The Power of Retail

I wrote about increasing the memory on my laptop some time back but didn’t mention that if you are looking for some additional memory then look no further than these micro sd cards which are the smallest and the most versatile memory cards in the world. You can get them in a range of capacities from 2GB to 8GB and better still come with a 30 day money back guarantee, a lifetime warranty and free shipping on the same day that you order. What could be better? Nothing else is needed actually! Since I work from home, I have a lot of files and documents stored on my computer and this is the best way to supplement th existing memory.

I came across an interesting site called EverNote where you can organize all your notes in one easy platform. You don’t need to be a tech wizard to understand how to use it, which makes it all the more accessible. using EverNote you can create notes using text, pictures, web clips as well as handwriting. Their system sync snapshots from your mobile phone or PDA to make it available on one platform, and you can then search your notes and share them via email or instant messaging. To make it even more user friendly, you can use Google Desktop search to find your notes. All of its applications are very user friendly and simple to use and best of all it is all free. You will have to register first, so that updates etc can be sent to you.

One of my main agenda’s of going home was to get some major maintainance done on my laptop. I’ve been using it for over 2 years now and have really used it a lot and there have been times that I seem to have lost data due to things going wrong, which is rather scary as I do all my work on my laptop. To figure our a way to protect my computer, therefore was a top priority for my trip back home.

I did manage to get lots of new software loaded on that will take care of it much better now, and also change some stuff around that will increase its space. I got myself an external drive, where I can now store all my work, without worrying about using up all my space, especially when it comes to photographs. It seems that just as I increase my capacity to store them, I end up taking more and more pictures and use up all available space. Well, that is unlikely to happen now with my new hard drive and all the other new gizmo’s that I have added on.

As a small business owner, do you know the value of all your assets? It’s an important aspect of running a business, so if you don’t, then you must have a look at the Visual Asset Manager by NetSimplicity, which organizes and manages your organization’s assets. The Visual Asset Manager is an Inventory Tracking Software that maps out assets to specific locations and keeps track of all resources. Using this system, you can also manage employee relocations with ease and handle inventories using a hand held scanner. The Visual Asset Manager not only handles your assets but also tracks usage and depreciation, so you can concentrate on building the business. In essence, it is a way to increase productivity and reduce hours spent on handling inventory and asset management yourself.

There’s a new way to find the best travel directions no matter where you are in the US or the UK. All you have to do is to enter your location and you will be shown a detailed travel map of where you want to go as well as the best combination of available transportation that is possible. So it could be a combination of driving, taking the bus, walking, subway etc. It’s so much more interactive than just looking at a flat static map and trying to figure it out yourself. Public Routes is the best way to get a driving directions map and chart out a route no matter where you are going, and doing it is so much simpler than ever before. I simply love the idea of it and can’t wait to start using it.

Backing up your data is serious business, especially if you do most of your work on a computer. While there are lots of good options, the one I am leaning towards is IBackup, which I have written about earlier as well. Besides being one of the leading Online Backup services for small businesses, IBackup has lots of great features like letting you set up scheduled backups, drive letter access so that you can access your backup date and even a way to access your backup data from wherever you are. With award winning products that have been recognized as providing the best backup service by PC World magazine in 2006 and also being selected as the PC Magazine editor’s choice, the system is the top of the line and will only help streamline processes.

Online shopping is changing the retail industry and unless a retailer can master the concept of online retailing, it’s just not going to make the cut. There are lots of companies that offer all the essential shopping cart software services with a software package and this is the way to go about it. Ashop Commerce is one of the leading providers of hosted shopping cart software and is capable of handling all the necessary steps to setup online shopping on your site.

Along with all the basics of ecommerce software, Ashop Commerce offers the highest quality of service and support so you can be assured that all your queries will be taken care of. Retail today is a constantly evolving scenario and it is imperative to be able to go with the flow and be a part of this ongoing phenomenon. As a retail analyst and researcher, I often visit online merchants just to check what kind of ecommerce software they offer and surprisingly enough, a lot of them don’t place enough emphasis on this aspect of business. I do hope this will change as they realize the importance of being able to reach newer customers from across the world.

All retailers need to invest in setting up credit card processing services for their websites. It is one of the best investments one can make, as it opens up the doors to the world to you and your company. When a customer sees something they would like to buy on a website, the first thing they will check is to see if major credit cards are accepted or not. It is the starting point of all future transactions and it is no longer a choice, credit card processing is an absolute must these days, where the world no longer revolves solely around brick and mortar stores.

Setting up merchant services for your site is much easier than it sounds, as it can all be taken care of by a company such as First Data Independent Sales who is one of the reputed companies in the field. As a retail analyst, I have seen so many smaller retailers select the first company that offered them the service and have seen the results of not doing a full check first. A customer who has a bad experience shopping at a site is unlikely to ever return, so it is imperative to select a company who is extremely professional and thorough about their product and service.

First Data’s credit and debit authorization is one of the fastest in the country and is also its most dependable network. One of the major advantages of selecting First Data is that it offers support 24/7 in 140 languages and dialects, from technical queries about POS systems or your credit card machine to customer support. Another great feature of their service is that you can check your account details online at Mymerchantoffice.com, which is a dedicated website for merchants to check their accounts. Besides offering merchant solutions, the company also has lots of free software and reprogramming to give away for free.

Working, working and working all the time makes it essential to keep track of how much time you are spending on a particular project etc. SlimTimer has launched a system that lets you keep track of time spent on work, eliminating the need for old-fashioned timesheets. SlimTimer allows you to set time for your coworkers as well, so you can track the progress on a project. For freelancers especially this is a really cool tool, since it provides transparency on ongoing work for the client as well.

ChannelAdvisor has launched an application called ShoppingAdvisor that lets retailers merchandise products on comparison shopping sites. With this new system, retailers will be able to customize products shown on specific sites, and will reduce the time taken to bring up results. ShoppingAdvisor can also be used to adjust bid levels and remove products. Retailers who have already taken to using the system are eBags.com and U.S. Cavalry, which sells military and outdoor equipment.

“The results we have experienced thus far have exceeded our expectations,” says Jon Mellen, senior marketing manager at eBags. “With the new tool, however, we’re able to make these advanced adjustments overnight and with confidence. This fits well with our testing philosophy and will provide limitless opportunities to further optimize our shopping engine relationships in the future.”