Greetings! This month we highlight a new feature that can streamline your email marketing efforts. We also suggest a way you can offer real-time customer support to online customers and an upgrade to your Yahoo! Store tools. Read on for more!

Spotlight: Collect Customer Email Addresses at Checkout with New Opt-in Feature

Feature Update: Editor Upgrade Now Available for All Merchants

On the Network: Use Yahoo! Messenger to Offer Real-Time Customer Support

E-commerce on the Web: Links to Sites, Features, and Stories

Spotlight

Collect Customer Email Addresses at Checkout with New Opt-in Feature We're excited to announce a new integrated marketing feature that leverages the power of Yahoo! Store and Campaigner by GotMarketing, to make it easier than ever to create and send permission-based email marketing campaigns. While it's always been easy to set up an email campaign with Campaigner, now you can collect customer email addresses on your store order pages, and import the list from Yahoo! Store directly into Campaigner. With this feature, you'll know you're marketing to qualified leads, plus, you'll save time and trouble managing your email marketing list. Here's how it works: First, you add our special communications opt-in checkbox to your order page. Then your customers can check this box to agree to receive special offers and announcements from your store. The Campaigner application maintains a list of all the customers who have checked the box and updates your list if customers unsubscribe or if new customers sign up. Later, when you're ready to send an email campaign to your customers -- to announce a sale, promote a new product, or share good news -- you simply import the list from your Yahoo! Store account and set up your email campaign within Campaigner. Ready to start marketing more effectively? Here's how to set up and use this new feature: If you already have a Campaigner account, skip to step 2. If you don't have a Campaigner account, you'll need to set one up. To do so, click the Email Marketing link on the lower left column of your Store Manager. Next, follow these steps to enable the opt-in feature within your store: On your Store Manager page, under Order Settings, click the Order Form link. You will see the option to "Enable Campaigner Customer Email Collection Checkbox." Set this to "Yes" to make the opt-in checkbox appear in your store's checkout process. Return to the Store Manager and Publish to make the new order settings take effect. Now, whenever customers opt in to receive communications from you, we automatically add them to your list. When you're ready to import your list, to use it for a marketing campaign: Go to your Campaigner account (through the Email Marketing link on the Store Manager). Select "Import a List from your Yahoo! Store account." Follow the instructions within Campaigner to complete the import process. Use Campaigner to set up your new email campaign and dispatch it to your list.

Feature Update

Editor Upgrade Now Available for All Merchants Over the past month we've been rolling out an upgrade to the Yahoo! Store Editor (the tool you use to build and publish your store pages). So far, judging from your feedback, merchants love the improvements. Those who have upgraded are enjoying the tool's ease-of use and are working more effectively on their sites. If you haven't upgraded yet, why not do it now? The choice is yours, and you can upgrade at any time -- but we think you'll appreciate the work we've done to address your suggestions and make editing tools that work better for you. Tip: The new Move button on the Editor toolbar gives you a point-and-click way to change the order of your navigation buttons or items on your sections pages -- instantly. This is just one of many ways the Editor upgrade gives you more control over your store appearance. It's one way we've addressed your requests for easier access to advanced site building features. To upgrade your Editor and start working with this improved store-building tool, sign in and go to the Edit section of your Store Manager. Then click the "Upgrade my Editor" link.

On the Network

Use Yahoo! Messenger to Offer Real-Time Customer Support Instant messaging can lead to instant customer satisfaction when you put your free Yahoo! Messenger to work as a customer support and sales conversion tool. When you're online, you'll be able to answer shoppers' questions and concerns quickly, whether they're about product availability, shipping methods, or your return policy. You may even decide to set specific hours for live help. To offer this service, you'll need to link to Yahoo! Messenger from your store and place a Yahoo! Messenger Online Presence icon on your web pages. The Online Presence icon indicates when you are signed in and online, and lets customers know that you're available. Here's how to do it: First, decide whether you would like the large or small version of the icon to appear on your site. Then copy the code that goes with that version of the icon. To display this Messenger Online Presence icon: Copy this code: <a href="ymsgr:SendIM?XXXX"><img src="http://opi.yahoo.com/online?u=XXXX&m=g&t=2" border="0"> To display this Messenger Online Presence icon: Copy this code: <a href="ymsgr:SendIM?XXXX"><img src="http://opi.yahoo.com/online?u=XXXX&m=g&t=1" border="0"> Next, replace the XXXXs with your Yahoo! ID. (Use the Yahoo! ID that you use for business communication or the Yahoo! ID of the person who will be interacting with customers online.) For example, if your Yahoo! ID was "widgetcompany," your code would look like this: <a href="ymsgr:SendIM?widgetcompany"><img src="http://opi.yahoo.com/online?u=widgetcompany&m=g&t=2" border="0"> Paste this HTML into one of the text boxes on your site (you can use the Message, Caption, or Final-text fields). Publish your Store. Now any visitor who also uses Yahoo! Messenger can click on your Online Presence link and "IM" you online. You can have your customers download Yahoo! Messenger from http://messenger.yahoo.com.

E-commerce on the Web

Links to Sites, Features, and Stories Tax News You Can Use Now It's that time of year again. Are you up to speed on the latest tax legislation and how it could affect your business - or save you money? Find out how other businesses are putting the latest laws to work in their favor and see how you can get a leg up on the tax man with Inc. Magazine's tax tips. Change Marketing Plans To Survive the Squeeze How can you make the most of your sales and marketing efforts and get ahead in a tough economy? Try some tips and suggestions that are working for other smaller businesses.