100+ Retail E-Commerce Tips

http://www.retail-ecommerce.com/2008/07/100-tips-to-optimize-retail-ecommerce.html

Online shopping has become customary and an expected alternative for the majority of customers. The ease at which the customer can browse at their leisure under no time constraint or environmental pressure makes it an option now becoming more and more favourable across a vast array of sectors.

I found the above blog post enlightening and comprehensive without being overly complex. Definitely worth a look over.

SAP set the benchmark and guide the way to supreme SEO

Search Engine Optimisation -A crucial topic for all in the business world whichever the sector as websites, site traffic and visibility prove to be imperative to achieving and sustaining competitive advantage.

Though I have a broad understanding of the concept and the actions it commands though I wouldn’t claim to comprehend how to truly optimise the conveniences.

SAP Community Network has been recognised for their expertise, exemplary example they have set and the benefits they have reaped as a result with regard to SEO. They have been featured on Gaspedal, Business Blogging Blog as they have created a 300% annual increase in search engine traffic; brought to my attention by the wonderful world of Facebook.

They have introduced five key SEO Activities.
1. Defining Page Related Key Words
2. Evaluating a Page’s Current Effectiveness
3. Placing Keywords Where They Matter Most
4. Generating Link Love
5. Monitoring Page Search Ranking

Keywords identify the page and once defined should be tested to establish their effectiveness; the placing of them evidently has an impact. Links both onsite and offsite generate what they describe as “link love” and the more “link love” created the more your Google search ranking will be improved upon. Establishing a high ranking isn’t a once off activity, it needs to be monitored, evaluated and continually given attention and energy in order for benefits to be consistently reaped.

For a more in depth peek into their knowhow visit the SAP Community Network wiki:

http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/Community/Strategic+SEO+on+SAP+Community+Network

I found it informative, simplified and to the point. A valuable read and a constructive insight, an area which is clearly unwise to neglect!

Social Media is Not a Vocation

I think we all have become a bit wrapped up in the world of social media both within our personal and working lives, myself included. What is now becoming apparent is that some people are now completely dependent on it and have come to view "Social Media" as a vocation in itself. They appear to hold it the same esteem as "Marketing" in terms of it being a distinct occupation.

Although an outlook of my own it is obviously not exclusively my contemplation.

Social Media is Not a Vocation

Social Media as a tool continues to grow in importance. Not utilising it as a marketing tool suggests complacency, neglect and lack of foresight on the part of a business.
On a daily basis we are updated as consumers and those more closely interest in the exploitation of it. To ignore the teachings of the most insightful and practices of the world largest companies seems imprudent and frankly ludicrous.

Businesses need to assess their own needs and the relative opportunities, make use of the most pertinant tools in a distinctive manner whilst at the same time making a concerted effort not to become bogged down and consumed entirely by it.

Social Media is a now a fundamental element of the marketing mix though not to the detriment of the other components. It's developing and progressing at a rapid pace and businesses need to remain poised and ready for the the next wave of activity!

Set objectives and see the return on your investment in SAP B1

SAP has never claimed to be a quick fix revenue booster; it is a long term investment into the future success and profitability of a company.

For anything to be measurable objectives need to be set and for these objectives to be of any real value they should be formulated with a clear understanding of the issues that are having an impact on your businesses bottom line.

What does your company wish to gain from SAP B1? What do you particularly hope to achieve within your business from implementing it? What are the results you want to see?

The potential benefits are far reaching, some perhaps more relevant than others depending on the industry in which your business resides and more importantly the different and core functionalities which exist within it.

Elements of your business which can be expected to gain from implementing SAP B1 include productivity, labour costs, financial performance, inventory management, pricing, customer management, and process improvements.

More specifically, though not by any means exhaustively, a business in the Retail industry will be supported in matching inventory to customer needs, where as a Professional Services business will gain from speeding up collections with more efficient billing. A company in the Wholesale and Distribution industry can expect to create efficiencies and subsequently increase their margins.

Most notably for all technology support and maintenance costs will be reduced in the long term. SAP B1 is an investment and if maintained correctly can have transformative results.

SAP TechEd 2010 DemoJam

Dubbed the American Idol of the Tech world, Demo Jam 2010 will be the seventh time the event has been held. It gives customers, partners and employees as individuals or groups the opportunity to showcase their demo capabilities.

I think it's a fantastic idea; who doesn't love a bit of fun competition and great entertainment!

To find out more on how to apply visit:
http://www.sapteched.com/demojam/

SAP: Shaping the future with an investment in business and staff!

Despite rising in popularity with UK organisations, it is apparent that many companies are unaware of the real benefits of SAP software. ERP systems in general are still viewed by some as confusing, technical structures which have no real place in a business, particularly small businesses.
ERP, Enterprise Resource Planning, is principally an integration of business management practices and modern technology.
ERP is an amalgamation of the three most important components; Business Management Practices, Information Technology and Specific Business Objectives.

The key objective of an ERP system is to integrate information and processes from all functional divisions of an organisation and merge it for effortless access and structured workflow. The integration is typically accomplished by constructing a single database repository that communicates with multiple software applications providing different divisions of an organisation with various business statistics and information.
Deploying a comprehensive ERP system across an organisation leads to performance increase, workflow synchronisation, standardised information exchange formats, complete overview of the enterprise functioning, global decision optimisation, speed enhancement and much more.
SAP has drawn upon 35 years experience of developing business management software and created SAP Business One exclusively to meet the changing and industry specific needs of small businesses.
Unlike many other small business solutions on the market today, SAP Business One is a single application, eliminating the need for separate installations and complex integration of multiple modules.

To get an insight into more the benefits of SAP Business One visit:
http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/sap-sector/sap-shaping-the-future-39583

Our get in touch with us!

Our Website: www.beabetterbusiness.net
Contact Us: info@iisystems.net

Innovation is the hot topic - SAP B1 8.8 PL 12

Innovation has been, and will continue to be the hot topic with regards to SAP B1 which was highlighted at the demo in Boston at the end of last year.

The main focus for innovation with regard to SAP B1 was intended to be incorporated in version 8.81 at the end of 2010 but due to the positive market reception elements of the development have been pulled forward.
The 8.8 PL 12 initiates the beginning of future innovations that have been planned and anticipated for SAP B1.
Key features include the new Cockpit, Dashboards and Mobile Services.
The critical thing to remark upon is that these features are all optional and will not be forced upon users, though the benefits are certainly advantageous and the demonstrations ought to speak for themselves and prove appealing!

The Cockpit provides quicker access to important information and functions the user employs regularly and action based upon the information can be accomplished with ease. Increased efficiency is also supplied to users throughout the use of this readily customisable function.

The first framework to deliver Dashboards in SAP B1 is being created and is now geared up to be introduced and demonstrated to customers. What is available at the moment should be regarded as a preview though it should most definitely be installed in demo systems and included and highlighted in customer presentations. It does at this time have limitations, though it may be possible to use in a productive environment, the key focus and intention at the moment is to gain feedback from customers so that SAP can work to resolve issues and modify the functionalities for Dashboards they want incorporated as they develop SAP B1 8.81.

Mobile services don’t yet include “out of the box capabilities” discussed at the demo in Boston, however what is now contained in 8.8 PL 12 is a Mobile Service framework and the guides on how to develop and build upon this will be made available to partners before long.

As with all Patch updates 8.8 PL 12 also includes important corrections and legal changes. Crystal report layouts have also been contemplated and now include graphics and visual breakdowns; the intention going forward is to furthermore embrace and take advantage of the key features Crystal has to offer.

Everything we need to know as Partners with regard to the key features, familiarising ourselves with them and getting them up and running is available at:

What has been stressed, and should be continually emphasised to customers is that innovation is of core importance to SAP and the innovations they supply are all part and parcel of the sustained maintenance SAP is committed to delivering.

Find out more:

Being customer centric is a key priority for all; global leaders SAP consolidate their stance

Enthusiasm reflects confidence, spreads good cheers, raises morale, inspires associates, arouses loyalty, and laughs at adversity ...it is beyond price.

ALLAN COX

The biggest change at SAP in recent months has been the change in leadership; now confident, assertive and highly informed.
In April this year when SAP announced its quarterly earnings they emphasised not only double digit growth but also a return in customer trust made evident by 90% of their customers purchasing their support package.

Though perhaps like many companies existing customers were initially temporarily forgotten or shelved as the economic circumstances took precedence they have come to realise the merits of investing in customers continually and the long term costs of regaining them once lost as opposed to sustaining them by comparison.

You've got to give loyalty down, if you want loyalty up

DONALD REGAN

Never was there a truer quote.

SAP has clearly identified what their customers’ need, where they fit in and how they will drive further customer value.
Adapted from: Evans, B., SAP’s top priorities to become undisputed, Information Week, 17/05/2010, accessed 12/07/2010, Available at: http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224800105&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

99.9% of all successful businesses have one thing in common…they are customer centric!
They know their customers, the business is built around their core customers, employees live, and breathe customers, and the business tracks its customers as part of key performance business tracking.

To find out more and determine how customer centric your business is visit:

http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/is-your-business-customer-focussed-do-you-have-a-customercentric-strategy-a-simple-checklist-for-your-business-by-ysatisfy-consultancy-829741.html

At IIS we see our customers as our partners in making SAP Business One better.
Our customers are our wealth and we are continually committed to meeting their diverse and ever changing needs. The development of Intelligent Essentials is testimony to this as these standardised enhancements have been developed to compliment and build upon what is already available from the SAP Business One platform.

Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.

HELEN KELLER

SAP Benchmarking - A free hidden gem for SAP customers!

“SAP Benchmarking is a hidden gem ...and one that that many customers do not realise is a free service that is available to SAP Customers around the world. It's easy to participate in, results are confidential and it is your chance to see how your organisation measures up and what you can do to move your organisation to new levels of performance”.

Paul Kurchina, KurMeta Group, 9/07/2010, http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/20025

Looking internally at your company’s performance does have its merits though it is difficult to know how much better your performance could be, should be or how it measures up to your competitors unless you compare it to those of similar companies. Competitive benchmarking involves measuring the company’s performance with that of other comparable businesses against key credentials and comparators such as finance, products and services, organisation, technology, research and development and personnel policies.

The SAP benchmarking program was piloted in 2004, and rolled out largely in 2005. The mission of the program was to develop a forum for SAP customers where year on year performance metrics, and best practices could be readily assessed and contrasted.

To date the program has involved 8,500 participants making it one of the largest benchmarking programs in the world and most notably of all it’s free to SAP customers.

Participants receive a detailed benchmarking study of their businesses processes. Key performance indicators are highlighted within the High Impact Strategies Framework; strategies which are believed to create and have the biggest impact on value creation for the particular business relative to its industry and competitive forces within it.

With over 4,000 survey’s complete the comparable data is all embracing encompassing areas such as financial excellence, customer value life cycle, strategic IT, operational excellence and product and service leadership; moreover, this list is not exhaustive.

The increased competitive pressure within today’s business environments driven by the dynamic, turbulent economic conditions is now compelling organisations to seek new ways to improve their performance and sustain their positions. Measuring of internal performance is no longer sufficient as it can breed complacency and result in positions being challenged, bypassed and potentially pilfered by the competition.

Benchmarking allows for gaps in performance to be identified and then the challenge is how to change the company’s strategies and practices to fill these gaps and reside more competitively.

Businesses should be given every opportunity to excel and reach their full potential. SAP recognise the need for businesses to gain support in improving, building upon successes, strengths and overcoming weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities and minimise threats. According to the now famous business and management consultant, Albert Humphrey, fundamentally this is the basic premise upon which strategy should consistently be cultivated.