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Posts Tagged ‘Brand Labs’
 So… this is awkward…
It seems that the folks at Volusion have once again introduced a tool for their platform that we’d already developed. Now don’t get us wrong. What’s good for Volusion is good for us, so we’re always thrilled at their continuing efforts to improve what is already the best shopping platform in the marketplace.
But…
We do feel compelled to point out one thing: we totally did it first. Sure, we already mentioned that, but our ego compels us to say it again. We introduced iVoloo (our iPhone-friendly Volusion store) two years ago and we updated it pretty dramatically just last month. All of this was completed independent of Volusion and as a direct result of needs expressed by our customers. Now, in the big scheme of things, does being first really matter?
Well… yes.
While we don’t yet know all the details about Volusion’s mCommerce, one thing is sure: we did it first. First is important because it means that we are capable of creating solutions before anyone else even has the opportunity to publicly recognize the need. First is important because it means that we’re nimble and responsive. First is important because every Volusion merchant who’s been using iVoloo, didn’t have to wait, nor will any new iVoloo customers have to wait for Volusion’s mCommerce beta to be complete.
This may sound like sour grapes (and that may be at least a little bit true), but, believe it or not, we have a great relationship with Volusion. We like Volusion. What’s important for us is that the Volusion community understand that we specialize in the development of custom solutions for all of their eCommerce (or mCommerce) needs. We look beyond Volusion’s limitations to see its possibilities… then we turn those possibilities into reality.
We’ll continue to develop tools and applications to expand on Volusion’s (already expansive) capabilities. Heck… we just introduced a more robust version of RapidCart, even though Volusion already has a soft-add-to-cart feature, just because we wanted to make a better one. We fully expect that someday Volusion will somehow match RapidCart, but by then, we’ll have moved on to another need, a new goal, because that’s what we do. We make the world a better place using every tool at our disposal, like Stephen Hawking or the A-Team.
 … okay. We know that Volusion just added soft-add-to-cart to their Winter ‘09 release, but give us just a moment to tell you why we’re sure you’re going to want RapidCart 2.0 instead.
Where to begin? … well, how about product options? RapidCart can handle multiple options with images. You like alternate product pics? You’ve got ‘em. You want to include all of your pricing info and product description copy? Check. But wait… there’s more! How would you like your soft-add-to-cart pop-in window to be styled to match the look and feel of your site? We’ve got you covered. Custom design is included in the RapidCart 2.0 implementation.
Of course, for many people, the Volusion soft-add-to-cart will be just fine, but for those who want to take their site to the next level, there’s RapidCart 2.0: custom development quality with an out-of-the-box price. Learn more and see RapidCart in action here.
Posted: Friday, February 26, 2010 in Beauty, Volusion Site Design
 We won’t say where, but we will say that we’ve got a tattoo (or two), discreetly tucked away – out of the public eye. We’re proud to say that the tattoos in question do not feature tribal imagery, the Tasmanian Devil in college athletic garb or Calvin peeing on something. Regardless, we’ve got our ink, so we’re thrilled to add Tattoo U Direct to our stable of clients.
Offering a range of tattoo tools and supplies as well as flash art and piercing equipment, Tattoo U Direct is a one-stop, online body modification shop. So if you need a hole on your person where you don’t currently have one, or there are parts of your body that you think would look a bit better in a nice shade of green, you should head over to Tattoo U Direct. They’ll hook you up… literally.
Posted: Thursday, February 25, 2010 in Services, Video, Volusion Site Design
 Got an event? Need a video of it? We just may have just the ticket…
Brand Labs is proud to announce that we’ve just launched the new Volusion site for The Event Video Company. Providing high-quality video services and products in all fifty states, EVC stands ready to document just about anything. Kids’ hockey game? Check. Model railroading seminar? Check. Vegan cooking class? Check and mate.
Welcome to the Brand Labs family, EVC!
Posted: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 in Community
 One of our project managers, Kyle Allkins, has been chosen to present his paper – “Those Things” and “You People: Issues of Racism in Zombie Cinema – at the Michigan Academy Conference on March 26. This proves two things simultaneously and definitively. First, Kyle has hidden depths. Second, he is a world-class nerd.
We applaud Kyle’s academic accomplishments even as we deride him for being an unapologetic dork – primarily because these two qualities, when exhibited by a single individual, are highly prized in the world of the interwebs. Kudos, Kyle.
Posted: Monday, February 15, 2010 in News
 We’ve been blogging for a while here and since we’ve recently noticed an increase in readership, we thought we’d add a feature that’s been on our to do list for some time: RSS.
From Wikipedia:
RSS (most commonly expanded as “Really Simple Syndication”) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format…The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feed’s URI or by clicking an RSS icon in a web browser that initiates the subscription process.
So, if you’d like to subscribe to our posts, you can do so by clicking on the icon at the top of the column to the right, or if you’re viewing our mobile version, tap the little menu arrow on the right side of the header and a menu will pop up. Thanks!
Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 in Testimonials
 By now, it’s become pretty clear to us that Chad Harris (of The Garden Gates) is both a very appreciative client and an extraordinarily generous soul. What wasn’t entirely clear before today is the fact that he’s also an incurable romantic.
Today, we received a package addressed to the Jackie, Katelyn and Pauline… the ladies who’ve been most active with his account. Inside were three beautiful phalaenopsis orchids in charming little Garden Gates pots. As if the simple gesture of overnighting live orchids to your marketing coordinator, saleswoman and site designer weren’t enough, Chad also included what is surely the most heartfelt and poetic greeting available outside of a Hallmark card.
Hit the jump to see Chad’s message…
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 in Apparel, Volusion Site Design, Web Design
 Brand Labs is happy to announce the launch of Dose of Inspiration! More than just an apparel store, d.o.i (as their friends call them) has a mission. From their “about us” page:
At Dose of Inspiration our objective is to evoke confidence, encourage creativity and inspire individuals to follow their dreams! With our collection of hip, wearable art and accessories, we are on a mission to spread inspiration across the globe!
They go on to quote a first century Greek philosopher, a Scottish mountaineer and the sixth president of the United States. It’s fair to say they may be the most intellectual purveyors of pink t-shirts in the history of Volusion.
Welcome to the Brand Labs family, d.o.i!
Posted: Thursday, February 4, 2010 in News, Pay Per Click
 Brand Labs is now an official Google AdWords Qualified Company! Let the bells ring out and the banners fly!
… but what exactly does that mean?
Well, it basically boils down to two things. First, we’ve exceeded the required minimum AdWords spend within programs that we manage. As a matter of fact, we overshot the minimum by 50% (because we’re a bunch of brown-nosing Google-lovers). Second, we had to have three staffers take and pass the AdWords certification test. We’ve got five, meaning that we overshot that target by 66.6%.
Now, we’re not math scientists or anything, but we’re pretty sure that those two facts make us 116% more qualified than we need to be in order to be totally awesome by Google’s standards. That’s a pretty high percentage of awesomeness, so you may want to check into our Pay Per Click management program… unless you hate awesomeness and high ROI.
 We loooove our iPhones. We’re aware of the stereotypes. We’ve heard the haters and the trolls. We don’t care. Our love is pure and magical and could never be diminished by the nattering nabobs of negativism (we so rarely get to quote Spiro Agnew).
The above-mentioned deep love was a big part of the reason that we introduced iVoloo – the first iPhone friendly Volusion store, back in July of 2008. Back in those days (it seems so long ago), iVoloo was a novelty. We developed it for a client who sells iPhone accessories, then (drunk with iPhone affection) decided to offer it to the Volusion community at large. In all honesty, back then, the need for iVoloo was debatable. There were absolutely excellent reasons to have a mobile-friendly store, but it wasn’t a critical need. Those times have changed.
Do you remember back when the internet was still in its infancy? It wasn’t that uncommon to search for a huge brand name, only to find that they had no web presence at all. You’d just shrug and grab the phone book (remember those?), look up the store and call them to get your questions answered. However, as time went by, an insufficient web presence became harder and harder to tolerate until finally it seemed like a personal affront to go searching for a store online and come up empty. We’ve now reached the point where even the humblest of mom & pop operations are virtually required to have a website, lest they risk the wrath of their constantly-connected consumers. That’s the future of mobile commerce. You can go ahead and ignore it… for now. You can ignore all of the research (here, here and here) that shows that consumers are quickly (very quickly) becoming comfortable with mCommerce. You can frustrate your mobile customers by failing to offer them what they are rapidly coming to expect from their online experience. You can put all of your eggs in your standard site and hope that your customers are tenacious enough to navigate your teeny-weeny little site in search of what they need.
… or, you could get ahead of the curve (and your competition) for less than a thousand bucks. Give us a call. It’ll be easier than you can imagine.
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