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This issue of eBiz Insider comes on the heels of two exciting events in the history of Solid Cactus: The introduction of Solid Cactus eCommerce (SCeC) and our seventh Boot Camp.

Having our own eCommerce platform has always been a dream of mine. Taking on such a project would be a massive undertaking with dozens of programmers working on the backend, designers working on styles and layouts, and security experts examining every line of code ensuring compliance with tough Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards.

When our parent company, Web.com, acquired us in April, my dream looked like it would become more of a reality. One of the key goals of the new Solid Cactus was to introduce a shopping cart that combined shopping and marketing.

With input from me and other eCommerce experts on staff, we worked closely with a team of Web.com programmers to build a platform to our specifications. After all, nobody knows eCommerce better than Solid Cactus. With a history in online shopping that dates back to 1994, when I opened my first store, to the Solid Cactus you know today that services more top 500 Internet retailers than any other developer, our experience is vast.

SCeC has already been embraced by scores of merchants who have opened second, third and fourth stores to try out our new platform. Our soft-launch of the product has already been a success and we’re excited about a long list of feature upgrades and enhancements that will be released early next year.

I encourage you to visit http://ecommerce.solidcactus.com to learn more about SCeC and view instructional videos and product demos.

While the excitement is still in the air over SCeC, our commitment to the platforms we’ve always built on remains. Whether you run your business on Yahoo! Store, eBay Prostores, or Amazon Webstore, Solid Cactus is here, standing ready to fully support you and your business.

At Solid Cactus Boot Camp @ HQ that was held October 14-16, our commitment to our platforms was evidenced by the release of nearly a dozen new store features for Yahoo! Store. The most impressive was our new Advanced Search which brings state-of-the-art search technology to your website. Additional features released are spotlighted throughout this issue.

Since January of this year, nearly two-dozen unique and game-changing features were released specifically for Yahoo! Store. In 2010, we will release two new features per quarter and plan on releasing version updates to our entire line of existing Yahoo! Store features throughout the year. This is an investment we’re making in the success of your business and a strong indication of our continued support and dedication to the platform you currently run your business on.

Now is an exciting time to be a Solid Cactus customer because we truly are committed to be your partner in eCommerce success!

Co-Founder, President & COO of Solid Cactus

All posts by Scott Sanfilippo | E-Mail the author

Be all you can be to capture sales this holiday season

In one forum I frequent, a new store owner asked, “What do we need to do to get ready for the fourth quarter, holiday time?”

I was shocked by the reply from a fellow e-commerce store owner: “Stop spending money. Fourth quarter will be worse than last year.”

While unemployment is high and consumer spending remains low, there isn’t anyone out there who can definitively tell us if the 2009 holiday season is going to be good or bad. And that’s the truth. To tell a business owner to “stop spending money” is just plain foolish. This is the type of advice your competitor wants you to take!

When the economy started failing,
I saw businesses immediately pull their pay-per-click advertising and I started shaking my head. You can cut back on campaigns that aren’t providing a good return, but to simply shut off your advertising is like turning off the lights, going home, and retreating under the bed. Making hasty judgments out of fear or despair is no way to run a business — in a good economy or bad. Making informed decisions that are backed by analytics and best practices is.

Here are my recommendations for making the best out of an uncertain upcoming holiday season:

Don’t Sacrifice Service – provide clear policies and contact info and provide phone support (Need help? See page 18)

Be Descriptive – use unique, detailed product descriptions

Keep it Simple – avoid clutter. Marc Manfre has more about that on page 10

Invest in Features that Convert- Donna Talarico gives ideas on page 14

Embrace Social Media – spread messages and build a following. It’s hot and free.

Use Comparison Shopping Engines – these are major (sometimes overlooked) sources of revenue

Negotiate! – get better rates with suppliers and other vendors

Spend Wisely – make smart advertising choices, don’t overbuy inventory, and watch your ROI

This rest of this issue is jam-packed with more tactics on how to boost your business this holiday season and beyond. Here’s to a good season!

Co-Founder, President & COO of Solid Cactus

All posts by Scott Sanfilippo | E-Mail the author

To say the last few weeks have been crazy here at Solid Cactus would be an understatement!

We had our sixth Boot Camp @ HQ which was an overwhelming success. Nearly 40 e-commerce merchants from around the country spent three days learning about Internet marketing, store design, customer service, store features and best practices from Solid Cactus team members. They also had the opportunity to attend sessions put on by guest presenters from Yahoo! Small Business, Google, Best of the Web and MeritCard.

If you’re curious as to what went on, go to http://blog.solidcactus.com and click on the Boot Camp category for blog posts and videos from the event.

Have You Heard the News?

At the end of April, we announced that Solid Cactus was acquired by the leading provider of online marketing services for small businesses, Web.com (NASDAQ: WWWW).

All of us are excited to be part of the larger Web.com family that now numbers 850 employees across the United States and Canada.

The first thing you may be asking is, “What does this mean for me?” Simply put, it means “business as usual.” While we may have a new owner, everything and everyone you know and trust at Solid Cactus is the same.

Our commitment to being a total e-commerce solutions provider remains unchanged, in fact, it’s going to become even stronger. David Brown, our CEO, echoed that sentiment in a press release, “The acquisition of Solid Cactus demonstrates our commitment to providing small medium businesses with a broad range of solutions and domain expertise to help them convert website traffic to sales.”

Rest assured, we will continue to design, program and support your e-commerce store today, tomorrow and in the future. We recently introduced eight new products for Yahoo! Store at Boot Camp, and just introduced a ninth, Scratch & Save. No other developer has ever come out with nine new products at one time and we will continue to constantly introduce new products and features to make your store a success.

Finally, I invite you to visit us at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition in Boston, June 15th through the 18th. Stop by the Solid Cactus booth to see what’s new.

Co-Founder, President & COO of Solid Cactus

All posts by Scott Sanfilippo | E-Mail the author

Someone once told me the three most expensive things in life are your wedding, your house and your divorce. In today’s economy houses aren’t selling, divorces are advertised in the classifieds for $99 and now there is the $150 wedding package.

I had some business to take care of in the Palm Beach County courthouse and when I stopped by Clerk & Comptroller Sharon R. Bock’s office, I found an advertising card for what is billed as the “Sensible Start Wedding Package”. With a price point “less than $150”, what a bargain! That is of course, if you’re willing to say “I do” in a non-religious ceremony.

For $150 you get your marriage license, the ceremony, a photography package and the all-important commemorative certificate. While a courthouse wedding may not be the extravagant event every little girl dreams of someday having, in this economy it may be all that some can afford.

When I saw this offer, I immediately began thinking of ways businesses can market themselves in a down economy:

• Bundle Popular Products - Everyone likes a deal, so give them a bonus for spending just a little more. Take three or four of your most popular items, bundle them and take off a couple percent.
• Take Advantage of Local Search - Do people in your neighborhood know you’re right around the corner? Create listings in local search engines such as Yahoo! Local or Best of the Web to drive local traffic to your door. Local sales + no shipping charge = more profit.
• Speaking Opportunities - Is your local Lions or Rotary club looking for someone to speak to their group on e-commerce? This is a perfect opportunity for you to spread the word about your business and hopefully make friends who become customers.
• The Morning Zoo - If you have a unique product that deserves a few minutes of fame on your local radio morning show, send it to the jocks along with a note and some samples of other products you sell. If you catch their eye, they’ll talk up your product or invite you into the studio for an interview. DJs love free stuff; trust me, I was one in a previous life and always plugged the company who gave up the goods.

There are lots of creative ways to get free or low-cost PR for your business; you just have to put on your creative thinking cap.

Now, I’ve got something free for you!
If you’re a Yahoo! Store owner and you’re hooked on that amazing Internet browser called Firefox, you need the
Solid Cactus Toolbar. Click over to
http://toolbar.solidcactus.com and download this spyware and adware free time saver that is packed with features that I don’t have enough space to explain. But trust me, it’s useful!

Co-Founder, President & COO of Solid Cactus

All posts by Scott Sanfilippo | E-Mail the author

It’s gone. Done. Finished. 2008 is behind us and a new year has begun and like many other business owners, I’m glad.

2008 will go down as one of the most challenging years we have faced in quite some time. While small businesses struggled to meet payroll and keep inventory on the shelves, the elite in Washington doled out nearly a trillion dollars of taxpayer money to their wealthy friends disguised as a “bailout.”

While banks foreclosed on homes and families were left on the street, the banking industry was given taxpayer money which was supposed to help reduce this travesty. Instead, executives took bonuses, smaller banks were bought up to create bigger ones, and the government made no provisions for accounting for where the money went.

George W. Bush left the White House
and President Barack Obama moved in with a vision to change the way government works. Good luck with that one, Mr. President.

As I write this today, I still see headlines of layoffs, closings, jobless rates at an all-time high and promises of an economic stimulus plan. But will it help the small guys like us? I doubt it. Until the politicians realize that the foundation of business in this country IS the small businesses, we won’t see any “bailouts.” We don’t lobby enough and we don’t donate enough to attract their attention, simply put, we’re not AIG, we’re not GM and we’re not on their radar.

So what is a small business owner to do?

The answer is simple. Work harder than you’ve ever worked before in your life. Working harder doesn’t mean 20 hour days. It means watching your balance sheet very carefully making sure the money you’re spending on inventory, equipment and supplies is really necessary. It means keeping one step ahead of your competition and making sure that every customer who visits your website becomes a customer. And most important it means you need to kiss your customer’s ass. Yes, I said it and I mean it.

Now more than ever, you need to treat your customers as if they were gold. Give them what they want. If they ask for a hassle-free return policy, give it to them. If they ask for deals because they spend a lot of money with you, send them coupons. If they request a specific color of something you sell and you sell it as “assorted,” give them what they want. The businesses that survive this “economic downturn” are going to be the ones that take care of their customers and really, truly value their business.

Treat your customer’s well and they will return the favor with another order.

This is our bailout; don’t expect one from the suits in Washington.

Co-Founder, President & COO of Solid Cactus

All posts by Scott Sanfilippo | E-Mail the author