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Online Black Friday Sales Top $1 Billion. Time to Sell Online Better Than Ever

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CNN recently reported that Online Black Friday sales topped $1 Billion last week, the most ever. That is a 26% increase from 2011. All signs point to 1 thing- the time to sell online is now.

Bricks and Mortar stores only account for 45% of online sales, companies like Walmart, BestBuy, and Apple seeing a 32% combined increase from a year before. That data tells a very revealing story… 55% of online shopping came from 2nd tier websites, or small business or niche eCommerce companies. The data is telling- the time to sell online is now.

With the ability to create a powerful e-commerce website using 3rd party platforms like OpenCart, Magento, and WordPress, it is only logical that every small business in the retail industry needs to be online. 55% of local business search is mobile now. Online Advertising is more affordable than ever using tools like Google Adwords and Yelp Ads, and deal makers like Groupon and Living Social.

The good part about this new trend is that there is so much room to grow. Other than electronics, consumer polls show that there is no #1 site in many other retail categories like Womens Clothing, Sporting Goods, and others. A new e-commerce company can lay claim to a niche locally and even nationally.  With the increase of social media marketing and peer ratings, high budget advertising is really a thing of the past. Peer-to-peer marketing is now more vital than ever. Having high reviews, social media exposure, and competitive pricing go a long way today. Get in on it now!

WordPress vs. Joomla for Websites

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When I get new clients that request an open source CMS to manage their websites, two popular brands always pop up- WordPress and Joomla. Both are free, open source technologies that offer similar features. Both allow for web development and built in plugins and extras like online stores, login systems, portfolios, sharing tools, and more.

The biggest question is which is more beneficial and efficient.  I get a lot of clients that, wanting an online store, ask what is the difference between the two.  Joomla has been around longer and WordPress became popular as the ideal blogging module in the market, then quickly became used to build fully functional websites. Both are coded in PHP and both allow for customization from top to bottom.

Personally, I feel WordPress is better suited for all facets of the newest trends in web development like HTML5, Jquery, and AJAX tools.  Joomla is easier to use and implement, and requires hardly any coding experience. That is why Joomla is more widely used, as it gives front end web designers the ability to add in back-end capabilities. But, in the long run, WordPress is more robust and allows for future customization and changes a lot easier.
Joomla is built in “modules”, as one section of the website is dependent on the framework of another. So the layout and tools added in cannot be easily adjusted and modified in different positions and sections. WordPress is completly built in HTML and PHP, so it allows for fuller access to core code and can easily be adjusted and customized with an experienced PHP developer who is familiar with WordPress CMS framework.

I see WordPress as the future of open source CMS development. Others exist for specific and more advanced purposes, like Magento and Drupal. I will go into those another time!

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