This article will help you to understand some similarities and differences between two frameworks: COSO and COBIT. Some basic knowledge about these two networks is required especially for E-Commerce. COSO and COBIT are comparable frameworks, COSO’s approach is more broad-based, fewer complexes, without so much technical issues and COBIT is more comprehensive, process-orientated, risk, control needs, and it relates more to technical issues. COBIT covers quality and security requirements such as effectiveness, efficiency, integrity, availability, compliance, confidentiality and reliability of information. These are the foundations for the control objectives of COBIT.

As recognized by the COSO agenda, the process of internal control comprises of five components. These make up for a highly competent framework for investigating and evaluating the system of internal control that is put to use in a business. These components are stated below:

– “Control Environment, this deals with setting the character of a business and influencing the control awareness of its staff and it includes the honor, moral values, operating methods of the management, system for assigning authority and the necessary procedures for organizing and developing the staff in a business association.

– Risk assessment, which includes the detection and examination of the risks that are most likely to pose a threat to attaining desired objectives.

– Control Activities, these are the rules and regulations which assist in guaranteeing that the orders of the management are satisfactorily carried out.

– Information and communication which are responsible for all news related to the operation and finances etc of a business that helps in its smooth running

– Monitoring of internal controls which points out any shortage in its quality making sure it is remedied so the system can be improved “(Bushman, 2007).

The domains of COBIT are:

– Planning and organizing

– Acquisition and implementation

– Mange IT investment

– Delivery and support

– Monitoring and evaluation.

COBIT focuses on IT components, which are process orientated. Moreover, the COBIT contains the system of development, operation, delivery, and implementation. COBIT helps strengthens assessment, understanding and exercise of appropriate internal controls. COBIT also, provides a good framework for risk management and improves communication among management, users and auditors regarding IT governance. Accordingly, COSO focuses on monitoring and evaluation, which is also one of the COBIT’s domains. Therefore, COSO and COBIT build together a strong assessment of IT based systems and processes.

For example, the company is implementing a new system. Therefore, the business can take an advantage of COBIT and COSO. In this case, COBIT will be very helpful to span the system on technology based processes. CABIT would also help in configuration of two different systems (new with an existing accounting system). COSO would help to evaluate the financial part and risk. Moreover, the COSO also will review all accounting related aspects and the COBIT will help in technological integration and it also will help with delivery and support of the implementation.

The combination of COSO and COBIT will be very beneficial for AFM Corporation. All analysis and documentation of processes could be scoped by the COSO framework and all technological issues could be reviewed in details by the COBIT framework. COBIT would also help with the complexity of software system. On the other hand, the COSO will support control activities and the COBIT will help in detailed monitoring and evaluating.

It is an interesting question as to what makes customers purchase in a web shop. But it is more useful to study why the customers DO NOT finally make a purchase, and what are the most important factors that hold them back from the purchase. Here we present the six main reasons what e-commerce failure is.

The list is not complete of course but on the basis of my experience the following six factors are the main reasons why a customer does not finally make the purchase:

1. They do not find the optimal product In most of the cases the first reason is that the customer does not even get to the optimal product – they do not encounter any offer that would convince them. This is the choice-helping topic: an effective web shop is like a good salesperson and helps the customer to find the optimal product. Choice-helping is ignored most of the time thanks to the fact that different types of customers have to be helped differently. But the good news is that there are a number of tools and methods to help make the choice. If you integrate them into your web shop you can experience a notable increase in quality so this sector has probably the most potential.

2. Our offer is not convincing enough If the customer reaches the optimal product they can see and review our offer: what will they get and for how much. In the best case scenario, this is exactly what they want and for them the product is more valuable than how much it costs so they order it right away, but unfortunately this is not what happens most of the time. In most cases, they think it is too expensive and will look around further or think about it etc. Fortunately there are many methods to increase the effectiveness of the offer; the more of these we use the more convincing we will be.

3. They do not trust some details of the offer This is a real sneaky killer – it can prevent the purchase without making the customer aware of why they did not make the final purchase. If the customer does not trust something they will not buy it. If some parts of the offer are not clear and the customer cannot see exactly what, when, for how much and how they can purchase, they really have to want the product to buy it.

4. The process of the purchase is difficult and illogical According to statistics, at least half of the purchases fail because of an illogical and difficult purchasing process. A web shop is only good if the customer can use it instinctively and the web shop adapts to the logic of the customers and not the other way around. It is hopeless if there is a need for instructions on how to make a purchase in a web shop.

5. They cannot choose from our range of products This is the problem of merchants offering many products: if the customer faces too many similar offers that seem equally good for them, and does not get any useful advice towards making the decision, they will not purchase but postpone the decision for later ‘to come back later’. Or they will go to another merchant who can help them decide.

6. They do not find an appropriate method of payment Through my work I often face the question of how to pay for products or services sold on the internet. There is no general solution; everybody has to decide on the basis of customer preferences. So the answer lies in research.

Less than a decade ago an e-commerce salesman could work well by only ensuring the purchase without any real customer assistance. However, today it is not possible to ignore these viewpoints in the face of strong competition from other web shops (which are only one click away from each other).

Ecommerce is the hinge that allows the online business door to swing wide open. This is the industry of cyber business. It goes beyond simply saying, “Look at me world, I have an idea. Doesn’t anyone care?” Ecommerce allows you to take your idea and connect it with consumers and your bank. It allows the free flow of commerce, your ideas, those who want to join you in what you are doing and a banking institution that can manage the electronic transfer of funds.

The overriding benefit of ecommerce is its low cost when compared to a brick and mortar storefront. However, an equally compelling benefit is the ability to appeal to a substantially larger consumer base.

Ecommerce can seem scary to those who have never dipped a toe into the waters of cyber sales. This can be likened to the apprehension some have felt over the use of a cell phone instead of a landline, a word processor instead a typewriter or a computer instead of an encyclopedia. These are not necessarily Luddites, but they do possess a fear over the use of something they don’t understand.

If you have an interest in ecommerce, but little interest in learning the skills to set up your online business there are online ecommerce solutions to help you get started. You can also use web builder technology to access many of the tools you will need to get started. These will typically be available with simple step-by-step instructions on the successful development of your ecommerce site.

One of the primary things you will need to know is that business transactions will typically be conducted electronically. What that means is you will not likely see cash or checks, but a simple notice (usually be email) that alerts you to deposits in a bank account or online financial institution such as PayPal.

Many larger online firms have further extended their sales potential by including Bill Me Later. This easy to use financial tool allows consumers to purchase something and defer payment in much the same way they might a credit card. The process for acceptance is simple and billing is handled by traditional mail, but can also be viewed via an online account by consumers.

Every day more tools are being made available to allow ecommerce to exist and thrive in an online environment.

What may seem ironic is even those who have attended college in the past, those who have encountered and conquered personal difficulties and those who have struggled through health difficulties may actually be the first to reject the idea of going into business online.

Yes, they have endured and conquered much, but they still view ecommerce as a hurdle that may be too much to manage.

The best suggestion I might make is to simply take the time to investigate some of the skills needed to conduct business online. Consider a few of the possibilities for an online business. Look through various online marketing ideas that others have used successfully. Pull each piece and view those fragments as puzzle pieces. When you have enough of them a bigger picture begins to emerge.

Ecommerce is possible and it isn’t something only those with great technical skills can use. It is for everyone. It may just be for you.

Technological advancement has completely revolutionized the way of our living; be it working, socializing or spending our money. Expedient, secure and rapid innovations have empowered us to an extent that we can carry out different tasks without leaving the comfort of our homes.

Every passing minute and online transaction does matter a lot to any business. Undoubtedly, sluggish website performance, fly-by-night infrastructure and security vulnerabilities can derail the strategically planned online revenue generation plans.

Whether you are selling tangible products or rendering intangible services online, there are indeed certain challenges that you will encounter while executing your e-commerce strategy. Safeguarding highly sensitive card holder information, delivering incessant and fast page load time, meeting infrastructure resources to varying demand, and keeping up with compliance requirements are some of the never-ending bottlenecks to success.

In an online portal, your website is the prime source of profit revenue generation, every second and every visit does count. That’s why selecting a reliable host and secured environment for your e-commerce site is a critical decision that you need to take.

Cloud hosting has increasingly become one of the valuable business investments, extremely imperative for success. It helps you in saving your business’ investment and averts you from over expending on resources you don’t require.

Let’s have a detailed discussion on how businesses can generate maximum revenue by hosting their e-commerce website on cloud platform.

Here are some of the key benefits that cloud hosting platform brings to the e-commerce industry:

Smartly manages peak consumer demand

One of the most attractive deals of cloud hosting provision is scalability. It can help you in smart management of increased visits and activity proficiently relatively to in-house applications, servers or software. As a user you would not be limited to just one server. It allows you to scale up your resources even in demanding times, i.e. the run up to Diwali, thereby facilitating increased sales conversion rates. Any additional resources is scaled down whenever the demand levels goes back to normal, so that nothing remains idle.

Can bring substantial cost savings

Usually, cloud hosting provision works on utility model, which means you only have to pay for the services that you have used. Simply put, it is just an addition to the nullified investment over equipment procurement, software updates and maintenance; you’ll find that it is far more economical than an in-house provision. Plus, it is even cost-effective to use the cloud vendor’s storage provisions, databases and services.

Helps in gaining competitive advantage

The utility model of cloud hosting plans is a resource that businesses can afford irrespective of their shape and size. This consequently let smaller retailers to vie with bigger rivals owing to economies of scale. At rudimentary level, cloud hosting makes e-commerce a cost-effective option. Furthermore, it provides consumers with multiple options, which opens up new doors of opportunity in online retail niche.

Concrete Disaster Recovery

The extreme impacts of unexpected natural catastrophes can lead to interrupting power supplies and shake up the performance of the server on which all online activity are carried out, thus resulting in business loss. By embracing cloud technology, it becomes easy to negate all of these qualms. If hosted appropriately, then unexpected events that transpire the physical place of business won’t have any repercussions.

Seamless Accessibility

Critical information can be accessed through any web browser, and there is no need for e-commerce businesses to incur upfront cost on the purchase of costly equipment. This may remove the need for paperwork and accelerate the process much more efficiently.

To sum up

Gain desired competitive edge over your competitors simply by embracing the cloud hosting technology.

Of course, an effective and easy way to attract new customers for a young venture or product is to offer special deals in the form of coupon codes. With the help of promoters and referrers, success can be guaranteed. But giving away promo codes has its own downside: when uncontrolled, chances are, someone will certainly find a loophole to abuse the promotion.

Promo abuse occurs when an individual – customer, vendor or a partner agency takes advantage of a promotion, unduly benefiting from a coupon multiple times, or perhaps, using them to gain money and other items or valuable services. Although quick boost in sales transaction is a good thing (especially if you're running short of matching a monthly target), the accused abuse of promotion might suddenly take its toll on your profit margin and decrease the trust of investors.

Forms of coupon fraud.

Based on actual business experiences, "creative" individuals have devised several ways to misuse and abuse promo coupons. For voucher codes distributed online with the intent of attracting new customers only, abusers have learned several workarounds. There are even numerous websites, blogs, and videos dedicated to teaching users how to work the system. Naturally, it's not a big deal if one of your users will take advantage of the code several times by creating 2 or 3 accounts with different email addresses. The real problem starts when company's employees, affiliates or partners are the ones involved in the coupon profiteering. I will cover more fraudsters tactics in future articles, but here are a few examples of the most common types of coupon abuse:

– Referral payouts: refer-a-friend program is a great incentive to create fake accounts or post the referral code on social media. In the second case you at least increase your database, however, such practice increases your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC); those users could sign up directly on your site.

– Cart abandonment voucher: customers already noticed, that each time they abandon the basket before finalizing the purchase, you send a retargeting campaign with a discount. Such a coupon incentivise to finish the purchase, but also to do it again when buying next time.

– Affiliate frauds: to increase their margin, affiliate networks, and agencies register each order as a new customer, using the voucher. Customer pays a full price, agency get's the discount value.

– Reselling own inventory: it's common in various marketplaces that sellers buy their own inventory using discounts, and .. put it back on sale. They earn a discount value, decreased by your margin. You earn, hmm, a fake KPIs.

– Generating fake orders: some vendors go even further, especially when they are the ones responsible for the logistics; they simply generate a fake order. Common in food delivery and car sharing services, a service provider – restaurant or the driver creates discounted order, which in fact does not have to be delivered. Again, they earn a discount value decreased by your margin.

What can you do to prevent it?

So how do you protect yourself, your company and business' liability against promo abuse? Here are some tips how you can decrease the risk of falling into discounting trap:

1. Take the control over your promo codes or coupons.

Offering promo coupons without a secure process that will track creation, monitor redemptions and control the budget, could mean a disaster. Invest into developing an internal system or use one available on the market. In any case, it should allow you to look at the real time KPI's and set behavioral triggers which can automatically deactivate the promotion or the particular code.

2. Limit the promo duration and number of coupon usage.

If you are planning to distribute a generic coupon regardless of customer identity, the best way to control it and stick to your projection is to limit the promo duration, campaign budget and sometimes, the number of max discounts for each generic coupon. In such case, change your code pattern often and make sure the old ones are fully deactivated.

3. Individualise coupon codes.

Still, the best way to control your promo coupons is to customize them. Individualizing coupons means creating unique codes intended for each individual or customer. Once that unique coupon or code has been used, it will be automatically marked and deactivated by your monitoring system. Thanks to that, you can distribute coupons to valuable customers and target particularly those, with a high Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV).

If you continue to subsidize your customers, chances are low they will ever turn profitable.

4. Do not reward cart abandonments too much.

Nowadays, basket retargeting is a must campaign in every company. It's perfectly OK to send your customer a reminder about an unfinished transaction, however, do not be too aggressive – if you're going to send a 20% voucher after 1h since customer's visit, you will actually reward the customer for abandoning the cart . That will only make them used to the scheme. Rather start from a simple reminder and ask your user if there's anything you can do to help finalizing the purchase. Keep in mind: it's not always about the money.

5. Limit promo to customer identity parameters, not account.

Based on the case example above, restrictive coupons can be abused by signing up with different accounts, using different email addresses and changing IPs. Fortunately, tech companies identified these tricks and suggested improvements. For a more secure coupon, use hard to tamper customer identity parameters and limit voucher usage to device fingerprint or user agent data, not account. Advanced enterprises can also observe and learn on common fraudster behavior to block voucher redemptions of similar patterns.

6. Use geo-targeting.

If you're not able to individualize the codes, at least limit the campaign to particular area or location. Especially if you're an international business, create geo-targeted codes by zip code, city or country, offering different discounts in different areas, then track where they are being used.

7. Control the distribution of your coupons.

Do not distribute your coupons or promo codes just elsewhere especially if they are generic or free to use by everyone. Oftentimes, abusers are just waiting to grab that opportunity and will not give genuine customers a chance to take advantage of your offer. To acquire new customers, distribute unique codes across social media campaigns or target those who are already engaged. A good idea is also to get into partnerships with companies that offer complementary products and distribute unique coupons directly to their customers. Make sure each coupon is attributed properly to each marketing channel, so you can easily (ideally in a real time) monitor each campaign's Revenue On Investment (ROI) and act accordingly. If you're using coupons to track your offline campaigns, track not only a Conversion Rate (CR) but also a CLTV to see how profitable those customers are.

8. Never fully divide the limitations of your promo code.

Another loophole that abusers can use is the knowledge of your coupon's limits. If for example your coupon code is intended for new customers only, it's enough to tell them that it is limited to new sign-ups or purchases only. Do not discuss other details like in cases where you are only tracking the IP address, email address, etc.

9. Benchmark referrers and affiliates.

An effective way to discourage abuse specifically from "illicit" referrers or affiliates is to control their KPIs. Monitor affiliates and agencies, track how much their revenue contribution is driven by vouchers and benchmark them all together – any anomaly might indicate dishonest behavior. To not lose a vendor, simply direct your partner to decrease the voucher usage or set a limit upfront.

Offering special deals can attract new customers and keep current ones engaged, but without a well-despite coupon strategy, discounting brings losses, even if generates lots of traffic at first.

Corrugated Boxes, often called cardboard boxes, are the lifeline of the e-commerce industry. Everyone today has at one point in their life purchased something online. For some, it’s a daily routine and for others its more of a once in a month impulse. There is no denying the fact though that our civilisation is quickly moving towards a completely online digital marketplace environment where everything and anything can be purchased with a click of single button. With the widespread availability of the internet and rapid adoption of smart phones and shopping apps, it is only inevitable that e-commerce is the future of shopping as we know it.

Redefining Home Delivery with Corrugated Boxes

When one thinks of online shopping, the first thing that comes to mind is home delivery, and how one can sit in the comfort of their home / work and their product will be delivered to them. Today everything from electronics to clothing, jewellery to books, daily groceries to large industrial equipment’s can be purchased online and shipped to the customer within a few days or even just a few hours. Whats revolutionary is the ways that companies have found to transport their product to your doorstep – securely, quickly and with zero damage to the product. All of this has been possible thanks to the advent of the corrugated box and the versatility of this marvellous packaging material.

Corrugated Boxes – The ultimate packaging solution

Corrugated boxes come in multiple degrees of hardness, which makes them ideal for shipping everything from fragile glass work to durable cable wiring. They can be custom sized and shaped to cater to every industry from Pizza delivery cartons to large screen LCD’s. Corrugated boxes can also be easily printed on unlike other packaging materials, which means each company can design their own unique branding, logo and look to their product package which resonates with their brand image and promise. from a shipping and logistics point of view, corrugated boxes are sturdy and durable. They can be manufactured in the perfect dimensions to minimise logistics costs and still provide a great look for the product.

In this e-commerce era, a product and company are judged not just by the value their product provides, but also the emotions it invokes in the customer. Corrugated boxes are the perfect first touch point for companies and customers to evoke the right emotion and provide utility as well.

When you’re selling products online, you are selling pictures before the product. In e-commerce only the image serves the medium of communication with your customers and it has to convey all about the product.

When there are numerous advantages of online shopping, one of the biggest shortcomings is that a customer can’t have the complete product experience. They can’t hold the product in their hands and get the real look and feel which every customer would like to have before making a purchase decision. They can only see the product through photos. Your e-commerce product photography will often decide the fate of your sale conversions.

Good e-commerce product photography is about capturing all possible details.

Here are few tips to make your e-commerce product photography better:

1. Background: A clean, white seamless background is recommended for most products. Use same background for your products to maintain the required consistency among images.

2. Equipment: Tools are the basic need for anything. Get a good camera, sturdy tripod, quality lights and other basic necessities commonly required for photography.

3. Context: Sometimes it’s quite useful to evaluate a product with respect to its surroundings, especially where size matters. A bed sheet is always shown stretched on a bed for the purpose of showing its actual size.

4. Props: Whether props should be used or not? It depends on the product. Sometimes using props is very much suggested but at times it can prove killer for the product. When clothes look best on a model or mannequin, it can shift the focus away when used with jewelry.

5. Preparing: How you prepare the product really matters. Keep the product neat and clean and in presentable form. Make sure everything is perfect.

6. Many Angles: Show your product with multiple angles so that customers can see all the details of your product. Images are the only way to communicate with the customers in e-commerce, so don’t leave the customer disappointed with very limited number of images. Show at least 6-7 images per product. Give a close-up view to capture minute and complex details.

7. Emotion: Emotions can be hard to express or communicate with a simple product image. Try to take shots that can emote. You can link your product with family values or something like this. The product is there but connected with emotions.

8. Consistency: It is very critical aspect in e-commerce product photography. Any professional e-commerce site must have consistency across all photos. All products should be photographed on the same backgrounds or with subtle changes. Consistency gives more smooth and professional look to your e-commerce website.

9. Size: Always present appropriate size images. Small pictures are not very effective with sales point of view. Keep high resolution large size photos for better sales conversion.

10. Video: If an image is a trailer of a movie, a video is like a whole movie. So extend your limits and offer a video of your product. Video will do wonders in case you are selling complicated products with moving parts or pieces.

The Samsung website trusts it. The Nike store is built on this platform. In fact, more than 25% of all e-commerce sites in the world run on this platform which shows its popularity and ever-growing usages. Despite the presence of several platforms, Magento continues to be a top draw for brands big and small alike across industry verticals which calls for some analysis. Why developers all over the world love building e-commerce sites using this platform? Well, there could be many reasons but none makes as much sense as its being an open source platform. Which means, anyone could use it for free.

Further, it comes in three different versions where one is free while the others are paid and they are meant for enterprises. It's free to download and install, and its source code can be tweaked easily to get a perfect website developed. Once the site is developed, anyone can go ahead and install extensions of choice and extend the horizon of the business. Being open source in nature, it has a huge developer community that updates the platform on a regular basis, spots security flaws and ensuring a risk-free platform. More so, not all other platforms in the market are as tailor-made for e-commerce as Magento is.

In addition, Magento is a full-fledged e-commerce platform unlike most others that are primarily content management systems with some plugins for e-commerce purpose. What's more, its core features are perfect to developing e-store of any complexity and layer to help businesses realize their goals with ease. Some of core features include Customer Segmentation, Inventory Management, Product Bundling, Advanced Shipping Management, and Advanced Supplier Management etc. With this platform, businesses have the freedom and option to select their own hosting service to keep the costs down and change the service as and when needed. The platform also gives the facility of adding as many features as possible without spending any money.

With Magento, businesses face no restrictions on adding, displaying or uploading the number of products, services or SKUs. It brings ease of integrating 3rd party apps to add new features into the site since you are saved the inconvenience and cost attached with coding new feature. With modular technology in use, businesses can modify and plug in templates and layouts of choice and deliver superior front-end experiences to users. In addition, it's a platform that loads fast and allows easy and swift caching of pages so that users need not wait for the product or information to load.

Similarly, Magento is one platform that is built for SEO which means you need not sweat over optimization. The best part, it supports the development of mobile-friendly websites so that your business continues to benefit from a wider and bigger marketplace on the web. You also get to run more than one website using a common backend system. This is how you can support thousands of products and services at the same time without spending more than what you would expect. So, trust Magento and give a new direction to your business.

Choosing shipping supplies isn’t simply picking different boxes and interior packing items – it crucial to think about the kind of ‘unboxing experience’ you hope your customers to have; what material would complement and suit your product brand identity’s master goals. In addition to this – you should plan to sort your shipping supplies, in order to maximize your time and resources (and ensure you don’t need to make purchases from the office supply store at the last minute).

If you’re thinking this sounds complicated, time-consuming and expensive – you’ll be happy to hear that it isn’t. It simply requires some forward planning to give your customers a memorable and exceptional experience.

Here are few cost-effective ways to make the best of your shipping supplies:

1. Choose proper and suitable shipping supplies

Back in the 1900’s, when USPS Parcel Post shipped the first boxes, the end game was straightforward – getting a plain brown cardboard box from point A to B. Nowadays – shipping is much more than just that. There are four vital things to consider when you’re deciding on shipping supplies to suit your product.

Weight: When choosing shipping packaging – keep in mind that shipping carriers calculate your shipping cost according to the parcel’s weight, size and destination. What this means is that it will be more cost-effective to choose a lighter and more compact packaging – such as smaller boxes or bubble envelopes, instead of over-sized and heavy boxes.

Protection: To ensure that your shipping supplies protect their contents properly – you need to use the correct packaging material best suited for the product your shipping. Use item specific materials, such as a poly mailer for items that need to be water resistant or a wine shipper for bottles.

Aesthetics: In today’s marketplace – a product’s packaging is personally connected to the product’s brand experience. Consider personalising or customising your packaging so that it sets you apart from your competitors, whilst also giving your customers a memorable and distinct unboxing experience.

Price: E-commerce entrepreneurs often consider the cost of shipping supplies first, when ordering supplies. Even though the importance of the gross expense of supplies is vital, don’t try to cut costs on the right boxing and sufficient cushioning materials. Poor planning and packaging can damage your product and, essentially, your brand.

2. Get creative with your packaging

Choosing shipping supplies that will be the most effective and suitable for your products is the next important factor when planning how to package the products you sell. Many businesses, and in particular E-commerce businesses, simplify and organise their packaging material – by making use of only a few ‘primary’ boxes; mailers and a singular cushioning material for all the products they ship.

Consider some of these typical packaging options for shipping:

Boxes – Not only are boxes available in various shapes and sizes, they can either be lightweight or heavy duty. Lightweight options, like corrugated mailers, work well for smaller, everyday items; whilst heavy-duty items are clearly best shipped in heavy-duty packaging. Always leave approximately 5cm of space on all sides of the product for the package cushioning.

Bubble Mailers – These nifty mailers are E-commerce entrepreneurs’ preferred and most liked shipper. This is due to their lightweight material and saving on postage. These work well for shipping items that require a modest amount of protection because they are made of Kraft paper or have a poly exterior.

Poly Mailers – Poly Mailers are perfect for items that aren’t fragile, such as clothing. These mailers are moisture resistant, lightweight and quite durable.

Cushioning – Never try to save a buck by being frugal with your cushioning material. Wonderful options include foam rolls; air pillows; bubble wrap; peanuts or even a combination of these. If you are packaging with bubble wrap – always face the bubbles inward, as it offers maximum protection this way. When choosing and using cushioning – keep in mind that it’s an inexpensive insurance on your shipped goods.

3. Keeping inventory and storing your shipping supplies

Just as many E-commerce retailers meticulously manage and keep an inventory of their products and resources – the same should go for shipping supplies. It’s as simple are implementing the same tracking methods used on quantities; stock ordering; locations and bundles to your shipping supplies.

Tracking quantities – Make use of an inventory management system to monitor the number of boxes; cushioning materials and mailers etc. you have on hand. This will allow you to always have enough shipping supplies in your warehouse and thus to always be efficient when needing to ship products.

Stock ordering – The same technology will also allow you to determine when it will be necessary to re-order certain supplies that are running low, through automatic notifications. In addition, you can compile and review reports to determine which supplies are used more frequently and how long certain quantities of supplies last – to assist you in not spending all your capital on shipping supplies.

Tracking locations – Once again an inventory management system can help organise and simplify how and where you store your shipping supplies, whilst reducing the need to rearrange your warehouse to make space for new stock.

Bundling – The inventory management system to ‘bundle’ certain supplies, as you would with your products. This is also referred to a ‘kitting’ – as it allows retailers to sell certain related items together as a ‘kit’, such as selling a game console with an extra controller, memory card and games.

Although keeping track of your shipping supplies won’t be as stimulating as managing your products, it is an interrupting and inexpensive way to make the most of your shipping supplies.

In conclusion, I spoke to ship chandlers recently. They deal with many types of shipments, suppliers, retail sites and handle a host of shipments all packaged in different ways and they all, wholehearted, agreed that often the receiver’s first impression of the success of the product, or the reputability of the supplier, is based on the condition of the packaging! So there you have it.

Writing a product description is simply making a list of the product's e-commerce specifications and features. It appeals to your customers to make informed decisions whenever or not to buy your product. It is the ultimate ruling factor in a purchase, make sure to do it right.

Focus on your target customer

Write a product description targeting your target customers in mind. Address your ideal buyers directly and personally as if you are having a conversation with them. When writing product descriptions, think of it as talking to your ideal buyer and what would you say if you are talking to them face-to-face.

Some of the aspects you need to consider are the following:

• Gender
• Age
• Regional area
• Social status

Feature the benefits

When buying a product, the first thing I look for are its features and why can I benefit from it. So when selling products, do not focus on defining most of its features and specifications, think of it as what would your customers benefit from your product. This is why you need to focus on the benefits of each feature.

When highlighting the benefits, do not think of it as selling the product, but selling the experience.

Less is more

When writing a product description, consider only these main points:

1. Describe the product
2. Help make the reader make informed decisions
3. SEO

A product description should be only at about 150 to 300 words. Keep your descriptions as short as possible because customers need that information fast. Not only that, it keeps you focused on the information needed and helps you write more important features of the product.

Appeal to their imagination

If you describe your product description as if they already own the product, their desire to grab one increases. As an e-commerce website, it is critical to make them imagine as if they were holding the product and using it already. Let the readers feel what it would be like to own your product.

Avoid generic phrases

Most of the time, if we are stuck with words while writing product descriptions we end up with bland, and generic phrases like "excellent shoes". What's not to like about these catch phrases? You see these phrases all the time that customers might think: "Sure … everybody says that". Our goal is to stand out from the rest, so make a product description that gives you an impression of quality. So instead of writing generic phrases, use an even better approach. Make each of your description define "excellent" even further.

Use sensory words

You've seen it in restaurants, chocolates, and even sumptuous desserts. What makes them appealing? They use sensory words. Sensory words get the customers to use most of their senses by making them experience the copy while reading. Think about the words like smooth, crispy, or velvety. Does that make you crave for the product?

As an e-commerce website, you need to sell a product in order to survive online. One way to sell a product is to craft a well-written description that appeals to your customers and makes them want to buy it.