other Halloween sites, CostumeDiscounters.com has a coupon code for free shipping. Online shoppers can use FREE60 to get free shipping on orders over $60.

• Dog The Bounty Hunter & Beth (his wife)
• Trinity and Neo  (Matrix)
• Shaggy and Velma (Scooby Doo)
• Herman Munster and Lily Munster
• Police Man and Sexy Female Cop
• Samurai and Geisha Girl

Amazon is the go to place for many to shop online, so why not also pick up your Halloween costumes the next time your on the site. Since it is Amazon.com, there are no major coupons to use, but the prices on costumes are comparable to other ecommerce sites that specialize in Halloween.

• Plug and Socket
• Adam and Eve
• Ball and Chain
• Tacky Travelers
• Doctor and Sexy Nurse
• Superman and Supergirl

Halloween Express is a go to source for couples who want sexy Halloween costumes, as they have a wide array of unique options. Online shoppers can also save big if they pick up their couples costumes, as you can use coupon code BOGO25, which allows you to buy one costume and get one at 25% off.

• Lock (Female) and Key (Male)
• Bowling Pin and Bowling Ball
• Homer and Marge Simpson
• George and Jane Jetson
• Spiderman and Sexy Spider Girl
• Hugh Hefner and Sexy Bunny Dress

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

Over the past few years, Apple has received serious media attention in anticipation of their September press event, and this year is no different as the rumors have been spreading like wildfire in the last couple weeks. Today in San Francisco the Apple press event will begin at 10AM PT, and there are a number of sites where you can keep up with live coverage of all the announcements being made including MacRumors, Engadget, Ars Technica, ZDNet, and CNET. These live blog streams typically update every few minutes, and give you every bit of critical info you need to know as it happens. While no one can be 100% sure of what Steve Jobs and Apple will actually announce, many have already begun to speculate, and below we have rounded up the top rumors of what Apple will mention for today’s event.

Extended iTunes Song Samples

The Internet rumors seem to be fairly confident that Apple will announce that iTunes users will be able to listen to song samples that are at least twice as long as the current 30-second snippets. Samples of 60 to 90-seconds could help boost sales of iTunes songs, as users will be able to get a better feel for the song before they purchase. Other sites selling mp3′s provide longer samples, or even the entire song, and Apple wants to make sure that they stay atop the pack for mp3 purchases.

Smaller iPod Nano or iPod Touch

The rumors about this potential announcement are varied, as some think Apple will debut a new smaller iPod Nano, while others think it will be a smaller iPod touch. The iPod shuffle is the smallest of all of their digital music players, and it will be interesting to see if Apple comes out with yet another variation in their line of iPod products. Some speculate that a smaller iPod touch is not really feasible, as it would not have much room for the fingertips to interact with a screen.

Updated iPod Touch to iPod 4g?

Now that the iPhone 4 has been out in the wild for a couple months, Apple fans have been wondering when the iPod touch would get an upgrade to include some of the features found on the new iPhone 4. Rumors online say that a new iPod touch could have a rear camera, new body style like the iPhone 4, and an option for 3G access. Some even think it could get the front facing camera, FaceTime support, and even a Retina display.

iOS4 for the iPad

Rumors are mixed on Apple announcing iOS4 for the iPad, which means that it is less likely for this to be mentioned at the press event tomorrow. The Apple iPad has been a big hit so far, and it would make sense for Apple to soon give it an iOS4 update to match some of the new features available with iPhones on iOS4. The other difficulty here, is that developers would still need to update their iPad apps to accommodate the new operating system, which has already been a major process for iPhone apps.

New Apple TV

There are no shortage of rumors online stating that a new Apple TV is coming, but there are little details surrounding what will actually be new. Some speculate it will be cheaper, at a $99 price point, which could include support for Apps. Others speculate that Apple could announce that your iPhone can now be used as an Apple TV remote.

Apple TV Subscriptions

There are many complaints about the Apple TV as it currently stands, because it is a non-competitor when compared to Hulu, Fancast, Netflix, and even RedBox.  As such, Apple has been rumored to be considering a subscription based model for their Apple TV service, which would allow for unlimited rentals and TV show streaming for a low monthly price.  For many users, this is a much better option than spending $1.99 per non-HD show and $3.99 to rent a non-HD movie.

Smaller iPad

The possibility of a smaller iPad has been a debated topic online, and some think that Apple could announce today that they plan to release a new 7-inch version of the iPad to complement the current version with a 9.7-inch screen.

Revised iPhone 4

There are not many rumors about a revised iPhone 4 being announced today at the press event, but as an iPhone fan, it is nice to dream big. A recent rumor is coming out of Mexico, that Apple would be releasing a revised version of the iPhone 4 on September 30 that will not have “the malfunction of the reception.” September 30th is the set expiration date for the free case program that solved the antenna issue, but most doubt Apple will use this press event to address a new iPhone so soon after their last iPhone 4 press conference.