Category: News
October 23, 2013
Proflame Buffet Gas Burners are the only safe, reliable, interchangeable, eco-friendly, temperature controlled chafing dish heater in the industry today.
The new Proflame website has restricted content areas for Proflame’s customers and distributors, which require the user to be logged in to access. This functionality was an essential part of the transition from their old website to their new, streamlined one – which mirrors part of their tagline – “Clean, Safe, Simple”. 
We are extremely excited to announce that the new website for 
Pillar Healthcare is the result of these years of nutritional experience. It is their aim to be the leading company in the nutritional approach to reproductive medicine and helping as many people along the way as possible!
Their primary interest is the area of infertility. This has become one of the most pressing concerns in the developed world. Good health is vital to all of us and finding sustainable solutions to one of the most pressing health care challenges of our time cannot wait.
That’s why Pillar are committed to applying nutritional science and our resources to improve health and well-being at this challenging stage of life. Research is vitally important to the success of our approach and we strive to deliver the most up-to-date information on fertility. 
Moving into online sales can prove a daunting task for any business. It can be difficult to go from the well-known surroundings of physical sales into the eCommerce world of selling your products online. However, when planning your eCommerce website, there’s a few rules to keep in mind to ensure you get the best success, and don’t fall at the early hurdles. We have worked with dozens of Irish companies to help them launch eCommerce websites and maximise revenue from online sales, so can help guide you in the right direction.
Devote time to your new website
Many companies fail in their online endeavours simply because they don’t put enough effort into the running of their website. There is much work involved in creating a new online shop, but there will also be regular tasks that need to be performed in order to keep your website not just ticking over, but bringing in revenue. Many businesses think that they can just throw up any old website and expect the sales to come rolling in, but this doesn’t work in the online world, just like it doesn’t work offline. Think of all the work that gets done on the floor of your shop or factory each and every day. eCommerce can help ease that workload, but you also need to put the effort in to make it successful. Time should be devoted to keeping an eye on stock levels, dispatching orders and contacting customers where needed, as well as regularly updating content to keep your site fresh – both for the customer and for Google. The website at the top of the rankings gets a lot more sales than the one that doesn’t appear at all.
See what others are offering
When planning your own website, have a look at your competitors’ websites. You will quickly notice what works and what doesn’t work on other websites – and what you may find will work for you as well. Offering a better product than your rivals is the best way to success, while ensuring that the process to buy that product is hassle-free will help maximise sales. There’s nothing worse for a customer who wants to buy something online than being forced to jump through hoops to get what they want. Also, speak to your own customers to see what they think works or doesn’t work on other websites as well as your own. Find out what your target customer needs, and present them with exactly that.
Know what you want to sell
Some companies want to put everything they have on their eCommerce website, others want to promote specific products to specific markets. Once again, time is an issue when it comes to populating your online store. If you have thousands of products, it can be extremely time-consuming cataloguing and writing a description for them all as well as getting a picture or photograph for each one. In addition, keeping track of this stock offline and online often requires implementation your EPOS system, so keep this in mind. You’ll need to work out how much time and what kind of resources you can devote to get your website off the ground, and to ensure it all runs smoothly once it goes live.
Sell your products
Just firing up your stock online isn’t going to earn you a lot of money. You need to convince the customer that this is something they need. With online shopping, it’s much easier to check out alternatives – whether it be comparing prices or competitors’ stock – so you need to make sure the customer stays on your website and buys it from you rather than somebody else. When writing product descriptions, try to get in all the necessary keywords, but at the same time you’ve got to describe the merits of what you’re selling – don’t be afraid to use a few adjectives to give your item a positive disposition. High-quality photographs can also help sell your items, particularly if you’re selling clothes – as people like to know exactly what they’re getting. It also cuts down on any time spent refunding unhappy customers later!
Remember, each and every online shop is different. What works for a bicycle retailer might not work for a gift shop, so research your market to see what works, and what you’ll need to do. These tips should be a guideline to help you start off, and hopefully turn your eCommerce website into a huge success. 
For the past few months, we have been working very closely with the staff at 
The new-look Prim-Ed website went live at the weekend, and we’re all extremely proud of the results. This is one of the biggest projects we at 2Cubed have undertaken so far, and we could not have done it without the help of Jessica, Clare, and all the staff at Prim-Ed. They’ve been a dream to work alongside, and we wish them every success with their new site.
Not only have Prim-Ed had to deal with the stresses of every thing that’s involved in cataloguing thousands of school textbooks and putting them online, they’ve physically had to pack all of those too as they moved premises to a shiny new space in New Ross. We really don’t know how they did it. Actually we do, they’re such hard workers, and they never let anything become an obstacle. So we’re sure that this is only another step in the right direction for a fantastic company who are destined for even bigger things.
With so many online retailers emerging each and every day, it can be difficult to make your eCommerce website stand out from all the competition. Getting people to come to your online store is an achievement in itself, but then you have to convince them to stick around and make a purchase.
The online retail world is very similar to the high street. Every shop will get window shoppers, who come to browse, but never actually buy anything. This is going to happen to every single website. How many times have you popped on Amazon to have a browse, but not actually buy? Your own website will suffer a similar fate, but there are a few things you can do to help increase your online shop conversion rate.
With so many Irish people using smartphones and tablets to browse the internet, it’s extremely important that companies have websites that can be viewed across a variety of screen sizes. There’s a few ways this can be implemented for your website.
Adaptive website design sees your website built to work at a number of sizes. So there will be a tablet version which will look the same whether you’re using a 7 inch Google Nexus or a 10 inch iPad. On the other hand, responsive web design is more fluid and changes depending on the device, the resolution, and the screen size.
Both of these are extremely effective when done properly. However, some sites may not work too well with adaptive layouts as large images or numerous blocks of text can be shrunken or look out of place. Responsive websites will work effectively across the board, and change depending on your device. This means that a three column website may become a two column site when viewed on a smartphone, making everything much cleaner and user-friendly.
Each method has its own champions, and rightly so. Some companies have brand identities that they want carried across all platforms. With 30-50% of web traffic now coming from mobile devices, it’s becoming more and more important that your company’s website adapts or responds to your client base.
Building your own App for iPhone or Android can be extremely expensive, but making sure your website works as well on your phone as it does on your laptop need not be. 
Every week there seems to be new buzzwords floating around. A few weeks ago, no-one was using Vine, but now you’ll see their short video clips popping up everywhere. Staying on trend is extremely important for web developers, but it’s also a necessity for all businesses, especially if you’re selling goods or services online.
The latest key idea for online stores is Multi-Channel eCommerce. This method of trading has been around for as long as the internet, but it’s only recently that companies are starting to get up to spend with selling their products through a variety of methods. To understand how to harness Multi-Channel eCommerce for your business, you’ll have to know what each of the channels are.
Direct Traffic
This involves people seeking out your website by typing in the URL, and is the way a lot of major brands make their online profits. However, for smaller companies, getting direct traffic to your site often involves a lot of offline marketing and advertising, which can prove extremely costly.
Search Engine Optimisation
Honing in on your audience through good SEO is the most effective way to reach your customers and sell your services. Getting your website in the first page of Google rankings, or even better, at number one, will increase your sales exponentially. Populating your site with the right keywords is a surefire way to get your website up the rankings, increasing your sales in the process.
Online Advertising
Paid advertising on search engines can also be great for gaining exposure and gaining sales. Banner advertising isn’t always effective, while it’s often difficult to judge the success of radio, newspaper, or television campaigns. On the other hand, Google Adwords can be tracked and analysed to see exactly what works to reach your target audience.
Marketplaces
A few years ago, eBay was synonymous with online shopping. While eBay isn’t as big a name as it once was, many Irish businesses find success selling their products through third-party websites, such as online retail giant Amazon or specific online marketplaces like The Fashion Shed – keep in mind, however, these third-party sites will take a share of your profits if you use them, but they can be an excellent way to reach more customers that you might ordinarily reach through your own eCommerce channels.
Mobile
A lot of bigger stores have their own apps for iPhone, Android, and other mobile and tablet devices, but if your brand isn’t a big name already, it will be difficult to convince people to download your app, and very expensive to develop it in the first place. A responsive Online Shop will be much more effective for small to medium enterprises, as all smartphones come with an inbuilt web browser, making it convenient to purchase products straight from your phone. It’s also very useful if your live website looks the same across all devices, which creates a sense of familiarity for your customers.
Social Media
Social Media can be great for connecting with your customers, receiving feedback, and providing assistance. As well as that, you can use social media to promote individual products, and even sell directly to your customers through apps on Facebook and Pinterest. Having thousands of likes on Facebook or followers on twitter not only leaves you with a guaranteed audience to target, but also helps build your brand reputation when it comes to winning over new customers. 
Marketing your business has never been cheaper. Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of euro on newspaper, radio, or on television advertising, you can now promote your brand effectively online for little or no cost.
Facebook advertising can be hugely effective for Irish companies, and we work with many of our customers to help them plan their online marketing strategies. Targeted paid advertising and competitions will bring in new likes for your Facebook page, but there’s no point in buying likes without keeping those likes engaged.
Update frequently
If you allow your Facebook page to go stale, then don’t be surprised if you never get any likes, shares, or comments. Anyone who has liked your page already is interested in what you have to offer, so don’t be afraid to discuss anything new in your industry. If some new stock comes in, tell your fans about it.
Talk about the weather
You don’t always need to talk about your business on your business page. Current events are always a great way to get people talking, whether it’s this weekend’s big GAA game or last night’s Coronation Street cliffhanger, people like discussing what’s in the news – and Irish people especially, we love talking about the weather!
A picture paints a thousand words
Getting people to share anything other than a competition is a tricky task, but not impossible. An amazing photograph will get people talking, but also get plenty of shares – especially if it’s something funny that they might want to pass on to their friends.
Create an opinion poll
Use the Question option (under Offer/Event) when creating a new status to get your fans engaged. You don’t even have to keep it on topic, just make it interesting enough that people will want to give their opinion. Every time someone answers your poll, it’ll show up on their own wall, which will encourage their own friends to participate as well.
Don’t be afraid to ask
If you look at American companies on Facebook, you’ll see they always try to encourage interaction from their fans. You can be direct on Facebook to build engagement – a call to action can really help get your fans talking. If you tell people to do it, don’t be surprised if they actually follow your instructions!
Schedule posts in advance
It’s far better to stay up-to-date with your status updates, but there’s many things you can schedule posts for – such as upcoming events, special offers, and even new stock announcements. Online tools like Hootsuite are great for planning ahead, ensuring that your page stays active, even if you’re away. Remember, you can always edit an update before it’s posted, so keeping on topic is never much of a problem!