You will have seen the term affiliate marketing being bandied around on the web, and you have probably worked out that it has something to do with making money. But what exactly does an affiliate have to do to make that money?

Affiliates essentially act as middle-men in the world of ecommerce. They earn commission from companies in return for recommending new customers to those companies. Anyone with a website can become an affiliate. Most web sites have a certain amount of ‘white space’ on their pages, and affiliates simply populate this unused space with advertising banners.

Of course some high traffic sites will charge advertisers for the privilege of posting banners on their pages. Although you don’t have to operate in the big league to be a successful affiliate. Even the most low-key sites get at least some visitors. If those visitors happen to be in the market for the product(s) that you’re advertising -  you’re in business!

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We’ve just entered the busiest time of the year for online retailers.

According to various sources, the 3rd, 10th and 26th December were particularly busy days last year, and this year we’ve already smashed the record for busiest internet shopping day ever, clocking up 4.6 million online transactions on Monday.

Recession resistant

Ecommerce has been growing well for years now, and despite the onrushing recession, it’s likely online shops will buck the general downturn to an extent.

That means that while Marks and Spencer is repeating its one-day special sale to lure in business and Alistair Darling is changing VAT for the first time in 17 years, ecommerce sales are actually still on the up.

Sure, the downturn means the rapid rate of growth of ecommerce will slow, but while sales are actually contracting on the High Street, the fact that online business is growing at all marks it out as one of the more recession-resistant areas of the economy.

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PayPal is one of the world’s biggest and well-known online payment systems. Thousands of online shops use the company’s services to allow people to make purchases online, so they should know a thing or two about what makes an ecommerce site successful.

We asked John-Paul Savant, Director of Product and Strategy for PayPal, for his tips on ecommerce and how to build an online shop.

What sort of planning do you need to do before launching an online store?

“You need to consider how your business works and how you’re going to build and update your website. You also have to think about how you’ll take payment.

“If you’re starting out, it’s often easier to go with a proven, off-the-shelf package. These can be very cost effective and generally give you immediate access to templated designs and shopping cart features. Read the rest of this entry »

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In this, the final part of our guide to trading internationally through your website, we’re looking at domain names and legal issues.

Before you read this, check out parts one and two if you haven’t already.

If you’ve decided to translate your website to trade abroad, it can be worthwhile registering a different domain name for each country you trade in. In fact, it’s good practice to protect your brand by doing this anyway, as domains are cheap.

Country code domain names make it very clear that you trade in a particular country. So, for instance, if you’ve started trading in Spain and Austria, you could register www.yourbrand.es and www.yourbrand.at in addition to www.yourbrand.com.

A .es domain costs about £15 for a year, so it won’t break the bank. And as well as helping your image, it can boost your local search rankings. When people search Google’s Spanish website, your web pages are more likely to appear in results if they are on a .es domain. Read the rest of this entry »

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In the second part of our guide to trading internationally from your website, we’re covering how to tailor your proposition to different markets.

(If you missed part one, read it here.)

When you sell abroad from your website, you can simply quote prices in different currencies. This is a good way to find out if overseas trade works for you.

If this approach is paying off, you could consider further localisation. This means tailoring your website and product information for each country.

Basic localisation

It’s a bigger commitment with higher costs, so you should always produce a full plan and look at the benefits before diving in. Be sure you’re aiming for the right markets - the international sales you’ve made so far should indicate where to target first. Read the rest of this entry »

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One of the benefits of trading online (selling stuff through your website) is that it opens your business up to a worldwide market. That can give you access to loads of potential customers.

However, if you’re new to the world of ecommerce, the idea of trading internationally can seem intimidating. Only the big players do it, right?

Actually, doing business abroad can be easier than you think. That’s why we’ve produced this three-part guide to the basics.

Why look abroad?

The internet has transformed things; your website can be your shop window in any number of countries. You don’t need a physical presence in each territory to sell there.

If your business is operating in a niche, with a relatively small domestic market, looking to other countries can help you widen your audience with surprisingly little effort.

And if your goods or services appeal to a broader audience, entering foreign markets gives you the chance to reach a huge number of potential new customers. It could really boost your revenue and profits. Read the rest of this entry »

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Increasing consumer confidence is a must for businesses and individuals that make money from selling online. However, the latest statistics from the Office of Fair Trading highlight that even many of the UK’s top online retailers are operating illegally - and not in the best interests of the consumer.

To promote a code of best practice, we’ve teamed up with a online shop accreditation scheme, SafeBuy, to raise awareness and educate companies which trade online.

As part of this, all 123-reg ecommerce customers can claim 6 months of SafeBuy membership completely free (terms apply, of course).

SafeBuy is the only online shop accreditation scheme approved to Stage 1 by the OFT. When you join the scheme, you’ll get:

• Pre-packaged terms and conditions. You can use these on your ecommerce website, alongside the SafeBuy logo. It’s worth using them because they’re definitely legal and provide protection for your online shop, as well as giving your customers a fair deal. It also solves the problem of where to get terms and conditions for your website from. Many online shops just copy and paste their terms and conditions from other sites - this is illegal in itself.
• The chance to display the SafeBuy logo on your site. This recognisable logo reassures customers that your site complies with the SafeBuy code of practice - a set of rules ensuring consumers and retailers alike get a fair deal.
• Access to a mediation service, in the event of disputes with customers. Read the rest of this entry »
  

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We have launched a great promotion for our business pro ecommerce package in conjunction with PayPal. The first 50 new customers who purchase a 123-reg annual business pro ecommerce account and sign up and trade on a PayPal Express Checkout or Website Payments Pro account, receive £119 in cashback.

The cashback will get paid directly into the PayPal account after 3 months of active trading. We had to put in some strict terms & conditions as we want to reward customers who are serious about selling online and not those that are only in it for the quick buck.

Terms apply.

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