Online Program Registration and New eCommerce Options

In the past, it has seemed like the door has been closed to Bermudian entrepreneurs who wanted to participate in the world of eCommerce. The major prohibiting factor has been cost; it was difficult for a business without a very large guaranteed online sales volume to afford an eCommerce site, due to high monthly fees for merchant accounts and payment processors.

However, the tide has turned, and now Bermuda's smaller business owners have the means to get involved in eCommerce, and consumers can reap the benefits.

Merchant accounts and fees for payment gateways were once prohibitively expensive in Bermuda. Costs include setup fees, monthly fees for the payment gateway and merchant account plus additional fees per transaction and/or a percentage of monthly sales. Currently, monthly fees are much lower than they once were, and small businesses can choose options with small monthly fees and charges per transaction so that they are only charged when making sales. Bank of Butterfield has set up good programs for those who are interested in becoming involved in eCommerce.

The new options are ideal for certain types of businesses. Non-concrete items that cannot easily go out of stock work well for online transactions in Bermuda. This includes membership fees, gift certificates, services and class or conference fees. Conversely, items that inherently have a finite number, like tickets to a concert or event, also work well for online purchase.

Registered charities can also benefit by allowing patrons to donate funds online. They can also receive cheaper rates from the banks in order to maintain their online donation services.

People overseas who have friends and family in Bermuda for whom they would like to buy gifts are an untapped source of revenue that can be accessed through eCommerce and online ordering.

Atlantica Intellectual Capital Ltd. has recently taken advantage of the advances in eCommerce by allowing executive the ability to sign up and pay for their annual conference online. emedia coordinated the set up of this functionality and its application to the Atlantic website.

For more information about adding eCommerce to your website, contact Bridget Figur at 236-2025 ext. 227 or bridget@emedia.bm.

Employee Spotlight: Philip Trott - Graphic/Web Designer

Recently, Philip has been working on the design for several prominent websites. Newly launched sites for Atlantica Intellectual Capital and the charter catamaran Restless Native were both designed with Philip at the helm. Having also been on the development side of websites, he brings a unique perspective to his designs and extensive knowledge of how to integrate the form and the function of a website.

Philip has also been working on promotions for the Argus 400 and the Argus Health Fair's "5-a-Day" campaign to encourage Bermudians to eat five servings of fruits or vegetables every day.

Celebrations

Happy Birthday to Erin's little boy Alexander Smith who celebrated his 1st Birthday on March 1st - hard to believe it has been a year already!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Just Launched

Check out this newly launched website designed and developed by emedia:

Atlantica Intellectual Capital

www.atlanticaic.com

VISIT SITE >>

Hot Off the Press

The Reefs

Experience Bermuda Ad

VIEW PDF >>

Universal Electric

Masterworks Foundation Ad

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Why You Need a Marketing Plan

Many businesses approach marketing on a case-by-case basis and never realize the added advantage a marketing plan could give them. A marketing plan compiles all of the planned advertising and marketing initiatives for a certain length of time - usually a year or a quarter. Advanced planning can help you market more efficiently for several reasons. One reason is that a marketing plan keeps you on budget. It's easy to overspend when you view your marketing as one as here and one ad there. You aren't looking at the total cost. A marketing plan will give you the big picture, so you know exactly how much money is being spent in a given period of time.

A marketing plan will save you time, and it will also save your agency's time, which saves you money. You save time because all of your major decisions are all made at once instead of in bits and pieces as the year progresses. You also save your agency valuable administration time, since they don't have to hunt you down every time there is an advertising opportunity they think is appropriate for you.

The most important reason to have a marketing plan is that it makes your efforts more effective. Ad placements can be coordinated in a more timely and relevant manner. Your message will be getting to your clients more consistently and with more targeted placements.

Contact your account manager (Erin, Jen or Stefanie) if you would like to streamline your efforts with a marketing plan or review your current plan to ensure that it is working for you.