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Zarr's June 2005 Newsletter
Taste The Recipe For Success
Over the last 5 years Zarr has worked with many businesses wanting to use the Internet as a means of
selling their products. At the Business Start-up Exhibition at the NEC in June Zarr’s MD, Hannah
Reynolds, shared some of the characteristics that typify successful online businesses.
In this month’s newsletter we’re giving you an exclusive extract from the Zarr Recipe for a Successful
Online Business presentation and an opportunity to download our free e-book which gives you insider
knowledge into the secrets of online success.
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Feature: Steps Towards Online Success
An online business is no different to any other in that you need to get the basics right.
A sound business plan, including a detailed financial plan is an essential starting point. Your very
basic ingredients - your product and the market in which you want to operate are probably already in
hand, but some of the other ingredients, like the web infrastructure, management tools and appropriate
business processes need to be considered.
The web infrastructure you choose is critical and making sure you have the right web developers working
with you will increase your chances of success. This checklist of things to ask web developers can help
you make an informed choice.
- 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.
- Their web solution. Satisfy yourself that the solution you choose will be easy for you to update and
manage and attractive to users.
- 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.
- 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.
- Intellectual property and rights. Explore with them 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.
- 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.
- Security and uptime. Understand how and where the site would be hosted and check on the reliability,
back-up and security systems.
- Costs. Be aware of all initial costs and any on-going licenses, hosting or other fees.
Having selected a web developer to work with you’ll want to make sure that the web solution that you develop
together meets your requirements to running an online business. The Zarr Recipe for A Successful Online Business
e-book details all of the stages you should go through and provides insider knowledge and tips to make sure your
online business is a winner.
Click here to download the free recipe book.
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Web Trends: Clicking not Flicking
Consumer Research group, Mintel, has produced a report showing that web stores have overtaken mail order
catalogue sales for the first time ever. According to the report 32% of shoppers bought goods online last year
compared to 25% who purchased items from a catalogue.
Nicky's Angels
Zarr welcomes Sarah Adams and Tess Flory who are working alongside Nicky Drake, Zarr’s Project Manager. Each individual
project requires careful planning and management to ensure it is delivered on time and at a high standard. Sarah and
Tess play an invaluable role in making this happen as part of the project delivery team.
Web Insider: Google’s local directory has a yellow tint
Google has launched a local directory which uses Yell.com as the source of data. The local directory maintains
business data by location and you can search by keyword and location, and the directory returns businesses related
to that keyword. You can access the Google local directory by visiting
http://www.google.com/lochp
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New Arrivals
Congratulations to Zarr's Graphic Designer Dave, and his family, on the arrival of daughter Elizabeth Amelia.
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Technology Insider: Raising Security Standards
Web shops are being forced to improve the way they handle customer data as the major online merchants and payment
processing firms, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Diners, Discover, and JCB have drawn up standards that dictate
what web shops must do to keep safe. Before these standards were drawn up separate credit card firms and banks had
their own different security compliance programs.
From 30 June this year all web shops, which process over 20,000 transactions per year, will have to become compliant
with the new strict security standards drawn up by the world's big credit card companies.
The move to tighten up security at online shops happens as increasing numbers of firms report that customer data has
been lost or stolen. To comply firms must scan networks four times a year and carry out an annual audit to ensure
that the way they work is as safe as the standards demand.
Click here to read more.
Coming Soon
Zarr’s July newsletter features Summer Getaways and using the web to work remotely.
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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