We got the following question from a Cartfly user and thought we would share the info in case anyone else out there was having the same issue.
Question: "My Cartfly is not working as per Amazon Payments. I
am receiving the following message:
Invalid Request Error Message: The recipient
email does not correspond to an Amazon Payments Business account with a
verified email address and credit card.
For further information on error codes please see the Integration Guide.
Answer: 1. Log into your Cartfly administration page 2. Click the "Payment" button 3. Make sure the email you have for Amazon is correct 4. Click the
"Enable Amazon Payments" button underneath it 5. Accept the "Amazon Terms of Service" 6. Create a "Seller" account through Amazon
Follow these steps and you should be back in business!
If you have any Cartfly questions, please feel free to reach out to us via comment or email and we'll be sure to answer it as quickly as possible. It's all about making you successful ; )
Kay Renfro, owner and operator of KaysKrafts, is a full-time retail store manager, a parent, a grand-parent and a wife to a husband that supports anything she gets involved in. Kay has always been "crafty" making things like quilts and baby items, but her true love is fabrics and buttons. That is exactly why she statrted a memory board business. She puts a lot of time and love into each board she make and still gets excited about each board she designs, even if she has built it many times.
What prompted you to get your official website(s) or blogs started? As I started making boards for family friends, they began telling their coworkers, who told their family and friends and I had to have a way for people to find me. I decided I should set up shop on line and have a better way for all these people to see my boards.
Who are you going after in terms of customers? My customers are all ages, male and female. Memory boards can be enjoyed from the nursery to the nursing home, and there are endless combination of possible customizations. My memory boards fit to any and all walks of life...all you need is a wall and nail ; ) What advice can you give people who want to start an online business? Go for it!! Just don't expect immediate results. To be successful online, takes lots of time and promoting. Make something unique and offer something that others in your market do not. Unlike many of my competitors, I offer customization options, choice of sizes and the most durable memory board around.
How many different products do you sell? My main offering is my memory boards, but I have recently added a couple of jewelry display boards to mix things up.
What are some of your best sellers? My best sellers are my Amy Butler fabric boards. Check them out! What can you tell me that people might want to know about you/your company? KaysKrafts memory boards are the toughest, most durable memory boards being made. Many of my competitors use cardboard, foam board, styrofoam and other flimsy materials. I use Uvjr wood frame and canvas systems to increase the durability to last for years to come. My customers have had boards for 10 years or more now and they are still in great shape.
Why should people do business with your company? I offer exactly what people are looking for in a memory board, customization and durability. What my customers ask for they get.
How did you find out about Cartfly? My daughter-in-law, Lacy Renfro owner of CupKake Artillery, showed me her Cartfly store on her blog and I was immediately sold. She showed me that potential customers see an item on my blog or social networks, and can buy it immediately. That is what I needed and exactly what Cartfly delivers.
How has Cartfly helped you? By being able to add my Cartfly store to my blog, customers can see what I offer the minute they find my site. They see my memory boards options, the prices, and can easily shop easily, all while reading my blog.
Kay's Network: Kay has done a great job getting her boards out there for all to see. Check out her blog, follow her on Twitter, and check out her wares on Flickr and Etsy. Good luck Kay and great job making an easy and beautiful way for people to display thier treasures!
When your family is from Italy and loves jewelry, what else can you do, but bring the treasures to the states and start your own business. That is exactly what Via Massena owner Sacha did. She was always looking for that special something to stake her claim in the online jewelry business, but was unsuccessful until she enlisted a family friend to help her out and now she has made her dream a reality.
Each floating or firm necklace is handmade by an Italian artistan and is completely unique. The pieces are elegant, sophisticated and chic, just like the woman who wear them. The necklaces are classic pieces that can complement any wardrobe, from jeans and a tee-shirt, to business and even black tie and fit closely to the neck and gives the illusion of beads/stones floating.
You will see from her official website that Sacha uses her Cartfly store as her official shopping cart and has had great success bringing her gorgeous creations overseas.
We all attend multiple Holiday Parties for family, work
and for our friends. Look at each of these as opportunities to network.
We all know how taxing these get after the 3rd one, but if it increases
your bottom line, then it's worth it.
1. Events to think about attending
Friends/Neighborhood parties
Corporate events
Industry get-togethers
Year-end Chamber mixers
2. Networking advice
First and foremost, you need to attend these functions to get in front of people.
Take business cards and a pen and don’t be afraid to use them! Remember to ask others for theirs as well.
Don’t be embarrassed to wear a name tag. Always introduce yourself and use your new friends name in conversation to remember it.
Don’t be a wallflower. Approach people and go out of your way to meet new people.
Find tactful opportunities to tell people what you sell online.
Actively listen when meeting someone but remember to move on, there are a lots of new people to meet!
Follow up via email with everyone you meet! It is professional and you never know what may come of it.
3. Keep The Momentum All Year Long
Remember
to take advantage of all this hard work you are doing. Now that you
have built a customer base and a network, leverage it. You should reach
out to customers and fans a couple times a year and keep the
conversation going. Keeping these connections alive will increase
customer loyalty and increase your bottom line.
Tip: Creating Customer Loyalty Loyalty
is not about short-term promotional strategies or appreciation programs
that are launched today and forgotten about tomorrow. It needs to be
about ongoing customer interactions that consistently exceed the needs
and expectations of your customers, even if they are online. Build
loyalty through engaging your customers and winning their commitment.
This can be measured in customer satisfaction, retention, referrals,
sales and profits.Read more here.
There is still time to get this years silver lining even with the so-so financial reports from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There are millions of shoppers out there still looking for that "perfect gift" and a great deal. With exactly three weeks and counting left until the big day, spread your cheer and sing real loud, for all to hear!!
1. Offer discounts & give-aways. Give your customers a special incentive to shopping on your site. Offer a gift such as a free CD, free t-shirt, free anything with any purchase or a purchase over a certain amount. All you have to do is add it to their package when you ship it. You can advertise this in the 'Product' description section of your Cartfly account and also with an announcement (see #4). Be sure give a call to action by creating a promotion start and end date.
2. Offer bundled items. Create a new product listing of a couple products sold together at a discount price. Bundle things like a CD and a t-shirt, a hat and a sticker, a poster and a button...put things together that make sense.
3. Promote free, fast shipping. This is a great way to builds trust and makes you stand out this holiday season. Re-set your shipping options in your Cartfly account by logging in, go to the
'Payment' section and change your 'Flat Shipping Markup" to $0. Through
PayPal, go to 'Merchant Services', click 'Shipping Calculator', select
your 'Delivery Time' and adjust your 'Shipping Rates' to $0. Remember
to advertise this promotion for certain dates only!!
4. Send a holiday greeting and announce holiday specials. Post
messages on all your social networks, like MySpace, on your blog, and
send out an email so people know you are offering specials either ongoing or on that one certain day. It also never hurts to ask people to forward the message along to help spread the word.
Tip: Blogging for E-Commerce Success So you have your Cartfly store and are doing your best
to turn a profit. Our question for you is are you communicating with
your customers without actually interacting with them? If you are
having trouble reaching your customers, you might want to think about
starting a blog. Read more here. Tip: Join The Social Media Party with Cartfly There
isn't a single magic trick for being successful online. It is important
for online merchants to be creative and open to new opportunities, like
Cartfly, when introducing your products to customers. When entering the
social networking world, be honest, be personal, be a friend and in
return, your new friends may become your lifelong customers. Read more here.
Hoping all of our Cartfly merchants out there have a profitable Black Friday (11/28) and Cyber Monday (12/1)!!
If you still have not put your Holiday Sales Plan together, please read our very informative eNewsletter "Get Your Piece of the Holiday Shopping Pie" to stake your claim in the online shopping frenzy that is right around the corner.Read about tips to boost your sales online, networking advise and creating customer loyalty all year long.
According to Wiki, it is is a free social networking and micro-blogging service, that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
The 'About Us' page on Twitter says, "In countries all around the world, people follow the sources most relevant to them and access information via Twitter as it happens—from breaking world news to updates from friends."
Regardless of what "they" say about Twitter it is has allowed people, in 140 characters or less, to more deeply
connect, share resources, share online opportunities,
collaborate and even poll each other.
We found a video from the good people at Common Craft that will sum this all up for you. Cartfly is loving Twitter, so come follow us!
Loyalty is not about short-term promotional strategies or appreciation programs that are launched today and forgotten about tomorrow. It needs to be about ongoing customer interactions that consistently exceed the needs and expectations of your customers, even if they are online. Build loyalty through engaging your customers and winning their commitment. This can be measured in customer satisfaction, retention, referrals, sales and profits.
Loyalty is a give and take relationship. A customer spends money, provides their personal data and hopefully becomes a potential advocate for your store. You give your customers recognition, use their information to better meet their needs and may even reward them for their loyalty. Building loyalty is not just about points and rewards though. It is about identifying and nurturing the yield a long-term, reciprocal, value-added relationship. It requires putting your customer at the center of your business process.
Since it costs 5 times as much to bring in a new customer than to keep an existing one, the easiest way to ensure loyalty is through customer service. Customers want to be loyal, so why do they leave? They leave because of a lack of attention to plain-old customer service. If you want your customers to be loyal, follow these tips:
Always tell customers what you CAN do for them. Never tell them what you CAN’T do. If they have a problem, give them a solution.
If a customer is angry, let them vent. Remember it’s not personal and do not interrupt them.
Remember your customer’s name and use it. Write it down during the conversation if necessary so you don’t forget.
Always end each contact (email or conversation) with a “Thank you” or a message of appreciation for their business.
When speaking to a customer, make certain that your tone of voice matches your words. Remember, your tone of voice can contradict your message. Actively listening and wear a smile even while on the phone!
Follow up on your solution. Contact the customer, at a later date, to make sure that their problem has been resolved and they are pleased with the outcome.
Ask if there is anything else that you can do for your customer. Taking the time to ask shows the customer that you value them and often results in increased business and a more than satisfied customer.
So you have your online store and are doing your best to turn a profit. Our question for you is: are you communicating with your customers without actually interacting with them? If you find you are having trouble reaching your customers, you might want to think about starting a blog.
If you have an online store, you already have a niche. Without a niche, you will simply get lost out there in the online jungle. Think about who you want to reach and where they play online; this is where you should be. Once you know where you want to be and you have all you store elements ready, including Cartfly stores on the appropriate your social networks, you're ready to start your blog.
Choose the home for your blog. Blogger, TypePad or WordPress seem to be the most popular these days.
Register your blog with FeedBurner or Syndic8 to promote the content, build & measure your audience and allow content to be delivered and subscribed to.
Start creating interesting content to drive traffic to your online store. Post hot deals, discount coupon, new products, announcements and industry news.
Interact with your potential customer by asking for reviews on products and offering freebies for commenting on posts.
Comment on your competitors blogs. Show you are making progress and why your products are superior and selling.
Sell merchandise on your blog. Create a FREE Cartfly store by simply registering and adding your merchandise. Then add it to your blog by clicking the green 'Share' button, grab the embed code and you now have an instant store front in yet another location!
Show your customer that your are serious about your business with frequent posts, answering their questions and talking about things they may be interested in...not always trying to sell them stuff.
Strive to be the number one blog in your niche!
We hope this gives you a good idea of how to get your blog up and running. This plan will give you a leg up on the competition and hopefully drive more sales, increasing your revenue.
