Shopster - Something some of you may be interested in...

Hi Phupang,

I'll look into the pricing for this item for you...It is possible we have some leeway to work on the price...Let me see and I'll get back to you on this...

If you sign up through AMWSO you will never pay for Shopster...If you sign up through Shopster directly before March 31, I don't think you'll ever have to pay but i can't be 100% sure...If you send me your contact details I'll have you put on the list of AMWSO publishers. I assume you found out about Shopster through this forum. Is that correct?

There are some exciting new developments you'll all be hearing about...I'll keep you all posted...

 

I like the concept of Shopster, and really want this to work. Like other users here, I think a lot of the products are overpriced. However, I won't be putting my store online til the prices drop to a more competitive level.

 

Hi James
I tried signing up on this page and it was down.
http://signup.shopster.com/retailersignup.aspx?referrer=amwso


edit.....its working now.

 

Yep it's back up. Just a temp glitch. Maybe too much DP traffic eh???

 

So I signed up, but I still have some questions....
In looking at the sample stores, it says the order will be processed within 48 hours. How long does an item take to be shipped within Canada. What about the US. (I mean from placing the order, how long will it take the customer to receive it?)

 

Hi brb.

Orders are processed in a maximum of three business days. Once processed they are sent out via a carrier i.e. UPS, DHL etc. The carrier chosen is dependant on which offers the best price. How long it takes depends on the carrier, but it is generally no more than 7 business days to ship through US/Canada...

Your customers will be able to track the status of their order(s) through the 'My Account' link on your Shopster store...

Hope this helps, and it's great to have you on board!

 

Hmm ... may i know why is the system requires us to point our domain to your server? Isnt it better if we host our own files on our own server for better customization?

And i think it would be better in the long run. If your server is down, all affiliate sites will be affected immediately. Isnt that devastating?

 

Interesting points ashiezai!

We need to ensure that there are no issues with the checkout process and of course security...For this reason everything is hosted on our servers...Trust me we have thought this through and invested some very serious cash here...Check out this page to see what I mean: http://www.secure2u.com/

"Your credit card information will never be stored. It is used only once to complete the transaction. We use the strongest possible SSL protection 256-bit SSL encryption to keep your information completely safe. Not even our retail partners get access to your credit card information."

"Secure2U uses State-of-the-art data centres that provide a highly secure physical infrastructure, including the latest in biometric authentication, video surveillance, and round-the-clock security officers, while at the same time permitting unannounced 7 x 24 customer access. The centers are engineered to eliminate any single point of failure, with multiple layers of redundancy in power systems, HVAC, and fire detection and suppression. All systems are monitored 7 x 24 through a Network Operations Centre (NOC). To learn more about security on the internet, and how Secure2U, contact our customer service specialists.

Contact:
Tel: 800.580.0192"

Our servers are not going to go down...Won't happen...Short of a nuclear strike of course

 

Thanks James. Also I saw that one site had offered free shipping on orders over $50. Does this hold true for all stores? What if the $50 is made up of products from different suppliers?

 

Hi brb,

Which site was this? The free shipping for orders over $50 was a campaign we ran around Christmas time...This promotion has now expired...

Please can you let me know the URL for the store so I can get this removed...

Thanks.

 

It probably was in one of the example stores (sorry I don't remember which one), I was just looking at the stores to get info.

Sorry to keep so focused on the delivery, but I'm looking at the information as if I was a customer.

One definite suggestion is change the shipping info, as it talks about books etc, and if my store doesn't sell books its pretty silly IMO to discuss the price of shipping books.

Does the customer have the option when going to the checkout to upgrade the shipping to a quicker (and more expensive option)?

Also does the checkout tell the customer how long shipping takes, as I didn;t find it at the sample stores.

 

does anyone had success pointing their domain to shopster, using godaddy? i got a support reply from godaddy, but everytime i make a change (they suggested two) i have to wait 48 hours to know if it works or not.

 

Just signed up for Shopster, James.

Come on folks end date for free sign ups draws near!

 

well, it is still beta but they are getting better in customizing the pages and doing SEO everytime.
you can use your own domain: http://www.yourretailer.com

 

Hi all,

For those of you who have signed up to Shopster but haven't taken a look at our forum please take a look...On 15 March, 2006 (a while back really) Raymond Lau put together a great guide on how to attract customers to your store...I'm going to cut and paste it here as the information is valuable to all...Not just Shopster retailers...

Here it is:

Shopster Marketing Guide

Open for business. Now, how to attract customers…

Once you’ve built your Shopster store (RShop), how do you promote and advertise it? Are you brand-new to e-commerce and want to figure out how to make money with Shopster? Perseverance and ingenuity go a long way towards a successful marketing campaign. Utilize some or all of the steps below and your RShop will be on its way. Shopster is here to help you along. But, you are your own boss. How you market and promote your store is up to you. Here are some tips and strategies to help bring customers to your store.


Marketing Strategies:

There are four kinds of advertising you should take advantage of.


Online - People

1. Tell your friends.

Word spreads quickly. Word-of-mouth is the most effective way to promote and advertise your store. It’s as easy as it sounds. Tell your friends (online and otherwise) – they’re the most difficult customer for your competition to take away from you.

2. Ask visitors to bookmark your site.

A quick, low cost strategy is to simply ask your visitors to bookmark your site, or save it in a “Favorites” list. Visitors who’ve bookmarked your site can find it faster, and are more likely to visit again. The best way to get these visitors to return is to make regular updates to your site.

3. Take advantage of others’ forums and blogs.

There are innumerable forums, discussion lists, blogs, and news groups online. These are comprised of people with specialized interests. As such, you’ll be able to find quite a few that are dedicated to what you’re selling. Register and post about your RShop. Be sure to read the posting guidelines – you don’t want to violate the community standards. As well, be careful not to spam. Some of these sites have sections dedicated to ads and other commercial posts. If you’re unsure, contact a moderator or administrator for that site and ask permission first.

5. Set up affiliate relationships.

Set up links with sites that have visitors who would be interested in what your store has to sell. Links to your store from other sites will increase the traffic headed your way.

4. Start a blog.

A blog is attractive for two reasons. First, they’re “in”. It seems that nearly everyone has a blog right now. Celebrities, columnists, and virtual unknowns all generate traffic solely for the updates provided on their weblogs. That’s where the second reason comes in. People tend to visit sites that are updated with content on a regular and frequent basis. Weblogs give you the opportunity to provide your visitors with new, perhaps more personal or pointed, content. Let your visitors know what’s going on with your store. Or, if you’re interesting (or even if not), let them know what you’re doing. (Just don’t write about the weather that day.)


Online - Business

6. Submit your store’s URL to search engines.

If you want internet shoppers to find your RShop, go to where they are. List and advertise on search engines and shopping sites. This is where the legions of online shoppers go to find stores and products. As far as cost and benefit go, this is one of the best ways to market your new store.

Where to go:

http://www.google.com - Add your URL to Google. Google controls about 40% of all internet searches.

http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html - Suggest your site for inclusion in Yahoo! Search for Free.

http://tools.addme.com/servlet/s0new - Your site will be submitted to the following search engines: focusLook, Subjex, Alexa, Scrub the Web, FAST Search, AllTheWeb, Google, LookSeek, Jayde, InfoTiger, NerdWorld, Aeiwi, Walhello, LifeTips, ExactSeek, and EntireWeb.

http://www.freesubmission.com - Provides free manual and auto submission to the highest-rated, free internet search engines and directories.

7. List your products on shopping comparison and online auction sites.

Shopping comparison sites compare products and prices across a large number of online stores. Auction sites are targeted towards customers looking for particular items. Some of these sites charge a listing fee or commission on sales. Checkout Froogle, BizRate, Shopping.com, PriceGrabber, eBay, Yahoo! Shopping Auctions.

8. Pay for pay-per-click.

You can pay for ads with Google AdWords and Yahoo Search Marketing. When you conduct a search using either of these search engines, take notice of the advertisements that come up to the right of the results. They are geared towards the search query you entered. You can pay to have your RShop link come up as an advertisement whenever someone enters search words you pay for.

9. Exchange banners and links with complementary sites.

Contact others whose sites are related to yours, and exchange banners and other ads. Remember that there is a difference between competition and complementary sites. Competitive sites aim to take your visitors and your business. Complementary sites sell products that complement the ones you sell – they do not sell the same products you do. These help you reach a new audience. For example, if you run a DVD store, think about contacting sites that sell DVD players. Customers buying DVD players are going to need DVDs at some point.

10. Submit your store to industry-specific directories.

Links from directories help your ranking. Higher ranked sites get more traffic. List your site in the free Open Directory Project (http://www.dmoz.com).


Online – Email

11. Get visitors to subscribe to a mailing list.

Visitors who sign up to receive emails from you are already interested in what you have to offer. It’s up to you to entice them to come back and become customers.

12. Send promotions, coupons, updates, and offers to your customers.

Existing customers are a valuable market for you. Solicit your customers to return by rewarding them with coupons and offers. Keep them interested with updates. You’ve already reached them. It’s up to you to give them a reason to come back.

13. Comply with CAN-SPAM.

The ramifications of not complying with a Federal Act notwithstanding, there is an air of professionalism and respect that comes with seeking permission and being mindful of the expectations of the email recipients.


Offline - Traditional

14. Point offline contacts to your online store.

Your personal printed media are sometimes overlooked. Make sure you put your URL on anything you print and distribute. Business cards, stationary, and print ads all have room for your online address.

Make use of print ads – brochures, magazine/journal ads, etc. – to let your customer base know about your existence online. If you have an actual store (a building out of which you conduct business) with customers, you’ve already got a jump on many retailers. You’ve got customers. Let them know about your online store.

If we’ve missed an important tip or you’ve discovered a revolutionary way to market your store, email us. Likewise, we’d love to hear and share your success stories.

Hope this helps guys...Please let me know how Shopster is going for you, and if I can help you in any way drop me a line at: James [@] Shopster.com...

 

Hey James-

I just found out about Shopster a few days ago. It sounds like a pretty good oppertunity. Too bad I missed the March 31st deadline. Is this thing really going to cost $400 a year? Also is the May 5th startup still on?

Thanks

 

From Feb 24th 2006, 9:26 pm (page 5 of this thread):

Riiiight.
So I put a reminder in my schedule to check this out before June, so I wouldn't miss out. (I'm really busy getting a new traditional business off the ground but want to get into other, Internet-based, business where feasible.)
So here it is May 6, and I'm checking out the website advertised here in this thread. Happily, it says "Sign Up Page : Click here to sign up (no cost)." But unhappily, that link goes to a page that says:

"...Shopster has temporarily suspended signups until May 5th.

However, because you've expressed interest in Shopster before our launch date, leave us your email and we'll send you a special coupon that will enable you to save big when we re-open our signups on May 5th."

And now it seems that the deal was changed to "$400 after March 31."

So which is it:
1. Free until June, as advertised?
2. $400 as of April, as also advertised?
3. Free NOW, as posted on the page advertised?
4. Open for sign-ups as of yesterday, as posted on the page linked from the page advertised?
5. We have to send in our e-mail address to receive a coupon that will allow us to sign up yesterday at an undisclosed savings over the undisclosed new price?

I think my enthusiasm has waned.

 

I have a referral code, I am a bit confused how much the whole program costs now myself. Apparently, the $99 sign up fee you have to pay on their homepage will be waivered with this code. So at least that is $99 dollars off the price. If anyone is interested then PM me and I will send you the code.

 

Me too just read through the entire thread today is it too late for the free signup?

 

Hi guys...

Shopster will cost $29.95 per month...As they rightly say in the marketing materials...Less than a tank of gas...If you want to take a look at how the system works sign up for a 14 free trial and then make your decision...

It took us a while to decide on the final costing of the system which is why...Until now...The proposed price has changed over time...As we stated very clearly we were in beta... The original plan was to go out of beta in March, however this got pushed back to allow more people to trial the system and prove out that it works...Believe me, it really does and this is borne out by the sales figures we're seeing through the system...