Showing posts with label Custom Website design company. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Custom Website design company. Show all posts

Friday, October 19, 2018

E-Commerce | Digital Malaysia 2018

MALAYSIA AS THE NEXT FRONTIER OF E-COMMERCE BOOM

“The evolvement of e-commerce sector will put Malaysia on track as a leading ASEAN logistics hub which will place it on the global logistics map”, says the Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai. Yes, it is true. However, this is only one out of the hundreds of benefits e-commerce can bring to Malaysia. E-commerce has been recognized as a critical enabler to accelerate the revenue growth for the Malaysian economy, under the Digital Malaysia Initiative. Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation director of e-commerce enablement Wee Huay Neo mentioned internet penetration in Malaysia stands at 67%, while e-commerce contributes 5.8% to the nation’s gross domestic product, just 0.6% below the target set for 2020.  


“Malaysia’s e-commerce market will continue to be highly attractive with plenty of room to grow. The increasing consumer spending, the growing number of internet users and the greater acceptance of mobile e-commerce are the main drives,” she told SunBiz. First of all, let’s explore the Malaysian online shoppers by looking at few interesting e-commerce statistics:
  1. The most popular types of products purchased by Malaysians online are fashion & beauty products, electronics, and sports products.
  2. 80% of shoppers use their smart phones for purchasing online
  3. The main factor Malaysians consider when shopping online is the price
  4. Nowadays, men tend to shop more than women
  5. 59% of Malaysians shop online at least once a month
  6. 95% of Malaysian population are satisfied with online shopping experience

LAZADA | The advice of e-commerce leader in Malaysia

 

  Malaysia is one of the key markets for Southeast Asia’s largest e-commerce website Lazada and the nation has demonstrated the fastest growth within countries that Lazada operates in for the last seven months, posting over 100% jump year-on-year in gross merchandise value, said Lazada Malaysia CEO Hans-Peter Ressel. “In a market like Malaysia, with its high internet and smart phone penetration, these are the right fundamentals and pillars to make it (e-commerce) boom even further. We’re now at a nice environment that’s flourishing. “All the enablers for successful e-commerce operations are in checked for Malaysia. It’s a market where we can roll out new initiatives because it’s a sophisticated market,” Ressel said. It said Lazada’s website received an average of 29 million visitors on a monthly basis while 11 Street received nine million visitors monthly. “These three top e-commerce companies were all founded in South-East Asia. “Although e-commerce websites originating from outside the South-East Asia region such as eBay and Sephora are also accessible to Malaysians, regional or locally based e-commerce sites seemed to be more successful, probably due to their on-the-ground knowledge which gives them a higher advantage,” it said. The main suggestion of Lazada to the e-commerce businesses in Malaysia is winning on mobile devices as people use mCommerce more and more. Why? Let us explain you!  

 

M-COMMERCE | New Trend

 According to Digital News Asia, South-East Asian online payment gateway provider iPay88 Sdn Bhd said that based on transactions recorded on its platform, it expects mobile-commerce to grow three times faster than the overall e-commerce market in Malaysia. The company claims that about 70% of online transactions in Malaysia take place on its platform. It was also mentioned that the growth of m-commerce is clear, given the percentage of traffic from mobile channels recorded in its system: 27% in 2015; 38.4% in 2016; and 48.6% in 2017. “No doubt, the availability of cheaper smart phones and laptops have made the Internet accessible to a whole new demographic. The advent of tablets and smart watches has also broadened the spectrum of Internet usage.”  


  “Besides the high proliferation of smart phones, new Internet business models such as those from Grab and Uber that leverage on mobile booking and transactions … are also expected to drive m-commerce volumes,” iPay88 representatives state. A survey on mobile online shopping last year ranked Malaysia third in terms of mobile shopping growth rate in Asia, at over 20%, from 25.4% in 2012 to 45.6% in 2014. Many popular international online stores including Amazon, Apple, Walmart and Google Play have recorded an increasing number of consumers purchasing on their mobile.

Customer Insights | What Malaysians think about e-commerce

The lack of security is perceived as a major stumbling block for doing business online. Electronic cash payment systems are becoming more important than ever to facilitate online transactions and thus replacing traditional payment methods such as checks. The security aspects of e-commerce technology are one of the key concerns for Malaysian online buyers nowadays Every buyer wants to have privacy and security in the transaction. The personal data of the buyer such as name, address, phone number and also the transaction details of the buyer must not be disclosed to third parties.  There is also some activities of sharing the info to the third party which is illegal. Malaysia has implemented personal data act on 2010. The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) is an act enacted by the Malaysian government to protect individual’s personal data in online commercial transactions. Other important factors taken into account by Malaysians have been presented in the Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities by Nadiah Binti Tasin:  


  Besides, speaking particularly about M-commerce, another issue is presented with the lack of user experience (UX) for mobile interfaces. M-payment gateways still do not fully provide an interface that can be customized to suit the mobile apps user interface and also user experience.

User Experience (UX) in mCommerce | Useful Tips

The full guide for the development of excellent UX experience can be found in our previous article, UX in Mobile Apps, while here we will provide the summary of those points:
  1. Minimalism
Creating a minimalistic design of mobile app makes the whole experience much easier — just click that button! A minimalist concept is a powerful form of communication, an easily navigable and simple application can be developed using minimalist concept. Users today like more and more simple interface hence shifting to very basic UX and just keeping the necessary elements.
  1. Simplistic Color Scheme
Simplistic color scheme is key to happiness. In the case of mobile application development, a solution. Clean and clear color theme enhances the user experience, but on the contrary, too many colors spoil the game and bring negativity in the overall design. Well, putting a restriction on color pallette does not mean that you design app in monochrome, but the idea is to use necessary colors which could accurately depict your design and create a hierarchy.
  1. Personalization
The personal approach is something that every individual appreciates in offline activities. When using their smart phones, an app user wants to get the same attitude while doing online shopping or reading news. Nowadays, mobile app developers record users’ steps and customize their experience according to the in-app stroll. Consumers don’t have to search for the same information over and over again while receiving individual push notifications.
  1. Better Security
Here we are talking about a really important security factor when it comes to personal data. Such applications as Apple Pay or Dropbox have Touch ID verification. This provides users with a higher level of security for their personal data, also creating a feeling that your company is taking care of them.

Conclusion

We live in a time where half of the population is digital buyers, which is why e-commerce is an important stepping block for the future of existing businesses while opening up market access. Malaysia’s e-commerce market will continue to be highly attractive with plenty of room to grow. The increasing consumer spending, the growing number of internet users and the greater acceptance of mobile e-commerce are the main drivers. Do you want Blueninja.io help you with the development of a great online shopping store for your business? Give us a call anytime! The highly-qualified team of Blueninja.io provides an unforgettable experience for businesses and their clients through innovative digital solutions. Website design & Mobile Development, Web Application Development services, E-commerce web systems, SEO, Google Adwords and Social Media Marketing are just a small part of a wide service portfolio, opening doors to enormous opportunities for your business success. Stay connected with Blueninja.io and be the first who will read our next article!  

With creativity in heart, with an idea in mind!

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Effective Employee Communication Software

Advantages of Business Internal Communication Software

Importance of Internal Communication

What would give your company the ‘power’ to generate more leads, deliver a better product, or provide services superior to those of your competitors? It's not a bigger budget or more resources; it's better, faster and quality communication that can be achieved with the use of internal business system development services. If we ask any organization how the communication among their employees happens, they will likely tell you “through email and weekly meetings.” It’s true. Most companies live and breathe by email and probably would admit they spend too much time in the conference rooms. They’ll probably also tell you their system works just fine and there is no reason to add complicated employee communications software to the existing mix. Before jumping to conclusions, let’s dig into what employee communications is and why it is crucial for the success of the company. One of the most popular definitions of employee communications is “communications and interactions among employees or members of an organization.” The larger the organization becomes, the more challenging these “interactions” can become. Growing companies often struggle to find the right digital communication solution for them to fit their organization. Below you can find the video explaining the strategic importance of internal communication and employee engagement:


  Employees expect some level of communication from their managers and they are more likely to succeed when they have convenient channels to communicate with each other. Their productivity level increases, feel more connected, and stay motivated when they know what is expected of them. Essentially, good corporate communication helps build a strong workforce community. It’s clear that we are more engaged than ever before with our technology, platforms and each other. And this has presented HR and internal communication professionals with the best opportunity to use these innovative digital tools to increase employee engagement. Savvy professionals are now using internal communication software to build the brand of their organization and improve recruitment, engagement and retention.

How communication can be measured

Forbes has suggested one of the ways companies can use to measure their internal communication:
  1. The less is usually the more

Sending too many emails means employees will ignore most of your messages. If you’re continually emailing FYIs, most messages turn into a steady stream of static. Panzano and her team at Bayer Corporation use an unusually interesting metric for gauging success: the number of emails they don’t send to employees. She cuts out the messages that don’t align with strategic priorities to ensure employees hear what matters most. At the end of a quarter when she views the emails that weren't sent, she sees it as a win that’s helped with message penetration. Also, eXo suggests:
  1. Employee performance and productivity

Happy and engaged employees work better. However, the productivity of an employee is influenced by such a variety of factors that quantifying this impact appears tough. An easy approach lies in the knowledge management. Indeed, knowledge workers spend a significant portion of their work time searching for required information. If your initiatives allow for a better flow of information, you can estimate how much time and money are saved. Let’s say that you have just changed the way customer success stories are stored and displayed on your intranet. Estimate the time it takes a salesperson to find a relevant case study before and after the change and translate that into time and money gains and savings.

 

Advantages of Internal Communication Software

Below we have provided the list of the key benefits of incorporating communication software for your employees and organization as a whole, presented by Axero:
  1. Increased productivity, improved efficiency, and delivered exceptional service to clients, as your business is equipped with communication digital tools of the future.
  1. Prevention of interrupted work flows, misinterpreted messages, and lost memos when you unite corporate communication in one easily-accessible virtual system space.
  1. Uniting individuals, teams, and departments regardless of physical location with virtual work spaces. From working on a marketing initiative to creating quarterly reports, customizable work stations create the perfect place for team members to stay organized.
  1. Distribution of informative, entertaining, and helpful content within your company
  1. Equip every department, from human resources to IT, with efficient, customizable work flow tools. Using the Case & Issue Tracker, departmental teams can adjust controls to fit specific needs, such as customer complaint resolution, technical error reporting, or project management.
  1. When collaboration is instant and project management is streamlined, your team is prepared to achieve business goals while encouraging company-wide harmony

Success Story

Below we introduce a case study of SnapComms, presenting a company enjoying the benefits of using the business system development services.

Towers Watson

Towers Watson is a leading global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance in the areas of benefits, talent management, rewards, and risk and capital management. The firm employs over 15,000 associates worldwide.


  Eli Fernández is the IT Service Management Lead for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, which has more than 5,000 employees spread across 16 countries. His team manages the resolution and internal communication of all service-impacting incidents and delivers IT service management for the areas of operational support and business systems architecture as well as outsourcing first-line service desk, on-site support and network services.

Towers Watson has been using SnapComms Desktop Alerts since August 2012, as a mechanism for updating staff about high-priority (priority 1) IT outages and notifications. Fernández explains that his team has a duty of care and a requirement to inform associates about service interruptions and he says that they “needed something that was flexible, easy to use, that could target the whole organization, parts of it or individuals.”

The severity of an IT outage at Towers Watson is classified into four levels of escalating priority, determined by the number of applications and sites affected as well as the potential impacts on revenue and reputation. The priority level attributed to an issue drives the process around resolving and communicating that situation.

The IT team has developed a set of branded IT outage notification templates for their desktop alerts, based on a simple traffic light system. Three of the templates are used for incident management — a new notification has a red theme, an update is gold and the closure of that issue is green. The fourth template is plum and is used to communicate upcoming work which might result in service interruption.

While Fernández says that what we do is common sense,” there is a culture within the team of setting high standards. They ensure there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors in their messages and use simple, jargon-free communications in English rather than trying to translate more technical information into local languages. This focus on simplicity, quality and consistency has made these visual tools highly effective in conveying the status of system outages to Towers Watson staff and third-party IT service providers in multiple locations and different time zones.

Conclusion

Good communication is paramount for any business to succeed. Whether it’s to communicate good news or bad, employees need to know what’s going on as quickly as possible. Employees who feel their companies are being honest with them, care about them, provide resources for them, and want to listen to them are going to be more engaged, motivated, and loyal. It’s to the organization’s benefit to have a communications strategy in place that really connects employees to each other and to the corporation as a whole. The first step in improving employee communications is to use communication channels that actually reach employees where they are, wherever they are. Meetings, email, intranets, and phone calls may reach some, but as we all know, there are many more communication channels we now use. Including texts, app push notifications, and social media into a communications strategy are some of the best ways you can connect with all of your employees. Would you want Blueninja.io help you with Business System Development? Give us a call anytime! The highly-qualified team of Blueninja.io provides an unforgettable experience for businesses and their clients through innovative digital solutions. Website design & Mobile Development, Web Application Development services, E-commerce web systems, SEO, Google Adwords and Social Media Marketing (SMM) are just a small part of a wide service portfolio, opening doors to enormous opportunities for your business success. Stay connected with Blueninja.io and be the first who will read our next article!  

With creativity in heart, with an idea in mind!
 

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Business System Digitalization

A New Perspective On Business

Over years, a wide range of management studies have come to a conclusion that any business organization has to be viewed from a new perspective, a systems perspective. Yet, decades of management training and practices in the workplace have not followed from this perspective. Only recently, with significant changes facing companies and how they operate, have managers and team members come to face this new way of looking at things. This interpretation has brought about a tremendous change in the way management studies and approaches organizations. The whole system is a systems thinking view of the complete organization in relation to its environment. It provides a means of understanding, analyzing and talking about the design and construction of the organization as an integrated, complex composition of many interconnected systems that need to work together for the whole to function successfully. An organization as an entity can suffer systemic failure. This happens in the whole system or high-level system where there is a failure between and within the system elements that need to work together for overall success. Factors in systemic failure may include confused goals, weak system-wide understanding, individual incentives that encourage loyalty to sub-ordinate (rather than super-ordinate) goals, inadequate feedback, poor cooperation, lack of accountability, etc. Thus, the business world is experiencing a rising demand for software infrastructure, designed specifically to ensure a smooth and cooperative work process within the organization. A complete system includes hardware and software infrastructure, data collection, procedures and employees with specific roles in collecting or using data. Advances in computer and web application development technology have contributed to a number of common web based systems being developed in businesses.

Examples Of System Development

Below we will have a look at few different types of system development within the organization, by analyzing their benefits for a business and discussing examples of famous brands using a particular system software.

Customer Relationship Management

Customer relationship management, or CRM, is a marketing-based system of collecting and analyzing customer data, interpreting it to develop targeted marketing programs and implementation of those programs. CRM can be defined as an organizational approach that seeks to understand and influence customer behavior through meaningful communications in order to improve customer acquisition, retention, loyalty and profitability. Computer hardware and database software programs provide the tech infrastructure used to collect data, including customer names, addresses, phone numbers and transaction histories. Procedures involving searching through data to formulate market segments, target specific customers with promotional campaigns and service customer accounts. In a CRM system, all company employees take on a customer-centric role, though marketing and IT are especially involved in pulling data for marketing use. CRM web application development software is a useful tool for your marketing team, transforming your employees into wizards being able to read the mind of your customers and predict their further actions, needs and preferences.  
  Zara, one of the leading clothing brands, recognize the crucial role of CRM software in their company to help them understand the needs of their customers, what they like and don’t like. They use this information to better relate to them as well as find ways of boosting their profile and profits. Zara has developed effective relationships with its customers, and thanks to the benefits of CRM, its customers are loyal and make continued visits throughout the year, with the average customer visiting 17 times compares to other stores’ average of four. What’s impressive about Zara is that it is able to have such a dedicated and loyal customer base despite the lack of advertising. Using CRM software, Zara is able to collect information about sales and work out which products are popular, and with this data easily to hand, designers are able to produce new items quickly based on the latest trends and in styles and colors preferred by their shoppers. Using CRM software, Zara has streamlined its customer data collection and found ways to improve its products and services as well as connect with customers at a more informed level.

Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management, or SCM, is the collaborative process of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers working together to give the consumer the best value. In today’s global, interconnected supply chain, the technology and software solutions a manufacturer deploys are just as important as a company’s supply logistics and management strategies. SCM is driven by supply chain software programs and integrated computer networks that allow suppliers and buyers to share inventory data. The goals of supply chain management are to have just-in-time inventory and optimized inventory control costs. Transportation and logistics procedures are integral in SCM, and logistics managers oversee a particular company's role in coordinating supply chain relationships and activities. What does this mean for the future of technology in the supply chain? No longer will it be viable to simply deploy the technology flavor of the week. Rather, manufacturing companies must strive for greater insight into their overall supply situation and how to successfully position the right products in front of the right customer at the right time.  
  Home Depot is one of the biggest retailers selling home improvement and construction products and services. With more than 355,000 employees and 2,000 superstores across the US, Canada, Mexico and China, the company is doing pretty well with its efficient supply chain and logistics strategies. The company is also investing heavily in its e-commerce (online shopping) strategies to increase its customer base and become accessible to more customers regardless of their physical location and accessibility to physical stores. Forbes has shared some insights about the company’s e-commerce strategies, which also aligned perfectly with its logistics strategies: One solid example is the way Home Depot operates its inventory and replenishment (I&R) activities for its stores. The company used to have separate logistics management departments in every single physical store to utilize replenishment and store management-related activities. With the help of technology and right software solutions, Home Depot’s new centralized I&R department created a significant benefit for the company. The overall performance of the department improved the demand forecast accuracy and decreased the cost of operations for the replenishment orders. As a single/centralized department manages the inventory for all stores, the new method increased the bargaining power for the company against the suppliers. As a company, Home Depot was also able to benefit from this change, as it is now able to process online orders more efficiently.

 Enterprise Resource Planning

Enterprise resource planning, or ERP, is a computer-driven approach to optimizing resource efficiency within a business. Conceptually, ERP is different from traditional budgeting methods because company leaders across the organization collaborate to order, store and use supplies and inventory. The goal is to avoid carrying excess inventory and wasted resources within the business. ERP works to integrate disjointed processes into one data system that the entire organization can view and act upon. All users - from executives to CIOs to customer service reps - can have access to the same real-time, up-to-date, and complete user-appropriate data and information. ERP software tools allow department managers to share a viewpoint of the current availability of various resources and to schedule department use within the company-wide system.  
  When the global giant - LG Electronics (LG) - having 114 subsidiaries, more than 82,000 employees across 40 countries - tried to harmonize its human resources functions, the challenges were of a similarly giant scale. High maintenance costs, local controls lacking transparency, inefficient decision making, under-utilization of resources, manual processes, etc. made it difficult for LG to operate as a global company, which then decided to take the ERP route. The challenges for LG were: Location specific processes lacking transparency and automation needs for a global reporting; De-motivated employees, limited outlook, no room for information or best practices sharing; Limited localized resources for employee learning & training; Challenges with decision making, with significant business impact. LG’s familiarity with Oracle technology due to earlier Oracle usage made it easier to finalize a solution. It offered large data hosting, seamless migration of old data, easy scalability, multiple modules addition as needed and centralized access and control. LG hired Oracle Consulting to build a single centralized system which integrates available Oracle HR modules for uniform use at global level, thereby replacing location specific system dependency. The ERP solution, which included a data mart, performance management system, staff portal, and e-learning application, enabled the following benefits for LG: Centrally managed a single system with minimal maintenance costs; Transparency in the recruitment and employee appraisal processes; Real time reporting for higher management and tracking of set goals and objectives; Informed decision making due to readily available real time reports; Cost savings due to not having to maintain multiple systems; Easy sharing of best practices across the various centers; Increased employee morale, productivity and engagement.

Financial Management

Financial management is more of a general term used to describe an array of finance-based systems developed in many organizations. Companies rely on integrated financial software tools to join activities in purchasing, accounting and finance departments. In essence, the computer tools allow each purchase and revenue transaction to get recorded once, yet appear in the records and reports used in each of these finance-related departments. The goal is to optimize record-keeping efficiency and to avoid redundant transaction entries. Often, accounting software provides the foundation for data entered and used across the company.  
  Denver Zoo, one of the largest and most popular zoos in the United States, had an IT infrastructure made up of disparate financial systems. This made it difficult for employees to access the financial data they needed to operate effectively. Therefore, the company has decided to integrate financial management software, which as a result, provided Denver Zoo employees with faster and easier access to real-time financial data. With all financial information fully integrated, employees can gain a complete picture of operations. They can begin to introduce new areas of analysis, such as cross-referencing budgets against activities and between departments. For example, each department has its own set of expenses. Now the system is completely integrated, users can cross-check budgets and more effectively allocate spend against the right budget holder.

Conclusion

To keep your business growing at the dramatic rates you plan for, it is essential to have business software applications integrated around a single codebase, database and business process. The advantages of designing your systems in this manner yield tremendous cost savings and improved business productivity. Would you want Blueninja.io help you with new web app system development? Give us a call anytime! The highly-qualified team of Blueninja.io provides an unforgettable experience for businesses and their clients through innovative digital solutions. Website design & Mobile Development, Web Application Development services, E-commerce web systems, SEO, Google Adwords and Social Media Marketing  are just a small part of a wide service portfolio, opening doors to enormous opportunities for your business success. Stay connected with Blueninja.io and be the first who will read our next article!

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

E-commerce – Shopping of the Future

What is important to know about your favorite E-Commerce shopping websites

“The e-commerce industry is a force that no investor can afford to ignore” © Cushla Sherlock, Corporate Communications, Credit-Suisse. One of the most significant trends of the 21st century is characterized with replacement of traditional retailing with online shopping, gaining the central stage. Ensuring the highest level of convenience for customers has become a motto for thousands of companies offering their products and services online. Why? A happy customer means more sales!  
  While millions of consumers agree that online shopping is convenient, many people still avoid it, as they don't want shipping fees, want to pick up the item immediately or see it in person before purchasing. However, one of the biggest factors is security concerns. Here Blueninja.io provides few useful tips that will help you to determine whether the online shopping website you are going to buy from is a reliable site:

Domain name (URL)

If you’re wondering whether a particular website is legitimate, however, probably the most important thing is the domain name. Look in the address bar of your browser and see what the URL is. For instance, you have found a great deal on a Zara website. The website was complete with Zara logo, product search, online shopping cart, and more. But a closer look revealed that despite of Zara logo, the URL of the website was not www.zara.com, but rather www.NewPerfectStyle.com. (This website has been shut down and is now facing legal action for selling counterfeit goods, but beware of others like it that still exist today.) It’s not unusual for merchants to offer their products on third-party sites, thus, being familiar with this tip will help you to discover a fraud website.

Source code

When you visit a website, right click on the main page and have a look at the source code. Most professional and trustworthy websites are created by web design companies from scratch, therefore, if you see there a sentence that looks like this “Created with HTML Generator Plus”, it might be a sign that something is wrong.

Detailed information

The detailed information provided on the website is another important aspect of any online shopping website. Thus, if the online shopping site is reliable, you can easily find information about the seller, how to contact them, origin of the product, terms of service and privacy policy. However, if such information is hard to find, this should be an ‘alarm’ for you.

Check the SSL Certificate

Look at the URL of the website. If it begins with “https” instead of “http” it means the site is secured using an SSL Certificate (standing for secure). SSL Certificates secure all of your data as it is passed from your browser to the website’s server. To get an SSL Certificate, the company must go through a validation process.

Too steep discounts & coupons

Looking for cheap and affordable goods? Be careful when you see ‘too-good-to-be-true’ discounts. The unrealistic prices can be a warning sign of a fraud. Can a dress of a good quality cost RM10? Is it possible for a new smart phone to be RM100? Of course, no! Discounts are good, but only when the price remains realistic enough.  
  The most common examples of fraud e-commerce websites involve huge discounts, but what happens next? You pay for your goods online and patiently wait for delivery – but it does not happen. You check the website, but it is empty! Your ‘sellers’ spend your money, while you are trying to find out what happened. Be careful and check twice before pressing “Purchase”.

Gift card scams

There is no doubt that you love gift cards – but not only you: online scammers who want to steal your information and money love them too. You may get an email or SMS with an offer for a deeply-discounted gift card. It might say you won a $25 gift card for $1. Or it might say you won a $100 gift card for free! However, be careful. If the email asks for banking or credit / debit card information, delete it straight away. A legitimate and trustworthy company would never ask for that information. We admit that some online stores do have real gift card giveaways. So, how can you tell if your gift card prize is the real? Some online shops do offer gift cards delivered by email. So, for example, someone can order an Amazon gift card for you and have it appear in your inbox instead of your mailbox. First, call the person to ensure they actually sent it (also, it's a good opportunity to thank them). Besides, a real gift card will have a special code you can put in on the website to claim the money. The reliable e-commerce store won't ask you to supply any identity information, download an attachment or take you to a third-party site. _________________________________________ According to the website, Finder.com, below we provide the list of the most well-reputed online shopping websites:
  • Missguided
  • PrettyLittleThing
  • Boohoo
  • Showpo
  • Forever 21
  • com
  • ASOS
  • Urban Outfitters
  • Uniqlo
 
_______________________________________ Interestingly, in the arena of the world online shopping, not only buyers but also sellers can become the victims of online scams. eBay scams committed by buyers are one of the most well-known examples we are going to discuss further:  

Item is not received

Scammers often take advantage of new sellers that don't understand the rules of using PayPal (e-commerce website payment system). Many new sellers don't know about delivery confirmation. The scammer will use PayPal to pay for the item and wait for it to be delivered. Once the package arrives, the scammer will check if delivery confirmation was used. If it was, then you are safe and the scammer and will try to find another victim. However, if delivery confirmation is not used, the scammer will open a dispute with PayPal and claim the item was not received. Unable to show proof of delivery, PayPal takes the funds out of the seller's account and returns it to the scammer. There is nothing the seller could do other than learn a hard lesson. To prevent this type of scam from occurring, clearly state delivery confirmation will be used in the item listing. This will prevent scammers from bidding on your items in the first place. Shipments using UPS, FedEx, and DHL automatically come with delivery confirmation. You must add delivery confirmation for packages shipped by USPS. Keep the delivery confirmation number for at least 45 days after the payment was received. This is the time limit for buyers to initiate claims against sellers.

Buyer asks for shipping to different address

This scam usually occurs when an innocent victim's PayPal account has been hijacked. The scammer will not change the hijacked account's shipping address as this will send an email to the true account holder. Instead, the scammer will try to convince a seller to ship the item to a different address which is often in another country. Typically the scammer will claim that he is moving or that the item is for a friend. Don't fall for any stories. Ship your items only to the confirmed address. If the buyer want to ship to a different address, insist that the buyer change the shipping address on their PayPal account to where they want it shipped and reconfirm it. Otherwise you will be liable if a chargeback occurs.

Blame the Shipper for Damaged Item

A scammer will have a broken or damaged item that he wants replaced for free. The scammer will search for an eBay seller selling exactly the same item and offering shipping insurance. After the item is received, the scammer will switch the unbroken item for the bad one and claim it has been damaged. If the shipper grants the insurance claim, the scammer will get his item replaced for free. If the insurance claim is denied (because there is no damage to the box and the scammer forgot to smash it), the scammer will have the credit card company reverse the charges. If the purchase was eligible for seller's protection, then you will be protected and PayPal will eat the loss. Otherwise, PayPal will take the money from your account. This is a tricky area as PayPal will not cover claims of shipping damage. You can protect yourself from this scam by taking pictures of serial numbers or other unique identifying features. Be sure to include them in your listing. Scammers will avoid listings that can prove the item has been switched. Knowing more about these types of scams will help you to prevent any of those situations to occur. Tips provided by Blueninja.io are your key guidance in the world of online shopping websites. Explore new opportunities and ensure your security in the internet arena! Want to create an e-commerce website that will earn the trust and win the hearts of thousands of customers? Call Blueninja.io!

Monday, September 17, 2018

CHOOSE YOUR WEB AGENCY

How to Choose the Best Web Design Agency | Valuable Tips

Introduction

The role of the web design and web development agencies in the modern business world is crucial. Nowadays, websites are serving as a ‘face’ of the business, emphasizing on the importance of a quality website. No matter which country we select for a research, the competition among web development and design agencies is very high. Despite the high demand for web development services, due to high competition, web agencies need to develop a solid strategy to ensure that their agency will be a number-one choice for potential clients. As a business, are you wondering how to choose the best web agency for your company? Blueninja.io will assist you with providing the crucial tips for selecting the best web development partner. Read our article and make your best choice!

Strategy as a Basis

One of the most significant steps in identifying whether the particular web design agency is a good option for your business is to ‘see’ what kind of strategy they offer. According to Getlevelten, the web agency should offer a clear thought-out strategy for how to achieve your goals and satisfy your needs and preferences. A good web strategy will make your business authoritative, relevant, as well as trustworthy. With a good strategy, it is easy to set milestones and realistic expectations and achieve measurable results. You should ask the web development agency specialists to explain their approach in detail and this strategy should aim to reach all the goals discussed. Knowing the strategy is also important to staying within the budget for web development.  
  Besides, the important tip provided by Webpagefx is - before searching for a suitable custom web design firm, you should be clear on what your company needs. Remember that the web development business will help you achieve your marketing goals. It is best for you, as the representative to identify them beforehand since it is you who knows your company best. Of course, the custom web design company will be knowledgeable of what you might need as well, so it is best that you cooperate and collaborate.

The Project portfolio Matters

Checking the web development company’s portfolio will give you significantly better insights into the company’s capabilities and experience, than just looking at the web development company’s corporate website. If your requirement is for a Magento-based ecommerce website or Wordpress-based website, then the prior websites developed by the company and showcased as part of its portfolio will help you make up your own mind about whether the capabilities of the web development company are in line with your expectations and preferences. If the quality of the websites in the web development company’s portfolio is consistently low and leaves much space for improvement, then the company may be in the business of outsourcing its work to freelance web developers and may be operating as just a middleman. You should steer clear of such amateur setups for your strategic web development project, as advised by MindDigital. Getlevelten also states that a solid record of accomplishment is not determined by how long the web design agency has been operating in business but how well they have performed and completed their projects for whatever period they have worked. Time does not dictate experience, so hearing that a website development agency has been in business for twenty years does not necessarily mean that they are the best option for you. There is such a great diversity in the nature of websites, products and services offered online and it is wiser to look at the accomplishment of the web agency in relation to the industry your business currently operates in.  
  You can also find out how well the web agency is doing based on performance data and client testimonials. A case study would be a great way to find out more about the approach of the web design agency to client needs and the method of measuring the results of their accomplishments in delivering to the client. At this point, communication is crucial and you should ask as many questions as you need to understand the methodologies of the web agency and the reasons behind the decisions they make. Besides, a web design company that works with a wide variety of industries is more likely to create a unique website that will reach a bigger audience. Your website has to stand above the competition, not be identical. In addition, FirstScribe states that a web designer needs to keep up with the latest technology and modern design trends. Customers are much more likely to trust a business if their website looks modern. Good web design companies incorporate what's ‘catchy’ in their websites. A web designer needs to be familiar with parallax scrolling, flat design, responsive, and dozens of other styles and elements. Of course, that doesn't mean they should just push all the newest elements. There needs to be a balance between what's modern and what's proven. A website has to do more than just look fresh.

Quality Content is important

Not only should a web agency invest in designers, but also in good copywriters, as this is equally important in the web design industry. As we always say, “Design attracts, copy sells,” and so with this practice, copywriting is seen as the foundation of content. This is the substance needed to engage your visitors to stay and make a conversion, VerzDesign states. Taking into consideration an agency’s in-house copywriting services, will help you be assured of original and quality web contents fit for your brand. If you already have your own content, the said copywriter may copyedit these to fine tune them, proofread to ensure professionalism and quality, and suggest taglines/headers for your banners. These things are quality services you can only get in a professional web agency that hires in-house copywriters.

Customer Support and Retention

WebDesignRankings has provided interesting point on, along with looking at an web agency’s previous clients, you can also ask them about their client retention rate. Retention rates of about 70% — especially those 90% or above — show exceptional client satisfaction. The web agencies that have the best client retention will typically be your best bets for partnerships. After all, a website isn’t just something that you throw together — it takes time, strategizing, and execution to make everything come together.  
  If an agency doesn’t have a decent client retention rate, then they’re missing one of those crucial elements, and that means they won’t give you the results that you want. But when you find a web design agency with a high client retention rate — and when they publish it online for everyone to see — you can be sure you have found a quality agency.

Conclusion

Developing a well-designed, professional looking website will get your foot in the door of the online market, and give you a base from which to build your clientele. Thus, the selection of the best web design agency for your business is crucial. Above we provided the important tips that will help you achieve your goal! Would you want Blueninja.io help you with Web design and Website Development? Give us a call anytime! The highly-qualified team of Blueninja.io provides an unforgettable experience for businesses and their clients through innovative digital solutions. Website design & Mobile Development, Web Application Development services, E-commerce web systems, SEO, Google Adwords and Social Media Marketing (SMM) are just a small part of a wide service portfolio, opening doors to enormous opportunities for your business success. Stay connected with Blueninja.io and be the first who will read our next article!  

With creativity in heart, with an idea in mind!

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Wordpress VS Wix in Website Customization

Website Builder Expert Opinion

Website design is an ever-changing and constantly-evolving concept. What’s in trend today is old-fashioned tomorrow. What’s hot tomorrow may have been hot a few years ago. Who knows what changes will happen just in few hours? The key business challenge is to stay relevant in your customer’s eyes. Their experience on your business website could make or break your bottom line. How can you stay on the cutting edge? Some of the answers that come to your mind may be things such as convenience, aesthetics or multi-functionality. However, we can break these things down into one common, underlying trait: the usability. Anything (e.g. product, service or experience) you offer to a customer may be functional, but the main selling point lies in its convenience, and the many functions it gives to everyone. This not only means that the average tech-savvy teenager which has grown up in an environment surrounded by technology, but your grandpa, your niece, the middle-aged woman that lives next door that owns a radio which you’ve only seen in vintage stores. Good web design doesn’t just mean the amazingly-designed images and icons, but rather, the user interface which encapsulates the whole user experience of the website. Digital user experience encompasses all aspects of an individual’s interaction with your web or mobile site, such as behavior, actions, perceptions and satisfaction. Placing an emphasis on user experience on the website will not only benefit your customers but will consequently deliver results for your company. For a qualified web designer, it is important that they understand the core values of your brand first. Then, they need to have a deep understanding of your current customers and business objectives. Knowing your brand attributes allows the website designer to use the right approach when designing your website. This includes the overall presentation and what a visitor should see first. Essentially, user experience measures the quality of website interactions, which in turn measures the quantity of website success and conversions. An increasing number of businesses are finding the value gained from investing in user experience as part of their digital marketing strategy.  
  Nowadays, we can find various tools for the website design and development. But how to make a right choice? Today we will have a closer look at two web systems – WordPress and Wix – by analyzing their differences and similarities, as well as advantages and disadvantages for your business.

History & Features

There are a wide range of web publishing solutions out there, but from a simplicity standpoint Wix and WordPress are considered to be the best website tools in the market. WordPress itself is an open source software licensed under GPLv2 which means it’s free to use and free to modify. The market dominance of WordPress is so complete these days that many users may be blissfully unaware of its roots as the fork of a simple PHP blogging platform. the year was 2002. Matt Mullenweg, a college student at the time, installed the b2 or cafelog blogging system for personal use. Unfortunately the original creator of b2/cafelog had to give up updating his creation due to personal matters and the project and its community were left without a leader.  
  On April 1st, 2003, Matt created a new branch of b2 on SourceForge by forking the original b2/cafelog system to create his own version with the help of Mike Little. Matt’s friend, Christine Tremoulet recommended calling it WordPress and that’s the name they stuck with. After hundreds (maybe thousands) of commits to the official SVN repository, the first version, WordPress 0.7 was released on May 27th, 2003. WordPress is considered the easiest to use CMS thanks to a very friendly interface. It also has an amazing number of plugins which allow extension of its functionality in various possible ways. Fast forward to 2016 and WordPress has progressed from version 0.4 to 4.4 — from a simple blogging platform to a full-fledged content management system that’s capable of running websites for some of the world’s biggest brands, such as Best Buy, BBC America, and Samsung. Started in 2006, Wix is an online solutions company that provides web hosting and website design services. Users can design and build their sites in HTML5, as well as mobile websites, using drag and drop utilities. Two popular aspects of Wix are that developers can create their own web applications to market to other users, and that users do not need to know any coding to create a website. Wix was founded back in 2006 and has grown steadily to over 110 million users around the world. Wix began as a drag-and-drop website building platform and continues to be one, although much improved. "In 10 years, we want to see every small business owner effectively leverage the web to take their business to new heights, and as we already do for millions of people worldwide, we want to give them the easiest and most effective way to do so." —Avishai Abrahami, CEO of Wix.  

Comparison Of Key Features

Flexibility

WordPress is an open-source platform so you can much modify your website however you want to as you have full access to the codes (assuming you are a decent coder, or if you are working with one). WordPress offers you thousands of free plugins so you can add more tools to your WordPress site. However, not all plugins are built well, so installing poorly built plugins can expose you to security hazards, or can conflict with / break your website. Since Wix is not an open source website builder, you cannot freely modify the platform or tools. Only their own in-house developers can create tools and adjust the platform. You still have really good creative control over the design of your Wix website (more below), and you won’t have to worry about any tools not functioning, or your website breaking. All the tools provided to you by Wix are closely monitored and tested within its own operating environment. This means that you won’t have to worry about any technical aspects of your website as this is all taken care of by Wix.

E-Commerce

Wix offers e-commerce web system solutions with their paid plans. This means users with the free plan cannot run their e-commerce store on Wix without upgrading to a paid plan. With the WixStore, you can only accept payments using PayPal or Authorize.net.  There are a few third party apps that you can use for selling things online, but those apps would cost you even more money with their monthly fees. Not to mention you have limited payment gateways and limited functionality. WordPress has several free plugins that you can use to build own online store website and sell anything you want. Each of these plugins have their own add-on plugins which you can use to add any payment gateway you want. Most e-commerce plugins for WordPress even have their own dedicated themes and have plenty of themes designed specifically to work with those plugins.

Ease of use

Wix has a visual, intuitive and user-friendly interface where you’ll be doing a lot of dragging, dropping and clicking. Wix makes it quick and painless to design and publish your site, even if you have no idea about how websites are being made.  
  Learning how to use WordPress proficiently is a lot more challenging than Wix. The main reason being that WordPress is not a drag & drop website builder tool, so the placement of your content really depends on how the template you are using is set up. If you want to move an image gallery (for example) from the top right corner of your page to the lower left corner, you can’t just drag it down there. You will have to modify the codes to the template to do so (or hire a coder to help you with that). Essentially, although WordPress is a very powerful platform, to be able to use it effectively, you will have to modify codes to achieve what you want. If you are proficient with code, or working with a good coder, WordPress can deliver a much more functional website than Wix.

Security & Maintenance

As discussed, Wix is a “closed” system so they handle and manage all the performance and security updates for you, so you don’t have to worry about the technical aspects of building websites.  
  Similar to Wix, WordPress is continually updating its platform to fix bugs and improve security of wordpress platform. When updates need to be deployed, you will receive an alert on your WordPress dashboard. You simply have to click the update button. User Support WordPress has a gigantic community forum where users have posted thousands of questions in search of answers. While a lot of questions are answered (but not necessarily effectively resolved), a lot of questions are not answered at all. Also, getting an answer might take days as a lot of the moderators are volunteers, so they are under no obligations to answer your questions right away. As mentioned, Wix has a very comprehensive library of guides to help you understand how all their web design and website development tools work together. If you want more direct support, they provide you with 24/7 email support, or you can speak to a support representative on the phone. Wix also offers you a forum where you can post questions and interact with other users.

Conclusion

WordPress beats Wix with flexible plans available from a variety of web hosting companies. The cost depends on how much resources you use, and you are free to use your WordPress site in any way you want. Wix is clearly the winner in the ease of use. Users don’t need to spend much time to learn the platform or install any plugins before they can start building their website. On the other hand, they will need to understand WordPress basics and may need help of plugins to build their site. WordPress has a much wider range of themes and design layouts than Wix. WordPress users can also switch themes or customize them as much as they want without any restrictions. If you want to build a proper online store and be ready for growth, then WordPress offers much more flexibility, freedom and choices. Every website builder tool has its advantages and disadvantages. Having a look at the above analysis prepared by Blueninja.io, we believe you can make a right choice. Would you want Blueninja.io help you build a new website? Give as a call anytime! The highly-qualified team of Blueninja.io provides an unforgettable experience for businesses and their clients through innovative digital solutions. Website design & Mobile Development, E-commerce web systems, SEO, Google Adwords and Social Media Marketing are just a small part of a wide service portfolio, opening doors to enormous opportunities for your business success.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

The role of web design

 

Importance of Web Design in Your Marketing Effort

  • It takes only 0.05 seconds for a user to form the opinion about your website
  • 38% users leave the web page if the website design is not attractive
  • 74% of users define a company’s web page as a #1 trust factor
These, and wide range of other statistical data prove the importance of a good website design concept for the success of both small companies and big corporations. The web design is a tool that should be wisely developed and implemented, taking into consideration the characteristics and preferences of your client base. Who are they? What do they like? How can their attention be attracted? Consider your website design as a part of a big mechanism: every detail matters, and if something does not work, the entire business will be affected. Despite of many opinions, it is not compulsory for the web design to be complex. If your graphic designer is capable of implementing amazing 3D graphics and animation on your website, yes, it is good. However, it is not the most important factor. As in any marketing effort, the ability to understand and address the needs and preferences of your customer is what makes your business a market leader! ‘Creating customer persona’ is vital to visualize your customers, turning your website into a magnet for your potential clients. Below we provide a list of characteristics to consider when creating your customer persona:
  • Demographic: Age, gender, education, occupation and for B2B, company size, position in buying unit.
  • Psychographic: Goals, tasks, motivation
  • Webographics: Web experience (months), usage location (home or work), usage platform (desktop, tablet, mobile), usage frequency, social media sites, favorite sites in and out of category
For example, the e-commerce website for sale, Boxhill, has found out that their customers prefer more minimalistic, simple, professional design. By making website design changes, Boxhill has achieved significant improvements: store sales went up by 320%; orders increased by 450%; conversion rates increased by 410%.  
  There is no doubt that your business also would want to achieve such tremendous growth. So what benefits will the improved web design give your company?

Designing Help the Website to Stand Out and Increase the Traffic

For providing the pleasant online environment, the companies produce the professional website designing and marketing material by hiring web design services and digital marketing agencies. The role of the website design of any company implies spreading the brand awareness and making your company be remembered.  When clients are going to purchase your product or service, they first check your online web presence through online search. For example, when we look for a beauty saloon, in most of the cases we prefer to check it online by paying attention to overall design, services provided and price list.  
  The well-designed website develops the strong reputation of the company, assisting in developing trust and good relationship with their stakeholders. Once your company earns the trust of a customer, he or she tends to share their successful experience with your company to people they know, increasing the traffic to your website.

Designing is Good to Express Message in Pioneering Approach

Nowadays, the message conveying becomes intellectual. Instead of using the large chunks the companies prefers the message that is combined with the visuals and text.  The colours and visual effects will attract the audience attention naturally. The designers and developers are becoming more innovative and instead of using the plain text for the messages in black and white, they integrate the graphic representations, visuals and the photography to support the message of the brand or company. The authentic and original related material makes the bigger and strong impact on the visitors. It also portrays the creativity way of the web design and development company that is clear and concise.  
  The Feed website has a stunning execution that challenges our understanding of what is possible on the web. Through a creative blend of animation and video, the site immerses the user into a very engaging experience. As an atypical site, it contains several unique usability elements as well, including a navigation that doubles as a scroll progress bar.

Professional Web Design Strengthens Web Visibility

The company services that you are offering online should be authentic, trustworthy and recognized. The responsive Web development services are delivered to introduce the creativity and innovations to make the brand unique and the masterpiece.  Every innovative idea and the latest features that are used on the website make it strong, as well as support the brand and the identity. This will increase the value of the website and also capable of gaining attention of the viewers.  This good taste of the design helps in getting a good position and moving ahead from the competitors.

The Attractive Website Bring More Leads

The number of visitor views matters but this does not mean that you will have the permission to neglect the strategically designing that lead user to the specific conversion process. There are many online examples that are beautifully designed but are failed to convert their valuable visitors into leads.  When a user comes to the website, they want to use their time effectively. When visitors arrive on your website what should happen. For this review the customer’s conversion process. When customers arrive on the website they are looking for the services. To convert the potential customers into a lead, you have to represent something extraordinary offer. The one feature that makes the customers to view and purchase is the call-to-action button.  This button allows the visitors to purchase and perform an action. The call-to-action is the main key in the conversion process. Once you click on the button, the web page provides some more information about the policies and the products. The data and the design of the page should be effective and designed professionally. In this page, the visitors have to fill the request form for making a contact for more information and proceeding purchase. Once the visitors fill in the form, click on the submission button present below to acquire a lead. The conversion process is known as the inbound marketing.  It helps in making the website to make the visitors into leads.  
  Here's a fun, unique call-to-action that can get people clicking. Whereas site visitors might have expected to be directed to product pages or press releases from the homepage, a CTA to "Discover a Cocktail Tailored to Your Taste" is a pleasantly surprising ask. People love personalization, and this CTA kind of feels like an enticing game. The play button icon next to the copy gives a hint that visitors will be taken to a video so they have a better idea of what to expect when they click.

 Conclusion

The website design inspiration is an important aspect of any business development process, including the promotional and sales activities, as well as the business expansion process. How? Your website design can become your number-one tool in lead generation, if developed and implemented wisely. The web design can also be considered as your ‘business card’ giving the first impression to your potential clients. Delivering an amazing web design templates also implies taking into account what your client base wants. What kind of design your customer would prefer: minimalistic? bright & colourful? dark? These and other questions can be answered by creating customer persona and including all the possible data about your customers. There is no better way to finish the article than having a look at one of the most interesting examples of a successful web design. Attractive html design template has always played a key role in successful online sales and marketing. That's because it increases the perceived value of your products and works to make your website (and business) seem more trustworthy. Whether you're about to create a new e-commerce website or have been thinking about redesigning your current site, the following list provided by Blueninja.io should give you sample design inspiration for your next project. Have a look & get some ideas!