Welcome to our April newsletter. There are top tips for anyone commissioning a new website and some news for retailers. If you find this newsletter useful please pass it on to friends and colleagues or encourage them to subscribe.

Website Commissioning Checklist

Selecting web developers to work with can be a bit of a hit and miss affair. This checklist from Zarr Internet Services provides you with a list of things to discuss with web developers before you take the plunge.

1. Company history and status. You must be reassured that you are dealing with a company with a track record and one that can support your business now and in the future.
2. Their web solution. Satisfy yourself that the solution you choose will be easy for you to update and manage and attractive to users.
3. The development process. Make sure you understand how the site will be developed and at what stage you will be asked to review and approve the graphical design and page layouts.
4. Time scales and deadlines. Be wary of anyone who says they can develop a full ecommerce site within a few days or even a few weeks. You may either get an off-the-shelf solution, which may not suit your business or else they won’t actually meet the agreed timetable.
5. Intellectual property and rights. Explore with the developer who owns the code and what would happen if they went out of business or if for some reason you wanted someone else to continue the development of your site.
6. Reporting and management information. A good idea is to list all the information you will need to run your business effectively and ask the web developers whether you can obtain this information from the ‘back office’ function of your website.
7. Security and uptime. Understand how and where the site would be hosted and confirm the reliability, back-up and security systems.
8. Costs. Be aware of all initial costs and any on-going licenses, hosting or other fees.

Contact Zarr Internet Service for web solutions that work to your agenda – 01788 820900 or email sales@zarr.com.

Internet Insider: Registering your European Domain Name Do you trade or want to trade in Europe? If you do it might be worthwhile registering for a URL with an eu suffix. Not only will an eu suffix be useful to indicate you are doing business, or have ambitions to do business in Europe it will also prevent other businesses from using the domain and thus having a similar URL to your existing one. Contact Zarr Internet Services to register your eu domain name.

STOP PRESS: Corner shops doomed?

The parliamentary small-shops group predicts a rough ride for the traditional corner shop. According to the all-party group independent convenience stores won't be around in a decade. It thinks the pressure from the big four supermarket chains will prove so great that by 2015, wholesalers such as Booker that specialise in supplying smaller retailers are likely to have disappeared too. If you are a small independent retailer you might look for an on-line retail solution to broaden your market and secure your own survival. Contact sales Reynolds if you want discuss how to take your shop online.

Shoe experts Step onto a Global Platform One retailer staying ahead of the game, is footwear company Charles Ager, from Coventry. With the help of Zarr Internet Services they are developing an online service for customers worldwide. Established in 1840 by skilled craftsman Charles Ager, the retailer has thrived as a family business, with branches in Kenilworth and Swadlincote, Derbyshire and is the largest retailer of Clarks children’s shoes in the Midlands. The company is working closely with Zarr to expand its web-based operation and showcase its footwear expertise on a global platform. Zarr Internet Services director Hannah Reynolds said: “Zarr enjoys working with independent retailers such as Charles Ager as they benefit from the tremendous results of trading online. “More and more people are shopping over the internet and looking for the high-quality products and broad choice that Charles Ager has to offer. It was a pleasure to work on the project and I’m confident the website will continue to help Charles Ager reach new customers and maintain its position as one of the Midlands’ leading footwear retailers.” David Hart, who runs the footwear company with wife Gail - the fifth generation of the Ager family - said: “Trading is entirely different now, we have to cope with fierce competition from the city’s many multiple stores. “We have introduced many successful innovations over the years and working with Zarr to develop our website and online service is at the forefront of our current strategy. It is our policy to provide the public with the highest possible standard of service and choice and a superior range of footwear not generally available in modern shopping precincts.” To find out how your business could take advantage of web-based solutions contact Zarr Internet Services.

Coming Soon
Zarr’s May Newsletter will feature how local businesses succeed online.

Contact Zarr
If you are interested in finding out how your business can benefit from the latest web technology or if you need help with your online business strategy contact Zarr Internet Services on 01788 820900.

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