Scott Sanfilippo – eCommerce Pioneer

I spend a lot of time writing about how to keep your customers happy. Yeah, I’m sure you’re sick of me telling you that a six step return policy isn’t what one would consider “customer friendly.” But keeping customers happy is just one part of making sure your business is successful. Just like you need [...]

Time for answer some questions from the folks who care enough to ask for my opinions and chide me for picking on ladies who use handkerchiefs.  So, after a word from our sponsor, I give you today’s batch: I read your comments the other day about the new store owner who was looking for advice [...]

The thunderstorm just passed and the sky began to clear as we sipped Chardonnay at a quaint cafe tucked away on one of Worth Avenue’s vias. As the steam rose from the drying cobblestone, I grabbed my napkin to dab the bit of moisture accumulating on my brow as I commented (bitched) about how hot [...]

I wish there was a taxi-like meter I could install on my laptop, phone and iPad that would track the amount of time I spend doing email. With each passing day, it seems the list of messages in my inbox gets longer and longer and more and more time is being spent weeding through sales [...]

When you’re looking to purchase an item, do you read reviews about the product before making a decision? If you answered, yes, you’re among the the 78% of American’s aged 18-64 who say product reviews help them decide whether or not to buy a product. (Source: RetailWire) I include myself in that number, as I [...]

If there’s one thing that bothers me about eCommerce, it’s the misconception many people have about opening and running an online business. There seems to be this belief out there that running an online store is simple and you’re going to make so much money in a short amount of time, you won’t know how [...]

Yesterday, I attended a webinar called “SEO 101” presented by Bing’s Duane Forrester and put on by eCommerce shopping cart provider, 3dCart. (Before you get all, “you’re watching a competitor’s webinar” on me, let me digress for a moment. When Joe Palko and I sold Solid Cactus to web.com in 2009, Joe stuck around for [...]

By now you’ve probably heard plenty about the Marketplace Fairness Act. This is the bill that, if Congress passes it, will require online merchants who make more than $1M in annual sales to collect sales tax on purchases in states that have a sales tax. Right now, the way sales tax laws are written, eCommerce [...]

Those of you who follow me regularly know that cruising is one of my favorite activities. I love boarding a vessel, hitting the ocean and marveling in the vastness of the world that surrounds you as the ship glides through the waves. I’m not loyal to any particular line and there is only one which [...]

Seems as though every time you go through a checkout lane at the supermarket or a department store, you’re hit with the “Would you like to donate a dollar to….” pitch. I was at the Calvin Klein store (don’t laugh) on Sunday and was asked if I’d like to donate a dollar to “save a [...]