eCommerce / NetSuite Web Site Design Blog

• Designs
• CSS
• Flash
• User Experience
• NetSuite
• NetSuite SEO
• Tips

Larry Ellison puts his NetSuite IPO shares in 'lockbox'. Original article is from ZDNet.

NetSuite in an SEC filing on Tuesday said that Larry Ellison is putting his shares - all 639,298,039 of them - into a "lockbox" that diminishes his control over the company.

ZDNet has a few theories on this amendment to NetSuite's current IPO plans... see them here.

Labels: ipo, netsuite

The NetSuite Partner Conference was a great success from many perspectives. The NetSuite community is a strong and talented group of companies looking to make difference with "One System, No Limits". This starts with the great staff at NetSuite, from Zack Nelson (CEO) and Evan Goldberg (CTO) to the product team, sales team, marketing/PR staff and professional services. The staff has displayed their dedication to improving their product by being innovative and focusing on the end user. The same goes for the partners selling the product and the customers they serve. NetSuite is One Integrated System to Manage Your Entire Business. The web based includes Accounting / ERP, CRM and Ecommerce to run your business more effectively, fully integrating your web store and back-office. Start A Free Trial.

The theme was clear in every presentation...
The #1 goal is customer satisfaction.

Here are some announcements that I would like to share with you... Please note that these upgrades have no set date for release but they are on the radar screen. Next year there will be two upgrade releases next, they are named 2008.1 and 2008.2 - one in the middle of the year and the other towards the end of year.

Starting with a heavier focus on improving the product using customer input. NetSuite Support Center will receive a face lift, making it easier to submit enhancement requests. This includes a voting system and a way for customers to see the most requested upgrade enhancements. This creates a great customer to customer (c2c) community outside of the user group. I see being very powerful and the screen shots of the Support Center were pretty slick. Also, there has been better documentation released and will continue to be updated more frequently.

Highlights from the 2008.1 upgrade:

Checkout for ecommerce
The checkout for ecommerce will have more options focused on reducing checkout abandonment rates. This may include a one page checkout process. That would be huge, as the current checkout process is 4-5 steps. The solution will improve ecommerce user experience, then increased conversion rates equaling more web store sales.

Improved web site speed and performance
This was said to be the #1 number goal for the web store. Akamai will be used to accomplished this through image and file caching. The websites that are not in the USA will benefit the most since the image caching servers will be closer to the users computer.

Multiple ship-to addresses capability
This will only be on the back office and not included with ecommerce but it is a great first step.

Multi-site web store enhancements
The new features include the ability to use different pricing on each of your web stores and also use different payment processors. For example, you can now create a discount web site using the same inventory but with reduced prices.

Improved web analytics
Page view and keyword campaign reports will be improved.

Marketing campaigns and marketing templates will get a face lift
Currently you have to go through several steps to set up your marketing campaigns and marketing templates. This user experience will be consolidated to reduce the steps to set up your campaigns.

Highlights from the 2008.2 upgrade:

2008.2 release is mainly focus on a new back office system for "Service Companies"
Similar to using Microsoft Project, you will be able to track a project from start to finish. This includes tracking the revenue, accountability and time for each services. The ability to forecast revenue on each project allows you make your business more profitable and tracked directly into accounting. The feature is very detailed, even down to the "task" and "email" level. Nice work, this is a perfect fit for any professional services project.

Dynamic merchandising for ecommerce
The ability to organize your items by best margins, inventory and ect.

Domain Changes At Checkout
No date for this, but they are considering a better domain structure for the secure checkout process in the shopping cart of the web store. The recommended structure that was sugggested was "yourdomainname.netsuite.com"

Google Checkout
Yes, Google checkout is coming to NetSuite eCommerce. This enhancement was said to be very popular with the customer base so they have figured out a way to integrate it. Since the demand was so popular, this will rollout sometime in 2008.

This is just a brief list of features that are coming out in 2008, but it really is exciting. It is great to see the NetSuite staff, partners and customers coming together to push the product in the right direction. I am proud to be apart of this great and growing community! Want to learn more? Visit NetSuite for more details.

Labels: conversion-rates, CRM, netsuite, shopping cart, user-experience

Currently we are halfway into the NetSuite Revolution 2007 Partner Conference. The team from NetSuite has been busy innovating and improving the value of their product. So far they have delivered many suprises and new releases for the software suite of ERP, CRM and eCommerce. Some of the highlights from NetSuite Revolution 2007 that I found exciting include Google Checkout for eCommerce, SuiteBundler, SuiteScript for eCommerce and NetSuite for Outlook.



Yes, Google checkout is coming to NetSuite eCommerce. This enhancement was said to be very popular with the customer base so they have figured out a way to integrate it. Since the demand was so popular, this will rollout sometime in 2008. Previously this year, a PayPal express checkout was also released.


The biggest news came from the release of SuiteBundler. This simplifies the ability to reuse packages of software applications across other NetSuite accounts. Now you can create custom software inside of NetSuite and then resell these applications to your clients, easier than ever.


SuiteScript, NetSuite's server side programming language based on JavaScript, is coming to the web store and ecommerce. There is no set date for this release but the news is very exciting. This will give NetSuite developers the ability to build applications or custom business processes and publish them on the web site. Then with SuiteBundler you can package, reuse or resell these applications over and over again.


The other notible release is the new NetSuite for Outlook. This is a really cool application that synchs NetSuite CRM and all versions of Microsoft Outlook. There was a previous version already but the new version is a big improvement.


Lastly, there has no word on the release date of the NetSuite IPO, but you can follow any updates on the NetSuite IPO here.

Here are some related news articles:
Official NetSuite Press Release
NetSuite launches SuiteBundler development tool for ISVs
NetSuite launches SuiteBundler
NetSuite Announces Prefab On-Demand Apps

MORE TO COME WHEN THE CONFERENCE CLOSES THIS FRIDAY!

Labels: CRM, ipo, netsuite

ZDNet has their writers in the right place at the right time. I was at a NetSuite conference when I received a Twitter message with an alert about NetSuite SuiteBundler... and it said...

NetSuite SuiteBundler: Most important software of the last ten years? More from the ZDNet article...

Along the road to an expected IPO this year, NetSuite CEO Zack Nelson announced SuiteBundler, a new set of capabilities for building and customizing applications with the company's software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform. The major innovation is that customizations and configurations created in one NetSuite account can be reused in another account without recoding or rewriting, Nelson said.

He claimed that SuiteBundler is "one of the most important pieces of software written in the last decade," and a "Holy Grail for services companies."

I asked Nelson to elaborate on his notion that SuiteBundler is a major milestone. "Talk to any exec at a services company - they dream of reusing code. SuiteBundler is the icing on the cake, with SuiteFlex which allows you to do rich customization. For SuiteBundler to be able to take all the customizations and inject them into another account is mind blowing."

It's hard to make the case that reusable NetSuite components is the Holy Grail of software, but it will be more easy and cost effective to assemble vertical applications.

NetSuite co-founder Bill Bailey demoed the creation of a "bundle" with a visual interface, choosing any object type, objects and contents (such as lists, saved searches, and scripts) that are wrapped up as reusable bundle, accessible by other NetSuite accounts. SuiteBundler checks for dependencies and allows users to set privileges - private, public or shared, for customers accounts that have purchased the bundle

Read the entire story here.

Labels: ipo, netsuite

We will be at the NetSuite Partner Conference this week, October 23, 2007 - October 26, 2007. Will you be there? Post a comment or contact us to network.

About the conference: The Premier Event for On-Demand Innovation
This fall, the center of on-demand innovation is in San Francisco as software professionals, developers and IT executives from around the globe come together for our annual partner conference - NetSuite Revolution 2007!

Featured Speakers
Join Zach Nelson, CEO NetSuite, Inc. and Evan Goldberg CTO NetSuite, Inc. in their keynote address and be the first to hear what's coming next in business, leadership, and technology in speeches from industry leaders.

Learn
Knowledge is power and you can count on Revolution 2007 to deliver the information you need with the detail only the experts can provide. Experience our pavilion with innovative solutions, focused breakout sessions covering best practices in technology, implementation, sales and marketing. Check out the Revolution Cafe with hands-on training, troubleshooting techniques and more.

Community
Connect with partners, developers, NetSuite executives and employees while getting a firsthand look at the latest technologies and best practices. You'll spend three days of quality time for the kind of inspiration and knowledge you won't find anywhere else.

NetSuite Partner Conference - Revolution 2007 to be the largest event ever!

Labels: netsuite

Interested in new media or the future of marketing? Read below...

On October 21st, we are going to Bumrush the Amazon.com charts for my new book "Join the Conversation". What does this mean? Simple. If you're planning on buying the book (and I hope you are), please purchase it on October 21st through Amazon.com

Mark Sunday, October 21st on your calendars, tell your friends and help me spread the word. There are going to be several conversational "marketing" components to the day. I'll be on hand to chat with you throughout the day through various video, audio and text means and we can track the progress of the book and the relative success of this conversational marketing experiment.

In terms of expectations, I'm certainly not expecting to displace Harry Potter or current #1, Clarence Thomas' My Grandfather's Son, however it would be cool to top the business or at least marketing charts on the day. Ultimately you'll be the arbiter's of whether that will be possible or not...

Learning more about this movement, continue the article.

Help out now, buy the today to bumrush the charts!

Labels: PR

My responses to a survey on web worker daily:
Go ahead and share your experiences or similarities.

1. Describe your job/career/business.
Interactive creative director managing an agency (AlexDesigns.com) that is focused on Web Based Customer Acquisition and Conversion of eCommerce, Lead Generation and Traffic Building. Our team delivers effective creative that is tested to improve customer acquisition and increase retention while decreasing advertising costs and improving (long/short term) ROI.

2. How has the web changed your working life?
Alex Designs LLC is a 100% online business. I never travel to visit clients or give demos and we have client around the world. We don't even have an office. Actually all of my designers and developers are in different states. Plus, I have never met 99% of my clients. This cuts my overhead costs, plus streamlines everything into a nice productive system. We use web based SAS programs for accounting, project mgt and CRM. Everything is web based. Now we even work from our iPhones.

3. Describe your working situation: office, cubicle, home, cafe… and how you make it work for you.
I work from home and so do the people who work for me. Everyone once in a while, I will go to a book store or cafe to change up the atmosphere. We create our own hours and work is part of our lifestyle. So some weeks it may be 3 days a week, while others it is 6 days a week.

4. What are the key web and desktop tools you use?

#1 - Gmail
#2 - Firefox
#3 - Dreamweaver
#4 - Photoshop
#5 - NetSuite (ecommerce, project mgt, crm and accounting)
#6 - EFax

5. Describe your productivity system (to do list, goal setting, reminders, etc.)
We have tried several different ways to keep all of our projects in sync, using different pr mgt tools, invoicing tools and todo list tools. the bottom line is, we use Gmail. Gmail has totally transfered how we organize projects, clients information and other relationships. It's a pretty simple and very easy to find previous projects with Gmail's giant storage.

Pre-Project Process:
Client visits website and fills out contact form (RFP), client information is automatically entered into CRM (NetSuite), Project Questionnaire and Price Estimate sent to client via NetSuite and 'labeled' in gmail. Client accepts project and invoice is automatically sent from NetSuite requesting deposit payment. Client faxes contract to eFax and is labeled and archived to that client.

Project Completion Project:
New project is sent using Gmail with client and designer labeled. Yea, we use labels a lot. Client then reviews projects and sends back changes in a word doc form. We upload the word document to Google shared documents (designer and clients make changes there) and that is our to-do list in each phase. Client approves project and Gmail delivered the files in .zip format or moved to next phase of implementation. Project marked as complete and the NetSuite will then send the final invoice.

6. Share your top tip for success as a web worker: a productivity suggestion, a tool recommendation, or a piece of career advice, for example.
Everyone has their own way to work, so there is no need to micromanage employees, as long as deadlines are completed, our virtual workers can use their own system or the one we use. If it tough to find reliable people you can trust, so when you find the right fit for your company treat them well. I never say my employees work for me, they work with me. We trust each other, work hard and play hard. Business and client management can be tough, so my best advice is to learn from each project and learn from your mistakes. Never repeat a bad habit in your business process.

Labels: Casestudy, netsuite

This is a new web page design that is hosted on NetSuite. It's a pretty basic website with a nice design, but it doesn't not use a theme. The pages are all web hosted files using custom forms and tags. We love the final product, what do you think of it? Post a comment

Site focuses on Mobile Treatment Centers



Site completed by: alexdesigns

Labels: alexdesigns, netsuite, web-design

Interested in social media? You should be, LinkedIn plans to open their A.P.I. to "approved" partners. Full story here.

Do you have a LinkedIn account?
Connect with me here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexdesigns

Quote from the article:

LinkedIn CEO Dan Nye says he is looking for two kinds of applications. First, there are deals that enable LinkedIn members to tap into their connections in other places, for example, while using applications like Salesforce.com. Second, some applications will be allowed to add features to LinkedIn's own site. Mr. Nye offered, as an example, a module connected to a trade show or conference that integrated travel planning and other features.

Other ecommerce and CRM applications should really be looking at this space to increase branding and viral marketing. This is not a fad, as it has already changed the way we connect with each other and improve our businesses.

Do you have a LinkedIn account?
Connect with me here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexdesigns

Labels: CRM

Looks like eBay will be releasing a lot of web site design changes before the holiday season. They describe the changes as a result of user experience testing done on the web site...

Next Generation Checkout
It is now simpler than ever to pay on eBay! The new Checkout will allow you to pay for multiple sellers, apply coupons, edit information and confirm your payment - in 3 easy steps!

eBay Countdown
Monitor your auctions with instant updates to the current bid and time remaining. On screen bidding is fast and easy.

My World 2.0
Now it's easier and more fun than ever to share your interests and connect with other folks on eBay who love what you love. ie. Social Shopping

See all if the changes here.

Do you think this will improve the user experience on eBay?

Will social shopping be more than just ratings and reviews?

I was deleting the old files off my desktop (as I do a few times a month) and found a few design experiments we did for this Netsuite Blog. The concepts below were massaged into the final design you are reading today. Some of the things we considered when designing this blog:

1) large left column screen shots and design examples.
2) An easy to read main area, that stood out
3) A strong and clear call to action to "Post Comments".

Overall, just a simple user experience and easy to find different related articles. That is the trouble that I find with many blogs, its hard to find more articles past the homepage. People don't want to look through archives. And I am not sure this current design still solves that problem, but let us know what you think, post a comment.









Now we are at the design you see here today.

Go ahead, speak up!

Now we are looking for feedback from you to see what changes will be making next. Do you think this blog can be organized better and do you like that we accept design submissions for review. Tell us what else you would like to see on the site. Post a comment. For example, do you like screencasts, product demos or tips to increase your ecommerce revenue. Please let us know.

Labels: user-experience

New NetSuite Web Design was launched recently to sell Medical Supplies online. This design was a challenge, because the price points are typically very high on medical supplies. So how do you gain confidence in the consumer to engage them and collect the lead or close a sale? Improving conversion rates and ROI is the ultimate goal, but establishing a connection with the customer and generating the lead is the first goal. What are you doing improve leads on your site? Tell us!

Here are a few ways we solved that problem:

• Clear contact us area in the top right
• Live chat support
• On the item template, we added a "Make an offer" button
• Secure shopping area with reasons to feel comfortable buying here
• Testimonials from recent purchasers

Homepage designed on NetSuite software


Item Templates designed on NetSuite software

Designed by: Alex Designs LLC

What do you think of this NetSuite web design?
Let us know. Post a comment - click here

Labels: alexdesigns, web-design

The review, which can be found here, summarizes NetSuite 2007.0 by stating: "Entirely web-based, NetSuite 2007.0 contains an amazing array of new features and system enhancements that make this product more competitive than ever before ... NetSuite offers unparalleled flexibility and customization capability rarely found in mid-level accounting products. In addition, varying levels of system access and extensive product enhancements make NetSuite a very attractive package."

Summary of the rating...

• Ease of Use/Transaction Entry - 5 Stars
• Modules & Notable Features - 5 Stars
• Integration/Import/Export - 5 Stars
• Reporting - 5 Stars
• Support/Training/Help System - 5 Stars

Labels: netsuite

I came across this the other day. Another company is buying my companies name in Google adwords and Yahoo. I guess we have made it big and the competition needs more work. The funniest part is that I know that company. It seems they need to spend money to get more clients, while we get all of our clients via word of mouth and natural search engine optimization. Hey guys, I can sell you some ad space on this site if your interested too!

Labels: netsuite