Chances are you have heard CISP and PCI DSS thrown around in conversation or seen it referred to in forums or blog posts. But what does it all mean? Hopefully this article will answer the questions you have wondered about but were too afraid to ask.

What Is It?
In 2001 Visa created CISP (Cardholder Information Security Program) and in 2004 CISP gave way to a joint effort among the credit card companies now known as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). PCI DSS  (or PCI for short) developed industry standards for providers and merchants to make sure that cardholder data was being protected when stored and transmitted.

How Does Your Provider Get Certified?
According to Visa PCI certification requires that providers:

1. Install and maintain a firewall
2. Not use vendor supplied defaults for security parameters
3. Protect stored data
4. Encrypt the transmission of sensitive information
5. Use and regularly update ant-virus software
6. Develop and maintain secure systems and applications
7. Restrict access to data on a need-to-know basis
8. Assign a unique ID to each person with access to data
9. Restrict physical access to data
10. Track and monitor all access to data
11. Regularly test security systems and processes
12. Maintain an information security policy

Why Is It Important?
Merchants using a non-PCI certified provider can face some grave consequences. Class action lawsuits can be filed, fines of up to $10,000 a month and $500,000 per incident can be imposed; not to mention that if a merchant is found to be incompliant their ability to process transactions can be revoked. Any one of these results can cripple a business. If you want to be successful online you need to make sure that your provider is not going to jeopardize your business.

Can You Check Your Provider’s Certification?
To check the status of your provider <link http://usa.visa.com/download/merchants/cisp-list-of-pcidss-compliant-service-providers.pdf> you can view Visa’s independently maintained list of certified providers worldwide. Their list documents each certified provider, the assessor that conducted the audit, the services that were reviewed, and the date of validation (so that you know if their certification is current).

How Do You Explain It To Your Customers?
If customers ask if their information is secure or what precautions are taken to protect them you can explain that your provider is certified and explain what this means for them using the information above, or you can provide them with these links:

• Visa CISP Overview

• Volusion is PCI Certified

-Kate Pierce eCommerce Specialist

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What is FTP?
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol.  FTP is a way to transfer files over the Internet and is used everyday all over the world.

Where is FTP?
FTP is not a place, merely a method of accessing a remote site. It is similar to how you access files on your computer’s storage.  In fact, most FTP clients (see below) present the remote site’s file in a similar fashion to how you see your own computer’s file.

What is an FTP client?
An FTP client is the software that actually controls the transfer of the data between the two computers (your computer and the remote site). There are many FTP clients available; and Volusion websites work well with any of them.  Some commonly used FTP clients include the following:

• FileZilla- a popular FTP client that is freely available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux users
  Available as a free download from the Internet.
• Fire FTP- a plug-in for the popular Firefox web browser that can be used just like a standalone FTP program
  Installed through the FireFox browser.
• Dreamweaver- page layout/design program, which includes FTP access as one of its many features
  Available for purchase from Adobe.

Helpful Links:
Setting up Your Volusion FTP Account
Using Your Volusion FTP Account
Troubleshooting Your Volusion FTP Connection

-Kate Pierce eCommerce Specialist

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More and more people are getting iPhones these days, causing Apple’s browser market share to increase steadily. In the last quarter of 2008 Apple’s iPhone even outsold RIM’s Blackberry. Whether it is the 15,000+ available applications or the accelerometer that detects how the phone is oriented in a user’s hand, people cannot seem to get enough of the iPhone. That is also evidenced in the fact that iPhone users on average spend more time online compared to other users of handheld devices. The only problem with using an iPhone to browse the Internet is that websites often appear too small. Craig Grannell, journalist for .Net Magazine, explains “By default, websites appear in pint-sized versions, with text generally being illegible and links being practically impossible to target.”*

With iPhone sales on the rise and iPhone users spending more time than traditional users online, many companies are trying to take advantage of this craze by marketing their sites specifically to iPhone users. Essentially, there are two options: create an iPhone optimized site or an iPhone specific site. No matter which one you choose, if you decide to market your site to iPhone users there are some essentials that you will need to include.

Essentials for an iPhone Friendly Site:

1. Boil down your website to only the most important content (making sure not get rid of vital links). Also remember that users may not be willing to drag the page around on their phone to find the information they are looking for so position the most important information toward the top.
2. Enable brand recognition by keeping your company logo featured prominently at the top of the website. Your logo should be the first thing a user sees on their iPhone screen when they open your website.
3. Do not waste space on the “traditional navigation” of a website if you can lay out your site in a linear manner. iPhone users would prefer clicking through a series of links to get to the information they want rather than dragging the page around minimizing and maximizing it to use a navigation bar.
4. Ensure click areas are large. Keep in mind users are not using a mouse, they are using fingertips (which are obviously much larger). If the click area itself is not very large allow room for sloppy clicking by making sure that there are not other click areas nearby.
5. Increase font sizes to 20px (which is good for horizontal orientation) or 30px (which is better for vertical orientation). If you do not have the room to increase the font size this much, make sure that you leave proper spacing and use easy to read text colors to help viewers use the website.
6. Optimize screen width. An iPhone will have a 480px maximum screen width so in order to use that to its fullest avoid using columns or images that move or break the flow of blocks of text.
7. iPhone users are not necessarily Mac users so don’t “over Mac” your design or message
8. Have a link back to your regular website incase users prefer it.

Maybe you are not convinced yet that creating an iPhone version of your website is worth the time and effort; but .Net Magazine reminds us that this exercise can benefit your traditional website as well. As Craig Grannell points out, “The fact that a good mobile site really makes you focus on what’s important - clarity, simple layouts, important information, clean design – can only help when you come to work on websites back in the land of ‘normal’ web browsers.”*

-Kate Pierce ecommerce Specialist

*Grannell, Craig. “/mobile/optimise your site for iPhones.” .Net Magazine. Issue 184 Jan 2009. Pages 72-74.

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When Chuck Agol began selling healthy, natural, biodegradable scented products 34 years ago Earth Day had not even been conceived. Over these last 34 years Chuck’s brick-and-mortar store in Oregon found success selling their own Uncommon Scents brand products as well as almost three dozen hard to find brands from all over the world. Chuck’s product line includes soaps, moisturizers, fragrances, oils, lotions, bath additives, lip balms, sunscreens, and more.

In 1996 he opened his first online store (http://UncommonScents.com) with Yahoo! to expand his reach even further. By 2007 Chuck realized he would need a new ecommerce provider- one that integrated all the features he needed, so that he would no longer have to patch together third party services that were essential to running his store. He moved his website over to Volusion and has not looked back. In fact, his online business is going so well that he sold his retail store this past year to allow him to focus all of his efforts on ecommerce!

The Volusion features like shipping integration and an easy to use CRM system have made it easy for Chuck to succeed by streamlining his business efforts. Chuck cites that his favorite feature, however, is the ability to make mass updates to his product database. As he explains, “With previous hosts, adding, deleting and updating products was a one-at-a-time nightmare.” Once the products are added and modified Chuck relies heavily on the inventory tracking tools because his product database is so large. It allows him to easily track the size, color, and scent options for his almost 4,000 products. All of the added features that Chuck has access to with Volusion would not mean anything though without what he describes as “Reliable software and hosting, and responsive and readily available technical support staff.”

Chuck’s customers are benefitting from the move over to Volusion as well. He describes his site with Volusion as easier to navigate and more professional looking. The design services that he purchased partnered him with a member of our design team to create his logo design and also a clean template layout.

Pairing http://uncommonscents.com with Volusion’s shopping cart software has resulted in an online store that is functional, reliable, and easy to manage! The success that Chuck has found with the Volusion platform and the knowledge he has gained has made him a sort of “local ecommerce celebrity.” He is constantly helping friends and family members with their websites and doling out business advice. So what is his best advice to fellow online store owners? “Provide ‘over-the-top’ customer service to your customers to keep them coming back- even when you think they’re asking for too much.”

Volusion Software- Try it Free!

-Kate Pierce eCommerce Specialist

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Facebook is no longer just a social media site for college age users. Now users of all ages are on Facebook and businesses are realizing the value in having a presence on there as well. Whether your business plans on using Facebook to sell products or to just create brand recognition, Facebook is a powerful tool to reach a wide audience. There are two main ways that you can introduce your business to the world through Facebook. You can create an actual Business Page or establish a Group around your company or brand. Here are the step by step instructions you will need to get your business noticed on Facebook:

Facebook Business Page
Approximate time to set-up: 30 minutes
A Business Page allows other users to become fans of your business, contribute to your page, and receive updates that you send. Let’s get started:

Sign in to your existing account and from your home page click on “Advertising” on the bottom. Then click on the “Pages” tab at the top and hit the “Create Page” button. Then follow these steps:

1. Pick a category
   Remember that this cannot be changed later so make sure you select the best industry available for your business.
2. Enter your company’s name
   Make sure that it is exactly as you use it on your site to maximize return.
3. Upload a profile picture
   We suggest you use your logo, a picture of your products or location, etc.
4. Add your location information
   If you do not have a physical address and are solely an ecommerce site enter general information like “Texas” instead of a full address.
5. Add content
   You will want to put in as much information about your business as you can- pictures, notes, videos, etc. Make it personal to attract the maximum number of viewers.
6. Look for networks and applications that may be applicable to your business
7. Publish the page
8. Edit settings to target users and establish privileges
   Decide whether you want to have complete control over the page or if you would like those familiar with your business or brand to contribute also.
9. Update your page regularly

Facebook Group
Approximate time to set-up 5-10 minutes
A Group allows people to join and participate alongside your business as a member of the group. This is best for encouraging a personal connection with viewers. Let’s get started:

When signed in to your personal profile go to your groups by using the search bar in the top right hand corner to find the groups application. Then click on “Create New Group.” Then follow these steps:

1. Enter your business’ name
2. Set your network
   We recommend making the group available to all users to reach the widest audience.
3. Enter a description for your group
   This can either be a description of what your company provides or what you hope to accomplish through creating this group. For instance, instead of saying something like “Volusion’s user-friendly ecommerce software gives you the power to start, grow and manage your online business with ease,” you might say “Volusion wants to hear your feedback about our software’s scalability.”
4. Select group type
   Most likely you will choose “business.”
5. Select the sub-category that best suits your business
6. Enter some “recent news” that viewers may want to hear about
7. Enter your location information
8. Upload a picture
9. Enter your URL
10. Set your options
11. Set access for your group
12. Save
    It will ask you if you want to publish the story on your profile, which you should do so that all your friends can see that the group was recently created.
13. Invite your friends to join your newly created group
14. (Optional) You can create an advertisement to announce your group’s creation by clicking “Promote Group with an Ad”
    After designing the ad, setting the targeting (which gives you the approximate reach of your ad depending on your selections) and setting the budget your ad will be ready to go.

-Kate Pierce eCommerce Specialist

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