WIDSHOPS EBAY DESIGN

Some might say we are ‘late to market’ with now providing a solution for the SME market but we decided not to rush. We wanted to be ahead of the game and provide something that is intuitive and very ‘now’ in relation to how the world of e-commerce is progressing. We wanted to look forward with our design innovations like with our premium service eBay designs. We want you to be future proof!

Widshops is an affordable ebay design solution (set up and design around £1500) but it provides all the look and feel of a professional stream lined shopping experience. It carries a subscription cost based on number of listings (http://widshop.com/en/prices/)

The key features are:

• Fast – Your new template delivered quickly
• Easy – only the best features show up in your shop
• Economical – Sales increase, costs decrease
• Optimised – HTML template also works on iPhone and iPad
• Compatible – works with all eBay listing and sales management tools
• Professional – Project managers at your side

The best bits are:

Category and filter navigation just like on the eBay platform

We filled an important technical gap with the eBay category and filter navigation. eBay® customers are already familiar with the intuitive filter navigation. This is now available with WIDshop in your eBay® storefront as well.

WIDshop navigation sorts your items out in real time and automatically recognises in which eBay® categories, and with which items specifics they have been listed. Through this, the WIDshop generates a navigation that displays all of your eBay® categories and item specifics filters. This way, your customers can search by category and filter the results according to items specifics. Your customers will easily and comfortably be able to find the right size, colour or material! You are thereby significantly enhancing your customers’ shopping experience!

Sell more with clever cross-selling

Every eBay® customer who clicks onto one of your products is very interested in buying. You keep your customer in your shop by using clever cross-selling. For this purpose, WIDshop makes a product gallery available to you which automatically presents similar products from the same eBay® category. This way your customer sees, for example, additional t-shirts, CDs from the same music genre, more hard drives or different trainers. The WIDshop cross-selling gallery can also work with customised rules based on item specifics or keywords, if desired. We would be happy to advise you.

Reach more customers with Facebook etc.

By linking the WIDshop to Facebook and Twitter, your customers can inform their friends that they like your storefront. You benefit from this additional marketing channel, which increases the popularity of your storefront and thus, the number of your clients.

The list of search results for a positive shopping experience

The most important thing about search results is their speed. Not only have we made the WIDshop search very fast. We have also made it look appealing and incorporated a few added features for your customers, such as wish lists or the display of the item condition. The search results are compiled and loaded anew in the navigation and filters after each click. This way, your customers always have an overview and can find their way easily and quickly through storefronts, even with a larger selection of items.

Integration of custom pages

All custom pages such as the legal notice, etc., that you’ve created as personal pages in your eBay® storefront can be easily accessed through the navigation and are displayed in your storefront design. This way, the entire storefront features your corporate design.
You can also easily manage and update your custom pages in your eBay® account. Therefore, the WIDshop works like a small editing system.

Examples:

http://stores.ebay.de/Sport-Fischmann

http://stores.ebay.de/outdoorsportshop24

http://stores.ebay.at/123boerse
So feel free to quiz me or comment on our new service and watch our for the discount code worth £250 in the 2012 Tamebay Tools and Services Guide

It was a unique experience as you are immersed  in a room filled with people JUST LIKE YOU.

On my table were business women, photographers working in e-commerce, web designers, social media experts, mobile web designers and even people who had just started at technology companies.

Girl geek meetings are not just for us to let our inner feminist out (men do come too along with their girl geeks) but to understand and provide support, stories and mentoring to each other in a typically male dominated industry.

Denise Jacobs was our first speaker and told a story about her rise to becoming a public speaker, writing a technical book and basically becoming a web diva of extraordinary proportions.

She reminded us to stop beating ourselves up for being female and thinking we can’t progress in this world. She indicated that actually, most of the barriers we feel are self generated and no one will stop us…however male dominated we think the technology industry is.

Us girls of a geek nature also need to shout about what we do. If we are too understated (I suffer from this affliction) and don’t say ‘ Hey, I can do that’ we will never get where we want to be.

We know more than we think we do

Want to feel inspired? Pop over to youtube: http://youtu.be/FTTj7DWABes

Second up was Karen Strunks from the 4am project – She detailed about using social media to promote her photography at 4am from a insomniacs walk about to a global photography project showing our world at this unique time.

This is Karen’s video (shot by me as I was sitting there): http://youtu.be/v1B18U_KgiY and see our world at 4am on flickr!

Our final speaker was Rachel McCollin taking about mobile web and how she got into the industry from working with the environmental agency.

Her video is here:  http://youtu.be/ZzWFCSV365o

So all in all it has inspired me to become more active again, on this blog (and meeting with my fellow girl geeks will give me more content to write again) and also is public speaking. Hey I may even offer to speak at a girl geek event.

IN OTHER NEWS >>>>> (shameless self promotion segment)

A new eBay design offering is hitting the web-o-sphere. A smart phone optimised solution for the SME market with dynamic navigation to die for. Full details will be in the new Tamebay Tools and services guide coming out on the 31st of Jan.

Want a sneak peek of new clients taking advantage of this?

Check out: http://stores.ebay.de/outdoorsportshop24 (still updating hislisting templates), http://stores.ebay.de/HHV-MUSIC (still updating his listing templates) and http://stores.ebay.at/123boerse (who has actually updated his item templates!!)

With a set up fee of 1500 Euros (plus monthly subscription based on volume) this is an ideal solution for eBay sellers.

More info to come of course but if you want to get in touch about this product please contact us via info@widshop.com.

I have had a very busy e-commerce 2011. The economy has taken a bashing but online things are still hotting up! The world is our oyster online with the expansion of social commerce and like many sellers looking out to Europe and beyond is the key to success.

This year as been the year for international expansion for my sellers and myself. Most of my eBay clients are moving into France, Germany and the USA as a minimum. Most are going much further.

To stay ahead of the game as always, I am looking into the Asian markets. Strong currency in these countries suddenly makes buying stuff from Europe side cheap and boy is it TRENDY!

While I was in Japan (business and volunteering) I saw that the union jack was EVERYWHERE on clothing, accessories in shops and on the people walking past. It was very surreal.

Language is no longer a barrier. Improvements in translation engines have made things easier.

For a year or two I have bought from Rakuten and Yahoo Auctions Japan (though a shopping service) and each time it gets a bit easier. For instance Japanese sellers are more interested in international trade, probably due to economic conditions in their own countries and better support networks.

So as my clients are expanding in to Europe, Australia and America in the next few years, I will get ready for the expansion east by building relationships, language skills, cultural/business skills and finding sensible solutions.

Oh yeah, and prepare for Widshops…oh yes….eBay design mark deux….

and a picture from my volunteering in Ishinomaki!

Fixing a shrine gate in Onasaki

Onasaki – Rebuilding houses, reflooring, clearing out garbage and putting a shrine gate back up.

Place was completely flooded – government is not restoring electricity and water.

On the way in we passed the shrine at Okawa Elementary School, the team had worked on the clearance of the area so stopped to pay resepect and see the progress – it was completely destroyed, killing 75 of 108 students and 10 of 13 teachers and staff. The teachers and students were evacuating from the school and were swept away by the tsunami while crossing a nearby river bridge.

You could see the part of the bridge ripped out by the tsunami still in the river.

ChannelAdvisor, a software and services solution provider that enables online retailers to sell more across e-commerce channels, hosts the sell-out event annually. As a sponsor, createyourtemplate will ensure that its message is heard by hundreds of online retail leaders and decision-makers.

We like this event, great food, great people and interesting facts and trends about the obsession we like to call e-commerce! Dang they are having a proper party this year too so I will be out in my kimono! OK, well I will continue the blurb CA sent though so we sponsors could promote the event without having to actually think about what we needed to say, you’d be surprised how busy we get….personalised bits are in italics

Each year Catalyst brings together some of the most innovative minds in the industry—executives, analysts, leading solution providers and other thought-leaders—to discuss current and upcoming trends, exchange best practices and learn about new products and innovations.

This year’s conference theme and programme focus—Accelerate Your E-Commerce—is all about helping attendees boost their online sales.

As a silver sponsor, createyourtemplate will be rocking a stall with sweet sweet eBay design and sugary treats, giving you energy for your invaluable opportunity to connect with a powerful and influential e-commerce community that is growing at an exponential rate and get you searching for solutions to maximise your online business. We are full of information, come and speak to us!

“We are elated by the calibre of the Catalyst EU sponsors this year,” said Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor. “The Catalyst Conference is unique in that we limit sponsorships to ensure quality over quantity. As a result, attendees have the opportunity to interface with relevant industry brands, while sponsors receive the visibility and prominence that enables them to cultivate and strengthen business relationships.”
To register for Catalyst EU today, or for further details, visit: http://www.channeladvisor.com/catalyst/eu/.

However, its sold out so you have to go on a waiting list. Be quicker next time, e-commerce is fast paced you can’t dawdle you know.

See you in London!

A friend of mine sent a link through from a Chinese seller of seemingly fabulous looking shoes and this was the link: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Show-Story-Shop

Oh dear, I thought – I am supposed to be saving money…oh well just one pair….

So I took at look at the size 7′s. I have wide feet as a general rule so always look for measurements on width and got a bit of a shock..

All of the shoes have a width of 7cm, regardless of being a size 3 or a size 7.5.

Unfortunately in the UK, length is the only standard for shoe size but these dimensions are crazy, but being a scientist I need to make sure this wasn’t just MY assumption. So upon going shopping I decided to visit Next and measure the width of a ‘normal’ size 7 shoe.

It was 9cm.

So upon getting home I started to madly measure shoe widths and yes, the smallest shoe width for a size 7 was just over 8cm for my rocket dog wedges.

Now, if this seller (and sellers similar) wanted to clean up with their cut price fancy shoes they really need to think about the product and sizing. These shoes are too narrow for the western market after a size 4 and they are limiting themselves to people with very narrow feet. My sister is one such person, however at a size 6, 7cm width is still too narrow to be able to feel comfortable or not stretch the shoes.

For comparison Japanese Zori at 23.5cm long (UK size 4) are about 8cm wide, smallest I have seen have been 7.5cm wide. Japanese kimono zori are suppose to be smaller as it is ‘iki’ or fashionable.

The moral of the story is to check your product is fit for your target market. No marketing strategy or SEO techniques will gloss over that one. If it looks like a shoe, it doesn’t mean it will function like a shoe for you. Another one is always read the description, I would have been red mad if I had brought a pair and missed the width sizing.

Many e-commerce retailers and suppliers try to get you to like them (with free stuff/competitions) and follow them on twitter (or create a trend) in order to get more exposure but this is basically empty marketing as if they don’t ‘win’ they don’t bother again or buy your service/products as they liked 20 other pages that day.

Successful brands/e-commerce retailers create a real community. Something you want to be part of that is above and beyond the offers and freebies.

It’s not e-commerce but with kimono de jack we are hell bent on getting more people interested in kimono, kitsuke (kimono dressing) and join in our events. Kimono lovers are sporadic and spread the world over but facebook and twitter bring them together and give them a place, excuse and company for their passion.

So if you are a retailer, how do you create a community? – Your aim is to get people to spend money but you need to give the love back. People love information, stories, discounts, insider information and to feel exclusive. Get people involved in any way you know how, its your business, your area, you have the 411! Be creative and innovative.

Need examples?

If your an e-commerce third party provide white papers on the industry on your facebook page, or organise e-commerce events for all and not just your customers.

If you are a retailer, impart your knowledge, exclusive reviews etc as you are an expert.

Most e-tailers are the bees knees in an area, so you can impart that knowledge to help buyers make better choices as well as building your profile.

Some e-tailers however (as a client once said ‘we just sell boxes, what’s in those boxes can vary’) shift boxes with no specialism. Social media and creating a community probably won’t work with you unless some consistency is found

So we (a group of 5 kimono dressers and photographers) will offer 3 types of kimono dressing on the day, however we are offering specialist dress up Geisha, Samurai and Wedding/Formal as a booked only venture so we can manage what we need to task on the days and the time needed.

Ideally, we would like to offer Geisha Cosplay/Henshin for people that turn up but the equipment and time needed is manic. One half of the group believes choice is best, the other believe we should keep it simples. So pre booking more complicated kitsuke (kimono dressing) is the half way house.

Everyone wants choice, but sometimes you just can not hold all the stock and options needed. However, restricting what you sell offer can impede your growth as a business, especially if your competitor stocks the whole range of something.

Customers are impatient, so making them wait on pre-orders/special orders increases the chance of charge backs! Grrrrr…is the word.

Personally I would use seasonality when thinking of stock a little more and maybe get in a few different pieces to suit the season/trend in order to grow and complete.

So for our first event we will be using forums and facebook to get advanced bookings for the event on the more complicated dress ups by providing a photo book portfolio and price list prior to the event.

I will let you know how online promotion works for an offline event

Over the snowed in December, I was informed by almost all of my service related companies energy, insurance etc that the VAT was rising AND their prices were going up. The largest increase was my pet insurance at 25%. I just hope the car insurance doesn’t follow suit!

So as my family costs per month rise a further £211 (I kid not, family of two adults, two cats, one car) what will this do to my spending in 2011? I, like most who probably read this blog make money from or as an on-line retailer. The VAT rise will slow everyone’s spending in the New Year on face value, at least until they forget it happened. But the increase will squeeze the ever dwindling household budgets and affect spending. In this environment I imagine we shall see an actual increase in on-line spending. Why?

1. Online ‘sales’ are ALL YEAR ROUND baby..
2. Choice
3. Easy to price compare
4. No parking fees
5. Fast and competitive shipping

Now, I hear you say ..well you have to pay shipping on top! True, true, there is a shipping cost. But if I go to Birmingham by car, the cheapest car park is around £6 and the most I have paid is £11. I have to carry the heavy stuff home if I want to be cheap and take the train at £4.

Facebook is getting in on the e-commerce action, fan pages are coming with buy buttons and featuring eBay listings. You have been able to have your Etsy store showcased on Facebook for a while. This is now not a nice addition to your business model it is essential. I communicate kimono buys and bargains to my kimono friends via facebook, at least once a week. One friend mentioned that she has brought two of the items I posted to my profile.

On the flip side, I have been stalking the sales on Rakuten with my friends and we have all been recommending things to each other. This is the future of shopping.

I hope I will have more time this year to blog on the changing face of e-commerce. I have separated out my kimono blogging to a new site so you won’t be troubled by that obsession.

My sideline e-commerce business Hairfreax has started the year with a waiting list, booked up till mid April already! Its going to be a defining year for e-commerce. I am excited!

A bit random on the blogging side of things, but I am striding forward into a new genre/customer base in April for the Hairfreax brand. I will document the successes and pitfalls or hitting a new audience!

But in the meantime we have been given some love:

http://www.onlineaccountingdegree.org/best-ecommerce-blogs

I have more blog posts up my sleeves ready for publishing but I imagine it will be over Christmas when I will release the content with a reflection on my year as an e-commerce nut and also consultant.

*photos by Lyuba Johnson

It was a great event and we shopped, talked and afterwards networked on facebook. I was recommended an obi clip for my obi troubles on the day and Hong used facebook to send me to a Rakuten item:

http://en.item.rakuten.com/ohmiya/sale-kituke-obikangu/ and then following a discussion we had regarding the difficulty in finding larger sized zori, she posted this on my profile: http://en.item.rakuten.com/hakimonoya/1331752/

This is a great example of how real life relationships meet social networking with actions that translate to online shopping. Rakuten also have a new blog.

So in my basket today I have an obi clip, pair of zori and a funky obi makura all made easy for my by friends and facebook. Still think facebook is a waste of time for your online business? Kimono De Jack was Saturday, Monday morning I am spending my hard earned cash.

Social shopping is a key part of an on-line business and facebook makes things easy.