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Ekm Systems Newsletter - June 2008
Every month we will keep you updated with company news, topical and current articles, a feature shop review and tips on how to get the most out of your ekmPowershop account.
Inside this Issue
We would love to hear your feedback, please email us via newsletter@ekmsystems.co.uk. |
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Display your product images in a lightbox...
Ever seen a website with images displayed in a lightbox?
What is a lightbox?
When a visitor clicks on the image, the website goes dark and the images are presented in the middle of the screen in a 'lightbox' effect. Like this:
Well now your ekmPowershop can have this feature too. It is what's known as a 'lightbox' effect - and looks great for displaying your product images in an overlaid fashion.
A lovely aesthetic touch and visual feature for your product pages. This particular feature uses the 'lightbox2' framework which greys out your website when the image is highlighted in the 'lightbox' effect.
To activate this new feature in your ekmPowershop control panel:
- Log in to your ekmPowershop and go to 'Settings'
- Navigate to 'Enable/Disable ekmPowershop Features'
- You will see a new tick box for "Product Images Displayed Using Lightbox2"
- Select this and click on 'Update'
The lightbox feature is now active on your ekmPowershop.
If you have any questions or any issues using the new feature please call our Customer Services team on 0871 230 7116.
Or email us at support@ekmsystems.co.uk and we will be able to offer assistance. |
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ekmCommunity locked down for ekmPowershop owners only
 The forum has proved a massively popular platform since it was launched recently.
The uptake has been impressive, but as well as attracting ekmPowershop customers, it has also attracted some 'unsavouries'.
Perhaps an inevitable outcome - the forum was being used by a handful to solicit their services, spam the forum with irrelevant links and posts, and general conduct which really detracted from the whole point of the forum in the first place; to provide a platform for ekmPowershop owners to support, help and share information in order to improve their ecommerce venture.
We took steps to counteract this and as a result any forum accounts which did not match up with an ekmPowershop username were removed. Of course anybody can still view the forum - they just cannot post if they do not have an ekmPowershop account.
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So if you are an ekmPowershop owner and have not yet joined the forum then you can join to day at www.ekmcommunity.com/register.php.
Join the almost 1000 members already on there today and help push ekmCommunity in the right direction for all concerned. |
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Competitor Analysis
Whatever you sell it’s pretty much guaranteed (unless you're very lucky) that you will have competitors. When a potential customer searches for one of your products you need your site to come up first in the search engines rather than competitors.
A common question by many site owners is “how does my competitor come up on the first page, while I am no where to be seen?”. The answer is very simple, as search engines only decide your positioning based on a couple of factors. Read more...
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This months Customer Spotlight features Amardeep Johal from Canvaspicture.com.
Seriouslyfun
www.funswimshop.com
Tell us a little about yourself/your business.
I am 32 years old and live in Buckinghamshire with my wife and funswimshop.com manager Emily. Along with my brother Phillip and Mum Janet I am a Director of Seriously Fun Direct Ltd, the company behind funswimshop.com. We got into swimming back in 1990 when my Mum started Seriously Fun Swimming Schools, providing swimming lessons for children which we continue to run today. In 2004 we introduced a baby swimming programme which required babies to use swim nappies and other baby swimming equipment, the demand for these items was the catalyst for funswimshop.com which we set up in March 2007. We now stock a complete range of swimming & beach accessories including baby swimming equipment, swim jackets, UV sun protection clothing, snorkel equipment and pool toys to name but a few.
Why did you setup your business, and what do you hope to achieve?
The demand for baby swimming equipment continued to grow from our increasing baby swimming customer base and at the same time we were starting to receive orders from all areas of the country. At the start of 2008 we increased the product range, reworked the site design and increased our online pay per click advertising. As a result we have seen funswimshop.com sales double month on month since January with no sign of slowing down, in fact we are now looking to recruit warehouse staff and move to bigger premises.
Why did you choose ekmPowershop?
The ease of set-up, value for money and control over the design were key factors to choosing the EKM system.
Do you have any "top tips" for using ekmPowershop, and ecommerce in general?
Sometimes there is no substitute to learning from your own mistakes and as we have built the site entirely in house this has certainly been the case for us! However, we have recently invested in expert SEO optimisation which I would highly recommend as attracting exposure through search engines is essential if you want to have a successful sales website.
How has your experience with Ekm Systems been?
Since signing up I have been very impressed with their support, flexibility and speed of reply with support related matters. On occasion I have called many times in one day for help and the guys there have never made me feel like my questions were too much trouble.
How successful has your online shop been?
Sales have far exceeded our expectations and forecasts in 2008 and the feedback we have received from customers has also been very positive which is extremely rewarding.
Would you recommend ekmPowershop to others?
Definitely, if you are looking to start small and build your website EKM is a very good platform as it is very easy to use and great value for money. As things grow it is flexible enough to grow with you, the recent update to the stock system in particular has been a great help to us and adds further value.
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Ekm Systems Design Portfolio
Here at Ekm Systems, we have been inundated by custom design work. Our design team has been expanded with some outstanding creative individuals. So we though we would update our portfolio for anyone considering using our excellent design services.
Please feel free to click on to the image to reach our design portfolio page and to visit the sights featured. They are live sites so please do not place any test orders.
Your site can look like any of these for as little as £550 + VAT. We hope this portfolio shows you just how capeable the ekmPowershop platform is for selling almost any products on the internet with a bespoke, fully cusotmised design.
If visitors feel positive about the design, then they will feel positive about the content of the site. They go hand-in-hand. And this ultimately makes or breaks a sale. Distinctly average sites are soon forgotten.
To see examples of custom designs and for ideas for your own online shop then take a look at www.ekmpowershop.com/customdesign.asp
If you would like a quote for design work, be it for minor alterations or fully customised templates please feel free to email David Sharpe, our Web Design Officer on sales@ekmsystems.co.uk or speak to him on 0871 230 7116 option 1. |
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