“Cyberspace is woven into the fabric of our daily lives and the world is more interconnected today than ever before. We enjoy the benefits and convenience that cyberspace provides as we shop from home online, bank using our smart phones, and interact with friends from around the world through social networks.”   Those were the words used by the Department of Homeland Security when talking about its commitment to raise cyber-security awareness. And that commitment is especially apparent during the month...

At the IBM Smarter Commerce workshop, held on Sept. 18-19 in Chicago, presenters showcased the enterprise marketing management (EMM) solutions developed by IBM to drive relationship marketing within the eCommerce arena. The topic was kicked-off with explanations as to how the tools within the platform address the needs of specific users.   For marketing leaders and planners: Maximizing ROI is one of the No. 1 goals of CMOs and marketing managers. Modeling and assessing the mix of marketing efforts is covered within...

Calling retailers of all shapes and sizes! There’s a lot of money to be made by making your products available on various marketplaces, like Amazon, eBay and Rakuten (formerly Buy.com). It's good to be aware, however, that with those opportunities, comes an additional cache of responsibilities.   It’s one thing to toss your goods onto an eCommerce marketplace, but it’s quite another to do it following best practices:   1. Tracking inventory   Amazon suggests that merchants update their online inventory...

Moving to the cloud – it’s what all forward-thinking businesses are doing. And it’s what your business should be doing, too. Right? Well, before jumping on the bandwagon, it’s best to understand exactly what it means to move to the cloud and if it’s actually well-suited for your business’s needs.   Whether you’re new to the cloud or a long-time user – be it for personal or business reasons – most individuals have been exposed to the idea of storing or...

Without Steve Jobs, the designers at Apple are finding inspiration in unexpected places. And actually, that was always the case – even during the days when Jobs resided over the company.   According to Scott Forstall, former senior vice president of iOS software, in a recent report compiled by the editors at Fast Company, tackling the iPhone keyboard can be linked back to an old episode of The Simpsons where a memo is erroneously changed from “Beat up Martin” to “Eat...

On Sept. 18, 2013, in downtown Chicago, a wide variety of IBM business partners gathered at 71 S. Wacker Dr. to learn about the wide array of products found under the Smarter Commerce umbrella. The overarching theme of the business partner event, however, focused on how those solutions can put the customer in context.   John Davidson, sales executive with the Global Smarter Commerce team, kicked off the two-day event by setting expectations for attendees. He explained that the Smarter Commerce...

Open an issue of Real Simple magazine and it’s easy to see who their target audience is: successful women, working moms, fashion-conscious ladies and don’t forget, aspiring domestic goddesses. The content found within is all geared at making the modern woman even savvier than she already is, and that was definitely the case with a recent issue.   “Web shopping is ultra-convenient,” penned the Real Simple editors, “but getting it when you want it (how much for two-day shipping?) and how...

In this week’s three-part blog series, the team at NetSphere Strategies laid out the pros and cons of various options related to launching a new eCommerce website. In part one, we weighed the benefits of hosting a site, and in part two, we looked at the pluses and minuses behind buying a commercial eCommerce solution.   For our third installment, we investigated why a business owner should or shouldn’t choose to build his or her own site using open source software....

As we here at NetSphere Strategies mentioned in a blog posted earlier this week, we will be looking at the options available to eCommerce businesses in a three-part series that addresses whether to buy, build or host your new site. For our second installment, we’ll focus on the pros and cons of buying a commercial eCommerce package.   Like the snowflake, no two eCommerce businesses are alike. And that’s why it’s important to weigh the odds to determine what’s best for...

Decisions, decisions. Life is wrought with them. And that’s especially true for new players in the eCommerce game. Retailers wishing to establish or enhance their online presence have the choice to either buy or build their own website. On top of that, they also need to decide whether to host their website off-site or in-house.   To address the factors that play into these decisions, we here at NetSphere Strategies will publish a three-part series that lays out the pros and...