Magento is an awesome platform among many in the eCommerce space. For the last six months we've been pushing hard for clients that haven't taken a look at Magento to give it a quick look. If you haven't seen it, give their demo stores a whirl, we think you'll like what you see:
http://www.magentocommerce.com/demo
As you evaluate the demo, be sure to spend some time in the Admin. In most eCommerce platforms the Admin is an afterthought and gets little attention. Magento knocked this often overlooked feature out of the park.
There are four different versions to include Magento Go, Community, Professional, and Enterprise. As we are not in the business of customizing SaaS (Software as a Service) implementations of Magento, we tend to focus on the Community, Professional, and Enterprise editions. To see the differences between the versions, have a look here:
http://www.magentocommerce.com/product/compare
What is great about Magento is that there is essentially an upgrade path which allows smaller stores to get started with the free Community version and work their way up to the versions which require an investment while unlocking additional features.
One thing to be aware of when looking at the different versions of Magento is to realize that the Community version is not PA-DSS (PCI) compliant. This could be a VERY big deal for many of our clients.
As many of you come to the conclusion that Magento is a fantastic platform (or maybe you already are on the Magento platform but are unhappy with your current development team) you may ask how Aydus can help and how we are different?
1. You get access to a development team that will rival our competition. Our expertise is what differentiates us from our competition.
2. We have a deep understanding of Magento and how it is intended to work. Magento is not a platform that an entry level off-shore team can pickup quickly. Experience is required to get the project done right the first time.
3. You want to get across the finish line, we'll get you there. So many times we have played the role of the white knight, rescuing failing projects and towing them across the finish line. Everyone says you can trust them, results are the reason we have the trust of our clients.
For more information on Magento, please feel free to contact us to chat about your project!
800-419-0391 / info@aydus.com
1.08.2012
6.15.2011
Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition (IRCE) Highlights 2011
The ecommerce industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds and the IRCE continues to create a hub of industry professionals and speakers. The following is a summary of those things that peeked our interest this year and (is by no means a complete review).
It’s worth noting that while online sales growth continues to exceed that of offline sales, the online market is still only 7% off the total retail market. And the top 500 retailers account for almost 94% of online revenue (according to the Top 500 Guide). However, it’s estimated that online and Web-influenced offline sales combined accounted for 42% of total retail sales.
Quote of the day: “it’s an amazing time of change”.
Commerce 3.0 is being described as a new phase where online and offline intersect placing the customer in the center. Milo.com (recently acquired by eBay) continues to make inventory in local stores available online. A Quick Books plugin (MiloFetch currently in beta) will encourage small business to also share their store inventory levels. The cell phone means more shoppers have the internet at their fingertips even while shopping "in" a brick and mortar store.
On the flip side, the convergence of the TV and internet including Google TV makes for an interesting environment.
The cell phone (and to a lesser extent tablets) continue to draw a lot of attention. Features such as a camera, microphone, GPS, and an anytime/anyplace philosophy make it a new medium and not just an extension of the desktop. In fact, it was said that we should be designing first for the smart phone and other mediums second – now!
Social is a big theme of the conference with Facebook being quoted as the 3rd largest country after China and India. Everything from “what do my friends think before I buy” widgets, to custom Facebook ecommerce sites are on the show floor.
Arianna Huffington had some interesting things to say stating that trust and authenticity are essential to online success and that a key focus is on real-time, social, and engaging sites/content.
Second most interesting quote of the day: “we focus on the 98% who don’t buy rather than the 2% that do buy”.
Free shipping “on everything” is starting to become a trend. Shipping rates have always been a point of friction when buying online so this is an interesting solution to the problem.
What also peeked our interest is a number of companies offering “you may also like” product/content suggestions based on complex algorithms and a rich set of data points that in affect bubble up popular/relevant content based on site usage and trends.
Marketing has a large presence on the show room floor and the time is ripe for thinking out of the box. And as usual try try try but measure measure measure ... and refine accordingly.
Legal took the stage with a reminder to abide by best practices especially in relation to privacy and security. It was a solemn reminder when one lawyer spoke of 195 out of the top 500 e-tailers with lawsuits.
Best reminders of the day "You cannot manage what you do not measure" and "measure success through your customer's eyes" and "customer satisfaction is #1".
It’s worth noting that while online sales growth continues to exceed that of offline sales, the online market is still only 7% off the total retail market. And the top 500 retailers account for almost 94% of online revenue (according to the Top 500 Guide). However, it’s estimated that online and Web-influenced offline sales combined accounted for 42% of total retail sales.
Quote of the day: “it’s an amazing time of change”.
Commerce 3.0 is being described as a new phase where online and offline intersect placing the customer in the center. Milo.com (recently acquired by eBay) continues to make inventory in local stores available online. A Quick Books plugin (MiloFetch currently in beta) will encourage small business to also share their store inventory levels. The cell phone means more shoppers have the internet at their fingertips even while shopping "in" a brick and mortar store.
On the flip side, the convergence of the TV and internet including Google TV makes for an interesting environment.
The cell phone (and to a lesser extent tablets) continue to draw a lot of attention. Features such as a camera, microphone, GPS, and an anytime/anyplace philosophy make it a new medium and not just an extension of the desktop. In fact, it was said that we should be designing first for the smart phone and other mediums second – now!
Social is a big theme of the conference with Facebook being quoted as the 3rd largest country after China and India. Everything from “what do my friends think before I buy” widgets, to custom Facebook ecommerce sites are on the show floor.
Arianna Huffington had some interesting things to say stating that trust and authenticity are essential to online success and that a key focus is on real-time, social, and engaging sites/content.
Second most interesting quote of the day: “we focus on the 98% who don’t buy rather than the 2% that do buy”.
Free shipping “on everything” is starting to become a trend. Shipping rates have always been a point of friction when buying online so this is an interesting solution to the problem.
What also peeked our interest is a number of companies offering “you may also like” product/content suggestions based on complex algorithms and a rich set of data points that in affect bubble up popular/relevant content based on site usage and trends.
Marketing has a large presence on the show room floor and the time is ripe for thinking out of the box. And as usual try try try but measure measure measure ... and refine accordingly.
Legal took the stage with a reminder to abide by best practices especially in relation to privacy and security. It was a solemn reminder when one lawyer spoke of 195 out of the top 500 e-tailers with lawsuits.
Best reminders of the day "You cannot manage what you do not measure" and "measure success through your customer's eyes" and "customer satisfaction is #1".
3.18.2011
The Big Adobe/Apple Announcement - Flash is Dead
Yeah, right...
What is this about? Well being the good techy that I am, I read over the mobile/wireless news on Google to keep abreast of things that will impact me personally, Aydus Consulting, or our clients. It was announced yesterday on CNN that Adobe is "caving in" to Apple by releasing a product known as Wallaby. This new product offering of Adobe is supposed to convert flash files into HTML 5. Fantastic right - after all, HTML 5 is the wave of the future!
Wrong.
Don't get me wrong, HTML 5 is going to be great and I'm sure that Adobe is jumping on the HTML 5 bandwagon like everyone else, but are they caving in to Apple?
No.
Adobe made this announcement not because of Apple but because of Microsoft. Wait... what?
It's true. As a Mac Pro using, IPod carrying Tiger Blood Warlock (Charlie Sheen reference) you might wonder if I've fallen off my rocker.
No.
The same day Adobe announced its Wallaby product release, Internet Explorer 9 was released into the wild. As everyone knows, Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser - and not by a little, but a lot. Microsoft owns almost 60% (yeah, I'm rounding up) of the browser market. Mobile browsers combined (Chrome and Safari) own less than 5% (I'm rounding up again) of the market.
So why is IE9 so important to this discussion? Well I'm sure Amy Gahran over at CNN is acutely aware that IE9 is the first true version of Internet Explorer to support HTML 5...
But lets be honest, Google is no saint... Head into the wireless news space and you'll find a lot of self promotion. Check out this image:
So the top 3 items are all Android related. Oh what the heck, at least they support Flash!
What is this about? Well being the good techy that I am, I read over the mobile/wireless news on Google to keep abreast of things that will impact me personally, Aydus Consulting, or our clients. It was announced yesterday on CNN that Adobe is "caving in" to Apple by releasing a product known as Wallaby. This new product offering of Adobe is supposed to convert flash files into HTML 5. Fantastic right - after all, HTML 5 is the wave of the future!
Wrong.
Don't get me wrong, HTML 5 is going to be great and I'm sure that Adobe is jumping on the HTML 5 bandwagon like everyone else, but are they caving in to Apple?
No.
Adobe made this announcement not because of Apple but because of Microsoft. Wait... what?
It's true. As a Mac Pro using, IPod carrying Tiger Blood Warlock (Charlie Sheen reference) you might wonder if I've fallen off my rocker.
No.
The same day Adobe announced its Wallaby product release, Internet Explorer 9 was released into the wild. As everyone knows, Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser - and not by a little, but a lot. Microsoft owns almost 60% (yeah, I'm rounding up) of the browser market. Mobile browsers combined (Chrome and Safari) own less than 5% (I'm rounding up again) of the market.
So why is IE9 so important to this discussion? Well I'm sure Amy Gahran over at CNN is acutely aware that IE9 is the first true version of Internet Explorer to support HTML 5...
But lets be honest, Google is no saint... Head into the wireless news space and you'll find a lot of self promotion. Check out this image:
So the top 3 items are all Android related. Oh what the heck, at least they support Flash!
5.13.2010
Aydus and Beta Fashion relaunch redesigned BetaFashion.com
Aydus Consulting and Beta Fashion proudly announce the relaunch of BetaFashion.com with a complete redesign conceived and engineered by Aydus.
Beta Fashion is the world’s first online fashion label whose collections are entirely based on designs submitted by members of its own community of designers. With this relaunch Aydus has created for Beta Fashion a fashion forward website that matches the look, feel, and experience fans and customers of the label expect. At www.betafashion.com aspiring and established designers submit original designs to themed competitions. Members of the Beta Fashion community vote on the designs and the winning designs win cash awards and become part of the limited edition fashion line on sale on the website. The redesign of www.betafashion.com streamlined the design submission process and raised the visibility of the submitted designs. Anyone submitting designs can now have his or her own online portfolio of
designs at betafashion.com.
The redesign of betafashion.com represents Aydus’s first foray into the world of fashion—and its first site designed specifically for an international audience (most of Beta Fashion’s customers are in the United Kingdom and continental Europe). And the site is already proving to be a hit on both fronts. Aydus has already signed on to develop the product presentations for Beta Fashion for its Facebook pages.
Betafashion.com represents only the most recent example of Aydus expanding its scope—going beyond its demonstrated expertise developing e-commerce sites for the banking and finance, education, health, and retail industries--and designing and implementing full-featured sites in new and challenging industries. In every case what distinguishes Aydus is its ability to understand, assimilate and master a client’s web needs and design and implement a top grade site in record time. From initial contact to launch, the design and development period for the redesign of betafashion.com was just six weeks.
Beta Fashion is the world’s first online fashion label whose collections are entirely based on designs submitted by members of its own community of designers. With this relaunch Aydus has created for Beta Fashion a fashion forward website that matches the look, feel, and experience fans and customers of the label expect. At www.betafashion.com aspiring and established designers submit original designs to themed competitions. Members of the Beta Fashion community vote on the designs and the winning designs win cash awards and become part of the limited edition fashion line on sale on the website. The redesign of www.betafashion.com streamlined the design submission process and raised the visibility of the submitted designs. Anyone submitting designs can now have his or her own online portfolio of
designs at betafashion.com.
The redesign of betafashion.com represents Aydus’s first foray into the world of fashion—and its first site designed specifically for an international audience (most of Beta Fashion’s customers are in the United Kingdom and continental Europe). And the site is already proving to be a hit on both fronts. Aydus has already signed on to develop the product presentations for Beta Fashion for its Facebook pages.
Betafashion.com represents only the most recent example of Aydus expanding its scope—going beyond its demonstrated expertise developing e-commerce sites for the banking and finance, education, health, and retail industries--and designing and implementing full-featured sites in new and challenging industries. In every case what distinguishes Aydus is its ability to understand, assimilate and master a client’s web needs and design and implement a top grade site in record time. From initial contact to launch, the design and development period for the redesign of betafashion.com was just six weeks.
1.13.2010
Got PCI?
The credit card companies are beginning to seriously enforce PCI compliance for all websites that take credit card transactions over the web. In fact, you may have received a letter from your payment processor asking you to become PCI compliant within 30 days or you’ll be fined (and in some cases your account suspended).
The solution is to provide your payment processor with a PCI compliance certificate. PCI compliance is actually a good thing! It helps ensure that your software, hardware, and network are secure from hackers and credit card thieves.
The good news is that if you’re hosted with us and on a recent version of our preferred shopping cart AspDotNetStorefront then you’re already PCI compliant. However, it’s still necessary to scan your website on a regular basis and comply with PCI standards that continue to evolve. Even if you’re not hosted with us and have custom e-commerce websites or non-PCI compliant websites we can help you too.
So what does PCI compliance cost? If you’re hosted with us it’s as simple as asking for our PCI flat rate annual service. If software vulnerabilities are found then we’ll work with you on a time/materials basis to resolve these.
It’s worth noting that PCI compliance doesn’t guarantee 100% security. For example, PCI compliance will not protect you if a credit card number is written down on a piece of paper and is later compromised. You must still ensure that you use best practices whenever handling credit card information. Need additional help? Call us!
A good article to start learning more about PCI can also be found here: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/629-What-Is-PCI-Compliance-And-Should-Merchants-Be-Concerned-About-It-
11.04.2009
DotNetNuke - Constant Contact Module
We have just released our first DotNetNuke module. You can purchase it here:
http://www.snowcovered.com/Snowcovered2/Default.aspx?tabid=242&PackageID=16043
This module allows for management of Constant Contact users, lists, campaigns, and bulk operations via the DotNetNuke interface.
The steps to install the module are as follows:
http://www.snowcovered.com/Snowcovered2/Default.aspx?tabid=242&PackageID=16043
This module allows for management of Constant Contact users, lists, campaigns, and bulk operations via the DotNetNuke interface.
The steps to install the module are as follows:
- Install the module via the module settings page.
- Add the module to a page. It is best to add the module to a page that only an administrator can access. You do not want the general public to have access to this module.
- Navigate to the settings tab and enter your Aydus Consulting License Key. The license key will come in a seperate email from info@aydus.com and may take up to 4 hours to receive. Once you have entered the key be sure to click on the register key.
- Next enter your Constant Contact username and password. click the test button to make sure the credentials you entered are valid. If the test is valid, you then need to click the Update button to save your credentials.
- If you intend to export your Constant Contacts lists, it is a good idea to create a directory to store these lists. The relative path to the directory is what you enter into the export path textbox. This step is not necessary if you do not intend to export lists, however if you neglect to set this and later attempt to export a list, the csv files will be created in the root of your website.
- Finally, reload the page to unlock the tabs.
If you have any questions, please call us at 800-419-0391 or email us at info@aydus.com.
6.04.2009
Service Offerings
Aydus Consulting provides a core set of development services including Enterprise Application Implementation, Technology Integration, Custom Development, Business Intelligence, and Staff Outsourcing. In addition, we have engaged in partnerships with:
- Microsoft
- MySQL
- AspDotNetStoreFront
- Interprise Solutions
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