Tips for Creating an Online Store

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

New Feature: XML Sitemaps for Custom Domains

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

We want to send a special thanks to Bugs and More for turning our attention to the latest update to Flying Cart’s top-flight functionality.

The Generate XML Sitemaps function just received a vast upgrade. As always it will generate sitemaps for hosted users (yourstoe.flyingcart.com), but now Flying Cart users with custom domains (yourstore.com) can auto-generate sitemaps as well. So if you’re using a custom domain regenerate your sitemap now!

Want more on sitemaps, check out our sitemap FAQ!

New Theme! Are You A Minimalist?

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

Simplicity is a major covenant in the Flying Cart philosophy. We aim to make our product the easiest ot use Online Storefront Solution available.

Now the same notion of simplicity has extended to our design offerings with our new Flying Cart theme, Minimalist. We keep ti barebones so nothing distracts your potential buyers from what’s most important – your products.

Check the theme out by going to the Design section of your HQ. Visit the Themes tab and scroll down to the bottom, then click Install.

Simple as that.

Infographic: Which is more eco friendly? Online Stores or Brick and Mortar

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

onlinestoreinfographic21

Black Friday’s negative environmental impact is 50 times that of an online purchase made on Cyber Monday. Retweet

Web-based businesses generate approximately 1,400 tons fewer CO2-equivalent emissions per year than their offline counterparts. Retweet

To have ten pounds of packages shipped by overnight air uses 40 percent less fuel than driving yourself round-trip to the mall. Retweet

The average mall trip produces 4,274 g of CO2, while a typical van-based delivery creates about 180 g (approximately 24 X greener). Retweet.

Be sure to Enter Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores if you sell Eco Friendly products and win a $1600 package. We launched this contest because we want to see more eco friendly online stores!

90% chance of winning – Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores. Enter and win a $1600 package.

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Apply now

Do you sell green? Get rewarded! Flying Cart is an easy way to build your own online store. A trusted home for hosted storefront e-commerce used by over 12,000 merchants. Now the company’s new Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores initiative rewards independent business owners bettering the world with eco-friendly products. We’re awarding a free (for life) Flying Cart Glider package, expert coaching on improving sales from Flying Cart founder Rishi Shah, and $100 cash to get things rolling.

WHAT IS FLYING CART:

Flying Cart is an online solution for sellers who want control beyond the aesthetic limitations of eBay and Etsy’s marketplace. From display to checkout, Flying Cart is designed to allow anyone to easily create an online store, sell their products on the web, and build their brand online.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN:

To go along with the launch of Flying Cart’s new design and improved functionality, we’re giving away a lifetime Glider package ($500 value) to give your earth-friendly goods the home they deserve. The Glider package features 25 product listings, use of a custom domain (www.yourdomain.com), a theme editor and customizable CSS and SSL security.

But the award goes beyond the free storefront. Current Flying Cart subscribers already know about the wealth of marketing advice on the site’s blog, but winners of Flying Cart Sells Green will receive personalized marketing advice tailored to your product by Flying Cart’s CEO Rishi Shah. And we’ll throw in $100 of seed money to help you spread the word about your green products.

APPLICATION DETAILS:

Interested merchants must apply here and answer a few questions about your product. Winners are selected by rolling admission, but the entry deadline is November 25th. As a general guideline the products must be upcycled or repurposed, secondhand, made of non-toxic eco-friendly materials, or sustainably produced. The Flying Cart staff will only select the most impressive applications, so be sure your submission shows your passion for your products and environmental conservation.

Apply now! We are excited to see your eco friendly business.

Learn more about the Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores contest on our FAQ page.
Please visit the terms and conditions page before applying.

Please support our eco-movement by sharing this with your friends.  Everyone that tweets this article will receive a free product from one of our winners.
Twitter
Facebook

Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores Q&A

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Q: What is Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores?
The Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores is a promotion from October 20th to November 25th intended to help the growth of a few select eco-conscious small businesses.

Q: What do I win?
Cash, Coaching, and an Online Store.

$100 Cash Baby! This is just to show you we are serious on helping you get the ball rolling.
Glider package for life ($500 Retail Value) - You get an awesome looking store to rock the Internet with.
Coaching session with Rishi ($1000 retail value) - Rishi knows what works and he also knows what doesn’t. He has seen a ton of business come and go and will make sure your business is here to stick around! His coaching session can be in person if you live in the bay area or can be easily done online via Skype.

Q: 90% Chance to win? Is that for real?
Yes. We pretty much want everyone to win something to get them going.

Q: Where can I apply?
Right here.

Q: How many people will be awarded?
There are no set amount of winners, but we hope to award at least 4 amazing companies.

Q: When does the contest end?
Nov. 25, 2010 (right before Thanksgiving)

Q: Why are we doing this?
We simply want to see more eco-friendly stores online. We want to do whatever we can to help eco-entrepreneurs sell their products.

Q: How is this helping the environment?
A single decision to purchase an environmentally responsible product, as opposed to traditional goods, is all that’s needed to start a shift in demand. While eco-friendly products aren’t always the most affordable option, they also force less externalized cost onto the planet (use of resources, carbon emissions from production and shipping, etc.). By giving an edge to eco-conscious merchants, Flying Cart hopes to foster the growth of entrepreneurs striving for a better planet through responsible goods.

Q: What is Flying Cart?
Flying Cart is the easiest way to build your online store. Founded in 2006 with some laptops, caffeine, and the dream to allow anyone easily launch their own brand online. Over 12,000 small businesses currently use Flying Cart.

Q: Who’s behind Flying Cart?
Rishi and Trevor
Rishi Shah started the company out of his Mom’s basement with the goal of helping other entrepreneurs launch their store online. Rishi is passionate on helping small business sell their products online and ‘stick it to the man’.

Trevor Dye is an environmental activist with a passion for a greener economy. After joining the Flying Cart staff, he found inspiration in some of the great eco-friendly products already being sold through FC, and from there Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores was born.

Q: I’d like to blog about this. Do you have any images we can use?
Yes. Feel free to use anything on our website. In specific here are some more logos.
Flying Cart logo on the main Website: http://bit.ly/Flying-Cart-Awesome-Logo
Flying Cart logo in White: http://bit.ly/Flying-Cart-White-Logo
Here is a picture of Rishi and Trevor: http://bit.ly/rishi-and-trevor

Q: If I don’t have an eco-friendly product can I still open a store on Flying Cart?
Yes. You can start your store here: http://flyingcart.com

Q: How can I share this with my friends?
A: Ok. We have to be honest. We don’t think anyone will ask this. But we really need your support and the more people that talk about it the faster our eco-movement can spread. Use our one click sharing buttons right here to get the word out there! Here our our sharing buttons:
Twitter
Facebook

Q: I need more info. How do I get in touch with you?
Contact Trevor at [email protected], call us at 1-800-780-6064, or read the full press release here:
http://flyingcart.com/blog/flying-cart-sells-green-award/

Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores Application

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Learn more about the Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores contest on our FAQ page.
Please visit the terms and conditions page before applying.

Please support our eco-movement by sharing this with your friends.  Everyone that tweets this article will receive a free product from one of our winners.
Twitter
Facebook

Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores Terms and Conditions

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Eligibility

The contest is open to legal residents of the United States (excluding Arizona, Maryland, Vermont, and Puerto Rico) who are at least 18 years of age. Employees of Sponsor, their family members, and direct vendors of Sponsor are prohibited from entering. Entrants are subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law.

Sponsor

The award is sponsored by Flying Cart LLC (“Sponsor”), 631 Capp St. San Francisco, CA 94110.

Agreement to Official Rules

By participating in this contest award, entrants agree to abide by the terms and conditions thereof as established by Sponsor in these rules, as well as the Flying Cart LLC Terms of Service located at http://flyingcart.com/terms.php. Sponsor reserves the right to qualify all applications and to reject any applications that do not meet the requirements for participation as established by Sponsor.

How to Enter

Entrants may enter the contest by applying their eco friendly business here: http://www.flyingcart.com/blog/application during the Entry Period. At the time the application is submitted, all entries must include the name, company name, and e-mail address of the entrant, as well as all other information required to create and submit an application. All entrants must also select one of the following categories that best fits the range of their eco friendly products:
(1) Secondhand, (2) Upcycled and re purposed, (3) made of eco-friendly materials, (4) produced sustainably, (5) or other – please provide.
Sponsor reserves the right at any time to reclassify any business as it deems appropriate. By entering, all entrants consent to the use by Sponsor of all the business identifying information provided in the entries for marketing and/or sales promotional purposes without any attribution, identification, right of review or compensation. Entries submitted without complete identifying information will not be eligible to receive the award.
Sponsor assumes no responsibility for computer system, hardware, software or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human or technical in nature, or for damaged, lost, late, illegible or misdirected entries; technical, hardware, software, electronic or telephone failures of any kind; lost or unavailable network connections; fraudulent, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions whether caused by Sponsor, the users, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this contest; or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of entrants’ sales, that may limit, delay or prevent an entrant’s ability to participate in the contest.
Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend this contest award from entries received up to the time of termination or suspension should virus, bugs or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control, unauthorized human intervention, malfunction, computer problems, phone line or network hardware or software malfunction, which, in the sole opinion of Sponsor, corrupt, compromise or materially affect the administration, fairness, security or proper play of the contest or proper submission of entries. Sponsor is not liable for any loss, injury or damage caused, whether directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from downloading data or otherwise participating in this contest.

Entry Period

The award contest begins on October 20, 2010 at 12:01 A.M. EST and ends on November, 25 2010 at 11:59 P.M. PST. Entries received before or after this Entry Period are void.

Selection of Award Recipients

The applications will be judge by Flying Cart staff members.

Notification of Potential Award Winners

The Award Winners will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail within five (5) days of the closing of the Entry Period or upon the completion of the application review, whichever is longer. If any application related questions have not been resolved within thirty (5) days of the closing of the contest, Sponsor will advise entrants of the delay and will fix a new date for the notification of the Award Winners that shall not exceed sixty (60) days after the closing of the award. If any Award Winner does not acknowledge acceptance of the award within seven (7) days after being notified that he or she is an Award Winner, another Award Winner will be chosen. The awards will be sent via PayPal to the Award winners PayPal account.

Requirements of Award Winners

Sponsor may require each Award Winner to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and liability and publicity release, wherever lawful, as a precondition to award of the Award. If any Award Winner fails to sign and return the requested documents to Sponsor, that Award Winner may be disqualified, and the Award will thereafter be awarded to an alternate Award Winner from the remaining valid entries using the procedure specified above.

Awards

Each Awards winner will receive a cash award of $100, a Glider package on Flying Cart, and a coaching session with the founder of Flying Cart LLC – Rishi Shah. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the Award Winners. Any Award Winner may be required, as a condition of receiving their Award, to execute any documents required by law confirming their tax obligations, if any. If any Award Winner fails to sign and return any tax-related documents as directed by Sponsor, that Award Winner may be disqualified, and the Award will thereafter be awarded to an alternate Award Winner from the remaining valid entries using the procedure specified above.

Release and Publicity

By receipt of the Award and by signing an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release, if requested, each Award Winner consents to the use of his or her name, business name, and address by Sponsor for advertising and promotional purposes, without any additional compensation, except where prohibited. Each Award Winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its officers, directors, employees, affiliated companies, agents, successors and assigns from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the contest.

Contest Results and Official Rules

To obtain the identity of the Award Winners and/or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Rishi Shah, Flying Cart LLC, 631 Capp St., San Francisco, CA 94110.

Rockabettes

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

rockabettes-store

There’s something fun, liberating and dead sexy about rockabetty style and the wicked mash-up between vintage 50s pinups, tattoos and rock n roll. The newly launched Rockabettes shop captures it all with vintage dresses, and rockin’ graphic tees. As a fan of tattoo art, zombies and whisky I really dig their lineup of t-shirts with designs like zombie praying hands, skulls n pistols and the whiskey brigade tank.

Image of Skull N Pistols Tee
Skull N Pistols Tee
$25.00

Image of Love Prayer Tee
Love Prayer Tee
$25.00

As a new store right now the supply of retro dresses and skirts is a bit limited, but you can check out the coming soon section to get a sneak peak of things to come. (Which by the way, is a great use of departments!)

Check out some more rockin’ rockabetty apparel at Rockabettes.

Let’s Get Ready to Stumble! – St. Patty’s Day Tee

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Drink Philly St. Patty’s Day Tee.  You can find the best drinks and bars in your location at www.drinkphilly.com

Reebok Voltron Shoes

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

“Reebok has released a line of limited edition Voltron inspired shoes.” – All Day I Dream About Sole