FEATURE ARTICLE

Driving Conversion - Is Your Store Running on All Cylinders?

MonsterCommerce to be Acquired by Network Solutions!
MonsterCommerce has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Network Solutions of Herndon, Virginia. This is great news for MonsterCommerce and MonsterCommerce clients.
Read more!

MonsterCommerce voted one of greater St. Louis' Top 50 Businesses by St. Louis Commerce Magazine
"Contributions to the St. Louis region and positive impact on the
St. Louis business community” cited as reasons MonsterCommerce was recognized for this award. Read the full story now

New MonsterCommerce Software Manual available
Our latest software release, Version 4.2.1.2, contained the new manual release. Along with the updated manual, the Admin Panel help links have been updated with a new look and feel. Throughout Quarter 1, 2006 you will see us continue to expand upon the new manual. Check out the new manual now

Monster Tech Services
Need to get your site up and running in a hurry? Monster Tech Services offers a wide range of helpful services – from consultation training to product imports. If you’re faced with a tight deadline for getting your store set up, or just need some guidance from one of our software experts, Monster Tech Services is the perfect solution.
Click here for more information

Improve Conversions with our Checkout Customization Service!
For just $399-$599, our design team will share expert advice on how to set up your Checkout steps to improve usability, layout and functionality. In addition, they'll match your checkout layout and buttons to your site theme and create a professional order confirmation email template – ensuring a positive front-to-back experience for your customers. Let our design team work to improve your customers’ ability to checkout.
If you’re experiencing too many abandoned shopping carts, or could use an expert opinion on customizing the new Checkout features, your site may benefit from our Checkout Customization Service.

Urchin Analytics now free!
Recently Google announced that they are now offering Google Analytics (formerly Urchin 6) for FREE! This is great news for everyone, and MonsterCommerce has moved all of our Urchin 6 plans to free accounts as well. You will no longer be charged for your Urchin/Google statistics.
We anticipate more updates from Google Analytics on this matter and we will pass all available information to you as soon as possible. However, rest assured that your statistics solution will be free of charge. Click Here to learn more.

Congratulations to November's MonsterSellers
The MonsterSeller Award medal is given to those merchants who sell a specified number of products, within a month, through their MonsterMarketplace store listing. Their listing is marked with a Platinum, Gold or Silver medallion, which helps enhance credibility. Click here to view the MonsterSellers for November.

MonsterMarketplace merchant spotlight
Congratulations to Jay Cooper for the success of his site, AnythingHondaOnline.com, which was featured as the Merchant Spotlight for the month of November.
Read more about his achievements.

Take Five

This month's featured merchant is CTSWholesaleSunglasses.com

MonsterCommerce Merchant
since: 3/09/2005

Owner: Kirk Bachelder

Best-Selling Product: “Compare To Coach” style 4000

1. What is your favorite feature about your site right now?
   One of my favorite features is our site layout. People really
   like it and comment on the overall design. Mark at MonsterCommerce did a great job on the design. The live chat also helps a lot - people from overseas like to use this feature.
   
   
2. What was one major obstacle to your store's success, and how did you overcome it?
   Getting listed well in the search engines was very difficult and MonsterCommerce, with the SEO work they did, helped out a lot. We are ranking well in the search engines now.
   
   
3. To what do you attribute most of your site's success?
   Putting in a lot of hard work and long hours has helped CTS become very successful. Also working with a company such as MonsterCommerce that can really help design the site and promote it has helped.
   
   
4. What is the best or most rewarding experience you've had so far selling online?
   Working with other people helping them start their own business has been very rewarding. Because we have had so many years in the retail business selling sunglasses we can give them ideas that have worked well for us.
   
   
5. What web sites or online tools or resources would you not be able to live without?
   Definitely live chat would be a tool that we could not live without. We can help people when they are live on the website or have questions about a certain product.
   

Industry News

• Search gaining on Email as Web's dominant activity
  A new study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project reveals a sharp increase (from 30% to 41%) in the number of people using search engines during the period June, 2004 to September, 2005. On a given day, nearly 60 million people now use search engines.
  
• Promotions fuel strong holiday shopping season
  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, email, paid and organic search… all served as catalysts to fuel the ’05 holiday shop-fest.
  Some 58% of online retailers have reported year-over-year sales increases of 30% or higher for the Thanksgiving weekend and the following Monday, according to the 2005 Shop.org/BizRate Research eHoliday Mood Study.
  
• Retailer improves conversion 5% by showing
  Hacker Safe logo
  With fraud and identity theft still ranking as big concerns among current and would-be online shoppers, sporting goods e-tailer fogdog.com recently achieved a 5% increase in conversion rate after displaying the ScanAlert Hacker Safe logo on their site.
  
• Paid search to rule, Google #1
  Paid search will overtake all other forms of online advertising in the coming years, with Google (no surprise there) firmly in the lead as consumers' engine of choice.
  
• Consumer confidence rebounds in November
  The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 98.9 in November, up from 85.2 in October, reversing a two-month decline and coming as good news to retailers.