e-commerce

The coldest March for 50 years kept many shoppers at home, but strong online sales boosted Next’s sales by nearly 9%, leaving overall group sales up 2.2% despite poor performing shops. Shop sales slumped by 1.9% in the 14 weeks to 4 May.

The company said: “It is apparent that the poor March figures were down to an abnormally cold spring. Equally, the good weeks since mid-April have been boosted by pent-up demand from the previous month. We believe that neither period is indicative of any significant change in the underlying economy.”

Next’s online business is going from strength to strength. At the full year results in January, the company revealed online sales jumped 9.5% to £1.19bn, compared with in-store sales of £2.19bn. In a sign of how profitable the online business is for Next, pretax profits for online were £302.1m, compared with £331m in stores.

Despite the increase in online sales, the company, which has more than 500 stores, remains cautious about the fragile UK economy. It said: “We anticipate that the continuing decline in real earnings will depress discretionary spending for at least the next 18 months, if not longer.”

This case illustrates the value of a having a strong e-commerce element to businesses of all sizes. Adding e-commerce to sell your products online needn’t be an expensive option and could boost your business long term.

See the original article here: Next saved from seasonal slump by online sales

Criminals are using scam emails that purport to be from PayPal to steal money from unsuspecting victims. According to police reporting service Action Fraud, there has been a glut of scam PayPal emails since the 1st February 2013 which aim to lure people into passing over their details. One victim recently went public with her experience, explaining how an email that seemed to come from PayPal asked her to change her password. She then lost £1500 from her bank account, after filling in a form at the Criminal’s website, not PayPal.

Victim of new ‘phishing’ PayPal scam speaks out

PayPal says that their emails always address customers by their first and last names rather than “Hello” or “Dear PayPal Member”. Also if you do get an email from PayPal asking you to do something then go directly to the PayPal website and log in there.

Here are some tips for spotting fake emails:

10 ways to recognize fake (spoof) emails

1. Generic greetings. Many spoof emails begin with a general greeting, such as: “Dear PayPal member.” If you do not see your first and last name, be suspicious and do not click on any links or button.
2. A fake sender’s address. A spoof email may include a forged email address in the “From” field. This field is easily altered.
3. A false sense of urgency. Many spoof emails try to deceive you with the threat that your account is in jeopardy if you don’t update it ASAP. They may also state that an unauthorized transaction has recently occurred on your account, or claim PayPal is updating its accounts and needs information fast.
4. Fake links. Always check where a link is going before you click. Move your mouse over it and look at the URL in your browser or email status bar. A fraudulent link is dangerous. If you click on one, it could:
   • Direct you to a spoof website that tries to collect your personal data.
   • Install spyware on your system. Spyware is an application that can enable a hacker to monitor your actions and steal any passwords or credit card numbers you type online.
   • Cause you to download a virus that could disable your computer.
5. Emails that appear to be websites. Some emails will look like a website in order to get you to enter personal information. PayPal never asks for personal information in an email.
6. Deceptive URLs. Only enter your PayPal password on PayPal pages. These begin with https://www.paypal.com/
   • If you see an @ sign in the middle of a URL, there’s a good chance this is a spoof. Legitimate companies use a domain name (e.g. https://www.company.com).
   • Even if a URL contains the word “PayPal,” it may not be a PayPal site. Examples of deceptive URLs include: www.paypalsecure.com, www.paypa1.com, www.secure-paypal.com, and www.paypalnet.com.
   • Always log in to PayPal by opening a new web browser and typing in the following: https://www.paypal.com/
   • Never log in to PayPal from a link in an email message.
7. Misspellings and bad grammar. Spoof emails often contain misspellings, incorrect grammar, missing words, and gaps in logic. Mistakes also help fraudsters avoid spam filters.
8. Unsafe sites. The term “https” should always precede any website address where you enter personal information. The “s” stands for secure. If you don’t see “https,” you’re not in a secure web session, and you should not enter data.
9. Pop-up boxes. PayPal will never use a pop-up box in an email as pop-ups are not secure.
10. Attachments. Like fake links, attachments are frequently used in spoof emails and are dangerous. Never click on an attachment. It could cause you to download spyware or a virus. PayPal will never email you an attachment or a software update to install on your computer.

We have just launched a new e-commerce website Care Home Equipment which is a new trading name of specialist health care equipment product vendor Shelden Healthcare. The website has a fuller range of care equipment which would be useful for both care homes and private individuals with care needs at home.

In the current climate of financial doom and gloom it’s not only great to hear about companies bucking the trend, but also attempt to analyse what they are doing to grow their business. Pizza company Domino’s delivered a strong financial performance in 2011 with like for like sales up 12% on the previous year. Profitability is expected to be at the top end of market expectation.

Domino’s attributes a lot its success to online ordering through different devices such as PC, mobile and tablets like the iPad. Customer’s can simply type their post code to locate the nearest store, order online and expect a delivery within the usual time limits. The company now gets over 40% of its orders online.

While Domino’s is a national chain with the budget to match, all SME’s should seriously consider how bricks AND clicks could enhance their business. These days, adding e-commerce to your web presence is much cheaper and quicker than even two years ago – talk to Dinesh for more details on 01788 844014 or fill out our contact form.

Our August 2010 email newsletter reports on how big companies like Next and Debenhams have been breaking the UK Distance Selling Regulations by not refunding the original delivery charge on returns.

Please view the newsletter here:  August 2010 email newsletter

Next and some other big online retailers have been breaking the law regarding refunds for goods bought online. Under the Distance Selling Regulations the consumer is entitled to a refund for the goods AND original delivery charge if returned within 7 days of receiving the item.
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Thousands of UK consumers have recently been duped into buying fake designer clothing and footwear. The goods were up for sale on focusclothing.co.uk (please DON`T visit) and on outward appearances, the website seemed genuine. It looked professional, customers could track their orders, payments were made securely and (more…)