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The pandemic pushed businesses away from the traditional models and accelerated the move to online first interactions. Ecommerce has changed the face of commerce. Despite that,  most ecommerce websites will still fail.

Things to keep in mind when building a highly successful ecommerce website:

1. User experience: A positive user experience is critical for the success of an ecommerce website. This includes making it easy for users to find and browse products, as well as making the checkout process smooth and efficient.
2. Mobile-friendliness: With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets to access the internet, it is important to ensure that your ecommerce website is mobile-friendly. This means that it should be easy to read and navigate on smaller screens.
3. Product images and descriptions: High-quality product images and detailed product descriptions are essential for an ecommerce website. Customers need to be able to see what they are buying, and having detailed descriptions of products can help them make an informed decision.
4. Payment options: Offer a range of payment options to make it easy for customers to complete their purchase. This includes accepting credit cards, PayPal, and other popular payment methods.
5. Security: Ecommerce websites handle sensitive financial information, so it is important to ensure that your website is secure. This includes using SSL encryption and keeping your website software up-to-date. Where possible, offload jeopardy to card processors and try, if at all possible, to never hold credit card numbers in your local databases.
6. Shipping and returns: Clearly outline your shipping and returns policies to help customers understand what to expect when they make a purchase. During the pandemic, people used online buying as a trial system. They would buy several options (near sizes, near styles, colour variants) and then use the promise of free returns to send back what they didn’t like. That was bad for online retailers. It was also bad for the environment, as some large retailers wouldn’t return them to their inventory. Returns were destined for secondary markets and landfills. Do the math of what happens in 2/3 of your sales came back as refunds?
7. Customer service: Provide excellent customer service by offering multiple channels for customers to contact you, such as phone, email, and live chat. Customer service– the human touch– is more critical online than you may think.
8. Search engine optimization: Optimize your ecommerce website for search engines to help increase its visibility and drive traffic to your site. This includes using relevant keywords in product titles and descriptions, and optimizing your website’s meta tags and titles.

Retailers that focus on these key areas can build a highly successful ecommerce website that provides a positive user experience, build a solid reputation and draw in more sales.

There are so many doomsayers out there saying that the end is nigh. The forecast keeps being kicked down the road. What is the music stops in 2023? How can a small business survive the confluence of high interest, high inflation, customer downturns and all of our pre-existing pressures. Here are a few tips that may be helpful for small businesses looking to survive a potential recession in 2023:

1. Be proactive: Instead of waiting for the recession to hit, take proactive steps to prepare your business. This may include reviewing your budget, identifying cost-cutting opportunities, and diversifying your revenue streams.
2. Focus on customer service: Providing excellent customer service can help your business stand out during a recession and encourage customer loyalty. Consider offering promotions or discounts to customers, and be responsive and helpful when they have questions or concerns.
3. Diversify your customer base: Don’t rely on a single customer or market segment to drive your business. Instead, try to diversify your customer base to reduce the impact of any downturn in a particular market or industry.
4. Stay agile: Be prepared to adapt to changing market conditions and pivot your business model if necessary. This may involve introducing new products or services, expanding into new markets, or adopting new technologies.
5. Build a strong team: Your employees are your most valuable asset. Foster a positive and supportive work environment, and encourage open communication and collaboration to help your team work effectively during a recession.
6. Communicate with your stakeholders: Keep your employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders informed about your business and any changes that may be happening. This can help to build trust and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
7. Seek out resources and support: There are many resources and organizations that can provide support to small businesses during a recession. Consider reaching out to your local Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Administration, or other small business support organizations for guidance and assistance.

Data resiliency is about having your organization’s data always available and accessible even in the face of unexpected business disruptions such as cyber attacks. It allows a business to keep a handle on the data, continue to use the data and assess the potential for unauthorized changes or destruction (aka data vandalism).

1. 1. It is important for an organization to achieve data resiliency in order to ensure that its data is protected against potential failures or disasters, such as hardware failures, software glitches, power outages, natural disasters, or cyber attacks. By achieving data resiliency, an organization can ensure that its data is always available and can be recovered quickly in the event of an interruption or loss.
   2. The biggest threat to data resiliency is often cyber attacks, such as ransomware, data breaches, or malware infections. These types of attacks can compromise an organization’s data and make it unavailable, potentially leading to significant disruptions and financial losses.
   3. Data resiliency refers specifically to the ability of an organization’s data to withstand and recover from disruptions or failures. Business continuity, on the other hand, refers to the overall ability of an organization to continue operating and providing services in the face of disruptions or disasters. While data resiliency is an important part of business continuity, it is just one aspect of a comprehensive business continuity plan.
   4. There are several ways to create data resiliency, including:
      • Regularly backing up data to multiple locations or devices
      • Implementing data replication or mirroring
      • Using cloud-based storage solutions
      • Implementing robust cybersecurity measures to protect against cyber attacks

1. 5. A data resiliency initiative should involve key stakeholders from across the organization, including:
      • IT professionals: IT professionals should be involved in the planning and implementation of a data resiliency solution, as they will be responsible for managing and maintaining the data backup and recovery systems.
      • Business leaders: Business leaders should be involved in the data resiliency initiative to ensure that it aligns with the overall goals and strategy of the organization. They can also help to prioritize the data that is most important to the organization and ensure that it is adequately protected.
      • Employees who are responsible for managing or using the data: Employees who are responsible for managing or using the data should be included in the data resiliency initiative to ensure that their needs are taken into account and that the solution meets their requirements.
      • External partners or vendors: If the organization relies on external partners or vendors for data storage or other services, it is important to involve them in the data resiliency initiative to ensure that their systems are compatible and that the organization has access to the data in the event of a disruption.

      It is important to involve all relevant parties in the planning and implementation process to ensure that the data resiliency solution meets the needs of the organization and all of its stakeholders.

In addition to the measures mentioned above, organizations can also consider implementing disaster recovery and business continuity plans to help ensure that they can quickly recover from disruptions and continue operating as smoothly as possible. It is important for organizations to regularly test and update these plans to ensure that they are effective in the event of an actual disruption or disaster.

How does this matter to a website owner? As websites are becoming more integral to the overall business success, the data is also likely to be integrated. We keep track of data is used, backed-up, preserved and disseminated.

It is difficult to accurately predict specific trends in WordPress design for 2023, as the field is constantly evolving and new trends and technologies are emerging all the time. However, here are a few general predictions for WordPress that developers may want to consider as they build and update sites in the coming year:

1. Continued focus on user experience: User experience (UX) is likely to remain a top priority for WordPress developers in 2023, as more and more businesses recognize the importance of providing a seamless and intuitive experience for their users. Developers should focus on creating responsive and mobile-friendly designs, as well as making sure that websites load quickly and are easy to navigate.
2. Shifts in technology choices. Venerable JQuery is being sidelined by React and Vue. Freelancers are going to find some career longevity by shifting gears. CSS3 is now extensively adopted and that allows so much of what JavaScript used to do can be tasked into clever implementations of CSS. Likewise, there will be a continued push in WordPress to make Gutenberg the defacto theme in lieu of Divi, Elementor and other premium themes.
3. Increased use of artificial intelligence and machine learning: As technology advances, we may see more developers incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into their WordPress designs. For example, AI-powered chatbots and personalized recommendation engines could become more common, helping businesses improve customer engagement and satisfaction.
4. More emphasis on accessibility: Ensuring that websites are accessible to users with disabilities is likely to continue to be a key trend in WordPress design in 2023. Developers should consider making their websites compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure that they are accessible to as many people as possible.
5. Greater use of video and multimedia: Video and other forms of multimedia are likely to play an increasingly important role in WordPress design in 2023, as they can help to engage and inform users in a more interactive and visually appealing way. Developers should consider incorporating video, audio, and other multimedia elements into their designs to make them more engaging and interactive. As bandwidth capacity increases, it’s increasingly easy to deploy video to capture attention.
6. Increased security measures: As cyber threats continue to evolve, it is important for developers to prioritize security when building and updating WordPress sites. This may involve implementing measures such as SSL encryption, two-factor authentication, and regular updates to plugins and themes to help protect against vulnerabilities.

We are proud to pick up the mantle of Porthole Solutions. Back in the day, they provided full service solutions. As they said it, back then:

We provide full web services, including hosting and domain registration, and create custom designed websites that can be maintained by you depending on your needs. With advances in technology, it is easier than ever to have a professionally designed web presence to market your products and services to your clients in the most effective way possible.

Whether you require a brand new site or an overhaul on an existing site or perhaps you’d just like more control over your site content, give us a call and we can help you make your site what you really want it to be.

They served a long list of great local businesses and enterprises:

• Aloyd Fitness
• Blue Skies Painting
• Cantex Painting
• CFAX
• Dodd’s Furniture
• Eurocan
• Fanny Bay Oysters
• Full Balance Fitness
• Glenwood Meats
• Idea Works
• IPSMG
• KOOL FM
• John Horgan MLA
• Lisa Mortimore
• Naturomedic
• OIPC
• NERO Global Tracking
• Rathfredagh
• Rob McAulay
• Sweetpower
• Teamsales
• Victoria Rebels

National Programs

PacifiCan Jobs and Growth Fund 
If you are working on a project for your business to transition to a green economy, foster an inclusive  recovery, become more competitive and create jobs for Canadians, you could get a contribution for up to 100% of the project’s cost. https://www.canada.ca/en/pacific-economic-development/services/funding/jobs-growth-fund.html 

Natural Resources Canada Indigenous Forestry Initiative 
Funding of up to $6.2 million available for period 2021-2023 for clean technology, forest bioeconomy,  environmental stewardship and forest resource management projects in the forestry industry that  create economic development opportunities for Indigenous peoples.

https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/science-and-data/funding-partnerships/funding-opportunities/forest-sector funding-programs/indigenous-forestry-initiative/13125

BDC Financing Indigenous Entrepreneur Loan 
Purchase assets, start exporting, pay start-up or franchise fees and replenish working capital with a $350,000 loan if you have an existing business or $250,000 if you are a start-up.  https://www.bdc.ca/en/i-am/indigenous-entrepreneur

FuturPreneur Canada Indigenous Program 
Get a collateral-free loan of up to $60,000, along with 2 years of expert business mentoring and  resources to get your startup off the ground if you’re an Indigenous person 18–39 years old.  https://www.futurpreneur.ca/en/indigenous

CIPO Indigenous Intellectual Property Program Grant 
If your organization is Indigenous-led, you can get a grant up to $15,000 to help fund its IP initiatives,  like research projects, drafting policy papers, or developing educational materials.  https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/108.nsf/eng/h_00010.html

Provincial Programs