Don't Become eCommerce Roadkill: How to Survive Your Next eCommerce Project

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Presented at the Joomla World Conference 2013, Harvard University, Boston, MA by Deb Cinkus, CEO of Polished Geek. The road to eCommerce project success is fraught with danger and challenges at every twist and turn. Thoughtful planning for this dangerous journey is key to survival, but how can you possibly plan for the unknown? In this session, Deb will act as your guide, helping you to better understand and effectively plan your next eCommerce project as a website professional. You'll learn about the many danger zones encountered on the eCommerce project path: - The treacherous highs of Payment Peak and lows of Credit Card Canyon - The oh-so-many choices of Shipping Station - The distracting yet alluring Feature Festival - The competing promotions & marketing littered along Buy it Now Boulevard - The unavoidable (and unforgiving) Taxes Tollroad - The time sucking Social Media Soiree - And, of course, the dreaded By-the-Way Bog

Transcript of Don't Become eCommerce Roadkill: How to Survive Your Next eCommerce Project

How to Survive Your Next eCommerce Project

Deb Cinkus, CEO of Polished GeekPresented at JoomlaDay Atlanta 2014

A Dangerous Journey

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,”said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

“--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,”Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you’re sure to do that,”said the Cat, “if you only

walk long enough.”

from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

B2C eCommerce

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

B2BeCommerce

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

C2B eCommerce

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

C2C eCommerce

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

A BeautifulBeginning

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

PaymentPeak

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

Navigating Payment Peak3rd party payment processor

• PayPal Standard, Avangate• Hosted gateways

Merchant account + gateway• Authorize.net• PayPal PRO

Multi-currencyNever email or store credit card data

Payment HazardsCompliance is the Client’s responsibility…

but you still need to know the rules.

Learn more about PCI

• Cover yourself in your SOW contract• SSL alone is not sufficient!• Follow best security practices (use

anti-virus, don’t share logins)• Promote 2-factor authentication• Establish secure hosting• Test custom code thoroughly• Provide or refer to an ongoing

security monitoring service

ShippingStation

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

Virtual products or physical goodsCalculated shipping (API)

• UPS, FedEx, etc.• Weight, dimensions, package

Flat shipping• Item quantity or weight• Cart total value• Expedited shipping

Free shipping… when?

Shipping Station Safety

Shipping Station HazardsRules, regulations, restrictions…

• Item restrictions across borders• Minimum quantities or sets• Packaging calculations

Delivery management• Quota per timeslot• Ordering cutoff times• Non-delivery areas

Feature Festival

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

Feature requirements Catalog IAProduct compareWishlists w/ email follow-upMulti-channel salesAnalytics & reportingMulti-vendorGeolocation

‘Tis a Barrel of Monkeys

Buy It Now Blvd

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

Buy It Now Blvd HazardsCoupons & gift certificates

• Clients are… creative.• Fully describe functionality in SOW

Email marketing• External – MailChimp• Joomla - AcyMail

Reward systems• Free items / discounts• Rewards as currency

TaxesTollroad

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

Taxes Tollroad HazardsMarketplace Fairness Act pending

• 46 states collect sales tax as of 2013• Free tax software (AKA free kittens)

“Today, keeping track of a few thousand local tax rates is no longer an insurmountable technical, administrative, or financial burden -certainly no more difficult than calculating real-time-shipping, a common feature on most web sites and online sales marketplaces.”

MarketplaceFairness.org

You are NOT an accountant• Cover yourself in the SOW• Get written client direction

VirtueMart supports AvaTax• EU & USA tax schedules• RT tax calculations at checkout• AvaTax fees based on taxable

transactions

HikaShop supports TaxCloud• Free USA real time tax service

Getting through safely…

Learn more about AvaTax Learn more about TaxCloud Opencart + TaxCloud

Social MediaSoiree

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

Social Media Soiree HazardsSocial login / checkout registration

Social sharing after purchase

Social network integration• JomSocial• EasySocial

Targeted social ads

By the Way Bog

Don’t let this be you.Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

Getting through the GateDon’t get bogged down at Go Live

• Minimize surprises – document!• Phase the project• Visuals are your friend• Detail the Client’s responsibilities• Clearly describe when YOU are done

If you find yourself in the Bog, give alternatives.

Success!

B2B

B2C

C2B

C2C

Illustration copyright 2013 Polished Geek LLC

Deb Cinkus,CEOTHE POLISHdeb@PolishedGeek.com

PolishedGeek.com @PolishedGeek

Donald Champion,CTOTHE GEEKdonald@PolishedGeek.com

Slides available online PolishedGeek.com/roadkill

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Deb Cinkus,CEOTHE POLISHdeb@PolishedGeek.com

PolishedGeek.com @PolishedGeek

Donald Champion,CTOTHE GEEKdonald@PolishedGeek.com

Let us guide the way!

Whitepaper available onlinePolishedGeek.com/joomla-ecommerce-roadkill

Feeling lost in your eCommerceproject?