|
Training for Book Authors
|
|
|
Sites Owned by Bill Platt
|
|
|
|
|
E-Commerce And Drinking Water - Safety, Convenience and Customer Service Combine for Customer Satisfaction
Copyright (c) 2007-2019 Jon M. Stout
E-Commerce is coming of age with millions of new customers from internet sales for a wide variety of products. Advances in web site design, payment mechanisms and delivery systems have met the increased demand for online ordering.
With the advent of on-line ordering firms like Amazon and E-Bay, what started out as a small business has morphed into a multi-billion dollar industry. The key to success in the field of E-Commerce is the offering of high quality products coupled with state of the art technology to ensure ease of ordering and secure payment mechanisms.
The bottled water industry is an ideal beneficiary of e-commerce technology because of the large number of customers served and the frequency of transactions and purchases.
E-commerce Defined
E-commerce is similar to other forms of commerce except that it involves the buying and selling of goods over the Internet. E-commerce sites range from a simple web page highlighting a single item to dynamic fully developed on-line catalogs featuring thousands of products. The common theme and benefit in e-commerce sites is instant purchase, instant payment (if desired) and instant gratification for the customer.
Over the years, the e-commerce web has blossomed into a multi-billion dollar industry yearly, with significant growth projected over the next 5 years. A defining characteristic is that all ecommerce web sites accept a type of online payment, whether through a third party or directly with a merchant account.
E-commerce: The Wave of the Future
The internet is changing world view of shoppers. Instant gratification is a reality Utilizing e-commerce allows customers the ability to quickly take delivery of the goods they require and desire. In addition, the Internet is perhaps the best sales tool ever invented as it allows customers to browse endlessly in privacy. They can return and order again and again without ever leaving their home.
Most experts agree that it is only a matter of time before all sales-oriented companies will have some sort of e-commerce presence in order to remain competitive and the development of software and tools to improve the productivity of e-commerce sites remains strong. As more and better technology is developed, e-commerce will greatly expand.
Secure Payment and SSL(Secure Socket Layer): The Heart of the System
SSL(Secure Socket Layer) has been the de facto standard and heart of the system for e-commerce transaction security, and it's likely to remain so well into the future.
SSL is based on encryption. SSL encrypts data, like credit cards numbers (as well other personally identifiable information), which prevents unauthorized use. An SSL protected page is identified when the address begins with "https" and there is a padlock icon at the bottom of the page.
SSL Certificates
The SSL certificate resides on a secure server and is used to encrypt the data and to identify the Web site. The SSL certificate also helps to prove the site belongs to who it says it belongs to and contains information about the certificate holder, the domain that the certificate was issued to, the name of the Certificate Authority who issued the certificate, the root and the country it was issued in.
In general, e-commerce users are urged to avoid sites that fail to use and display proof of SSL Certificates.
The Bottled Water Industry and E-commerce
The bottled water business is actually two lines of business: Local delivery water and private labeled water and each is an important subset of the total business.
Local delivery water is defined geographically and usually comprises rental or sales of coolers and delivery of 5-gallon and small package (12, 16.5 and 20 oz.) bottles to customers located within a limited distance from the water source. This business includes a customer base of consumers and businesses in the defined geographic area who take periodic delivery of water. The key to success in this line of business is the production and efficient delivery of the highest quality pure water.
Private labeled water involves the development and production of high quality custom labels with a clear branding message. This line of business is national in scope and includes a strong element of branding and advertising. The key to success in this line of business is the design and production of a label of the highest quality with a clear branding message.
Each line of business has different requirements for e-commerce. For the local delivery business, establishing and meeting delivery schedules is critical with the most advanced sites offering delivery programs that offer the customer choice of delivery schedules and the ability to modify deliveries as conditions warrant.
For the private labeled line of business design flexibility in the form of interactive tools for the development, proofing and production of labels is critical. Another critical aspect of the private labeled line of business is fast and cost effective delivery through national carriers.
A Culture of Customer Service
The best e-commerce site will not produce results without support of an effective customer service organization. E-commerce tools and capabilities must be complemented by a customer service culture that includes rapid customer feed back, human (as opposed to voice mail and e-mail) interaction and clear communication. It is presently impossible to totally remove the human element from e-commerce and the human element is a critical part of the customer satisfaction process.
Best and Powerful Features
There are many varieties of e-commerce sites ranging from the simplest static site that offers very limited features to full featured dynamic sites based upon the latest database technology and access. No matter what the level of technology however, the site should combine ease of use with the most powerful features available. An effective bottled water e-commerce site should include the following minimum features.
General Features
Multiple-Recipient Ordering (allows multiple user shipments in a single transaction)
No Shopping Cart "Shoving" (gives the user maximum flexibility before check-out)
Login Systems for Wholesale and Retail Customers (with remembered billing and recipient party data)
Code Maturity (provides for reliability and stability of the site)
Future Arrival Date Provisions (mandatory for scheduling deliveries and shipments)
Order History and Fast Loading of Orders
Automatic Shipping for Retail and Wholesale Accounts
Private Label Features
Interactive and Customer Friendly Label Configurator (allows for user development of labels and artwork)
Proofing Capability (allows the user to repeatedly review label design before purchase)
Multi Layered Design ( allows for choice of color, shading and label features)
E-commerce lends itself to rapid fulfillment of orders and increased customer satisfaction when the site utilizes powerful state of the art tools and features coupled with a culture of customer satisfaction. On a user friendly powerful site, water orders for both local delivery and private labeled business are safe, convenient and fast. E-commerce vendors that maintain a culture of customer service will guarantee customer satisfaction.
VOTE ON THIS ARTICLE
Needs Work >>
0 -
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5
<< Excellent Article
Tell our authors what you think about their article.
|
Top-Level Category: Business Online Articles || Related Categories: Business Offline Articles
10 Most Recent Articles Written by Jon M. Stout
Is the Plucking Time Important When Choosing White Licorice Tea?
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-27 |
Word Count: 863 |
Page Views: 3251
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 2.00
White tea is the rarest tea in the world. Long praised in Asia,
it is just beginning to gain popularity in the Western world.
People everywhere are clamoring to get their hands on this rare
treat. White tea is used in many blends, and none is more
refreshing than White Licorice Tea. White Licorice tea is a
delicious blend of fine white tea and star anise to provide the
licorice flavor.
What is a Good White Licorice Blend?
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-27 |
Word Count: 863 |
Page Views: 4004
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 1.20
There are many white teas and white tea blends to choose from.
But, you won't find any more delicious than white licorice tea.
However, just as with other blends of white tea, to get the best
flavor from your white licorice tea, it's important to choose a
good quality blend. The difference between teas that have been
made using the best ingredients and those created using inferior
ingredients is significant, so it pays to know what you’re buying
when you purchase any white tea blend.
What is a Good White Persian Melon Blend?
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-23 |
Word Count: 847 |
Page Views: 3379
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.33
White teas are the rarest and most expensive of all teas. So,
it's important to buy good quality white tea so that you're
truly getting your money's worth. When you're purchasing a
white tea blend, like White Persian Melon tea, it's also
important that you choose a quality blend; so that the flavor of
the white tea is not compromised by the way it's been blended.
Tea, Sugar and Slavery
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-23 |
Word Count: 566 |
Page Views: 4049
| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 1.83
Of all the evils that have affected mankind, slavery or human
bondage ranks among the worst. Slavery, in all its various forms
from ancient empires like Rome to the ante bellum American South
to the slave labor of Hitler's Third Reich and the Soviet Gulags
has ruined millions of lives and degraded many cultures
throughout history.
Tea and Alcoholism: A Long History
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-22 |
Word Count: 585 |
Page Views: 3953
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.38
Anyone who suffers from alcoholism knows that it is an incurable
disease that is as insidious as it is devastating. But with total
abstinence from drink and the use of support groups like
Alcoholics Anonymous recovery can be life long.
Recession Relief - Quality Loose Leaf Tea for Independent Coffee Shops
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-22 |
Word Count: 556 |
Page Views: 3550
| Votes: 12 |
Rating: 1.75
Make no doubt about it - the country is in a recession and
consumer spending is being cut back, High priced coffee is
affected and even Starbucks is suffering and cutting back.
Taxing Tea - A British Tradition
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-21 |
Word Count: 947 |
Page Views: 3830
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 2.43
While British citizens likely saw the first importations of tea
from the Orient in the 1500 to 1600s as a sensation that added a
little spark to their traditional coffee houses, the government
saw something else - money. As this beverage quickly became the
favored choice of the lower classes, British nobility saw a way
to line the coffers of government.
Oolong Tea Is A Proven Fat Fighter
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-21 |
Word Count: 909 |
Page Views: 2912
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 2.30
As the detrimental health impacts of obesity become even clearer,
more people are searching for ways to gain an edge in the battle
of the bulge. With obesity in America an ever-present concern,
the fad, gadget and specialty food market is booming. Dropping
pounds for the sake of appearances and for the sake of health is
a very big trend indeed. Although some items simply do not work,
one very basic drink stands out as a powerful weapon to add to an
arsenal for fat fighting.
Impacts On China - Green Tea And The Global Trade
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-20 |
Word Count: 880 |
Page Views: 3945
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.38
5/19/2008 9:48PM China's love affair with green tea is believed
to have begun thousands of years ago. It took centuries for the
Chinese to share this secret with their neighbors in Japan and
even longer for the country to begin exporting this bountiful
crop to destinations all over the world.
History Of Green Tea
Written by: Jon M. Stout |
Distributed: 2008-05-20 |
Word Count: 988 |
Page Views: 3889
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 1.78
Green tea has a history that dates back thousands of years.
Although this particular type of tea is only now gaining major
notoriety in the West, it has been known to the Chinese and
Japanese for centuries. This type of tea is less heavily
processed than its counterpart made from the same leaves, but
despite this fact, it has not been a heavy export from Asia until
the past few years.
All of Author's Articles on this site: Jon M. Stout Articles
Most Recent "Business Online" Articles
Four Tips For Creating An Effective Authors' Resource Box
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-27 |
Word Count: 1669 |
Page Views: 5343
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.11
In article marketing, there are many factors that will
affect your articles' ability to promote your website in
the most effective manner. In this article, we will briefly
discuss a couple those factors, before we dive into how to
create an effective Authors' Resource Box, also known as
the About The Author Information.
Website Traffic Generation: Winning the Love of the Traffic Fairy
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-24 |
Word Count: 1149 |
Page Views: 6043
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 1.57
Some people still believe that all they have to do is build
a website and customers will magically appear on their
site... Once they have built their websites, they wait
anxiously for the "Traffic Fairy" to come and sprinkle its
magic dust on their website too, so that they can make lots
of money like other success website owners.
What Kind Of Backlinks Are Best At Helping Your Website In Google?
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-21 |
Word Count: 439 |
Page Views: 7278
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 3.20
I was in the Warrior Forum, and someone asked what kinds of
Backlinks are worth pursuing. This is my answer to that
query.
Understanding the Mechanics of Effective Article Marketing and Article Syndication
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-01 |
Word Count: 1399 |
Page Views: 3987
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 1.00
Visit several marketing blogs or marketing forums, and you
will find dozens of people proclaiming the death of article
marketing as an effective marketing tool. Before we start
agreeing with them, consider this...
Top 10 Reasons Why Online Marketers Fail With Article Marketing
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-31 |
Word Count: 1025 |
Page Views: 5065
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 2.29
If you've been marketing products online for any length of
time, you've likely heard people talk about the power and
promise of article marketing for the promotion of your
online business. Unfortunately, many online marketers have
tried to utilize article marketing to benefit their online
business and failed. In this article, I document the top ten
reasons why people fail to find success with article
marketing... And how to fix your article marketing
campaigns...
Article Marketing Tip: Stop Trying To Sell From Within Your Articles
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-30 |
Word Count: 1229 |
Page Views: 3376
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 0.50
The basic premise of article marketing is to present people
information that will be important to them, then at the end
of the article, present information "about the author" and
offer to the reader a means to see how the author can help
the reader further. When done well, article marketing
continues to be one of the most effective methods of
promotion that one could employ online.
The Six Degrees of Internet Marketing
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-30 |
Word Count: 991 |
Page Views: 5790
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.25
The theory behind the Six Degrees of Separation is that all
people on earth can be connected together in as little as
six steps. Now, I know what you might be thinking at this
juncture... That sounds fun and interesting, but what does
that have to do with Internet Marketing? That is a great
question that I am going to answer for you in this
article...
How To Win More Eyeballs for Your Offers and Websites
Written by: Bruce Lansing |
Distributed: 2013-07-29 |
Word Count: 1373 |
Page Views: 3440
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 0.25
Most people using search engines on the Internet are looking
for answers to questions and solutions to problems. If you
can give people what the answers they want, you will be able
to position your business as one worth hiring today or
tomorrow.
How To Increase Your Rates and Earnings As a Freelance Writer
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-29 |
Word Count: 1191 |
Page Views: 3467
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 0.25
Freelance writers fill a very important role in today's
business marketplace. They create the on-demand, customized
content that business owners everywhere need to push their
businesses forward. In this article, the author explains
what freelance writers should do to ensure that employers
will pay them well for their services.
Promoting Your Business With Content:: Defining Your Writing Strategy
Written by: Bruce Lansing |
Distributed: 2013-07-25 |
Word Count: 677 |
Page Views: 3200
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 1.50
Many people suggest that you should write articles on the
basis of the benefits that people will get from reading your
articles. I'd like to suggest that there is a better
reason, and that is to write your articles on the basis of
what problem people will be able to solve, as a result of
reading your articles.
Most Viewed "Business Online" Articles
Attracting Readers to your Book
Written by: Alastair Hall |
Distributed: 2006-05-18 |
Word Count: 708 |
Page Views: 45537
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 1.90
One of the common and obvious ways to market a self-published
book is having your own website. The harder part is how to
attract your target audience and then convert the sale.
How To Make Visitors Bookmark Your Site
Written by: Cheryl Miller |
Distributed: 2006-10-10 |
Word Count: 536 |
Page Views: 37885
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 2.21
When visitors bookmark your site it is a sign that you have built
a great website and are pleasing them. Visitors think highly
enough of your site to want to return and possibly tell others
about it. You are not only increasing traffic from your existing
clientele you are encouraging new traffic by means of viral
marketing.
Treat Online 'Guests' With Respect
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-07-27 |
Word Count: 472 |
Page Views: 29351
| Votes: 26 |
Rating: 3.62
Does your website show your customers lack of respect? Review the
following checklist to find out.
How I Got 70,000 Useless Visitors To My Site In One Day! (One Internet Marketer's Analysis of Social Bookmark Traffic)
Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2007-11-06 |
Word Count: 1545 |
Page Views: 26942
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 1.89
Is social bookmark traffic useless? Is it even worth cultivating
for your site? Can it be used from an online marketing
perspective? Read to discover one Internet Marketer's analysis
of social bookmark/media traffic...
Successful Article Marketers Help Readers Solve Problems
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-24 |
Word Count: 816 |
Page Views: 23565
| Votes: 27 |
Rating: 2.93
Every week, I have the opportunity to speak with people about the
benefits and challenges of using article marketing to promote an
online business. Article marketing is about getting your sales
message in front of potential customers and to get links to your
website. Many interpret this to mean that an article should
directly promote a website within the article, but that approach
is wrong and will reduce one's success using this methodology.
Tips For Building Your First Website
Written by: Benny Tsabba |
Distributed: 2007-05-30 |
Word Count: 1511 |
Page Views: 18616
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.09
New people are coming online everyday. And many of those people
desire to turn their spare time into spare cash. So begins their
journey.
The Importance Of Effective Follow-up
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2007-01-15 |
Word Count: 493 |
Page Views: 13305
| Votes: 21 |
Rating: 2.62
Marketing experts say that following up with clients is crucial
to successful selling because most prospects do not buy the first
time, according to Aweber, a leading autoresponder company.
People must encounter a marketing message multiple times before
making a purchasing decision.
Today's Google Bots and What They Do
Written by: Kim Roach |
Distributed: 2006-08-02 |
Word Count: 1061 |
Page Views: 13030
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.89
Google currently indexes over 8 billion web pages. However,
before these pages were placed in the index, they were each
crawled by a special spider known as the GoogleBot. Unfortunately, many web masters do not know about the internal workings of this virtual robot. This article will attempt to
reveal some of the most important Google spiders, their function,
and how they affect you as a web master. We'll start with the
well-known GoogleBot.
Successful Forum JVs and How To Get Them
Written by: Diana Barnum |
Distributed: 2006-06-15 |
Word Count: 648 |
Page Views: 10290
| Votes: 12 |
Rating: 2.00
The forming of common alliances, also referred to as a joint
venture (JV), happens nearly every day in the business world.
One of the most popular means of linking people up online of so
that they can work together on their projects is via forums,
where people of all levels of business and expertise post in
common threads.
Ten Tips For User Friendly Online Registration Forms
Written by: Jim Romanik |
Distributed: 2009-02-24 |
Word Count: 775 |
Page Views: 10071
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 0.93
Have you ever registered or attempted to register for an event
and spent half an hour trying to figure out what you needed to
do? Or have you used an online registration form that lost your
data or was so complicated that it seemed like more work than
faxing the form?
Highest Ranked "Business Online" Articles
Is Your Business 'Out Of Site'? Employ The Ultimate Marketing Tool
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-01-09 |
Word Count: 445 |
Page Views: 4486
| Votes: 20 |
Rating: 3.95
With the rapid expansion of the digital economy, the web site is
conceivably the most powerful marketing and sales tool you can employ.
Find out what a web site can do for you.
How To Use Your Race To Get Rich
Written by: Herbert Harris |
Distributed: 2009-07-07 |
Word Count: 1407 |
Page Views: 4881
| Votes: 41 |
Rating: 3.95
Amid recent news reports that there continues to be an ongoing
and substantial gap between the net worth of Whites and other
racial groups, it is easy to be distracted and overwhelmed by the
raw data. However, I am immediately reminded of a quote offered
by an economic expert from the past... "There are lies, damned
lies, and statistics!"
How to Keep Your Article Content Fresh and Interesting
Written by: Craig Ritsema |
Distributed: 2006-08-29 |
Word Count: 699 |
Page Views: 4397
| Votes: 18 |
Rating: 3.94
Webmasters everywhere are constantly on the lookout for fresh and
interesting content for their website. Along with these content
qualities is the requirement that it be unique. Everyone wants
their website to stand out above the others in the search engine
results. So what is the trick for you to keep a steady supply of
this quality content coming your way?
Why I'm A 'B-Level Marketer!'
Written by: Willie Crawford |
Distributed: 2007-07-16 |
Word Count: 917 |
Page Views: 5204
| Votes: 25 |
Rating: 3.68
At a recent Internet marketing seminar, I was sitting around the
hotel lobby with approximately 20 other seminar attendees and
speakers. The seminar's host was in attendance, and the
conversation covered a range of internet marketing topics with
extreme frankness. Our proximity to the hotel bar certainly
contributed to our 'conviviality.'
The Most Important Ingredient for Info Product Success (is You)
Written by: Judy Murdoch |
Distributed: 2008-04-15 |
Word Count: 981 |
Page Views: 4642
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 3.64
Last week I was attending a conference and mentioned to someone I
help small business owners create information products. The other
person was very friendly until I said "information products."
Then the temperature in the room dropped about 10-degrees
Treat Online 'Guests' With Respect
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-07-27 |
Word Count: 472 |
Page Views: 29351
| Votes: 26 |
Rating: 3.62
Does your website show your customers lack of respect? Review the
following checklist to find out.
Increasing Productivity In Your Online Business
Written by: Willie Crawford |
Distributed: 2006-06-14 |
Word Count: 1407 |
Page Views: 5930
| Votes: 33 |
Rating: 3.61
Running an online "empire" of approximately 1600 websites and
blogs, selling a variety of products, services and ideas, I
have to be much more productive than the average person in a
"regular job."
15 fixes for a failing website
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-02-07 |
Word Count: 593 |
Page Views: 2488
| Votes: 24 |
Rating: 3.58
Employ these 15 tactics to improve your search engine rankings,
engage visitors and convert more sales.
Is Your Web Content Self-Centered?
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-07-30 |
Word Count: 354 |
Page Views: 2924
| Votes: 26 |
Rating: 3.54
Too many businesses turn people off with self-absorbed websites.
The following guidelines will help you avoid this common pitfall.
3 Amazing but little known Secrets to make your Website Blast to the top of Search Engines!
Written by: Jim Corkern |
Distributed: 2006-10-25 |
Word Count: 646 |
Page Views: 2762
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 3.53
I know you hear all of the squabble about links being the number
1 factor in getting your website top search engine positions. I
have had many clients come to me and say, I have hundreds more
links than the top 10 sites for the keywords I am targeting, and
all of my links are from related sites, Why is my site not in the
top 10?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Article Reprint Rights
|
This work is
licensed under a
Creative Commons
License
You are not required to show the creative commons license notice when you reprint this work.
|
|
Article Statistics
|
Word Count: 1123
Total Views: 2622
Article Rating: 1.00 of 5
Votes Cast: 7
More Articles By Author:
Articles On This Website
Last Distribution Date:
2007-04-26 14:54:00
Internal ID: #4761
|
|
|
Home