The November 17 IndieCommunication newsletter features details about a complimentary website evaluation at the IndieCommerce Institute, a feature article on IndieLite from Bookselling This Week, the winner of a free year of service, and a tip of the week.

Receive a Complimentary Website Evaluation at the IndieCommerce Institute

Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have experienced e-commerce specialists audit your website and maximize it to its full potential? Booksellers attending the IndieCommerce Institute [3] at Winter Institute 13 can have ABA’s IndieCommerce customer service specialists review their website, deliver a detailed evaluation, and fix any issues they find that day (subject to technical limitations).

The IndieCommerce Institute will be held on January 22, 2018, in Memphis, Tennessee, immediately preceding the 2018 Winter Institute [4]. The IndieCommerce Institute is an interactive, classroom-style workshop for users of ABA’s IndieCommerce platform, and will feature two seminars: one geared toward beginner and intermediate users, and one developed for intermediate and advanced users. Registration for Winter Institute is not required to attend the IndieCommerce Institute, but enrollment is limited. Register today [3].

Booksellers Call IndieLite an Easy, Affordable E-Commerce Option

Six months into the rollout of IndieLite, participating booksellers are reporting that the platform is affordable, easy to use, and is providing new shopping opportunities for customers. The American Booksellers Association developed IndieLite, an alternative to the IndieCommerce platform, for bookstores just getting started in online sales and for those who want a simple, low priced, easy-to-maintain website.

Sue Roegge, who opened Chapter2Books [5] in Hudson, Wisconsin, in 2011 with her husband, Brian, replaced the store’s static website, which provided only basic information about the store, with an IndieLite site. “What we had settled on previously was a really barebones capability,” she said.

Read the full story from Bookselling This Week. [6]

The Book Catapult Wins Free Year of IndieCommerce

Congratulations to The Book Catapult [7] in San Diego, California, which was the winner of a recent IndieCommerce drawing for a free year of service. Bookstores that submitted an IndieCommerce contract at one of the fall regional trade shows were entered into the drawing; following the shows, one contract was randomly selected to receive a year of IndieCommerce free of charge. 

Tip of The Week: Holiday Fraud Reminder

As the holiday shopping season begins, now is the time to make sure staff are familiar with the signs of a fraudulent order. Booksellers should review IndieCommerce’s list of Fraudulent Order Red Flags [8] and give a copy to staff members who handle order processing through the store’s site. In addition, each fraudulent order that is reported helps the IndieCommerce team stop fraud throughout the entire IndieCommerce network. If you suspect a fraudulent online order, contact [email protected] [9] with the order number and any other details you can provide.

Booksellers are encouraged to send their thoughts, questions, or suggestions via e-mail to IndieCommerce staff [10] at any time.

Past editions of IndieCommunication are available on the IndieCommerce Updates page on BookWeb.org. [11]