Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Why should we go for Mobile Websites?


Mobile is fast becoming one of the most important delivery channels for business today.

Observe people in any public area these days and there's a good chance to see someone browsing the web on a smartphone such as iPhone or Android. In order to provide this rapidly, growing base of mobile web users with an optimal experience, more and more website owners are pursuing mobile web development to ensure that their website is optimized for smartphone display. If the growing number of mobile web users alone isn't reason enough to convince website owners to embrace the mobile web, there are also a number of advantages worth considering.

Why mobile websites are the correct first step for business ?

  • Improved User Experience- It shows that mobile-optimized websites significantly improve user experience and satisfaction, which makes a positive impression when it counts.

  • Engagement and Context-A mobile website allows to immediately engage users with mobile-specific features such as click-to-call, mapping functions. Furthermore, a local business mobile is particularly significant as more and more visitors will find the site through location-aware technology that connects users to the website when they are in immediate geographic proximity.

  • Improved Search/SEO performance - A mobile website provides improved rankings on mobile-friendly search engines such as Google and Yahoo, and also allows placement in a growing number of mobile and local directories.

  • Brand Identity-Actions speak louder than words - a mobile website immediately helps to stand out and presents a positive, contemporary brand identity for the organization. A mobile-optimized website makes a positive statement

  • Portability and Connectivity -A mobile website can be accessed anywhere, any time. This level of constant connectivity provides an unprecedented opportunity to connect with target audiences in new ways, wherever they may be.
  • Competitive Advantage - A mobile website puts in a position to stand out among competitors - if the website doesn't look good on a smartphone, users will move on to one that does. A mobile website ensures visitor attention .

  • More Flexible and Cost-Effective Than App Development - A mobile website is generally a much less restrictive means to build a mobile presence compared to app development. For one thing, app development requires the production of different apps for different platforms (e.g. iPhone vs. Android vs. Blackberry), and submission to an app store, making apps much more fragmented and expensive to produce with a longer timeline before they reach target visitors. Most importantly, an app requires users to download the app before it can be accessed. On the other hand, a mobile website is universal to all contemporary smartphone browsers, making a mobile website more flexible and cost efficient, with fewer barriers between you and your target users. Of course, there are some applications that are better-suited to an app format (interactive games being a primary example), and often it makes sense to have both an app and a mobile website. But for a well-rounded mobile presence a mobile-optimized website is generally a practical and effective first step.

  • Integration with Offline Media - Mobile devices are unique in their ability to immediately bridge the gap between online and offline media through the use of QR codes. QR codes can be displayed in print and then, when scanned with a smartphone, translated into electronic messaging such as a website URL, an email address or SMS message. QR codes have been used regularly in Japanese and European advertising for years, and are now getting increasing usage in the US. This means that your advertisements, brochures, posters - even billboards - can contain QR codes that will direct users to mobile landing pages that contain much more information and interactivity than can be afforded on the printed page. This integration between print and web via mobile adds a new dimension of communication to any advertising or outreach effort.

  • New Advertising Opportunities -  Mobile advertising is growing at a rapid pace and presents many new opportunities for reaching target audiences with unprecedented precision. If the organization advertises on Google AdWords or other PPC networks there's a good chance the ads may also be appearing in mobile listings (depending on the account settings). However, with mobile advertising has to ensure that the ads lead to mobile-optimized landing pages, rather than the regular desktop site, for optimal results and maximum ROI.

  • Inevitability - The mobile web is no longer a concept - it's a mainstream reality that will impact any organization that aims to communicate with target audiences online. Most leading industry analysts project that within a few short years, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide. The responsibility now falls on website owners to take advantage of the unique opportunities mobile offers for connecting with the growing number of visitors who will inevitably access their website on mobile devices.


Mobile website with Content Management

Operational, organizational and governance optimization is always a concern. Brand owners know the headaches different products on different platforms managed through different tools can bring.
Whenever possible, the mobile website should be managed through the content management system (CMS). This may be easier than you think! In fact, for many WCMS, this could be as simple as a template change.
A content management system will have a real impact in terms of your team’s ability to make changes to the mobile site quickly, and in terms of how many or few.

In the early days of mobile, we used our cell phones to make calls on the road and to generally make connecting just a little easier. Phones were large and cumbersome, but we could use them from virtually anywhere.With the technological advancements that have transformed the way we use our mobile phones, the advantages of mobile websites for business should never be underestimated.

For more details about mobile website development, please feel free to contact Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745.  

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

eCommerce - the Online Business Revolution


The Internet has created a new economic ecosystem, the eCommerce marketplace, and it has become the virtual main street of the world. Providing a quick and convenient way of exchanging goods and services both regionally and globally, eCommerce has boomed. Today, eCommerce has grown into a huge industry with US online retail generating $53,156B (ref:http://www.census.gov/retail) in revenues in 2012 with consumer-driven (B2C) online transactions impacting industries from travel services to consumer electronics, from books and media distribution to sports & fitness. With more than 70% of Americans using the Internet on a daily basis for private and/or business use and the rest of the world also beginning to catch on, e-commerce's global growth curve is not likely to taper off anytime soon.
The top-performing online product categories were: Digital Content & Subscriptions, Jewelry & Watches, Consumer Electronics, Toys & Hobbies, and Computer Software.

Pros of eCommerce

Product promotion - eCommerce enhances promotion of products and services through direct, information-rich, and interactive contact with customers.
New sales channel  - eCommerce creates a new distribution channel for existing products. It facilitates direct reach of customers and the bi-directional nature of communication.
Direct savings -  The cost of delivering information to customers over the Internet results in substantial savings to senders when compared with non ­electronic delivery. Major savings are also realized in delivering digitized products versus physical delivery.
Reduced cycle time - The delivery of digitized products and services can be reduced to seconds. Also, the administrative work related to physical delivery, especially across international borders, can be reduced significantly, cutting the cycle time by more than 90 percent.
Customer service - Customer service can be greatly enhanced by enabling customers to find detailed information online. Also, intelligent agents can answer standard e-mail questions in seconds and human experts' services can be expedited using help-desk software.
Corporate image -  On the Web, newcomers can establish corporate images very quickly. Corporate image means trust, which is necessary for direct sales. Traditional companies such as Intel, Disney, Dell, and Cisco use their Web activities to affirm their corporate identity and brand image.

eCommerce has made a profound impact on society. People shop online in the privacy of their own homes without ever having to leave. This can force larger brick and mortar retailers to open an online division.eCommerce has changed the face of retail, services, and other things that make our economy work. Undoubtedly, it will continue to influence how companies sell and market their products, as well as how people choose to make purchases for many years to come.

Price and convenience continue to be the critical value drivers for eCommerce, unless those conditions change expect to see more channel-shifting to online and perhaps , even an acceleration in the current growth trend.


For more details about eCommerce portal development, please feel free to contact Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745.  





Friday, June 1, 2012

Mobile e-Commerce Solutions


Mobile Commerce, also known as M-Commerce or mCommerce, is the ability to conduct commerce using mobile devices.

The need for mobility is the primary driving force behind mobile commerce, or mCommerce. With the rapid increase in smartphone penetration across the globe, mobile commerce has gained increasing acceptance amongst both users and retailers. Mobile services are continuing to register impressive growth and mCommerce is also being embraced in sync.

Just give a look at the pictures, how they are differed in pc website and mobile websites



Advantages of Mobile eCommerce

The advantages of mCommerce (Mobile - eCommerce) are:
  • Providing wider reach
  • Reducing transaction cost
  • Streamline business processes
  • Reducing time to order
  • The age of mobile shopping is here to stay, consumers can access millions of products at the palm of their hands and retailers can increase their reach and overall sales.
  • New advanced mobile applications characteristically engage high-speed services being accessed by devices  distantly, anywhere, any time
  • People were concerned about credit card security back then, even more so than today, so that was a big barrier to overcome.

A direct impact on  mCommerce, as consumers expect seamless access through mobile devices, the ability to search for, select, and purchase products, along with 24/7 service wherever and whenever they require.

Retail and B2B are being revolutionized through mobile applications. Innovative mobile apps can now help to reduce lines and accelerate checkout, audit inventory levels, schedule deliveries, enhance customer service, increase loyalty and create additional revenue streams. Mobile applications can help you generate better return on operational investment, accelerate speed to market, and lower capital expenditures.

Also mCommerce pave the way for
  • Instant buying: Instant buying is another advantage of mcommerce. A personal computer may not always be available when you need a product or service. Thus, sales definitely get declined due to lack of an instant medium. Mobile eCommerce fills this marketing and e-commerce void by providing an instant checkout and payment gateway service.
  • Combo marketing: Retailers can reach for the mobile users using mobile messages and can invoke sale opportunities. If e-commerce application is installed on mobiles, consumers don’t need to give second thoughts. As a business owner, this can help you to target niches that are most likely to buy a particular product you offer.
  • Increased traffic: Another advantage of providing mCommerce is that it can be used to usher in the much needed online traffic. People like to surf through their smart-phones and if you generate an app of your website, then each time a user runs the app, you get the needed traffic boost. The easy usage of these apps leads to repeated visits of people to your website.
  • Fast loading: Since mobile applications don’t have too many unnecessary details vis-a-vis their web versions, they can be used in a shorter span. They load fast as they are developed in a simpler framework and use fewer web components. This way you get easy-to-load content that can be surfed in a jiffy.
  • Ease of navigation: With the touch interface, navigation is simpler in mobiles as compared to laptops or PC’s. Hence, searching through and pitching sales through mobile devices is easier for customers
For more details about mobile eCommerce portal, please feel free to contact Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745.  

 

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Benefits reaped from SCHOOL/COLLEGE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

“Every generation needs a revolution” by Thomas Jefferson. Humans can never accept a monotone life style and always strive to get more or better whatever they have to bring some “radical” changes in their lives. This technological transformation has affected every field including the educational sector. Schools & Colleges have adopted and implemented Management Software for better administration and to concentrate more on the area of their core competence i.e. delivery of knowledge.

These days every school and college need to take care of lot many things like admissions, personal records of teachers and students, fees collection & expenses and  in order to have systematic management of the administration of institute, School/College Management Software is implemented.

Earlier the maintenance of records of students & teachers used to be the most tedious and hectic task for the institute. However with School/College Management Software for Colleges and Schools, the process of record storage becomes easy , secure , hassle free and time saving. Also with the automation of Fees collection, the administration are facilitated to have accurate record.

Managing a college can be a colossal challenge through the traditional systems and most colleges will agree that managing the daily and regular activities of a college is a herculean task. There are numerous functions, departments and sections that need to be coordinated and integrated within a single system.These software systems are one time investments for the management, and every college and university that wishes to grow in the field of education will find the platform an engrossing and beneficial one. Listed are some compelling reasons to invest in such software.

  • Bring professionalism -  School/College Management Software can ensure professionalism at all levels of the organization and introduces a platform that will convert most of the manual desk jobs.
  • Bring integration -  All functions and departments of all colleges can be integrated under School/College Management Software . This includes admissions, examination, payroll, accounts, canteen, stock and inventory, transport, hostel, etc. All the data that is stored on the software can be used for compiling and generating information at all points of time.
  • Offering security of data - Most of the School/College Management Software take the data security to a high level. The data of all sections and branches are stored in a web server that is secured through advanced systems. The data stored on the server can be only accessed by authorized persons of the top level management and regulatory bodies.
  • Better relations with students: School/College Management Software allow management of colleges to launch a virtual platform that can be used by students for contacting the college. They can gain knowledge about all the relevant information about the admissions, fee structure, semester’s examination dates, events and happenings. The physical notice board system will be replaced by an interface that is smart, adept and fast to access and interpret.
  • Real time report generation: School/College Management Software processes data gathered in a fast manner. As such, generating reports from the available data is not a daunting task. Management can use such reports, generally presented in charts and tables, for analyzing the performance of various departments.
  • Reduced work load: School/College Management Software are based on recording of data on a large platform without complicating the tasks. As such, this will reduce manual work and will put less pressure, and, college management software will be able to reduce the cost of regular work to as much as 60%.
  • Brings uniformity in operation: Every educational institution has its own set of functions. Although the functions of colleges and universities are same at the core, there are some differences in the mode of operation. School/College Management Software ensures that all functions of management are integrated on a single and effective platform that is scalable and easy to comprehend.

School/College Management Software is all about bringing a systemized way of managing the entire organization.The new college management software is a onetime investment and offers benefits to the management and students alike.

Moreover School/College Management Software for institutes provide a transparent mode of education, wherein the parents can always keep an eye on their wards progress, extracurricular activities,  events, meetings many more activities going on in the institution. Similarly , the students are well updated about their scores, assignments, faculty, timetable,notices through College Management Software.

It's very evident that such School/College Management Software for School & Colleges have made the lives easy for their stakeholders i.e. students, parents, teachers and management.

For more details about web based School/College Management Software, please feel free to contact
Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745.

Monday, May 28, 2012

E-commerce Marketing



E-commerce marketing is all about attracting web surfers to your site and, once there, to make them a customer. While overall similar to marketing a physical business, e-commerce marketing has some unique ingredients. For instance, marketing a physical store requires substantial enticement to move a customer to take the effort to physically come by your store location. It also means that the customer has an “investment” in the visit. They have expended time, energy and money to get to the location.

Many e-commerce marketing companies look at this and use it to justify increased spending on getting new traffic to the web site. For the small and medium business the cost of increasing traffic to the site is substantial and will continue to increase. Just five years ago it cost almost nothing to bring new visitors to the site. As the competition has increased, however, this has fast become the most costly aspect of having an e-commerce web site.

On the other hand,Internet marketing success as the total cost of converting visitors into customers. This allows  to measure the effectiveness of total marketing program including getting new visitors, web site design, customer service and after sales marketing.

E-commerce Marketing Priorities can be divided into three primary divisions:

  • Enticing visitors (non-customers) to come to the site
    • Search engine registration (natural search results)
    • Pay-per-click
    • Public relations – news releases, articles and stories
    • Online advertising (banners, links / cross-links, directories, newsletter placement, etc.)
  • Converting visitors (non-customers) into customers
    • In-site promotions
    • Sales / Special Offers
    • In-store Coupons
    • Associated Products
    • Customer Recommendations
    • Opt-in Email Promotions
  • Site Effectiveness
    • Enticing appropriate visitor behavior
    • Establishing emotional context
    • Building relationships
    • Increasing per-customer purchases
    • After sale marketing
    • After sale relationship building

In many cases the visitor has almost no investment in visiting the e-commerce web site. With no investment the site needs to provide sufficient and immediate enticement/reward to keep the visitor from clicking the back button and going to another site. This requires a very close relationship between the keywords used in their search (or the information in the advertising) to the content on the web page they view. The closer the relationship the more chance of enticing the visitor to continue looking at the site.

Conversely, the online customer has almost no investment in the visit. Going to the site requires one click of a mouse. Leaving the site requires one click of the mouse.


For more details about E-Commerce Consulting, Website Development and Maintenance please feel free to contact Prevaj Consultants at prevaj@prevajconsultants.com or call +91-8144760745.