The JetRails Podcast

Successfully transitioning B2B buyers to an eCommerce sales channel is often much more complex than opening up an online retail store. However, whether you're a manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, or sell complex or high-ticket B2B items, an eCommerce website can empower you and your team to greatly increase the efficiency and success of your sales and marketing operations.

Guest: Angela Murphy, MSTS.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Public Service Announcement:

If your business is being impacted by the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis, assistance is available from the eCommerce community. We highly recommend that you take advantage of initiatives like

https://offline2on.com/ and https://www.tompuchalski.com/

There have been recent calls to extend the end of life of Magento 1 because, to quote a very wise person, "now is not the time" for merchants whose businesses are experiencing an unprecedented market event to be focused on hitting a deadline to replatform. While Adobe has not extended the EOL of M1, luckily, the Magento community has created options to safely and securely stay on Magento 1. On this episode, we specifically discuss Mage One and Magento 1 patching after June of 2020.

Guest: Rico Neitzel, Mage-One.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Want to learn more about M1 EOL? Visit https://jetrails.com/magento-1-eol-end-of-life-quick-guide/

For a more recent update on this topic, check out this helpful eBook: https://www.bolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Bolt-Magento-1-End-of-Life-Survival-Guide-1_compressed.pdf

Public Service Announcement:

If your business is being impacted by the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis, assistance is available from the eCommerce community. We highly recommend that you take advantage of initiatives like

https://offline2on.com/ and https://www.tompuchalski.com/

With so many brick-and-mortar shops closed, if a fraudster wants to use a stolen credit card to make purchases, they pretty much have to turn to eCommerce stores. At the same time, with some eCommerce websites experiencing lower sales, they may actually see a higher percentage of fraudulent orders. Fraudsters don't take a vacation because of a pandemic, even if normal shoppers may be more skittish about placing orders.

Tune in to learn more about current eCommerce checkout fraud trends in the age of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, and learn about full-time fraudsters that are always trying to make a quick buck, and how to protect your bottom line without getting in the way of good orders.

Guest: Rafael Lourenco, Clear.Sale

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Public Service Announcement:

If your business is being impacted by the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis, assistance is available from the eCommerce community. We highly recommend that you take advantage of initiatives like

https://offline2on.com/ and https://www.tompuchalski.com/

We're experiencing unprecedented market conditions, but this is not the first recession that eCommerce businesses have experienced. While not all challenges can be overcome, many online shops can position themselves to grow both during and immediately after this downturn.

Guest: Sasha Berson, CatapultRevenue.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Public Service Announcement:

If your business is being hurt by the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis, assistance is available from the eCommerce community. We highly recommend that you take advantage of initiatives like

https://offline2on.com/ and https://www.tompuchalski.com/

In order to meet your requirements, you may need a website or app that "breaks the mold". While using a popular eCommerce, CMS, or other framework will often be your best bet, that's not always the case. So, how do you know if custom is right for you? Tune in to learn the in's and out's from risk analysis, through project planning, and long-term maintenance.

If your organization is scrambling to launch something new due to COVID-19, like a new eCommerce site that you believe will require a complex site build, be sure to check out this episode.

Guest: Tim Dolloff, Liventus.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Merchants need to be versatile enough to meet customer needs and expectations. An omnichannel experience can allow you to support your customers seamlessly across systems, channels, and even physical locations.

This episode was recorded shortly before retailers started closing their doors in the USA, but we're quickly seeing just how important omnichannel strategies - like Buy Online Pickup In Store (BOPIS) - are to eCommerce operations.

If you're using Magento, or considering it, this episode will help you understand the basics of developing an omnichannel gameplan with Magento 2.

Guest: Ivona Namjesnik, ImaginationMedia.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Additional Recommended Materials:

https://jetrails.com/blog/how-to-make-your-magento-ecommerce-business-omnichannel/

Popular Content Management Systems like Magento, Drupal, WordPress and WooCommerce provide you with lots of features, plugins, integrations, and flexibility. However, their popularity can also make them targets for hackers who look for weaknesses they can exploit en masse. Need to know how to keep your site safe and secure on a great CMS or eCommerce platform? Then this episode is for you!

Guest: Victor Santoyo, Sucuri.net

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Additional Recommended Resources:

https://jetrails.com/security/

https://jetrails.com/magento-1-eol-end-of-life-quick-guide/

A year ago, we talked about the end of life of Magento 1 as something that merchants would have lots of time to plan for. Now, it's becoming clear that a very large number of merchants will remain on M1 for a period of time after the official end of life.

What will change for these merchants? What risks will they have, and how can they mitigate those risks? Tune in to learn more!

Guest: Mark Lewis, CTO & Founder, Netalico.com

Host: Robert Rand, Director of Partnerships & Alliances, JetRails

Looking for an article mentioned in this episode? Check out https://jetrails.com/blog/

Many of the resources mentioned in this episode are also referenced in this recent article about M1 End of Life: https://www.nextopia.com/blog/2020/01/magento-end-life-stats-dates-solutions-resources/

For a 2020 update on this topic, check out this helpful eBook: https://www.bolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Bolt-Magento-1-End-of-Life-Survival-Guide-1_compressed.pdf

You can also learn more about how JetRails is supporting Magento 1 users at: https://jetrails.com/blog/magento-1-end-of-life-hosting-support/

Whether through Apps, Extensions, Modules, Plugins, or Addons, eCommerce website owners are compelled to integrate additional features and functionalities into their sites in order to improve the shopping experience for customers and make operations more efficient and profitable.

With so much software out there, how do you find the best software to add to your website? How do you measure the risks, rewards, and real costs of apps, extensions, and integrations? Two industry veterans shed some light on how different sized merchants can and should tackle this need in different eCommerce ecosystems like Magento and Shopify.

Guest: Derric Haynie, eCommerceTech.io

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

With Magento, you can enhance your site with additional software, such as by installing individual extensions or integrating other standalone systems via API.

However, some extension developers have been pushing these boundaries. There are limitations to what an extension can do, and there are questions about long-term support for extensions (as many Magento 1 users have begun to experience).

Tune in to learn about this journey of shifting from offering one-off extensions to creating more robust and better supported SaaS solutions.

Guests: Virgil Ghic & Tristan Oker, WeltPixel.com / WeSupplyLabs.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com