Rob Frappier

For modern consumers, there is no shortage of ways to pay, which is why it’s so important that businesses provide their customers with as much payment flexibility as possible. But when it comes to certain purchases, consumers have distinct preferences that businesses should take into consideration.

For Public Espresso, a small-batch coffee roastery and espresso bar in Buffalo, New York, the company's website is more than just a place for tempting pictures of pastries and beautiful latte art. It's also an essential component of their sales and marketing strategy for both their retail and wholesale business.
As co-owner Sam Scarcello explains, "our business is multifaceted with retail, wholesale and online programs, and we needed a website that could seamlessly highlight and advertise eac...

With names like Campfire, Whiskey River and Citrus Grove, the hand-crafted soy candles from Nature's Kindle are designed to do more than just smell nice. They're meant to transport you to a specific place or time or mood through the power of scent. But how can all of that emotion come through on a website?
Using Weebly's flexible platform, Nature's Kindle founder Diosdado Velasquez has been able to make it work. Here are some of the tips Velasquez shared on his success.
1) Focus on Quality
"W...

Being an entrepreneur is challenging at the best of times, but it's especially difficult for those business owners who also develop and sell physical products. To go from having an idea in your brain to putting a product in your customers' hands requires careful planning. Here are 7 keys to make sure your product development plans are a success.

1. Understand the Demand

Before you call up the factory to start churning out thousands of your "next big thing," it's important to fully understand ...

One of the most important aspects of launching a new business is clearly defining your unique value proposition. This is a clear and concise statement that explains what your business offers, how it solves a problem for your customers and what makes you different from your competitors. In other words, among all the businesses your customers might consider, what makes you stand out?

Without a strong value proposition, it can be challenging to develop marketing materials, website content and mo...

One of the most common challenges for creative entrepreneurs in launching their business is figuring out shipping and fulfillment. A new clothing designer is unlikely to have the capital or space to store thousands of shirts, let alone the time to package and send them to customers.

The solution to this problem is drop shipping, a practice where a customer places an order that is then shipped directly from the manufacturer instead of from the retailer. This allows the artist to focus on what ...

There's no doubt that having a great website is critical for telling the world your brand story and growing your business, but the pressure that comes with building your first website can often be overwhelming. For some small business owners, the desire to get it just right is so strong that they delay the release of their website indefinitely or sometimes don't bother with building anything at all.
Fortunately, your first website doesn't have to be perfect to be effective. Here are four tips...

Do you know the expression "you should never judge a book by its cover"? It's great advice for meeting new people, but not so much for product packaging. When you run a small business, the way you package and ship your products can have a tremendous impact on how people perceive your brand, which is especially important for holiday packages.
At a time when shoppers are looking for just the right gift for that special someone, packaging and shipping can make a huge difference. Below are four t...

Imagine this: you've got a great idea for a business, you've nailed your target audience, and you're all set to build an incredible eCommerce website. But when it comes time to actually develop the product, you just can't get it right. Scary thought, right?
​Finding the right manufacturer or supplier for your business can be challenging. If you don't choose the right partner, you can run into a wide range of issues, from product quality to cost to shipping delays. Here are a few things to kee...

The wearable technology market is growing. One report predicts the market will nearly double by 2021 from 125.5 million units in 2017 to an astonishing 240.1 million units.1 This growth in wearable technology, as well as the potential use cases, presents new opportunities for tech-savvy retailers to improve the consumer shopping experience and differentiate themselves from the competition.

For decades, the best time of the year to get great deals was Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. And though more recent shopping trends like e-commerce and Cyber Monday may have impacted Black Friday’s overall sales, for most retailers it still remains one of the biggest single shopping days of the year. Retailers need to be prepared, and here are four tips to help.