JUNE 2014 NEWSLETTER

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In this Month’s Newsletter…

* New add-on module: OAuth Bridge for Third Party Services
* US Postal Service Changes for Version 11 and Older ShopSite Stores
* Google Image ReCaptcha patch for Version 11sp2 Stores
* From the Blog…

New Add-On Module: OAuth Bridge for 3rd Party Services
——-

Now you can integrate with services such as Ordoro or ShipWorks and use ShopSite’s new OAuth / Login system.

Our latest Add-on module for ShopSite provides a bridge between the old legacy login system and the new OAuth login system. With this module, third party services such as Ordoro, Stone Edge, GoDataFeed, and MOM, that cannot connect via OAuth, can now download data from ShopSite when you have the new login system enabled. Only one simple change to the download URL is required. More details may be found on our website:

http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/oauth-bridge-module.html

USPS Changes for Version 11 and Older Stores
——-

The US Postal Service (USPS) will be retiring the API version (3) for returning real-time rates that is used in ShopSite stores running version 11 or older. This will happen on September 28, 2014.

After this date, if you are running a version of ShopSite older than version 12 (you can see what version you are running by going to the main page in your store’s back office), your store will stop returning USPS rates. You will need to upgrade to version 12 of ShopSite prior to this date if you want to continue using USPS shipping rates in your store.

Details about upgrading to version 12 of ShopSite may be found on our website:

http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/shopsite12.html

Google Image ReCaptcha patch for Version 11sp2 Stores
——-

A change made by Google recently with regards to the Image ReCaptcha feature in ShopSite Version 11 sp2 caused stores to have errors when the “Human Validation” feature was enabled and set to ReCaptcha. We have patched all stores hosted with us running version 11 sp2. Version 12 stores were not affected by this issue.

More details may be found in ShopSite KB article:

http://support.shopsite.com/KBase/questions/2558/

From the Blog…
——-

Here are some recent posts from The LexiConn Blog:

ShopSite Tip – Universal Analytics – Using Google Analytics’ latest Universal feature.

http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2014/06/shopsite-tip-universal-analytics/

Like what you’re reading? Subscribe by Email to our blog and receive an email when a new post is published.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Complete contact and support options can be found at:

https://support.lexiconn.com/

Sincerely,

- The LexiConn Team

If you have a moment, please let us know how we’re doing!

Review LexiConn:

http://www.shopperapproved.com/surveys/full.php?id=3552

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* ShopSite Version 12 r2 Release
* Missing Merchant Email Notifications
* New Add-on Module: ShipStation Integration
* From the Blog…

ShopSite Version 12 r2 Release
—–
ShopSite recently released version 12 r2 of its software. We have patched all version 12 stores with this latest maintenance release.

The release fixes a number of small issues and bugs from the prior v12 version. A full breakdown of all the changes may be found in the ShopSite Knowledge Base.
http://support.shopsite.com/KBase/questions/2556/

If you are running a version of ShopSite that is older than version 12, we highly recommend upgrading to this latest release. Full details on upgrading may be found on our ShopSite 12 Upgrade Page.
http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/shopsite12.html

Missing Merchant Email Notifications
—–
Yahoo and AOL have made a major change to their email systems that affects how emails are delivered when the “from:” email address is set to an @aol or @yahoo address. In a nutshell, if the email did not originate from an AOL or Yahoo server, it will likely be rejected if that email was sent to a major Email service like GMail, Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo, etc…

How does this impact you as a ShopSite merchant? If you forward your merchant email notifications to another service like GMail or Yahoo, and the from: address on these merchant emails is that of the customer, if that customer used an AOL or Yahoo address, you likely won’t receive the notification. This would also apply to a contact form on your website where the from: address is that of the submitter, and the email the form sends to you is forwarded to a large email provider like GMail.

The “fix” for this is to set the from: address to an email address at your domain. This way it will not trip this new security measure being used by major email providers. The downside is you cannot simply reply to the merchant email to contact the customer. More details about this change and how to specifically fix it in ShopSite can be found in our blog.

http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2014/04/shopsite-tip-order-notification-blocking-may-affect-you/

New Add-on Module: ShipStation Integration
—–
Our latest add-on module for ShopSite allows you to integrate ShipStation with your ShopSite store. ShipStation is a hosted order management system that can help with printing shipping labels and providing tracking information to your customers.

With our add-on, new orders are automatically imported into ShipStation. Tracking information is sent back to our order status module. If you use Google Trusted, shipping status is updated for that service as well. You can read more about this module on our website:

http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/shipstation-module.html

From the Blog…
—–
Here are some recent posts from The LexiConn Blog:

ShopSite Tip – Coupon Code Pop-Up – A simple pop-up to show a coupon code.
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2014/03/shopsite-tip-coupon-code-pop-up/

ShopSite Shipping With ShipStation – Integrating ShipStation with ShopSite.
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2014/04/shopsite-shipping-with-shipstation/

Like what you’re reading? Subscribe by Email ( http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LexiConnBlog&loc=en_US ) to our blog and receive an email when a new post is published.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Complete contact and support options can be found at:
https://support.lexiconn.com/

Sincerely,

- The LexiConn Team

If you have a moment, please let us know how we’re doing!

Review LexiConn:
http://www.shopperapproved.com/surveys/full.php?id=3552

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* Version 12 is Now Available
* From the Blog…Tips on product options and inventory.

The latest version of ShopSite is: 12

Version 12 is Now Available

Version 12 has new features such as a built-in wishlist system, post order management including tracking numbers and shipment status, new responsive (i.e. mobile friendly) templates, and more.

We have more information on Version 12 including a link to the full feature list, a blog post about v12, and cost and upgrade instructions on our website at:

http://www.lexiconn.com/shopsite12.html

It’s a must-have release that we highly recommend for all ShopSite merchants.

From the Blog…

ShopSite Tip – Product Options Hints & Tips
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/09/shopsite-tip-product-options-hints-tips/
- Different ways to have options for a product.

ShopSite Tip – Quick Tips For Inventory Tracking
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/10/shopsite-tip-quick-tips-for-inventory-tracking/
- Simple tips for effective inventory management.

Top Ecommerce Blog Posts and Articles for September
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/10/top-ecommerce-blog-posts-and-articles-for-september-2013/

Like what you’re reading? Subscribe by Email
( http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LexiConnBlog&loc=en_US ) to our blog and receive an email when a new post is published. Or Add Us
( http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/feed/ ) to Your Google or Feed Reader application.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Complete contact and support options can be found at:
http://www.lexiconn.com/support.html

Sincerely,
- The LexiConn Team

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* New Ajax Add to Cart Module
* Easily Monitor FedEx, UPS, USPS
* From the Blog… Tips on forms, quantities, in-store pickup.

The latest version of ShopSite is: 11 SP2r5

New Ajax Add to Cart Module

This FREE module allows your customers to click an add to cart button on a page and not have the page reload. Their position on the page remains unchanged. It’s a seamless add to cart.

It’s perfect for sites that have long pages of products where the customer is likely to return and add other items from the same spot. It’s also handy for a clean add to cart without taking them the cart, as a simple overlay comes up telling them an item is being added.

The module allows you to choose from 5 different mini-cart layouts for your pages. The mini-cart updates in real-time. Just add a few lines of code to your custom templates.

Get more information and a demo on our website:

http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/ajax-add-to-cart-module.html

Easily Monitor FedEx, UPS, and USPS

Even with ShopSite’s Merchant Alerts system, you only know when an issue begins. You can’t easily tell when things are stable again.

That’s why we created a new site that can tell you when a shipper’s system is down, and when it recovers:

http://www.shippingapimonitor.com/

The website tracks the big 3 shippers, showing uptime and downtime, historical outages, and more. You can subscribe to the RSS Feed (if you use a feed reader like Feedly), or you can subscribe to the mailing list that will email when outages occur and when the service is restored.

It’s a great resource for any online store that uses real-time shipping rates.

From the Blog…

ShopSite Tip – Ask a Question About This Product
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/06/shopsite-tip-ask-a-question-about-this-product/
- Simple in-line contact form for questions.

ShopSite Tip – Selling Products in Quantity Increments
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/07/shopsite-tip-selling-products-in-quantity-increments/
- How to handle products that are only sold in groups of X.

ShopSite Tip – In Store Pickup Shipping Option
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/08/shopsite-tip-in-store-pickup-shipping-option/
- Some examples of offering in-store pickup.

Top Ecommerce Blog Posts and Articles for July
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/08/top-ecommerce-blog-posts-and-articles-for-july-2013/

Like what you’re reading? Subscribe by Email
( http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LexiConnBlog&loc=en_US ) to our blog and receive an email when a new post is published. Or Add Us ( http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/feed/ ) to Your Google or Feed Reader application.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Complete contact and support options can be found at:
http://www.lexiconn.com/support.html

Sincerely,
- The LexiConn Team

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* New Search Suggestion Module
* Google Checkout and Shopping Changes
* From the Blog…Tips on Search and Images

The latest version of ShopSite is: 11 SP2r5

New Search Suggestion Module

Now you can have a dynamic dropdown under the search box on your site that shows customers your most popular items as they type. Make it easy for them to find and select the most likely items on their list.

The module is very configurable, allowing you to display images, select where the customer is taken when they click an item, etc…

Get more information, screenshots, and a demo on our website:

http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/search-suggestion-module.html

Google Checkout and Shopping Changes

If you’re using Google Shopping for Product Ads (you should be), and you have custom made products that don’t have unique identifiers, there is a big change that takes effect July 15th. You will now need to send a new field to denote these types of products.

We have detailed information in our blog post Google Shopping Feed Changes:

http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/05/google-shopping-feed-changes-custom-goods-affected-after-july-15-2013/

In a surprise announcement, Google has decided that Google Checkout will cease to exist after November 20th. Google Wallet will still exist, but only for digital goods in the Google Play Store.

If you offer Google Checkout currently, you’ll want to make plans to phase it out of your site completely by November 20th at the latest. Our blog post Google Checkout No More has more details:

http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/05/google-checkout-no-more-after-november-20-2013/

From the Blog…

ShopSite Tip – Why Does/Doesn’t a Product Show in ShopSite’s Search?
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/04/shopsite-tip-why-doesdoesnt-a-product-show-in-shopsites-search/
- Here’s the info on when this happens.

ShopSite Tip – Consistent Image Resizing
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/05/shopsite-tip-consistent-image-resizing/
- Make sure your images align properly for a neat and orderly look.

Top Ecommerce Blog Posts and Articles for April
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/04/top-ecommerce-blog-posts-and-articles-for-april-2013/

Like what you’re reading? Subscribe by Email
( http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LexiConnBlog&loc=en_US ) to our blog and receive an email when a new post is published. Or Add Us ( http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/feed/ ) to Your Google or Feed Reader application.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Complete contact and support options can be found at:
http://www.lexiconn.com/support.html

Sincerely,
- The LexiConn Team

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* One Merchant’s Mobile Success
* Detect Malware Quickly
* From the Blog…When upgrades occur, 3 ways to discontinue a product

The latest version of ShopSite is: 11 SP2r5

One Merchant’s Mobile Success

Mobile commerce site overachieves:
http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/02/27/mobile-commerce-site-over-achieves-underwear-retailer

The article shows mobile gaining in popularity, which further confirms it is something that every online retailer should be planning to take advantage of sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, enabling a mobile site in ShopSite is quite easy. Webundies used the mobile functionality in ShopSite to achieve their success.

Not sure where to start? Here are three links that will help:

Our blog post on mobile support in ShopSite:
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2011/10/mobile-support-in-shopsite-11-sp1-what-you-need-to-know/

ShopSite mobile support page:
http://shopsite.com/mobile-commerce-support.html

Is your site ready for mobile commerce?:
http://laurenhillsdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/is-your-site-ready-for-mobile-commerce.html

One important change to make if you enable mobile support in ShopSite is to set your robots.txt file to Disallow the mobile URL:

Disallow: /cgi-XYZ/sb/ss_mb.cgi

(…replacing ‘XYZ’ with your hosting account username)

If you need help doing this, just let us know.

Detect Malware Quickly

The hackers now insert malicious code (malware) in the web pages themselves. Once Google, Bing, and anti-virus programs detect this, they block access to the site altogether. This can result in lost revenue, and a headache trying to get de-listed.

We’ve partnered with Stop The Hacker ( http://www.lexiconn.com/services/malware-scanning.html ) to provide a cost effective way to quickly detect when malware appears on your site. Starting at $10 a month, your site will be scanned for any sign of malicious code, and you’ll be alerted right away.

It’s a great way to make sure any break-ins are quickly detected and can be dealt with immediately. Check out our website for more details and to sign up:

http://www.lexiconn.com/services/malware-scanning.html

From the Blog…

When Does LexiConn Automatically Upgrade a ShopSite Store?
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/02/when-does-lexiconn-automatically-upgrade-a-shopsite-store/
- Here’s the info on when this happens.

ShopSite Tip – 3 Ways to Discontinue a Product
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/02/shopsite-tip-3-ways-to-discontinue-a-product/
- Need to take a product off your site? Here’s 3 ideas to do just that.

Top Ecommerce Blog Posts and Articles for February
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/03/top-ecommerce-blog-posts-and-artilces-for-february-2013/

Like what you’re reading? Subscribe by Email
( http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LexiConnBlog&loc=en_US ) to our blog and receive an email when a new post is published. Or Add Us ( http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/feed/ ) to Your Google or Feed Reader application.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Complete contact and support options can be found at:
http://www.lexiconn.com/support.html

Sincerely,
- The LexiConn Team

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* New Image Alt Tag Module
* Ecommerce SEO and FREE Analysis
* Version 11 SP2 r5 patches
* From the Blog…ShopSite Tip, Holiday Sales, Why ShopSite Rocks

The latest version of ShopSite is: 11 SP2r5

New Image Alt Tag Module

Image Alt Tag Module
http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/alt-tag-module.html

This FREE add-on allows you to easily assign a product field such as Name, SKU, Extra Product Field, etc… to be used for every “alt tag” for your product images.

Alt tags are quite helpful when it comes to SEO, as it helps with on-page ranking, as well as making your images more easily searchable in Google Images.

The module can optionally publish/regen your store when it detects an alt tag has changed.

You can read more about the add-on module on our website at:
http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/alt-tag-module.html

Ecommerce SEO and FREE Website Analysis

We’ve partnered with Netsmartz ( http://lexiconn.netsmartz.net/?affId=153940&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Lexiconn ), a leading US based SEO company that understand ecommerce, and specializes in small business SEO. Their ecommerce SEO services start from $45/month (a special offer for LexiConn clients).

A full breakdown of their offerings may be found on this special offer
page:
http://lexiconn.netsmartz.net/?affId=153940&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Lexiconn

*** Don’t miss the opportunity to have Netsmartz perform an in-depth, no obligation SEO analysis of your website and up to 3 competitors at *NO CHARGE*. This FREE report is valued at $219. We requested it ourselves and fixed a few SEO things we missed on our website.

Get your FREE WEBSITE ANALYSIS from our site:
http://www.lexiconn.com/services/netsmartz-seo.html

Version 11 SP2r5 Patches

The patches address a number of small bugs and issues. A full description of the issues addressed may be found on the ShopSite Knowledgebase at:
http://support.shopsite.com/KBase/questions/2551/

If you’re running an older version of ShopSite, we highly recommend upgrading to the latest version.

From the Blog…

ShopSite Tip – Securing Content With Customer Groups
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/01/shopsite-tip-securing-content-with-customer-groups/
- Simple method to secure specific pages.

1,000 Reasons to Love ShopSite for Ecommerce
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/01/1000-reasons-to-love-shopsite-for-ecommerce/
- How we helped a merchant get 1,000 orders in under an hour!

2012 Holiday Sales Roundup for the Small Online Merchant
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2013/01/2012-holiday-sales-small-online-merchants/
- The stats we saw for small ecommerce stores this past holiday season.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Complete contact and support options can be found at:
http://www.lexiconn.com/support.html

Sincerely,
- The LexiConn Team

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* Google Trusted Stores Integration
* Version 11 SP2r4 Patches Applied
* From the Blog…

The latest version of ShopSite is: 11 SP2r4

Google Trusted Stores Integration

We’ve just made integrating your site and store into this new program much
easier… We have an add-on to our Order Status Module that can pass back
shipping and cancellation data to Google automatically.

Additionally, we can provide you with the code needed on the receipt page
to pass initial order data to Google.

If you’ve been on the fence about joining Google trusted Stores as the data
requirements seem overwhelming, our add-on and code should make it much
less daunting.

You can read more about the add-on module and integration on our website
at:

http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/google-trusted-stores.html

Version 11 SP2r4 Patches Applied

The patches address a number of small bugs and issues. A full description
of the issues addressed may be found on our News Page at:
http://support.lexiconn.com/news/viewtopic.php?t=506

If you’re running an older version of ShopSite, we highly recommend
upgrading to the latest version.

From the Blog…

ShopSite Tip – Embed Order Anywhere- Tip for embedded links to more info
pages.
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/09/shopsite-tip-embedding-order-anywhere-code-with-more-info-links/

ShopSite Tip – Show Amount Left to Free Shipping- Code to tell customers
how much more to spend to get free shipping.
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/11/free-shipping-code/

The Procrastinators Guide to Prepping for the Holidays- Easy tips to follow
to make sure you maximize sales this holiday shopping season…
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/11/procrastinators-guide-for-holidays/

Top Ecommerce Blog Posts and Articles For October

http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/11/top-ecommerce-blog-posts-and-articles-for-october-2012/

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* Gift Certificate Creation Module
* PayPal Express in Favor of PayPal Standard
* From the Blog…**Multi add to cart, Captcha, PCI in 2012, Top Posts and Articles…

The latest version of ShopSite is: 11 SP2r3

Gift Certificate Creation Module

This module allows merchants to quickly and easily create any number of unique gift certificates. You can choose from email based or paper based gift certificates. Email certificates are sent to the recipient via email upon creation.

You can upload a file containing email addresses, and optionally unique data for fields such as amount, who it’s from, and the message. Or you can choose global values and only upload email addresses.

More details can be found on our website at:

Gift Certificate Creation Module
http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/gift-certificate-module.html

PayPal Express in Favor of PayPal Standard

(We’ve also patched all ShopSite v11 stores using PayPal Express to stop the warning emails from PayPal about IPN issues.)

The issue brought to light the problems with using PayPal Standard instead of the newer and more stable PayPal Express payment method. We’ve written a blog post that explains the issue, how to switch, and two *gotchas* (billing phone number and layout of PayPal login screen) to avoid when enabling PayPal Express:

Why You Should Drop PayPal Standard for Express Checkout
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/09/drop-paypal-standard/

Although PayPal Standard is currently working, and should continue to work in the near future, migrating to PayPal Express is highly recommended and should provide a more stable payment method going forward.

From the Blog…

ShopSite Tip – Multi add to cart
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/08/shopsite-tip-multi-add-to-cart/ -
Setting up a multi add to cart page…

Captcha on Checkout – Is it a Good Idea?
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/09/captcha-on-checkout-is-it-a-good-idea/
- Things to think about before turning it on…

State of the PCI Union in 2012
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/09/state-of-the-pci-union-in-2012/ -
Have PCI scanning companies gotten better this year?

Top Ecommerce Blog Posts and Articles For August
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/09/top-ecommerce-blog-posts-and-articles-for-august-2012/

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Complete contact and support options can be found at:
http://www.lexiconn.com/support.html

Sincerely,
- The LexiConn Team

In this Month’s Newsletter…

* 11 SP2 r3 Patches Applied
* From the Blog…Payment Gateway errors, zip code and country tip for easier shopping, Top Posts and Articles…

The latest version of ShopSite is: 11 SP2r3

11 SP2 r3 Patches Applied

Highlighted fixes include:

* Issue with PayPal Express and orders over $1,000
* Issue with coupons and VAT
* Small bug fixes for Checkout by Amazon
* Improved merchant alerts

A full list of changes can be found at:
http://support.shopsite.com/KBase/questions/2546/v11+sp2+r3+maintenance+release+fixes+some+problems+with+v11+sp2+r2

If you’re running an older version of ShopSite, it’s a seamless upgrade that we highly recommend. The upgrade is free if you own a v11 license or lease the software. You can read all about the new version and submit an upgrade request on our website at:

http://www.lexiconn.com/shopsite11.html

From the Blog…

ShopSite Tip – Payment Processing Errors
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/06/shopsite-tip-payment-processor-errors/
How to find out when problems crop up.

Simple ShopSite Tip That Can Have a Big Impact
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/06/simple-shopsite-tip-that-can-have-a-big-impact/
Move country above zip for less confusion and hopefully more sales.

Top Ecommerce Blog Posts and Articles For June
http://www.lexiconn.com/blog/2012/07/top-ecommerce-blog-posts-and-articles-for-june-2012/

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
Complete contact and support options can be found at:
http://www.lexiconn.com/support.html

Sincerely,
- The LexiConn Team