August 2009 www.homebusinessnetwork.co.uk 17
fEATUrE :: ECOmmErCE fEATUrE :: COmPUTEr OPTimiSATiON
Tricks to keep your PC
working smoothly
Tibor Schiemann, co-founder of TuneUp Software, developers of
PC maintenance and optimisation software, gives away some trade
secrets to keep your PC at optimal capability.
defragment the hard drive regularly
tool that can be accessed from the
Disk fragmentation is one of the
Start menu through All Programs-
primary causes of performance
>Accessories->System Tools->Disk
degradation for a computer.
Cleanup. Do not remove programs
Fragmentation occurs when the
by locating them on the hard drive
operating system cannot find a single
and deleting them. This will not fully
area on the hard drive large enough to
delete the programs and can result in
store a file in one piece, so it is broken
registry errors.
into smaller pieces and stored in the
nearest, suitable places.
use a Windows-certified utility to keep
Run a disk defragmenter provided
your registry in shape
by your Windows operating system or
from a utilities software suite at least
The registry is the heart of your
every three months to reduce this
PC - a central database of the
issue. The disk defragmenter in your
Windows operating system. Registry
Windows operating system can be
discrepancies are usually caused by
accessed from the Start menu through
left-over or unnecessary junk from
All Programs -> Accessories -> System
applications, and can impair the speed
Tools -> Disk Defragmenter. All other
of the computer and cause programs
programs should be closed during this
to stop functioning correctly.
process, which lasts approximately
Run a registry cleaner application
Chris Barling: Beating the abandoned cart.
an hour, depending on the size of the
every one to two weeks. Look for
hard drive.
Windows-certified programs, as
Stopping shopping cart
these have passed rigorous testing
requirements for reliability, security,
Remove unused files and programs compatibility with current and future
abandonment
Digital media (music, movies, pictures)
Windows operating systems, and
often take up a majority of a hard
installation and removal. Such products
drive’s free space. Computers also
are typically marked with a logo
By Chris Barling as well. For payments, obviously you
come with programs that never get
describing which Windows operating
should take cards, but adding PayPal
used but still take up a lot of space,
system they are certified for (i.e.
IT’S easy to get upset once you discover that can increase orders by up to 10%. New
and installing new programs will take
“Certified for Windows Vista”).
your online customers are placing items in methods such as PayOffline (where people
up even more space.
their shopping cart, then clicking away. This make a physical payment at a local shop
Use a disk cleaner program to
Final things to consider
is known as an “abandoned cart”. before receiving the goods) may also up
remove unnecessary files and
It happens for many reasons: customers conversions by a few percentage points.
prevent fragmentation in the
Internet connection, visual appearance
comparing prices, competitors checking
computer’s hard drive and registry.
and system settings can also have a big
out your site, shoppers finding the site
Security and data protection
It will identify and remove these files
impact on computer performance.
difficult to use, people browsing and then
State clearly how customer data will be
automatically, relieving you from all
ordering by telephone. So abandoned
stored and used. Use an SSL certificate
manual searching and guesswork. www.tune-up.com
checkouts aren’t necessarily negative.
so when people check out, the “padlock”
Windows includes a Disk Cleanup
Try these ways to encourage consumers
appears. Use a Payment Service Provider,
to complete their purchase.
such as Actinic Payments or Sage Pay, to
protect card data under the new banking
build trust security standard, PCI DSS. Consider
Some people are nervous about shopping enrolling in one of the schemes to reassure
online, particularly if they don’t recognise buyers such as ISIS (Internet Shopping is
your name. So provide your telephone Safe) or SafeBuy.
number, email and physical address,
perhaps a photo too. Respond quickly to
Manage expectations
emails and answer the phone professionally.
You need to make sure that customers
know what to expect. If you state
Site design “normally ships in two to three days”, they
Ease of use is key to navigation: get a friend won’t be too upset if it takes four days. If
to test the site. Use common terminology you offer “24 hour delivery”, when does
like “About us” and “Online shop”. Don’t the period start? Be clear about any time
make people create accounts; many won’t cut-offs, for example “orders received
want to. Don’t use images for the sake of by 4pm normally ship the same day”. If
it. Make the checkout process as simple as possible, over-deliver on your standard
possible. Ensure that you don’t use over- and if you can’t deliver in time, contact the
complex technology which adds nothing but customer to explain.
cost, and slows the site down unnecessarily.
customer service is tops
delivery costs Encourage repeat business by going the
Display the P&P upfront. If the customer extra mile. A happy customer will tell
gets a shock at the checkout, you risk the their friends, but an unhappy one will
sale. But they may buy more than one tell everybody who’ll listen including
product to justify the postage charge. moaning about you on sites such as
ts & cs
Facebook and Twitter.
Explain terms and conditions clearly, Measure everything
particularly your guarantee and returns Use a package such as Google Analytics to
policies. For non-perishable products pinpoint if there is something wrong with
you have to obey the Distance Selling your site. Ecommerce allows you to try
Regulations anyway so make a big point of things out, measure the impact and then
offering a no-quibble seven day return. adjust as necessary. If you don’t do this,
Provide payment alternatives
you will miss out on a lot of business.
Let people order by mail, fax or telephone www.actinic.co.uk
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