David speaks to Greg Writer, Founder and CEO of Launchcart. Greg shares some insights into how he's working to launch a new platform in the e-commerce shopping cart software space, that addresses the particular problems that new entrants to e-commerce run into. Greg explains how they are working to solve those problems, and shares some interesting business insights along the way.
AI such as ChatGPT has, at an almost unbelievably rapid pace, make people aware that it's capable of so much more, and is so much better than most people realized. It's not that dissimilar to the advent of the internet and what eventually became the dotcom bust. Everyone knew it was tremendously capable, but how do you use it? How do you use these incredible tools to improve and grow your business? In this discussion David speaks to Wojtek Hoch about how AI is changing e-commerce.
Without trust people don’t purchase. How do you build trust? How do you maintain trust? Especially if at a small company? Today, we speak to Chris Errington of Metontec to learn how to better engender, build and maintain trust, and even find out what it really means.
How do you win new customers? What is the intersection between advertising, marketing and sales? In the latest episode of the vlogcast we talk to Keith Walthers from Mad Ads interactive, who shares his expertise on the customer buying journey, and how to win more customers for your business.
The Journey is a series that tells the personal stories of business owners. Today we speak with Justin Loncaric, a career realtor and serial entrepreneur about the importance of finding the right expertise, what he learned when building his real estate team, a growing food delivery business, and his newest project helping home owners get interest free financing to perform much needed upgrades before selling their home.
Building an e-commerce website can be expensive and overwhelming. It's of those areas it's really easy to spend money. In this discussion with Josh Bartolomucci from Foxy.io, we explore how to implement e-commerce websites quickly and affordably by using low code e-commerce tools.
In our second vlogcast we talk to Simon Cooper from Hybrid Ideas about why good design is about more than being pretty. It's strategic and should be created with the intent of accomplishing a specific goal.
In our first episode we speak to Feargal Harris from Numinix. We explore many different considerations when starting an e-commerce business in 2021. Learn more about starting an online business in 2021...
It's easier than ever to build a website. That doesn't mean it's going to be an effective website. In this episode of the podcast David speaks to Ryan Thrash, CEO of MODX to talk about the importance of choosing the right platform when building your website.
David speaks to Vitaliy Naumenko of Cart 2 Cart, a shopping cart migration service that helps merchants to switch and port their data from one shopping cart software platform to another. Vitaliy shares advice not just on how to move from one shopping cart software to another, but also advice on which platforms to choose, and what to watch out for when migrating.
PCI Compliance is often perceived as complex and intimidating by business owners. David speaks to Robert Spivak at Control Gap in order to learn more about how small and mid-sized businesses can tackle their PCI compliance issues.
Merchants seeking to achieve PCI compliance will have to comply with PCI Version 4 which is the new standard landing in March of 2024. In this discussion David speaks to Robert Spivak of Control Gap to find out the big differences with PCI Version 4.
Have you ever bought something online and been surprised by the duty charged upon delivery, or even a problem getting your package through customs? David speaks to Kat Dej-Panah of Zonos about how to remove these barriers and make it easier when selling to international customers.
Merchant Profile and Discussion with Ethiopiaid
I recently had a chance to work with Cora LaRussa, Charity Manager at Ethiopiaid
Canada. Ethiopiaid is a fantastic organization doing great work for people living in
Ethiopia.
David: Cora, can you please tell us more about your organization? In particular, I'm sure
that our readers would like to know about the work your organization does, and the goals
you are trying to achieve.
Cora: Ethiopiaid is a charitable organization which seeks to improve the quality of life
for Ethiopians. We partner with local Ethiopian organizations to deliver programming
in the areas of health care, education, and the relief of poverty. At the moment we are
supporting a vocational training program for youth; the construction of a mother-child
care unit; and a hospital which works towards the prevention and treatment of fistula, a
debilitating condition that results from constricted labour.
David: What is the history of the organization?
Cora: Ethiopiaid is not only based in Canada, but has a presence around the world. It
was founded in the UK in 1989 by Sir Alec Reed. The organization has since opened
offices in Canada, Ireland, and Australia. At Ethiopiaid, we believe that Ethiopians hold
the key to their own success. This belief informs our grassroots approach to development
– working with organizations on the ground and listening to the real needs of the
communities in which we work.
David: It was a pleasure working with you to setup a relatively simple donations page on
your website. In fact, I always enjoy working with charities. I think it's natural to get a
bit of a good feeling when you know you are working towards a good cause. Now that
it's done, can I ask how payments (in particular online payments) are important to your
organization?
Cora: Donations are the basis of our work. We wouldn't be able to complete projects in
Ethiopia without the help of our Canadian supporters. Online payments are important to
our organization because they give us the ability to reach out to a wider range of donors.
For example, some donors prefer to pay online rather than mail a cheque. Having options
when it comes to accepting donations helps us make it easy for the people who want to
support our work.
David: Can you tell our readers what was your experience like during the setup process?
Cora: Our setup process was very smooth. You helped me to understand the options in
terms of how to setup the collection of payments, and helped us make it happen. I can
tell that you really wanted the payment processing system to work in our best interests.
I'm quite happy with how it's come out. Aside from one little bit of confusion over
getting the payment form live due to our CMS system, the actual work was done in just a
few hours.
David: A lot of folks, when they first start working with us, are a bit intimidated with the
process of setting up e-commerce payments. Did you have a similar feeling?
Cora: Not at all. Both the setup process and the online user interface have been easy
and accessible. Accepting donations online (if you've never done it before) may seem
daunting at first glance because you may not know where to get started. I appreciated
that during our initial discussions you took a bit of time to explain everything (how the
website connects into the payments system) and broke it down into a sensible transaction
flow. It was actually quite simple. If I did have any concerns or confusion, I certainly
don't remember - that has to be a good sign, right?
David: Am I correct Cora that you are also using our virtual terminal to take payments
over the phone?
Cora: We take payments both over the phone and through our website. Our goal is to
make it easy for our donors to support our cause, so we have to support both. Web based
donations are a bit easier because it's completely automated, but even when collecting
payment over the phone it's quite simple. We login to our virtual terminal, key the credit
card number, expiry date, and amount, and the sale is processed instantly.
David: Any advice for folks out there for business or charitable organizations in relation
to operating online or taking payments online?
Cora: Not having the option for taking online donations can definitely hinder your
fundraising effectiveness. Therefore, I would suggest to any charity that they get some
form of online payment processing set up.
David: Thanks Cora for taking the time to talk about your experience. In case anyone
is interested in learning more about Ethiopiaid they can find out more on the website at
http://www.ethiopiaid.ca/
David speaks to Greg Writer, Founder and CEO of Launchcart. Greg shares some insights into how he's working to launch a new platform in the e-commerce shopping cart software space, that addresses the particular problems that new entrants to e-commerce run into. Greg explains how they are working to solve those problems, and shares some interesting business insights along the way.
AI such as ChatGPT has, at an almost unbelievably rapid pace, make people aware that it's capable of so much more, and is so much better than most people realized. It's not that dissimilar to the advent of the internet and what eventually became the dotcom bust. Everyone knew it was tremendously capable, but how do you use it? How do you use these incredible tools to improve and grow your business? In this discussion David speaks to Wojtek Hoch about how AI is changing e-commerce.
Without trust people don’t purchase. How do you build trust? How do you maintain trust? Especially if at a small company? Today, we speak to Chris Errington of Metontec to learn how to better engender, build and maintain trust, and even find out what it really means.
How do you win new customers? What is the intersection between advertising, marketing and sales? In the latest episode of the vlogcast we talk to Keith Walthers from Mad Ads interactive, who shares his expertise on the customer buying journey, and how to win more customers for your business.
The Journey is a series that tells the personal stories of business owners. Today we speak with Justin Loncaric, a career realtor and serial entrepreneur about the importance of finding the right expertise, what he learned when building his real estate team, a growing food delivery business, and his newest project helping home owners get interest free financing to perform much needed upgrades before selling their home.
Building an e-commerce website can be expensive and overwhelming. It's of those areas it's really easy to spend money. In this discussion with Josh Bartolomucci from Foxy.io, we explore how to implement e-commerce websites quickly and affordably by using low code e-commerce tools.
In our second vlogcast we talk to Simon Cooper from Hybrid Ideas about why good design is about more than being pretty. It's strategic and should be created with the intent of accomplishing a specific goal.
In our first episode we speak to Feargal Harris from Numinix. We explore many different considerations when starting an e-commerce business in 2021. Learn more about starting an online business in 2021...
It's easier than ever to build a website. That doesn't mean it's going to be an effective website. In this episode of the podcast David speaks to Ryan Thrash, CEO of MODX to talk about the importance of choosing the right platform when building your website.
David speaks to Vitaliy Naumenko of Cart 2 Cart, a shopping cart migration service that helps merchants to switch and port their data from one shopping cart software platform to another. Vitaliy shares advice not just on how to move from one shopping cart software to another, but also advice on which platforms to choose, and what to watch out for when migrating.
PCI Compliance is often perceived as complex and intimidating by business owners. David speaks to Robert Spivak at Control Gap in order to learn more about how small and mid-sized businesses can tackle their PCI compliance issues.
Merchants seeking to achieve PCI compliance will have to comply with PCI Version 4 which is the new standard landing in March of 2024. In this discussion David speaks to Robert Spivak of Control Gap to find out the big differences with PCI Version 4.
Have you ever bought something online and been surprised by the duty charged upon delivery, or even a problem getting your package through customs? David speaks to Kat Dej-Panah of Zonos about how to remove these barriers and make it easier when selling to international customers.
Learn How To Lower Your Credit Card Processing Fees
If you haven't reviewed your processing costs in a while take a moment to view our rates.
My name is David Goodale, CEO at Merchant Accounts.ca. Pricing is often one of the most confusing topics in the merchant services industry. I strongly believe that flat (non-fluctuating) pricing and interchange plus pricing are the only good pricing models in the industry. If you have any questions about this article, pricing, or other questions in general about your merchant processing agreement don't hesitate to contact me. I'm always happy to help with an honest opinion, and enjoy chatting with folks from interesting businesses!
