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sellersupportagency-blog · 5 years

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Why you should choose BigCommerce for your business?

Overview of BigCommerce

Before we dig deep into the benefits of using BigCommerce for business let’s take a moment and understand what is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a privately held technology company that provides a SaaS eCommerce platform. The company was founded in 2009 and has 600+ employees with headquarters in Austin, Texas.

BigCommerce is a top eCommerce platform that allows you to create an online store. It lets you set up your store, add products, and make money through your website. This is the feature that makes it worth using for any mid-size business.

BigCommerce is best for large or fast-growing businesses providing you with tons of features that its competitors do not offer.

Some of the clients of BigCommerce includes the big boys like Toyota, Kodak and Ben & Jerry’s for starters.

For small businesses looking to scale up, BigCommerce offers an average growth of 28% for its clients year on year.

Now that we know about BigCommerce Lets dig into why you should be using it to grow yourself and your business.

Advantages of using BigCommerce for your business

Let’s discuss some of the pros of using BigCommerce.

Most scalable eCommerce platform

More built-in features than any competitors

Lets you sell across multiple channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

User-Friendly SEO tools.

Disadvantages of using BigCommerce

Now let’s see some of the cons as well.

Complex terminology difficult to understand by beginners

No mobile app.

Every eCommerce store builder has its pros and cons but the best part is they are all customizable according to your needs. Let’s see how easy and fun it can be using BigCommerce.

As a business owner, you want to spend as much time as possible looking after your customers, shipping products, and watching your profits go up; you don’t want to spend precious hours trying to reformat a text.

Quite honestly the ease of use of BigCommerce is less compared to Shopify. It is because its user interface is divided into two parts; one is where you upload the products i.e. the back-end process and the other being where you edit the storefront i.e. customize its look.

This can get a little confusing for the beginners as they are not well versed with all the technical terms, this is why BigCommerce released a tool called “Store Design” which makes it a lot easier to customize and play with it.

Think of BigCommerce as a huge plane that takes you from point A to point B without changing the flight midway. With a big plane comes big complexity which cannot be flown just after passing the pilot’s exam!

But that’s not all BigCommerce has been listening to its users and is making the usage a lot simpler without compromising on the features. Best of the best thing about BigCommerce is it may be little tech savvy but in the long run, you don’t need to change your plane and will only make your journey more comfortable as you start to understand it.

Now, that we know how easy and fun it could be using BigCommerce let’s have a look at the tools and features it has to offer.

1.Website building features

BigCommerce has the best in-house features of any eCommerce builder. They provide a high level of quality and reduce the reliance you may have on third-party apps. You effectively have everything you need right at your fingertips for no extra cost.

2.Product Types.

BigCommerce is the only eCommerce builder on the market that lets you sell physical, digital and service-based products without having to use an app. All of these sales types are already built into the editor.

3.Payment Options

Once you’ve got all your products set up and ready to sell all you need is a way to get paid. Unlike some other eCommerce builders, BigCommerce doesn’t lock you into its own payment gateway. It doesn’t impose transaction fees on any of its plans as well which is a huge benefit for retailers contemplating to move onto BigCommerce.

Instead, it lets you choose your provider without imposing any extra charges or transaction fees.

4.Shipping Options

BigCommerce gives you range shipping options. You can get real-time shipping quotes, offer free shipping to your customers, and print shipping labels, all with BigCommerce’s third-party integration.

BigCommerce offers its all-in-one service for next-level shipping tools. Just install the new BigCommerce Shipping App and ship using DHL, FedEx, USPS and other widely used shipping service providers.

5.Other Functionalities

BigCommerce has the largest number of built-in features of any eCommerce builder. This includes SSL Security certificate, which encrypts user data to make online payments safe. In this age of cyber frauds this feature is a real game clincher.

6.Abandoned Cart Recovery

Almost as important as an SSL Certificate is an option for abandoned cart recovery. When a customer abandons their product the cart at the time of check out, you can send an automated email to draw them back to their purchase. You can even personalize the emails and include discount codes.

This is a real money getter! On average, these emails win back 12-15% of customers, while personalized emails are 6 times more effective than regular ones.

7.Multichannel Selling

With BigCommerce, you can sell everywhere using multichannel integrations. Simply put, you can sell through Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Amazon, and more. Manage everything from one place, sit back, and watch the sales roll in from all across the web.

Keep track of all those sales using BigCommerce’s data reporting tools. Identify customers’ trends, track your store’s performance, follow your conversion rates, and more – all from your dashboard.

8.Apps

There are over 600 apps to choose from in the BigCommerce app store. BigCommerce has a limited app store than its competitors, but that’s only because it has so many impressive in-house features already. You just don’t need as many apps as you would for Shopify. This keeps costs lower because you don’t have to pay out for third party add-ons every month.

9.Themes

BigCommerce has over 100 themes to choose from. There are seven free themes and over 100 paid themes, that range from $145-$235.

BigCommerce makes it easy to find your perfect theme. You can search by industry, or by the layout you want for your template. For example, you can choose from grid layouts or designs featuring large images. You can also view just free or paid themes, or use the search bar to find tailored results.

Themes vary depending on the industry they are categorized under. For instance, themes in the ‘clothing’ category have a product zoom feature, while other categories don’t include this. So, it’s worth having a proper search to find a theme that best fits your store’s needs.

10.Design Customization

BigCommerce recently released a new visual merchandising tool, called Store Design. Before you had to customize your storefront in two separate areas and wait to see the results, this tool changes everything.

The Store Design tool allows you to pick out sections of your page and customize them then and there, right in front of you. This gives you instant control over everything from background colours to logo positions, the number of featured products, navigation arrow colours, and more.

Conclusion

BigCommerce is the best choice for large and fast-growing businesses. It has an impressive range of built-in tools and features to support your online store’s growth. Powerful reporting tools mean it’s easy to keep track of your store’s successes and improvements.

Seller Support is an agency which specializes is providing custom solutions for any ecommerce platform. Store development, plugin development, theme customization and designing, catalog management, customer support is just some of the fields we have expertise in.

If you are a retailer contemplating to move onto BigCommerce contact us at [email protected].

#bigcommerce #ecommerce #bigcommerce support

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hafizhamza313 · 5 years

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Best eCommerce platform of 2019: get an online store now!

The rise of the web has allowed countless businesses to reach a wider market. Not only that, it has given rise to countless new online-only businesses, fueled by the exponential rise of mobile connections. It's not surprising, then, that one analyst claims that the SMB e-commerce platform market will break the billion-dollar barrier. There's no doubt that the web provides a huge opportunity for companies, but it’s important for organizations to make the most of that opportunity. In order to sell your products or services online, your website has to be appropriately equipped. Building an online store from scratch is a mammoth task, and fortunately, an unnecessary one. Today, there is a huge variety of e-commerce platform packages from which to choose. Most e-commerce platforms will provide businesses with standard functionality such as the ability to showcase products in an online catalog, take payments online, manage customers and provide with after-sales. Others will provide more sophisticated functionality, such as online marketing features, the ability to manage or integrate with in-store systems and the provision of APIs. Which e-commerce software is best for your business depends entirely on your specific requirements. If you're an online-only outfit, then POS integration won't be necessary, but you may get a lot of business from overseas, in which case foreign currency support would be a requirement. In this article, we’re going to highlight some of the best e-commerce platforms available right now, before moving on to consider other options you might want to explore in terms of creating your own e-commerce solution. The best e-commerce platform packages

Shopify is perhaps the most well-known e-commerce platform available. It was set up in 2006 by founders Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake who, as the story goes, felt that there wasn't a simple-to-use e-commerce platform available and so built their own. The company claims that: "You don't need to have any technical or design experience to easily create a beautiful online store." According to Shopify, it's possible to get one of its online stores up-and-running within minutes. Users can choose from a wide range of templates, or they can design the look and feel of their store themselves. It accepts a comprehensive range of credit cards, has Level 1 PCI compliance and 256-bit SSL encryption for security, and it offers 24/7 support via phone, instant messaging or email. The platform provides a full CMS with which users can manage the functionality and layout of their online store. Users can manage their store on-the-go using Shopify's mobile apps, and the platform itself is fully responsive, meaning the store will be optimized for visitors regardless of whether they access it from a desktop computer or a mobile device. Shopify also offers users unlimited hosting for their stores, in-depth analytics of how visitors are using the store, and functionality for marketing such as SEO optimization, a discount and coupon engine, gift cards and email marketing tools. You can test out Shopify with a 14-day free trial. For Shopify, services contact us at Fiverr.

Bigcommerce was established in 2009 and promises to "support your business, not just your store." In addition to offering support via phone, instant chat, and email, it also offers articles and videos to help with e-commerce and access to a team of e-commerce experts who can provide advice and guidance about online selling. Their experts are qualified in both Google Analytics and Adwords. Like Shopify, Bigcommerce provides a variety of templates and themes to help stores look their best and get up-and-running quickly. Alternatively, users can design their own store or use Bigcommerce designers to do so. The platform incorporates a full-featured CMS that allows users to run an entire website, rather than just a store. Users can benefit from detailed and flexible product management, optimized search engine rankings, along with a variety of integrated marketing tools and analytics. Payments can be accepted via 40+ pre-integrated gateways and shipping details can be customized as per the business's requirements. As of late, some new features have been added like support for Amazon Import and Link and Shopping in Instagram Stories. The platform offers automated order processing, flexible tax rules depending on where orders are made and shipped, and support for multiple currencies. You can test out Bigcommerce with a 15-day free trial.

Volusion has been around for almost two decades, having been set up in Texas over in the US in 1999. The company touts its platform as being an "all-in-one e-commerce solution", and offers a free 14-day trial (no credit card required). As with other e-commerce platforms, users are offered a variety of templates from which to choose, and can also customize templates if they so wish. Should a more complex design be required, Volusion offers a custom design service that can incorporate branding and a firm's social media presence. The platform provides the site and product management tools you'd expect, marketing functionality for SEO, social media, and affiliate outlets, along with emails and order management functionality for fast order processing, accepting payments, tax calculations and POS integration. In addition to its platform and associated services, Volusion offers apps from its partners, support for users and a knowledge-base for help with e-commerce. Users can draw upon blog posts, guides and webinars. As of October 8th 2018, there are no more transaction fees.

CoreCommerce was set up in 2001 and focuses on providing e-commerce services to small and medium-sized businesses. The company places an emphasis on simplicity and transparency, promising that its platform is easy-to-use and that customers will not fall foul of any hidden charges. Perhaps CoreCommerce's most unique aspect is that all of its features are offered to all customers regardless of what plan they are on. Price plans are determined by the number of products, the number of email addresses, the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage required by the user (and higher-end plans also benefit from additional support). As with other e-commerce providers, CoreCommerce offers functionality for store design, product management, order processing and marketing. Of its headline features, the platform offers unlimited product customization options, a built-in blogging engine, and secure hosting that is provided by Rackspace and comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. You can try CoreCommerce out with a 15-day free trial.

Having been founded in 1997, 3dcart is the oldest of our featured providers here. It was set up with a view to incorporating as many of the most requested e-commerce features into one platform as possible. The company says it has six core values by which it operates: ongoing innovation, good service, simple solutions, fostering trust, keeping employees and customers happy, and stimulating prosperity amongst employees and customers. Some of the platform's innovative features include a module that users can install to offer gift-wrapping, a purchase order system, the option of running a loyalty program and the ability to offer recurring orders. Many of these features are very specific, meaning that stores can be highly tailored to the needs of each business. Stores can be designed using one of the many templates offered by 3dcart, or users can design their own store. A quick edit bar means that making changes to the design of a store is simple. Product images are fore-fronted with 3dcart's auto-zoom feature and products can be sold via Facebook with its store integration. As with some other platforms, users can blog directly from 3dcart and tools are provided for setting up coupons, sending newsletters and affiliate marketing. In addition to its platform, 3dcart offers a number of professional services. Users can request help with SEO, PPC, shopping feed management, social media, Facebook ads and conversion consulting. Help can also be provided to ensure that a user's store is set up to the highest standard. Services such as site cloning, setting up custom tracking, data migration and training are offered. In addition, 3dcart can provide SSL certification. Hosting is guaranteed at 99.9% uptime and 24/7 support is provided via phone, email or online chat. You can test out the service with a 15-day free trial.

Alternative means If you don’t want to go the route of using an off-the-shelf package, what other options are available for you to explore? That’s what we’re going to look at in the second half of this piece…

Is eBay right for your business? Opening its doors in 1999, eBay UK now has over 14 million users, with over 10,000 people using the site for a business that is their primary means of income. It's not just about people selling unwanted goods - businesses have used the simplicity that eBay offers to set up lucrative operations. Even the larger brands such as Argos, Debenhams and House of Fraser are using eBay to sell online. With sophisticated tools now available you can be up and running with your store in just a few hours. The eBay Seller Centre has all the information you need. Each store is managed via eBay's familiar user interface, and there are a number of eBay-provided tools to help manage, track and promote your shop once it's established. Using eBay as the platform for your business could be ideal if your business wants to sell goods on a fixed price basis. The complete integration of the PayPal e-payments system into eBay takes care of this essential component of your store. The key with eBay is to look closely at the costs involved and also the transaction fees that PayPal charge before moving forward and setting up your own store. How to create your own e-commerce solution Of course, if you want complete control over every aspect of your new online store, building each page yourself will be the best course of action. Hiring someone to code your website is one option. If you decide to do this follow these steps: Ask the company for live examples of their work to look at Write a detailed brief of the site you want to be created. The more detail the better to avoid confusion Ensure you understand the price you are being charged and how many revisions this price includes Always have a signed agreement or contract before work commences Ask whether the designers will host your site and if you will be able to make updates yourself or if all updates must go through the design agency at an additional cost Ask for the copyright of your design to be assigned to your company, as your website is an important part of your business' intellectual property Put into your contract, details of how the agreement can be amicably dissolved if things go wrong

You also don't have to build your site completely from scratch. Buying a template can give you all the basic pages your site needs. You can then either modify them yourself using an application like Dreamweaver or hire a coding expert to make the changes. Website templates are available from a number of vendors including Template Monster. If you already have a website and want to add e-commerce functionality, this can be easily achieved with a number of applications including: XCart ClickCartPro CubeCart Final advice Whichever route you decide to take when building your website always remember: You need to ensure your store can be easily updated and managed. Good professional web hosting is vital to ensure your site is always available. Look for payment and shopping carts that are intuitive and efficient to use. Customer service is king these days. Businesses shouldn't just efficiently take customers' money, but should also properly support them. Make sure that your store is fully integrated with all the leading social media sites. Put security first – shoppers are now more comfortable buying online, but always ensure your site uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) which is now the industry standard for online payments. Above every other consideration should be your site's visitor experience. Don't forget your competitors are just a mouse click away in the world of e-commerce. Setting up your online store should be approached carefully and diligently to ensure you put a professional and efficient site live. Internet shopping continues to expand. Make sure your business doesn't miss out on a sales channel that shows no signs of slowing down. Read the full article

#ecommerce #ecommerceplatforms

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skuplugs · 4 years

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VendHQ Integration with BigCommerce

Vend is a cloud-based point-of-sale and retail management software that helps the business owners to run their business in-store, online and also through mobile phone. It also integrates with other business and payment applications like Xero, Shopify, Square, PayPal. It also integrates with other business services like BigCommerce, WooCommerce and LightSpeed. VendHQ Integration with BigCommerce provides an excellent platform for your business. You can easily take your business online with the help of services provided by Vend and BigCommerce.

BigCommerce is a private company that provides SaaS e-commerce platform. It was found in 2009. The headquarters of BigCommerce are in Austin, Texas. It also partnership with other online payment service providers. E-commerce business is one of the ways of growing and boosting up your business. VendHQ Integration with BigCommerce also provides a good platform for your business. You can also integrate your business with other services.

VendHQ Integration with BigCommerce is very famous and is known to provide best services to the business owners. If you also own a business and you want to grow and boost it then you can take the integration services from these companies. You can also use other integration services to grow your business.

#VendHQ Integration with BigCommerce #VendHQ Integration #BigCommerce

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dippedanddripped · 4 years

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In 2017, A three-person Austin-based production and management company called Exurbia Films assumed rights management for the 1974 cult horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

“My job was to take us into Chainsaw 2.0,” says Pat Cassidy, a producer and agent with Exurbia. “The original guys did a great job managing the rights but aren’t from the internet generation. They didn’t have a Facebook.”

Exurbia had an eye to develop the franchise and in 2018 struck deals for a TV series and several movies based on the original film, all in development with Legendary Pictures. It is also developing Texas Chainsaw Massacre graphic novels, barbecue sauce, and experiential products such as escape rooms and haunted houses.

Exurbia’s other job proved far more difficult: administering Chainsaw trademarks and copyrights, including the film’s title, images, and the rights to its iconic villain, Leatherface.

Industry veteran David Imhoff, who has brokered Chainsaw licensing deals on behalf of the film's writer, Kim Henkel, and others since the 1990s, told Cassidy and another Exurbia agent, Daniel Sahad, to be prepared for a flood of counterfeit items. “It’s a sign you’re popular,” Imhoff says in an interview.

Imhoff pointed Exurbia to ecommerce giants such as Etsy, eBay, and Amazon, where independent merchants hawked unauthorized Chainsaw items. Brands must enforce their trademarks, so Sahad dedicated much of his time to a task that larger agencies usually delegate to legal teams: finding and reporting knockoffs. Exurbia has filed more than 50 notices with eBay, more than 75 with Amazon, and more than 500 with Etsy, asking the sites to remove items that violated Chainsaw trademarks. The sites removed infringing items within a week or so; but if another bogus design appeared, Exurbia had to find it, document it, and file another notice.

Imhoff also alerted Cassidy and Sahad to a less familiar name: an Australian company called Redbubble, where he had filed occasional infringement notices on Chainsaw’s behalf starting in 2013. Over time, the problem grew worse: Sahad sent 649 takedown notices to Redbubble and its subsidiary Teepublic in 2019. The sites removed the items, but new ones appeared.

Then, in August, with Halloween approaching—the Christmas season for horror retail—friends texted Cassidy, telling him they’d seen a wave of new Chainsaw designs for sale online, mainly marketed through Facebook and Instagram ads.

One ad led Cassidy to a website called Dzeetee.com, which he traced to a company he'd never heard of, TeeChip. He traced more ads to other websites selling unlicensed Chainsaw items, also linked to TeeChip. Within weeks, Cassidy says, he’d discovered several similar companies, each supporting dozens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of stores. Posts and ads from Facebook groups linked to these companies were marketing knockoff Chainsaw merch.

Cassidy was stunned. “It was way bigger than we thought,” he says. “These weren’t just 10 sites. There were a thousand of them.” (Cassidy and the author have been friends for 20 years.)

Exurbia had stumbled on what could be roughly described as the “Napster of Things.”

A New, Web-Enabled Industry

Companies like TeeChip are known as print-on-demand shops. They allow users to upload and market designs; when a customer places an order—say, for a T-shirt—the company arranges the printing, often done in-house, and the item is shipped to the customer. The technology gives anyone with an idea and an internet connection the ability to monetize their creativity and start a global merchandising line with no overhead, no inventory, and no risk.

Here’s the rub: The owners of copyrights and trademarks say that by allowing anyone to upload any design, print-on-demand companies make it too easy to infringe on their intellectual property rights. They say print-on-demand shops have siphoned off tens, possibly hundreds, of millions of dollars a year in unauthorized sales, making it next to impossible to exercise control over how their property is used or who profits from it.

The explosive growth of print-on-demand technology is quietly challenging the decades-old laws that govern the use of intellectual property on the internet. A 1998 law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) shields online platforms from liability for copyright infringement for merely hosting user-uploaded digital content. That means rights holders typically must request platforms remove each item they believe infringes on their intellectual property. Moreover, print-on-demand companies often transform—or help transform—digital files into physical products such as T-shirts and coffee mugs. Some experts say that places them in a legal gray zone. And the DMCA doesn’t apply to trademarks, which cover names, word marks, and other proprietary symbols, such as the Nike swoosh.

Screenshot captured by Exurbia Films of a T-shirt for sale that allegedly infringed on its trademarks for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

CafePress, which launched in 1999, was among the first print-on-demand operations; the business model spread in the mid-2000s along with the rise of digital printing. Previously, manufacturers would screen-print the same design onto items such as T-shirts, an overhead-intensive approach that usually requires bulk orders to turn a profit. With digital printing, ink is sprayed onto the material itself, allowing one machine to print several different designs in a day, making even one-off production profitable.

The industry quickly generated buzz. Zazzle, a print-on-demand platform, launched its website in 2005; three years later, it was named the year’s best business model by TechCrunch. Redbubble came along in 2006, followed by others such as TeeChip, TeePublic, and SunFrog. Today, those sites are pillars of a multibillion-dollar global industry, with product lines extending from T-shirts and hoodies to underwear, posters, mugs, housewares, backpacks, coozies, wristbands, and even jewelry.

Many print-on-demand companies are fully integrated ecommerce platforms, allowing designers to manage easy-to-use web stores—similar to user pages on Etsy or Amazon. Some platforms, such as GearLaunch, allow designers to operate pages under unique domain names and integrate with popular ecommerce services such as Shopify, while providing marketing and inventory tools, production, delivery, and customer service.

“These weren’t just 10 sites. There were a thousand of them.”

PAT CASSIDY, PRODUCER, EXURBIA FILMS

Like many startups, print-on-demand companies tend to coat themselves in munificent techno-marketing clichés. SunFrog is a “community” of artists and customers, where visitors can shop for “creative and custom designs as unique as you are.” Redbubble describes itself as “a global marketplace, with unique, original art offered for sale by awesome, independent artists on high-quality products.”

But the marketing lingo distracts from what some rights holders and intellectual property lawyers believe is a cornerstone of the business model: counterfeit sales. Sites allow users to upload whatever designs they like; on larger sites, uploads can number tens of thousands daily. The sites are under no obligation to review the design unless someone claims the words or image infringe on a copyright or trademark. Each such claim typically involves filing a separate notice. Critics say that fosters rights infringement, both conscious and unwitting.

“The industry has grown so exponentially that, in turn, infringement has exploded,” says Imhoff, the licensing agent. As recently as 2010, he says, “print-on-demand had such a small market share, it wasn’t much of a problem. But it’s grown so fast [that] it’s gotten out of hand.”

Imhoff says internet searches for items such as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre T-shirt” often display designs that infringe on Exurbia’s copyrights and trademarks. That’s turned rights enforcement into “an unending game of whack-a-mole” for rights holders, agents, and consumer product companies, he says.

“It used to be you’d go out and find infringement in one chain store in a local mall, so you’d contact their national buyer and that’d be it,” Imhoff says. “Now there are effectively millions of independent retailers designing merchandise every day.”

There’s big money involved. Redbubble, which debuted on the Australian stock exchange in 2016, told investors in July 2019 that it facilitated transactions totaling more than $328 million in the prior 12 months. The company pegs the global online market for apparel and housewares this year at $280 billion. At SunFrog’s peak, in 2017, it generated $150 million in revenue, according to a court filing. Zazzle told CNBC it projected $250 million in revenue in 2015.

Taking Disputes to Court

Not all those sales reflect infringement, of course. But Scott Burroughs, an arts lawyer in Los Angeles who has represented several independent designers in suits against print-on-demand companies, believes much, if not most, of the content appears to be infringing. Mark Lemley, director of the Stanford Law School Program in Law, Science, and Technology, says Burroughs’ assessment may be accurate but that such estimates are complicated by “overzealous claims by rights holders, particularly on the trademark side.”

As a result, the rise of print-on-demand has also brought a wave of lawsuits by rights holders ranging from independent graphic artists to multinational brands.

The costs to print-on-demand companies can be steep. In 2017, executives at Harley-Davidson noticed more than 100 designs bearing the motorcycle maker’s trademarks—such as its famous Bar & Shield and Willie G. Skull logos—on SunFrog’s website. According to a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Harley sent SunFrog more than 70 complaints of “well over 800” items that infringed on Harley’s trademarks. In April 2018, a judge awarded Harley-Davidson $19.2 million—the company’s largest infringement payout to date—and barred SunFrog from selling merchandise with Harley trademarks. US District judge J. P. Stadtmueller rebuked SunFrog for not doing more to police its site. “SunFrog pleads ignorance while sitting atop a mountain of resources that could be deployed to develop effective technology, review procedures, or training that would help combat infringement,” he wrote.

SunFrog founder Josh Kent says the improper Harley items stemmed from “like half a dozen kids in Vietnam” who had uploaded the designs. “They didn’t get a scratch on them.” Kent did not respond to requests for more specific comment on the Harley decision.

A similar case filed in 2016 has landmark potential. That year, California visual artist Greg Young sued Zazzle in US District Court, alleging that Zazzle users uploaded and sold products containing his copyrighted work without permission, a claim Zazzle didn’t deny. The judge found that the DMCA shielded Zazzle from liability for the uploads themselves but said Zazzle could still be sued for damages because of its role in producing and selling the items. Unlike online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay, the judge wrote, “Zazzle creates the products.”

Zazzle appealed, but in November an appeals court agreed that Zazzle could be held liable, and Young stands to receive more than $500,000. Zazzle did not respond to requests for comment.

That ruling, if it holds, could rattle the industry. Eric Goldman, a professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law, wrote that the decision would allow copyright owners to “treat Zazzle as [their] personal ATM.” In an interview, Goldman says that if courts continue to rule this way, the print-on-demand industry is “doomed. … It’s possible that it can’t survive legal challenges.”

When it comes to copyright, print-on-demand companies’ role in turning digital files into physical products can make a difference in the eyes of the law, says Lemley, of Stanford. If the companies make and sell products directly, he says, they might not receive DMCA protections, “regardless of knowledge and regardless of the reasonable steps they take to take down infringing material when they find out about it.”

But that might not be the case if manufacturing is handled by a third party, allowing print-on-demand sites to claim they are merely marketplaces the way Amazon is. In March 2019, a US District Court in the Southern District of Ohio found Redbubble not liable for selling unlicensed Ohio State University merch. The court agreed that the products, including shirts and stickers, infringed on Ohio State’s trademarks. It found that Redbubble facilitated the sales and contracted the printing and shipping to partners—and the items were delivered in Redbubble-branded packaging. But the court said Redbubble couldn’t be sued because it technically didn’t make or even sell the infringing products. In the eyes of the judge, Redbubble only facilitated sales between users and customers and didn’t function as a “seller.” Ohio State declined to comment on the ruling; arguments on its appeal are scheduled for Thursday.

Corina Davis, Redbubble’s chief legal officer, declines to comment on the Ohio State case specifically, but echoes the court’s reasoning in an interview. “We’re not liable for infringement, period,” she says. “We don’t sell anything. We don’t manufacture anything.”

In a 750-word follow-up email, Davis said that she’s aware some Redbubble users try to use the platform to sell “stolen” intellectual property. The company’s policy, she said, “isn’t just to protect large rights holders, it’s to protect all those independent artists from having someone else make money off their stolen art.” Redbubble says it’s not a seller, though it generally keeps about 80 percent of the revenue from sales on its site.

Goldman, in a blog post, called the Redbubble victory “surprising,” because the company had “significantly contorted” its operations to evade the legal definition of a seller. “Without such contortions,” he wrote, print-on-demand companies would face “an unlimited range of regulation and liability.”

“We don’t sell anything. We don’t manufacture anything.”

CORINA DAVIS, CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, REDBUBBLE

Burroughs, the Los Angeles attorney who represents artists, wrote in an analysis of the ruling that the court’s logic “would indicate that any online company that wanted to engage in wanton infringement could legally sell all of the knockoff products its heart desired so long as it pays third parties to manufacture and ship the product.”

Other print-on-demand companies use a similar model. Thatcher Spring, CEO of GearLaunch, said of Redbubble, “They say they’re brokering preferential relationships with the supply chain, but in reality I think they are encouraging this IP abuse.” But Spring later agreed that GearLaunch also contracts with third-party manufacturers. “Oh, that’s right. We don’t own the production facilities.”

Even if the Ohio State decision stands, it still might wound the industry. As Kent, the SunFrog founder, observes, “If the printers are liable, who would want to print?”

Amazon faces a similar lawsuit regarding its liability for a defective dog leash made by an independent merchant that blinded a customer. That case challenges the underlying principle that saved Redbubble: Can a marketplace, even if it isn’t a “seller,” be held liable for physical products sold through its site? In July, a three-judge panel of the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the case could proceed; Amazon appealed to a larger panel of judges, which heard the case last month. These suits could reshape ecommerce and, in turn, the laws of ownership online.

Policing the Platforms

Given the number of users, the volume of uploads, and the variety of intellectual property, even the print-on-demand companies acknowledge that a certain amount of infringement is inevitable. In an email, Davis, Redbubble’s chief legal counsel, called it a “meaningful industry issue.”

Each company takes steps to police its platform, typically by offering a portal where rights holders can file infringement notices; they also advise users about the dangers of posting unlicensed designs. GearLaunch published a blog titled “How Not to Go to Copyright Jail and Still Become Rich.”

GearLaunch and SunFrog say their support the use of image-recognition software to look for potentially infringing designs. But Kent says SunFrog programs its software to recognize only certain designs, because, he says, it’s too expensive to analyze millions of uploads. Plus, he said, “The tech’s just not that good.” Neither company would disclose the size of its compliance team.

Redbubble’s Davis says the company limits daily user uploads “to prevent content uploading at scale.” She says Redbubble’s Marketplace Integrity team—which she described in a phone call as “lean”—is charged in part with “ongoing detection and removal of illegitimate accounts created by bots,” which can create accounts and mass-upload content automatically. That same team, Davis said in an email, also deals with content scraping, signup attacks, and “fraudulent behavior.”

Davis says Redbubble chooses not to use standard image-recognition software, though its subsidiary Teepublic does. “I think there's a misconception” that image-matching software is “a magic fix,” she wrote in an email, citing technological limitations and the volume of images and variations “being created every minute.” (Redbubble’s 2018 investor presentation estimates its 280,000 users uploaded 17.4 million distinct designs that year.) Because software can’t tackle the problem “to the extent we need,” she wrote, Redbubble is testing its own suite of tools, including a program that checks newly uploaded images against its entire image database. Redbubble expects to launch these features later this year.

In an email, an eBay representative says the company uses “sophisticated detection tools, enforcement and strong relationships with brand owners” to police its site. The company says its anti-infringement program for verified owners has 40,000 participants. An Amazon representative cited more than $400 million in investments to fight fraud, including counterfeit, as well as brand-partnership programs designed to reduce infringement. Etsy’s communications office redirected questions to the company’s most recent transparency report, where the company says it disabled access to more than 400,000 listings in 2018, up 71 percent from the prior year. TeeChip says it has invested millions of dollars to help identify infringement, and puts each design through a “rigorous screening process” including text screening and machine-learning-enabled image recognition software.

In another email, Davis outlined other challenges. Rights holders often ask to take down items that are legally protected, such as parody, she says. Some press unreasonable demands: One asked Redbubble to block the search term “man.”

“Not only is it impossible to recognize every copyright or trademark that exists and will exist,” Davis said in an email, but “not all rights holders handle protection of their IP in the same way.” Some want zero tolerance, she said, but others think the designs, even if they infringe, generate more demand. “In some instances,” Davis said, “rights holders have come to us with a takedown notice and then the artist files a counter-notice, and the rights holder comes back and says, ‘Actually, we’re OK with that. Leave it up.’”

The challenges create what Goldman, the Santa Clara professor, calls “impossible expectations” for compliance. “You could task everyone in the world with vetting these designs, and it still wouldn’t be enough,” Goldman says in an interview.

Kent says the complexity and the lawsuits pushed SunFrog away from print-on-demand to “a safer, more predictable space.” The company once described itself as the largest printed T-shirt manufacturer in the US. Now, Kent says SunFrog is pursuing partnerships with known brands, such as Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. “Shark Week isn’t going to infringe on anybody,” he says.

Redbubble, too, listed “content partnerships” as a goal in its 2018 shareholder presentation. Today its partnership program includes 59 brands, mostly from the entertainment industry. Recent additions include items licensed from Universal Studios, including Jaws, Back to the Future, and Shaun of The Dead.

Tracing Products to Their Source

Rights holders say their burden—identifying infringing products and tracking them to their source—is equally demanding. “It’s essentially a full-time job,” said Burroughs, the attorney who represents artists. Imhoff, the Texas Chainsaw licensing agent, says the task is particularly difficult for small to midsize rights holders, such as Exurbia.

Trademark enforcement is especially demanding. Owners of copyrights can enforce their rights as tightly or loosely as they see fit, but rights holders must show they’re regularly enforcing their trademarks. If consumers no longer associate a trademark with a brand, the mark becomes generic. (Escalator, kerosene, videotape, trampoline, and flip phone all lost their trademarks this way.)

Exurbia’s trademarks include the rights to more than 20 word marks and logos for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its villain, Leatherface. Last summer, the work of protecting its copyrights and trademarks—repeatedly searching, verifying, documenting, tracking down unknown companies, consulting lawyers, and submitting notices to website operators—stretched the firm’s resources to the point Cassidy brought on three contract workers, upping total staff to eight.

But they hit their limit when Cassidy discovered that many of the new sites selling knockoffs were based overseas and impossible to trace. Copyright infringement in Asia is of course nothing new, but operators based overseas have also set up shop on US-based print-on-demand platforms. Many of the pages and groups Exurbia found pushing social media ads for print-on-demand knockoffs last year traced to operators in Asia.

The first Facebook page Cassidy investigated, Hocus and Pocus and Chill, has 36,000 likes, and per its transparency page has 30 operators located in Vietnam; the group discontinued ads last fall.

Cassidy suspected many of these sellers were operated overseas, because he couldn’t trace them to a parent platform or shipping center. Legal and privacy pages had placeholder text. Takedown notices didn’t go through. Phone calls, emails, and ISP lookups all hit dead ends. Some pages claimed US addresses, but cease-and-desist letters sent via certified mail bounced back marked return-to-sender, suggesting those addresses were fake.

So Cassidy bought some Chainsaw shirts with his debit card, thinking he could pull an address from his bank statement. The items arrived a couple weeks later; his bank statements said most of the companies were located in Vietnam. Other statements presented dead ends. Charges were listed to random companies with US addresses—a Midwestern beer hops supplier, for instance. Cassidy called the companies, but they had no record of the transactions and had no idea what he was talking about. He still hasn’t figured it out.

Seeking a Compromise

In August, an exhausted Sahad reached out to Redbubble asking for information on a brand partnership agreement, which could include “proactive enforcement,” where Redbubble removed infringing items without Exurbia having to ask. On November 4, at Redbubble’s request, Exurbia emailed a brand deck, trademark and copyright information, a copyright ID, and letter of authorization. Exurbia also asked for a report of all takedown notices for infringing Chainsaw items Redbubble had received over the years.

In subsequent calls and emails, Redbubble representatives offered a revenue-sharing agreement. The initial offer, in a document reviewed by WIRED, included 6 percent royalties to Exurbia on fan art and 10 percent on official merchandise. (Imhoff says industry standard is between 12 and 15 percent.) Exurbia was reluctant. “They made money off our intellectual property for years, and they need to make that right,” Cassidy says. “But they weren’t coming forward with their wallet out.”

“You could task everyone in the world with vetting these designs and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

ERIC GOLDMAN, SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

On December 19, Exurbia submitted 277 new notices to Redbubble and four days later filed 132 with its subsidiary, TeePublic, for T-shirts, posters, and other products. The items were removed. On January 8, Exurbia sent another email, reviewed by WIRED, calling attention to new instances of infringement, which Sahad documented with screenshots, a spreadsheet, and search results from that day. A Redbubble search, for example, had returned 252 results for “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and 549 for "Leatherface". A TeePublic search revealed hundreds more items.

On February 18, Redbubble sent Exurbia a report of all Chainsaw takedown notices it had received, and the total sale value of Chainsaw items Sahad had identified in takedown notices since March 2019. Exurbia wouldn’t disclose the sales number, but Cassidy said it was in line with his own estimate.

After WIRED inquired with Redbubble about discussions with Exurbia, Redbubble’s in-house lawyer told Exurbia the company was considering settlement options for the infringing sales. Both sides say negotiations continue. Cassidy is optimistic. “They at least seem to be the only ones making an effort,” he says. “Which we appreciate.”

SO, HOW CAN this model evolve without shortchanging IP owners or upending an industry with so much to offer? Do we need a new DMCA—and one for trademarks? Will anything change without new laws?

The music industry may provide a hint. Long before Napster, the industry faced a similar crisis with royalties: With so much music played in so many places, how should artists get their due? Licensing groups such as ASCAP stepped in, establishing broad revenue-sharing agreements to broker royalties. Artists pay ASCAP a one-time fee to join, and broadcasters, bars, and nightclubs pay annual flat fees that free them from documenting and reporting every song. The agencies monitor the airwaves and clubs, do the math, and divvy up the money. More recently, services such as iTunes and Spotify supplanted the Wild West file-sharing market, sharing revenue with consenting artists.

For an industry arguably larger and more diverse than the music business, it won’t be simple. Goldman says some rights holders may not want to strike deals; among those willing to join, some may want to retain control over certain designs, the equivalent of the Eagles vetting every cover band that wants to play Hotel California. “If the industry moves that direction,” Goldman said, “it will be far less dynamic and much more expensive than it currently is.”

Redbubble’s Davis says it is “important for marketplaces and retailers, rights holders, artists, etc to all be on the same side of the table.” David Imhoff agrees that the licensing model is an interesting concept, but he worries about quality control. “Brands have to protect their image, their integrity,” he said. “Right now this funnel of content coming in every which way is just unmanageable.”

And that’s where the artists, lawyers, courts, companies, and rights holders seem to align. That in the end, the responsibility seems to fall with the most famously change-averse industry of them all: the federal government.

#redbubble #fashion blog #custom printed tees #streetwear blog #trademark #copyright

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vertcoinreddit · 6 years

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Welcome back!Show your appreciation for the businesses that lead the way in the adoption of cryptocurrencies. Instead of paying with fiat for your next purchase, use this Monday initiative to pay with VTC instead.Vertcoin Merchant websiteI want to call attention to a few merchants this week.We added Barter4Crypto (from the creators of LazyPyramid) to our list this week. Barter4Crypto is a Peer-to-peer marketplace that allows everyone to offer their skills in exchange for Crypto. Initiatives like this will support the P2P economy behind crypto!Last week, we also had two new additions. They were sidelined a bit due to our call towards streamers. BUT, here they are once again. "GPS tracking made easy" and "Crypto Mugz". Take a look at what they have to offer!Want to become a merchant? Or want to help someone? Check out the Coinpayments Shopify plugin.If a business should be added to or removed from the list, let me know!Debit cardsUquidWith UQUID, buying online and sending money to friends is made easier and safer than ever: all you need is an email address. Your money is protected, no personal information is revealed, and you can retrieve the details of every payment at any moment.EducationLearnCryptoLearnCrypto offers training about Crypto trading.The team at LearnCrypto.io has dedicated thousands of hours to educating the public and our students in all areas of Cryptocurrencies.FoodPexPeppersPexPeppers is specialized in "finest chili sauces, jellies, salts, seeds & more." Based in Pueblo, Colorado, USA PexPeppers is selling all over the world.GamblingVertcoingamesVertcoingames: "Play Roulette, Dice, Blackjack and Video Poker using Vertcoin. Great games with fair, casino level payouts."Garden & AgricultureRoyal Queen SeedsRoyal Queen Seeds is amongst the fastest growing cannabis seed companies in Europe. After building up many years of experience in growing cannabis seeds in the Netherlands, we decided to launch our own line of cannabis seeds and are now able to offer you quality feminized, autoflowering and medical seeds at a good price.Gift CardsCoinCardsCoincards provides Giftcards and was created in July of 2014.Crypto de Change(UK)Crypto De Change provides Gift Cards and Silver Buillons since July 2013.GifftoffGiftoff is a "digital gift card retailer with the largest range on offer in Europe. Since 2014 we’ve been enabling digital currency users to shop with major retailers like Amazon.co.uk, Steam and Marks & Spencer. We stock over 70 gift cards and accept over 40 digital currencies as well as UK credit and debit cards."Goods/MerchandiseAstronaut ApparelAstronaut Apparel makes every effort to operate in a transparent and ethical manner. We will be integrating blockchain features to help with supply chain management, so that you can see exactly where your apparel was made.NewBarter4CryptoBarter4Crypto is a platform where users can offer and pay each other in cryptocurrencies for services and products.CyrolineCyroline is on "the tireless hunt for the special in the fashion world, the perfect fusion of individual styles, quality and sustainability." In physical stores you can pay with Vertcoin in Germany: Lübeck, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart.Crypto affectCrypto Affect provides "Clothing for the hodler", crypto related fashion.Crypto and ProudC&P provides crypto related fashion and is "shipping worldwide with live rates and tracking."CryptoBird wear"Cryptobird is a partnership to start a full crypto based webshop with high quality fashion to contribute to a wider cryptocurrency adoption around the globe."CryptocompoundCrypto Compound provides "crypto-themed items" like fashion, mugs & more.CryptobleCryptoble provides "apparel and more". Here are crypto related shirts & mugs.NewCrypto MugzA webshop selling Crypto mugs (obviously) and some other cool items such as T-shirts and Drones.Epic PantsEpic Pants is an online retailer who sells products in the categories hardware, apparel, styles, gear, fun, music and art.GeekboxitGeekBox "offers a wide variety of services including but not limited to basic computer setup, repair, virus removal, server setup, network setup, consulting, purchasing, cloud computing advice, gaming system and electronic repair." As a nice special GeekBox IT provides a Vertcoin T-shirt.HodlerteesHodler Tees is a cryptocurrency centered t-shirt company based in Frisco Texas! (USA) We sell all things crypto related from hats to t-shirts and even posters!King Pen VapesKPV provides Vaporizers, "electronic devices that help you vaporize your material into vapor for cleaner inhalation. People looking to quit smoking cigarettes are the main reason behind vapes."Lazy PyramidLP is an online store and community. We service the world, no order is too small or too large.NakamotoClothing"At Nakamoto Clothing, we're passionate about designing and curating a selection of apparel to help grow this movement of change. And we're electrified AF!", international shipping.SatoshiMarketOnline marketplace selling crypto embroided polo shirtsSpreadshirtSpreadshirt provides shirts and more. Based in Greensburg, USA, the owner comes from the Netherlands.ShillshopShillshop provides stickers in outdoor quality and is "based in The Netherlands, all the products we sell are also produced in The Netherlands to make sure you'll receive the highest quality!"TeepublicTeepublic provides apparel, home goods, shirts, stickers, mugs & more.Vertcoin stickersRB gives "independent artists a meaningful new way to sell their creations. Today, we connect over 400k artists and designers across the planet with millions of passionate fans." RB provides a huge sortiment of designed products like bags, wall art, home decor, apparel, stationary & more.VTCmarketVTCmarket is founded by the Dunn twins Raf & Tom: "We’ve started off with T-shirts and are working on expanding with other products and merchants"Vertcoin medallionJzzsxm's Online Store provides a 1.5" diameter metal Vertcoin Medallion. Each medallion costs 2 VTC and comes with a metalized label containing a wallet address QR code of your choice affixed to the back.WIKILEAKS shopWikiLeaks is a multi-national media organization and associated library. It was founded by its publisher Julian Assange in 2006. The shop provides shirts, posters and asseccoires.ZazzleZazzle is a "marketplace, you'll find customizable products, art and create-your-own products just waiting for you. We're PhD's, professional artists, manufacturing gurus, patent holders, inventors, musicians, and more. Everything we do is an expression of love." As a nice special Z provides Vertcoin shirts.MedicalThree Fields AccupunctureAcupuncture in MassachusettsMultimedia ServicesRichmond Drone ServicesRDS is Central Virginia’s drone service specialists. From preparation to content delivery, we perform all work to perfection. We can act as both an aerial film consultant or as the remote pilot in charge on your next projects.Professional (law) ServicesBurrell-Law (NYC)Burrell Law "Our New York City-based attorneys provide a broad range of transactional legal services" Every large business was once a small business. We are here to help you find a solution for your legal needs.Bitcoin TaxBitcoin Tax is "calculating capital gains/losses for any crypto-currency. Do you know the cost-basis of every coin you own? Are you tracking the profits and new basis when you spend or sell? Can you work out the best way to identify your trades to optimize your taxes? Let us do it for you."The Crypto Lawyers(U.S.)The Crypto Lawyers - "we are a team of U.S. qualified lawyers dedicated to helping individuals, businesses, and organizations navigate the legal intricacies of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. We commit ourselves to strategically and aggressively represent our clients in their transactional and litigation matters."PrintingCatdi"Catdi is a commercial printing company with additional specialization in web design. Offering cost-effective commercial printing, direct mail, graphic design and web solutions to small businesses. Proudly Serving Houston and surrounding communities for over 10 years."TechnologyFasttech"FastTech is the techno-centric destination for all your geeky needs and more. FastTech is committed to become the most loved and trusted electronics marketplace by offering superior shopping experience, timely shipping, and stellar customer service."* New *GPS Tracking Made EasyThe first GPS tracking company to accept cryptocurrency as payment. Easy to install and easy to use with options for just about any type of vehicle or trailer.Video GamesCavemen StudiosCavemen Studios is a developer of video games. "Having over a century of combined experience on how video games tick, we've finally decided it's time to start creating our own products."Keys4coins"Keys4Coins is one of the first pc game stores who only accept cryptocurrency as payment. Our store is simple to use and you can shop anonymously. Only an e-mail is required so you can receive the license."XBL4BTC"Our aim is to provide the fastest, easiest place to buy Xbox Live Gold subscriptions with cryptocurrencies"Wallets & miscellaneousPaper walletDesigned Vertcoin public and private wallets that can be used as paper wallets or given as gifts.Wooden VertcoinLaserLightning provides one etched wooden Vertcoin with the Vertcoin logo burned into one side, and your custom QR code on the back. These coins are approx 1.5 inches in diameter.(NSFW) Adult shopsToys4sex the adult shopToys4Sex is Australia's Online Adult store retailer intended for men and women. Toys4Sex comes with a specially selected range of products that has made its mark within the Australian adult market place. via /r/vertcoin

#vertcoin #cryptocurrency

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etechwire-blog · 6 years

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Best e-commerce platform of 2018: get an online store now!

New Post has been published on https://www.etechwire.com/best-e-commerce-platform-of-2018-get-an-online-store-now/

Best e-commerce platform of 2018: get an online store now!

The best e-commerce platforms in 2018

It’s not surprising, then, that one analyst claims that the SMB e-commerce platform market will break the billion dollar barrier.

There’s no doubt that the web provides a huge opportunity for companies, but it’s important for organizations to make the most of that opportunity. In order to sell your products or services online, your website has to be appropriately equipped.

Building an online store from scratch is a mammoth task, and fortunately, an unnecessary one. Today, there is a huge variety of e-commerce platform packages from which to choose.

Most e-commerce platforms will provide businesses with standard functionality such as the ability to showcase products in an online catalog, take payments online, manage customers and provide with after-sales.

Others will provide more sophisticated functionality, such as online marketing features, the ability to manage or integrate with in-store systems and the provision of APIs.

Which e-commerce software is best for your business depends entirely on your specific requirements. If you’re an online-only outfit, then POS integration won’t be necessary, but you may get a lot of business from overseas, in which case foreign currency support would be a requirement.

In this article, we’re going to highlight some of the best e-commerce platforms available right now, before moving on to consider other options you might want to explore in terms of creating your own e-commerce solution.

The best e-commerce platform packages

1. Shopify

Giant of the e-commerce world

Easy to use

Loads of features

Powerful analytics

Shopify is perhaps the most well known e-commerce platform available. It was set up in 2006 by founders Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake who, as the story goes, felt that there wasn’t a simple-to-use e-commerce platform available and so built their own. The company claims that: “You don’t need to have any technical or design experience to easily create a beautiful online store.”

According to Shopify, it’s possible to get one of its online stores up-and-running within minutes. Users can choose from a wide range of templates, or they can design the look and feel of their store themselves. It accepts a comprehensive range of credit cards, has Level 1 PCI compliance and 256-bit SSL encryption for security, and it offers 24/7 support via phone, instant messaging or email.

The platform provides a full CMS with which users can manage the functionality and layout of their online store. Users can manage their store on-the-go using Shopify’s mobile apps, and the platform itself is fully responsive, meaning the store will be optimized for visitors regardless of whether they access it from a desktop computer or a mobile device.

Shopify also offers users unlimited hosting for their stores, in-depth analytics of how visitors are using the store, and functionality for marketing such as SEO optimization, a discount and coupon engine, gift cards and email marketing tools.

2. Bigcommerce

E-commerce expertise with a fully-fledged CMS

Flexible product management

Great support

Access to web design expertise

Bigcommerce was established in 2009 and promises to “support your business, not just your store.” In addition to offering support via phone, instant chat and email, it also offers articles and videos to help with e-commerce, and access to a team of e-commerce experts who can provide advice and guidance about online selling. Their experts are qualified in both Google Analytics and Adwords.

Like Shopify, Bigcommerce provides a variety of templates and themes to help stores look their best and get up-and-running quickly. Alternatively, users can design their own store or use Bigcommerce designers to do so. The platform incorporates a full-featured CMS that allows users to run an entire website, rather than just a store.

Users can benefit from detailed and flexible product management, optimized search engine rankings, along with a variety of integrated marketing tools and analytics. Payments can be accepted via 40+ pre-integrated gateways and shipping details can be customized as per the business’s requirements. The platform offers automated order processing, flexible tax rules depending on where orders are made and shipped, and support for multiple currencies.

3. Volusion

Veteran provider with a custom design service

Wide range of site management tools

Plentiful help resources

Free 14-day trial

Volusion has been around for almost two decades, having been set up in Texas over in the US in 1999. The company touts its platform as being an “all-in-one e-commerce solution”, and offers a free 14-day trial (no credit card required).

As with other e-commerce platforms, users are offered a variety of templates from which to choose, and can also customize templates if they so wish. Should a more complex design be required, Volusion offers a custom design service that can incorporate branding and a firm’s social media presence.

The platform provides the site and product management tools you’d expect, marketing functionality for SEO, social media, and affiliate outlets, along with emails and order management functionality for fast order processing, accepting payments, tax calculations and POS integration.

In addition to its platform and associated services, Volusion offers apps from its partners, support for users and a knowledge-base for help with e-commerce. Users can draw upon blog posts, guides and webinars.

4. CoreCommerce

Service which focuses on SMBs

All features offered across every plan

Secure hosting with 99.9% uptime guarantee

Prides itself on transparency

Perhaps CoreCommerce’s most unique aspect is that all of its features are offered to all customers regardless of what plan they are on. Price plans are determined by the number of products, the number of email addresses, the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage required by the user (and higher-end plans also benefit from additional support).

As with other e-commerce providers, CoreCommerce offers functionality for store design, product management, order processing and marketing. Of its headline features, the platform offers unlimited product customization options, a built-in blogging engine, and secure hosting that is provided by Rackspace and comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

5. 3dcart

Allows for an impressive degree of tailoring to your needs

User-friendly

Plenty of innovative features

Lots of additional services on offer

The company says it has six core values by which it operates: ongoing innovation, good service, simple solutions, fostering trust, keeping employees and customers happy, and stimulating prosperity amongst employees and customers.

Some of the platform’s innovative features include a module that users can install to offer gift-wrapping, a purchase order system, the option of running a loyalty program and the ability to offer recurring orders. Many of these features are very specific, meaning that stores can be highly tailored to the needs of each business.

Stores can be designed using one of the many templates offered by 3dcart, or users can design their own store. A quick edit bar means that making changes to the design of a store is simple. Product images are fore-fronted with 3dcart’s auto-zoom feature and products can be sold via Facebook with its store integration. As with some other platforms, users can blog directly from 3dcart and tools are provided for setting up coupons, sending newsletters and affiliate marketing.

In addition to its platform, 3dcart offers a number of professional services. Users can request help with SEO, PPC, shopping feed management, social media, Facebook ads and conversion consulting. Help can also be provided to ensure that a user’s store is set up to the highest standard. Services such as site cloning, setting up custom tracking, data migration and training are offered.

In addition, 3dcart can provide SSL certification. Hosting is guaranteed at 99.9% uptime and 24/7 support is provided via phone, email or online chat.

Also consider:

Alternative means

If you don’t want to go the route of using an off-the-shelf package, what other options are available for you to explore? That’s what we’re going to look at in the second half of this piece…

Is eBay right for your business?

Opening its doors in 1999, eBay UK now has over 14 million users, with over 10,000 people using the site for a business that is their primary means of income. It’s not just about people selling unwanted goods – businesses have used the simplicity that eBay offers to set up lucrative operations. Even the larger brands such as Argos, Debenhams and House of Fraser are using eBay to sell online.

With sophisticated tools now available you can be up and running with your store in just a few hours. The eBay Seller Centre has all the information you need. Each store is managed via eBay’s familiar user interface, and there are a number of eBay-provided tools to help manage, track and promote your shop once it’s established.

Using eBay as the platform for your business could be ideal if your business wants to sell goods on a fixed price basis. The complete integration of the PayPal e-payments system into eBay takes care of this essential component of your store.

The key with eBay is to look closely at the costs involved and also the transaction fees that PayPal charge before moving forward and setting up your own store.

How to create your own e-commerce solution

Of course if you want complete control over every aspect of your new online store, building each page yourself will be the best course of action. Hiring someone to code your website is one option. If you decide to do this follow these steps:

Ask the company for live examples of their work to look at

Write a detailed brief of the site you want created. The more detail the better to avoid confusion

Ensure you understand the price you are being charged and how many revisions this price includes

Always have a signed agreement or contract before work commences

Ask whether the designers will host your site and if you will be able to make updates yourself or if all updates must go through the design agency at an additional cost

Ask for the copyright of your design to be assigned to your company, as your website is an important part of your business’ intellectual property

Put into your contract, details of how the agreement can be amicably dissolved if things go wrong

You also don’t have to build your site completely from scratch. Buying a template can give you all the basic pages your site needs. You can then either modify them yourself using an application like Dreamweaver, or hire a coding expert to make the changes. Website templates are available from a number of vendors including Template Monster.

If you already have a website and want to add e-commerce functionality, this can be easily achieved with a number of applications including:

Final advice

Whichever route you decide to take when building your website always remember:

You need to ensure your store can be easily updated and managed.

Good professional web hosting is vital to ensure your site is always available.

Look for payment and shopping carts that are intuitive and efficient to use.

Customer service is king these days. Businesses shouldn’t just efficiently take customers’ money, but should also properly support them.

Make sure that your store is fully integrated with all the leading social media sites.

Put security first – shoppers are now more comfortable buying online, but always ensure your site uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) which is now the industry standard for online payments.

Above every other consideration should be your site’s visitor experience. Don’t forget your competitors are just a mouse click away in the world of e-commerce.

Setting up your online store should be approached carefully and diligently to ensure you put a professional and efficient site live. Internet shopping continues to expand. Make sure your business doesn’t miss out on a sales channel that shows no signs of slowing down.

#ecommerce #online #platform #Store

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lindyhunt · 6 years

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How to Build an Ecommerce Business Amazon Can't Compete With

Today, giants define our world. A few big companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google shape our social lives, curate how we consume information, and influence what we buy. For the most part, this isn’t a bad thing: these titans offer wonderful products and services that make our lives better and help our businesses run smoothly.

But, as those of you who run small, ecommerce-powered businesses know very well, there is one giant who makes things very complicated. It’s impossible to be an online merchant and not have a point of view on Amazon. Love them, hate them, or something in-between -- you all have a relationship with Amazon. Frankly, they can make it a real challenge for small businesses to grow past a certain point. But they don’t make it impossible.

Lately we’ve seen more and more HubSpot customers thrive in ecommerce, even though Amazon sells similar or even identical products as them. How can this be? I’ll tell you, but first let's start from the beginning.

Nashua, New Hampshire is a quintessential New England city. It’s full of folks who love their Dunkins, wear Bean Boots 10 months out of the year, and pledge allegiance to Red Sox nation. It’s not a place you’d imagine one of the most influential technologies of the last 100-years might be born. But it is.

In August of 1994 21-year-old Dan Kohn put his new encryption technology to work to securely sell a Sting CD to Phil Brandenberger. It was the first sales transaction in the history of the internet, and it set off a series of events that would change the world forever.

That same summer, Jeff Bezos left his job on Wall Street to move to Seattle and found Amazon. Over the next 20+ years, the ecommerce industry would grow exponentially. A trend that is still up-and-to-the-right today.

Today, there's nothing people won’t buy online. The internet has challenged us to buy things on the internet that we used to think had to be purchased in person. But now, no one thinks twice about buying eyeglasses, food, or even cars online. The convenience and speed of making purchases online means the majority of us check there first before buying anything.

The ability to buy and sell online has been a win for everyone involved. Consumers love the convenience, speed, prices, and accessibility ecommerce delivers, and entrepreneurs love that they can now turn limited passion projects into full time careers and viable businesses.

It’s a good time to be an Ecommerce SMB.

The ability to sell online has created thousands of new businesses -- and there's still plenty of room to grow. The increasing demand to buy everything online has made it easy to find an initial audience, software like Shopify makes it simple for non-technical people to create a web store, and powerfully targeted ads from Google and Facebook make it easy to expand your audience.

Getting started has never been easier -- the challenge now is figuring out how to scale.

There are plenty of big, scary challenges for a small ecommerce business, but none are quite as terrifying as the elephant in the room: Amazon.

Amazon and a few others eat up the majority of the world's ecommerce demand. They sell everything imaginable online and are only expanding. They offer the best prices, the fastest shipping, excellent customers service, and have massive brand awareness. For small ecommerce businesses, they can feel like a major roadblock. Some SMBs have managed to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with Amazon, but many worry about getting permanently stuck on the wrong side of a losing battle.

What’s next in ecommerce marketing?

Most ecommerce entrepreneurs know that quickly after product market fit they'll need to adapt their marketing strategy to compete with the giants. Competing with the likes of Amazon is obviously a challenge, but it can be done -- and while all businesses are different, there is a common three-part formula to making it happen.

1. Meet modern buyers' expectations.

You may not always be able to compete with the giants on price, but you have to rise to meet or exceed their level of service. The giants generally offer 24-7 support, fast shipping, and are generous on returns. Their level of service has become the industry standard. If you’re not already investing in building a great customer experience, now is the time.

Customers will understand if you can’t ship as fast as Amazon, but they won’t forgive you for not answering their questions quickly.

Start using tools like Facebook Messenger and live website chat to help customers in real-time in addition to email. Make sure you’re aware of customer issues through surveys like Net Promoter Score (NPS), and are encouraging customers who love you to leave positive reviews. Future customers trust those reviews more than your marketing message.

2. Modernize and personalize your marketing.

With the rising popularity of ecommerce, you’re not the only player in town --regardless of what niche your business occupies, you're probably already facing competition. One-size-fits-all marketing emails and ads aren’t going to resonate with the modern buyer. Targeting your ideal buyers with standard, largely impersonal marketing messages won’t work. You need to make your messages as personal as possible to get their attention.

Look for signals you can use to make your marketing efforts more targeted. For instance, if you know a customer came to your site, put a product in their cart, but left before buying, you have a very strong signal that person is interested in that product. Target them with emails and ads that remind them why your option is the best.

This abandoned cart tactic is low-hanging-fruit and very effective. But it’s just one way of using data to improve your marketing. If you know a customer typically only buys from you during the holidays, make sure you email them with a special offer right before they typically buy to try and increase their purchase size. If a customer recently purchased a product, and you have a complimentary service you think they should know about, target them with ads for the service.

Make sure your ecommerce data and marketing tools are talking to each other -- it’s the secret to unlock more powerful, more effectively targeted marketing strategies.

To make that happen, HubSpot now integrates with Shopify. It's easier than ever for you to sync your data from Shopify into HubSpot, using it to seamlessly personalize your marketing campaigns.

If you’re able to use your web store data for marketing purposes, you can automate these new personalization tactics: abandoned cart nurturing happens automatically soon after someone leaves a cart, and you’re constantly welcoming new customers with a dedicated on-boarding email.

3. Build a brand that Amazon can’t touch.

The online retail giants do a lot right, but the one thing they can’t do is be the single best player in any one given space. They offer everything, which limits them from truly going deep in anyone area. This gives SMBs space to build a brand and be the experts in their niche in a way that differentiates them from the giants.

HubSpot customer and Shopify merchant Kettlebell Kings sells kettlebells, and Amazon also sells kettlebells. But Kettlebell Kings has also built a community -- something Amazon simply can't do for every single category they occupy. Kettlebell Kings are active in the gym scene in their local community of Austin, Texas, offer workout plans, blog posts, videos, and Instagram content on working out with their products that their community loves. They've positioned themselves as experts and leaders in the workout and kettlebell space, and their branded product is a signal to their tribe of the companies' quality and dedication.

They've built a memorable, community-driven brand around their product, and people are willing to wait a bit longer and pay a little more for it.

The same goes for HubSpot customer and Shopify merchant Love Your Melon. The company sells hats, and Amazon also sells plenty of hats. But Love Your Melon also stands for something that their audience cares deeply about. The company is dedicated to giving a hat to every child battling cancer in America. It’s something that drives their work, and they're committed to telling the world about it. Their social media content celebrates the lives of families impacted by cancer, and their distinctive hats have become a product intertwined with a social mission. Their genuine passion isn’t something the giants can recreate.

Both of these companies have fully adopted inbound marketing. They aren’t just trying to get their product in front of people, they’re building a brand that pulls people in. It’s their secret to growth, and it’s applicable to every small ecommerce business today. Inbound marketing works for ecommerce, and it’s how you’ll grow.

Today we’re living in a world defined by giants. But it doesn't mean there isn’t plenty of room for small, savvy businesses to grow.

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transform2002-blog · 7 years

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8 ways to get first customer for your eCommerce Store

New Post has been published on http://transformsolution.com/8-ways-to-get-first-customer-for-your-ecommerce-store/

8 ways to get first customer for your eCommerce Store

Literally, the difference between 0 and 1 is infinity, zero indicates the emptiness and presence of nothing and “One” is the start of counting.

For start-ups this is quite true, as getting the first customer is the toughest task.

We help eCommerce stores and many times, we see customers who struggle with the first sale. It’s a natural challenge faced by all start-ups, it’s also the period of learning. Few common question raised by start-ups are:

How to do the first sales?

We have spent X amount of money, we are getting traffic but no sales?

From one month, daily we are sending X amount on Facebook /Instagram, we are getting traffic but no sales?

We are a Shopify partner and helping many e-commerce companies in improving sales, our suggestion to budding eCommerce start-up for the first sales are:

1. Family and Friends – Connect with family and friends, schoolmates, college connection, society, and social media groups. Being an alumnus or part of the family, you will get a positive response, if possible try to give special offers and get feedback.

If sale is from a close friend or a family member, it is not considered a sale, rather they have made the purchase out of the relationship. The sale should be done to your near ideal customer like if you are selling a bridal wear, it should be purchased by a lady getting married.

At this stage, even positive feedback is very helpful; take feedback for all aspects of product, pricing, service delivery, customer care.

2. Target Long Tail Keyword – As you are a start-up it is best to find few long tail keywords with decent search volume and target that on your home page and build content plan on that.

Example – If your store is of “weeding gowns”, your targeted keywords can be “white wedding dresses & bridal gown” or “white & ivory weeding dresses “. Do proper keyword research, you will find many long tail relevant keywords

3. Content Writing – Take out niche segment and build content on that, like in case of “Bridal Wear store” the topics of content can be “Best places to buy bridal wear in Texas” or “How to make your weeding day special”. Check social forums, you will get many relevant topics. Make content in different formats such as blogs, infographics, videos etc.

The content should not just be selling content, it should be worthy to read, show your value proposition and try to connect them emotionally.

4. Write Guest Post – You can also write on the above topics on a women or portal related to marriages, connect with the portal with decent traffic. It’s a very cost-effective way of getting a new customers.

5. Engage in Social groups – Move around to all social media, and find relevant groups where your target audience is active, it can be a social media forum or any online forum. Don’t sell your product, engage with members and answer their queries, give them a reason to buy your product. You can share the content which you have written

6. Email Marketing – It’s one of the best way to individually connect with the prospects, gather all email id personal connect, school group id’s, institute group id. Segregate the email id based on your relationship personal, school, collage, professional, any other group and mail them personally. Use some tools like MailChimp, it’s free up to 1-2k users.

7. PR Release – When PR comes to mind, we always think of it as a costly affair, but you will find few PR portal which are cost effective. Try to connect with the PR agencies who can help you reach the target audience.

8. Google AdWords and Google Shopping – Google paid search campaign is the best medium to get quick conversion, using the channel you are connecting with the users who are looking for your product or similar product, it’s also a tool which will tell you who is your ideal customer or the targeted customer.

If you didn’t get conversion from the Google AdWords then it’s a serious issue, either your AdWords configuration is not properly set or user experience can be the issue last chance could be the user doesn’t find value in your product, you might have to relook at your product or pricing.

Most of the start-up ecommerce companies are very excited about Facebook and other social media campaigns.

In the initial stage, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media paid campaigns are the main channels for bringing traffic to your store, but conversion is quite tough. Your social media campaign can be considered successful if it is able to increase traffic, generate awareness about your product and bring your product in customer’s consideration set.

To move your product from customer consideration stage to customer decision stage i.e. sales, you must put persistent effort, it can take 1 – 3 months to get the first customer. If the product/service is very niche it would take less time but again the challenge is to reach the niche.

Before pitching your product, it is important to set the basic digital infrastructure and ensure your store user experience groundwork is completed.

Basic user digital infrastructure & user experience

Product look and feel – In e-commerce, images play a key role in customer buying process, the images must be consistent across the store and be visually appealing.

Seamless payment & trust – The payment method should be seamless, track the sales funnel and user behavior on form. If the user is spending more time on form and abandoning the payment, there could be some issues in payment method. Most of the customers are hesitant in sharing their card details to a start-up company. As per research, nearly 18% users abandon payment as they don’t trust the store. You can overcome by using various trust payment badges and secure payment badges.Few well-known badges are SSL seals, Google Trusted Store, BBB Accredited, TRUSTe, Shopify trust badge.

You can go with open source CRM like Sugar CRM or you can opt for free CRM, few companies provide free CRM for limited usage, which may be enough for start-up companies.

Email marketing – Personalised email is required to connect with the prospects. Email marketing tool could be very handy, most of email marketing solutions provide free limited usage.

Analytics – It will give you a clear picture of the store, continuously monitor all the user experience metrics, exit pages, bounce rate, campaign metrics and sales funnel. Google Analytics is very helpful for high level of data point, if you have bandwidth you can also take CRO (conversion rate optimization) tool.

Finally, getting the first customer is a challenging task, but it is also a phase of learning. It is the stage where you will get to know about the customer persona, the buying process and what the value of your product is.

0 notes

vertcoinreddit · 6 years

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Welcome back!Show your appreciation for the businesses that lead the way in the adoption of cryptocurrencies. Instead of paying with fiat for your next purchase, use this Monday initiative to pay with VTC instead.Vertcoin Merchant websiteIt's been a slow week in terms of new merchants, but that's no cause for worry. It just shows we have to try harder! It also shows the importance of supporting our existing merchants.I want to call attention to two merchants this week.PexPeppers is not a new merchant, but actually they have been a supporter of Vertcoin for a long time. They are now offering a Vertcoin branded hotsauce. You can order one here. I Would like to hear your Vertcoin hotsauce puns in the comments.We added Lazy Pyramid in to our list this week. Lazy Pyramid is a relatively new marketplace that provides all sorts of items. They distinguish themselves by going the extra mile. They even say you can mail them to request items that you can't find on the site.Want to become a merchant? Check out the Coinpayments Shopify plugin.If a business should be added to or removed from the list, let me know!Debit cardsUquidWith UQUID, buying online and sending money to friends is made easier and safer than ever: all you need is an email address. Your money is protected, no personal information is revealed, and you can retrieve the details of every payment at any moment.EducationLearnCryptoLearnCrypto offers training about Crypto trading.The team at LearnCrypto.io has dedicated thousands of hours to educating the public and our students in all areas of Cryptocurrencies.FoodPexPeppersPexPeppers is specialized in "finest chili sauces, jellies, salts, seeds & more." Based in Pueblo, Colorado, USA PexPeppers is selling all over the world.GamblingVertcoingamesVertcoingames: "Play Roulette, Dice, Blackjack and Video Poker using Vertcoin. Great games with fair, casino level payouts."Garden & AgricultureRoyal Queen SeedsRoyal Queen Seeds is amongst the fastest growing cannabis seed companies in Europe. After building up many years of experience in growing cannabis seeds in the Netherlands, we decided to launch our own line of cannabis seeds and are now able to offer you quality feminized, autoflowering and medical seeds at a good price.Gift CardsCoinCardsCoincards provides Giftcards and was created in July of 2014.Crypto de Change(UK)Crypto De Change provides Gift Cards and Silver Buillons since July 2013.GifftoffGiftoff is a "digital gift card retailer with the largest range on offer in Europe. Since 2014 we’ve been enabling digital currency users to shop with major retailers like Amazon.co.uk, Steam and Marks & Spencer. We stock over 70 gift cards and accept over 40 digital currencies as well as UK credit and debit cards."Goods/MerchandiseAstronaut ApparelAstronaut Apparel makes every effort to operate in a transparent and ethical manner. We will be integrating blockchain features to help with supply chain management, so that you can see exactly where your apparel was made.CyrolineCyroline is on "the tireless hunt for the special in the fashion world, the perfect fusion of individual styles, quality and sustainability." In physical stores you can pay with Vertcoin in Germany: Lübeck, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart.Crypto affectCrypto Affect provides "Clothing for the hodler", crypto related fashion.Crypto and ProudC&P provides crypto related fashion and is "shipping worldwide with live rates and tracking."CryptoBird wear"Cryptobird is a partnership to start a full crypto based webshop with high quality fashion to contribute to a wider cryptocurrency adoption around the globe."CryptocompoundCrypto Compound provides "crypto-themed items" like fashion, mugs & more.CryptobleCryptoble provides "apparel and more". Here are crypto related shirts & mugs.Epic PantsEpic Pants is an online retailer who sells products in the categories hardware, apparel, styles, gear, fun, music and art.GeekboxitGeekBox "offers a wide variety of services including but not limited to basic computer setup, repair, virus removal, server setup, network setup, consulting, purchasing, cloud computing advice, gaming system and electronic repair." As a nice special GeekBox IT provides a Vertcoin T-shirt.HodlerteesHodler Tees is a cryptocurrency centered t-shirt company based in Frisco Texas! (USA) We sell all things crypto related from hats to t-shirts and even posters!King Pen VapesKPV provides Vaporizers, "electronic devices that help you vaporize your material into vapor for cleaner inhalation. People looking to quit smoking cigarettes are the main reason behind vapes."NewLazy PyramidLP is an online store and community. We service the world, no order is too small or too large.NakamotoClothing"At Nakamoto Clothing, we're passionate about designing and curating a selection of apparel to help grow this movement of change. And we're electrified AF!", international shipping.SatoshiMarketOnline marketplace selling crypto embroided polo shirtsSpreadshirtSpreadshirt provides shirts and more. Based in Greensburg, USA, the owner comes from the Netherlands.ShillshopShillshop provides stickers in outdoor quality and is "based in The Netherlands, all the products we sell are also produced in The Netherlands to make sure you'll receive the highest quality!"TeepublicTeepublic provides apparel, home goods, shirts, stickers, mugs & more.Vertcoin stickersRB gives "independent artists a meaningful new way to sell their creations. Today, we connect over 400k artists and designers across the planet with millions of passionate fans." RB provides a huge sortiment of designed products like bags, wall art, home decor, apparel, stationary & more.VTCmarketVTCmarket is founded by the Dunn twins Raf & Tom: "We’ve started off with T-shirts and are working on expanding with other products and merchants"Vertcoin medallionJzzsxm's Online Store provides a 1.5" diameter metal Vertcoin Medallion. Each medallion costs 2 VTC and comes with a metalized label containing a wallet address QR code of your choice affixed to the back.WIKILEAKS shopWikiLeaks is a multi-national media organization and associated library. It was founded by its publisher Julian Assange in 2006. The shop provides shirts, posters and asseccoires.ZazzleZazzle is a "marketplace, you'll find customizable products, art and create-your-own products just waiting for you. We're PhD's, professional artists, manufacturing gurus, patent holders, inventors, musicians, and more. Everything we do is an expression of love." As a nice special Z provides Vertcoin shirts.MedicalThree Fields AccupunctureAcupuncture in MassachusettsMultimedia ServicesRichmond Drone ServicesRDS is Central Virginia’s drone service specialists. From preparation to content delivery, we perform all work to perfection. We can act as both an aerial film consultant or as the remote pilot in charge on your next projects.Professional (law) ServicesBurrell-Law (NYC)Burrell Law "Our New York City-based attorneys provide a broad range of transactional legal services" Every large business was once a small business. We are here to help you find a solution for your legal needs.Bitcoin TaxBitcoin Tax is "calculating capital gains/losses for any crypto-currency. Do you know the cost-basis of every coin you own? Are you tracking the profits and new basis when you spend or sell? Can you work out the best way to identify your trades to optimize your taxes? Let us do it for you."The Crypto Lawyers(U.S.)The Crypto Lawyers - "we are a team of U.S. qualified lawyers dedicated to helping individuals, businesses, and organizations navigate the legal intricacies of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. We commit ourselves to strategically and aggressively represent our clients in their transactional and litigation matters."PrintingCatdi"Catdi is a commercial printing company with additional specialization in web design. Offering cost-effective commercial printing, direct mail, graphic design and web solutions to small businesses. Proudly Serving Houston and surrounding communities for over 10 years."TechnologyFasttech"FastTech is the techno-centric destination for all your geeky needs and more. FastTech is committed to become the most loved and trusted electronics marketplace by offering superior shopping experience, timely shipping, and stellar customer service."Video GamesCavemen StudiosCavemen Studios is a developer of video games. "Having over a century of combined experience on how video games tick, we've finally decided it's time to start creating our own products."Keys4coins"Keys4Coins is one of the first pc game stores who only accept cryptocurrency as payment. Our store is simple to use and you can shop anonymously. Only an e-mail is required so you can receive the license."XBL4BTC"Our aim is to provide the fastest, easiest place to buy Xbox Live Gold subscriptions with cryptocurrencies"Wallets & miscellaneousPaper walletDesigned Vertcoin public and private wallets that can be used as paper wallets or given as gifts.Wooden VertcoinLaserLightning provides one etched wooden Vertcoin with the Vertcoin logo burned into one side, and your custom QR code on the back. These coins are approx 1.5 inches in diameter.(NSFW) Adult shopsToys4sex the adult shopToys4Sex is Australia's Online Adult store retailer intended for men and women. Toys4Sex comes with a specially selected range of products that has made its mark within the Australian adult market place. via /r/vertcoin