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Articles by: Pamela Hazelton

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Pamela Hazelton

Pamela Hazelton

Pamela Hazelton is a senior contributor to Practical Ecommerce, providing actionable articles and webinars since 2005. She's a pioneering online business consultant, marketer, and speaker.

She is the author of The Official Guide to Miva Merchant books and additional ebooks on the topics of shopability and security.

Pamela resides in Florida with her husband, Joe, her red beagle, and a black cat.

Her site is PamelaHazelton.com. Email Pamela.

Business
Shipping Charges: Compromises Required

March 28, 2007 • Pamela Hazelton

You would think online stores would have found it easier by now to calculate and charge accurate shipping fees, let alone set up uninterrupted checkout processes that flow smoothly. Yet I see more and more questions and requests for customizations and fixes than ever before. What makes...
Business
Treat Customers as Next-door Neighbors

February 19, 2007 • Pamela Hazelton

People often ask me where I learned so much about ecommerce and business in general. I didn't attend business school, nor do my college degrees reflect what I do today. Besides being book smart and having been raised "old school," I accumulated the majority of my knowledge from experien...
Conversion
Selling After Dec. 25

December 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

For the majority of online stores, the holiday shopping season is what makes an entire year’s worth of work pay off. With the bulk of shopping taking place the first two weeks of December, it’s typically considered the highest grossing month of the year. That may be so, but the normal s...
Design & Development
Experiencing Server Overload

November 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

Each month I talk about things I’ve learned by watching how other store owners run their businesses. Not that I don’t make my own mistakes, but I often try to keep my own embarrassing moments to myself. Until now... I’ve talked before about what to look for in a hosting company. I’ve t...
Design & Development
Is Your Data Vulnerable?

October 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

Having just returned from the MIVA Conference, I’m sure my editor is quite antsy. I’m late with this column— not due to procrastination. I’ve always got something to say, but after I instructed a session on security for online store administrators, I realized that a great percentage of ...
Design & Development
Who Runs Your Business?

September 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

I love to cook. It’s something my husband knows well, and new friends learn quickly. Those visiting my home think I’m going out of my way, but to cook a savory meal, regardless of the time it takes, is how I relax. I’ve been known to make specialty pies I don’t even eat only to call the...
Design & Development
Email: Confidentiality Required

August 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

I get thousands of emails each day. A good majority are spam, and I use Cloudmark (the best system I’ve found) for filtering them. Being in business, however, I still have to take the time to scan them all, making sure I’m not missing an initial request for work from someone who may hav...
Conversion
Showcase Products Via Podcasts

July 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

I’m addicted to the They Might Be Giants podcasts. I'm convinced they helped sell tickets for their latest tour by offering up free music, coupled with tour advertisements, in their weekly podcasts. I'll bet podcasting some of the tours' live performances also helped. But, can podcasti...
Conversion
Show Off Your Products

June 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

I just got my email alert on the latest kitchen styles from IKEA. The site’s not the easiest to shop – mostly because you really have to know what you’re looking for – but it boasts a vast amount of interactive tools. People like me (I do an enormous amount of shopping online) love seei...
Conversion
Giving Them What They Want

May 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

Listen to your customers. Part of my job is to rip online stores apart and present solutions, all focused on existing and potential customers. It still shocks me to see so many online businesses implement bad ideas because the head honcho thinks something is “good”, without ever asking...
Design & Development
Is Live Chat Worth It?

April 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

It was a phase, until it started costing money and taking time away from already busy schedules. Too many business owners had the wrong expectations, so links to the tool are seen less these days. I’m talking about live chat between online stores and visitors. If used properly, though,...
Conversion
Seek Quality Visitors

March 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

I’m no Search Engine Optimization expert. Never have been, and most likely never will be. I’ve found that SEO is such a niche market that anyone offering these services shouldn’t have time to do anything but. I do, however, work with store owners everyday and am often asked what can be...
Conversion
Email Etiquette is Good Customer Service

February 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

I had an interesting e-conversation a few weeks ago. It turned into a one-sided blast fest, with me at the brunt of it. The source? A business professional looking for work. I let it all roll off my shoulder, but something about it seemed all too familiar. I searched back through thousa...
Conversion
Reaping Holiday Sales in January

January 1, 2006 • Pamela Hazelton

So many online stores put all of their focus into attracting holiday shoppers during the end of the year that they overlook the fact that the month of January can also be profitable. At the very least, planning ahead to handle holiday returns and exchanges can help reduce the burden of ...
Business
Your Policies Are Only as Good as What’s Posted

November 1, 2005 • Pamela Hazelton

Since the holiday shopping season is upon us, now’s the time to double-check store policies. Besides privacy, security and shipping, policies are what decide what happens when there is a problem with an order. So many stores neglect these important requirements, then struggle to make th...
Design & Development
Hosting Companies: Top 10 Questions to Ask

October 1, 2005 • Pamela Hazelton

I field many phone calls in any given day. And never does a day pass where I don’t get a call about someone having trouble with their host. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue, and many would be shocked at some of the stories I’ve heard. I think it’s time to just start referring people ...
Conversion
Navigation is Key

September 1, 2005 • Pamela Hazelton

Online shoppers need guidance about finding what they need, and information about the pages they are viewing. We get so used to all our friends and family being online, we take for granted that each and every day, thousands of people use the Internet for the very first time. This leads ...
Business
A Primer in Shipping Calculations

August 1, 2005 • Pamela Hazelton

Set aside all the cool features you’d love your MIVA Merchant store to have, and those you aren’t sure how to accomplish. The most difficult yet necessary task is tackling the proper means of calculating shipping. It sounds so simple – after all, we can hit UPS.com, USPS.com, FedEx.com...
Design & Development
Preventative Maintenance

July 1, 2005 • Pamela Hazelton

I spend just as much time troubleshooting Miva Merchant issues as I do customizing storefronts. I've found that no matter how much you foolproof something, someone out there can, and will, find a way to break its functionality. Fortunately, users of Miva Merchant often need only follow ...

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