Global shipments of tablets jumped to 26.8 million units in 4Q 2011, which means for the year, 66.9 million tablets were sold. That’s an increase of 260 percent over 2010. Still, tablets do represent a fairly small percentage of online browsing, but it’s not their numbers that are putting tablets in the headlines of merchant account news circles, but rather the conversion rate they return when used for web shopping.

Tablet browsing converts to an online purchase at a rate of 4 to 5 percent compared to just 3 percent for traditional PCs, according to a study conducted by Forrester Research. Retailers also say that in some cases, tablet shoppers place orders 10 to 20 percent larger than their keyboard-based counterparts.

What does this mean for the current state of online shopping venues? Thankfully, most websites don’t need to be rebuilt to be viewed properly on a tablet screen. In fact, consumers say they prefer to visit sites on their tablets in vertical mode, which shows the overall page thus reducing or eliminating the need to scroll. If, however, your website includes Adobe Flash, it will not display on the iPad, which is still the industry-leading tablet. That’s problematic if you’re using Flash to highlight a product, and definitely a strategy you should reconsider.

More and more vendor sites are adding mobile versions for the convenience of consumers using smartphones, however. The address on these sites is normally the regular URL prefaced by an “m,” for instance m.mystore.com. Since this convention is becoming an industry standard, it’s recommended to stick with that naming scheme if you opt for a mobile version of your site. Typically these interfaces simplify the layout to an easily accessible menu that takes the visitor directly to key products and services, with no need to scroll or “pinch” to enlarge the screen for easier reading.

With the recent introduction of an updated version of the iPad and the popularity of the Kindle Fire, which sold 3 million units in three weeks before Christmas, there’s every indication the tablet market will only continue to grow, which would seem to be good news for merchants in terms of sales. Design changes may well follow, with wider spacing and larger buttons being the most obvious modifications, but for the moment, tablet shoppers seem content enough with their online world to spend more money and to buy more frequently than other computer users.

Personal Service

Giving personal service can be increasingly difficult as a company prospers. Small businesses usually provide personal service and assistance to their clients because it’s the practical thing to do for a small company, but dealing with each person requires additional help when your business is larger. The company may have to request additional customer service help or offer additional training for the current staff. These extra services could easily lead to cash flow problems as well. Many business owners have to borrow funds to buy new equipment and pay upfront if they decide to make and sell more products.

Growth Planning

A growth strategy is designed to prevent the formation of any kind of business problem. Businesses must research the market they want to enter thoroughly and not set their goals or standards too high. Financial planning is crucial because investing the funds upfront during the development stage and receiving investment returns could take longer than expected.

Maintaining Customers

Company owners should not ignore current customers and suppliers during the growth process. It’s easy to get distracted with new opportunities, but they should keep maintaining their customer base while searching for new ones. Competitors will always try to steal profits from other business. The best companies look after customer service and make contacts regularly.

Managing Workload 

Managing the workload is just as important as taking care of customers. A growing workload is overwhelming for any small business. The owners must consider which members are qualified to handle which tasks so they spend more time focusing on the most essential issues.

Growth Control

During the growth process, it is normal to employ additional staff members. Finding the right people is crucial and owners must spend a sufficient amount of time interviewing new people and providing the right kind of training for new recruits. There are many drawbacks that come with growing a business, but poor control is the main problem. Online resources like BusinessInsurance.org assist professionals who have either already started their business or need to deal with the changing aspects of one. Everything will be under strain when changes start coming. Growth planning is an important way to manage all of the systems that are involved in sustaining a successful business and to avoid the pitfalls of fast growth.

In recent years antivirus software has proven to be increasingly ineffective in stopping new malware threats. This means that blocking the entry points for bad software is more critical. Web browsers are often the entry point for malware and viruses, so your choice of default web browser on your business PCs is important.

Unpatched security holes in your web browser can allow unscrupulous websites to install unwanted software just by visiting, without any sort of warning or clicking required.

The most important considerations in choosing a default web browser for your company include the browser’s built in security features and the speed at which security problems are fixed once discovered.

Frequent updates are essential because history has shown that even the most secure software is eventually hacked. Updates for internet-based applications often include some sort of security fixes. If your business computers are running out-of date software, the risk of infection goes up.

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer is the default web browser on most PCs. Since it’s the most widely used, it’s also the most frequent target of malware.

In years past Internet Explorer had a terrible security record, especially with version 6, which is widely considered the least secure software ever due to its insecure design and long list of unpatched vulnerabilities. It is still used by almost a small percentage of businesses and still features many unpatched security holes.

With subsequent versions, however, security problems improved. As of version 9 IE has a much better security record, along with popup blocking, protection against phishing attacks and increased control over third-party plugins and toolbars.

IE is updated along with Windows via Windows Update. If updates are set to automatic (highly recommended) then IE will be kept up-to-date and is generally safe to use. It is also worth noting that some older websites require IE to work properly, although that is increasingly rare.

Mozilla Firefox

In the days of the super-terrible IE6, Firefox was the answer. You could finally browse websites without being constantly infected, and it was faster and more stable.

Firefox is still a safe and speedy browser, but it is lagging behind in ease of updating. It requires administrative permissions to install and update. This may be a problem if your business includes several PCs. Who will be in charge of updating all those copies of Firefox? The reality in this type of situation is that manual updates are rarely done.

Google Chrome

Chrome is a newer web browser that has many appealing features. It is generally faster than other web browsers, and has an excellent security record. Its best security feature is the way it uses ’sandboxing’ to keep web activity separated from the workings of the rest of your operating system, and is a big obstacle for malicious websites to overcome.

Chrome also features a silent updater that installs updates as they become available without prompting the user. This means that Chrome will keep itself up to date, which is ideal for most small businesses. Chrome generally has less security flaws than other browsers, and they are usually patched within days or even hours of discovery.

Also worth noting is Chrome’s built in support for Flash player and viewing PDFs from the browser itself, two less add-ons to worry about.

Others

The Opera web browser also has a good security record, an option for automatic updates, and fast performance.

Safari handles updates through Apple Software Update, which requires your attention and administrator access for each update. Safari has a reasonably good security record on PCs.

Version 4 of the Windows file utility Disk Space Fan was released recently. Disk Space Fan 4 is software that analyzes your file system with all of it’s folders and files and displays them in a multi-color ‘ringchart’, making it easy to navigate and locate large files.

Visualizing your hard drive’s contents like this can be very helpful when searching through the thousands of folders in the average Windows file system. File details are shown when you hover your mouse over them. Disk Space Fan also integrates with Windows, so you can bring up its disk display from any folder.

The free version lets you browse your file system and scan for large files. The premium version adds the ability to delete files directly from the program, and also features a duplicate file search with a variety of file filters.

Disk Space Fan 4 is available for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. Find out more at the Disk Space Fan website.

Animated ads, videos, music from nowhere can be irritating when they pop up unexpectedly, especially when you’re trying to get work done. If you have multiple tabs open, all of the running plug-ins from those pages can slow down your PC.

The free Google Chrome web browser allows you to restrict the action of plugins on pages that you visit, without having to download, install and update an ad-blocking add-on from a third party.

How To Do It

To access the plugin settings, click the small wrench icon for the menu, then go to [Settings]. Next go to the [Under the Hood] section and click the button [Content Settings] in the Privacy section. You can also copy and paste this into the address bar: chrome://settings/content

Now, on the Content Settings page scroll down to the section [Plug-ins] and select the ‘Click to Play’ option. Now you’re done!

You will notice that in the place of any animated ads you will instead see a grey box with a puzzle piece icon, as pictured at the beginning of this article. Simply click the grey box to activate and play the content from that plug-in.

If you want to allow all plugins to run from a particular website, just click the small puzzle piece icon that appears in the address bar at the top of the window and select the option ‘Always allow plugins on websitename.com’. You can also manage this list of exceptions by going back to the Content Settings page and clicking the [Manage exceptions...] button, where you can add and remove domains manually.

Finally, if you’re not already using Chrome, we recommend that you give it a try. It has a lot more great features, including increased performance and security. Google Chrome can be downloaded here.

Credit card processing is available through a wide variety of devices, including smart-phones, laptops and tablet PCs. Some important considerations when considering the available options include:

• Where will the transactions take place?
• How many transactions are anticipated per day, week, or month?
• Is there an power receptacle available nearby?
• Will printed receipts be needed?
• Can the device store transactions for later processing in case the wireless signal is lost?

You will also want to choose a merchant provider that is familiar with the wireless processing technologies so that they can provide support when and if you experience technical difficulties. Also check the rates carefully, as many processors add on many hidden fees and surcharges.

Mobile credit card processing is here to stay, so shop wisely when choosing  the right device and processor.

With the number of 0% credit cards available in the market, the small cost of a tablet computer can be spread over a year or more without any interest payments, so what is stopping you from making the new purchase? Did you just think tablets were a glorified toy?

Business is all about trust

If you have been in business a long time, you will remember the time when a sales person appeared with a laptop computer and proceeded inflate their ego by showing you what the computer could do to enable them to sell you a product or service.

In the days of the early adopters, the customer did not necessarily trust the salesman with the laptop computer because working this way was a rare sight. Moving along a few years, you would treat any salesperson without a laptop computer with suspicion. You would wonder why they couldn’t afford one and therefore, should you do business with them?

Tablets become common

Now, it appears that almost everyone you know has an iPad or a Samsung Tab. More and more business people are using them in business meetings; what about you? Could you work in an environment that includes a tablet computer and leave your laptop computer at home?

Reasons to consider changing models

Laptops are heavy. Even with the latest, smallest models, they still weigh enough to start early shoulder  problems when you add the bag, power  leads, USB cables and anything else associated with the business presentation.

Some people have chosen to move to the smaller and lighter netbook computers, but the screens are small (similar to a tablet) and the computers don’t usually have a CD/DVD player so you will need to carry a CD/DVD drive as well.

Boot times can leave the salesman trying to conduct small talk while counting the 60 or so seconds’ wait for the Windows screen to arrive. Either that or they chance leaving the computer in hibernation mode and pray it opens quickly and at the right screen.

Tablet computers are much smaller and lighter than any laptop rival. They are more portable than the laptop as they can be passed around the people in the meeting room. These people can then interact by tapping on items on screen to see the next part of the presentation. This interaction can aid the sale, increase the efficiency of the service and impress the customer. In comparison, the old style laptop sits in one place while you hope the battery lasts so you do not have the embarrassment of having to ask for an electrical supply.

Not all tablets are great purchases

There are many quality tablet computers on the market, but there has also been a rush of cheaper quality products that will show your lack of imagination if you purchase one for business use. Saving a hundred dollars might give you a poor screen resolution and lose you the sale.

The tablets have slower CPUs and much less hard drive space than laptops. The question you need to ask yourself is whether the tablet can successfully run the software you need for your presentation. Your laptop will hold plenty of software for your business needs, but what is really needed when you are on a one-to-one with the customer?

Battery life is far better than your old laptop with the higher quality tablets. You will be able to conduct a whole day’s business without fear of battery failure and sinking sales.

The iPad 3 is lurking just around the corner. If you have invested in either of the first two versions, will you look out of date to your customers?

Software vs apps

Your biggest hurdle will be to see if the apps available can run the presentations you require in a business meeting. You won’t have the space on your tablet to carry the full Microsoft Office software sets, but smaller apps will run your PowerPoint presentation.

You should not move to a tablet just to show off; it still needs to be a working tool. So it comes down to this: if a tablet can’t run the software you need, then leave it at home and upgrade your laptop instead.

There are different types of merchant accounts available to businesses. A retail account is designed for brick-and-mortar businesses. A customer must physically present his or her credit or debit card for payment. Mail order and telephone order accounts (MOTO) allow merchants to accept credit and debit card payments for transactions involving mail order or telephone orders. A business that conducts online sales must find an acquiring bank that processes online payments.

Ask plenty of questions before making a deal with a merchant services provider. Each type of account has service charges and fees that apply. In addition to the standard transaction fee, most credit card processing providers charge an application fee or set-up fee, equipment rental fees and sometimes a charge back fee. There may be other fees attached to the service such as cancellation fees, customer service fees and an annual membership fee. Make certain that you can afford the cost.

Most banks offer merchant processing services. Applying at a local bank that offers these services may be your best option, especially if your business is new or small. Opening a merchant account at the same financial institution where you normally do business can earn you some extra benefits.

Qualifying for an account may be difficult when you are first starting out. In a way, you are applying for an unsecured line of credit when you apply for a merchant services account. A bank or merchant services provider assessing your level of risk views a healthy business credit rating as a positive indicator.

Setting up an account with an acquiring bank or other merchant services provider is a process similar to applying for a credit card. The first step is to complete an application. The bank will review and validate the information you provide and then notify you if you are approved.

Normally, acquiring banks will allow businesses without websites to set up a virtual terminal, which is a form of secure Web site. Small and home-based businesses often select to use a terminal to swipe credit cards or use a virtual terminal to process transactions.

Before selecting a merchant account provider, look for a company that deals with all the major credit cards. The ability to accept a wide range of credit cards offers your customers more convenience. Most merchant services providers allow you to open a single account that enables you to accept different types of credit cards.

Always compare providers. The fees banks and other merchant account providers charge to process credit cards vary. Some also set volume limits and minimums on purchases. When negotiating the terms of a contract, let your provider of choice know if you’ve been offered a better deal elsewhere. This may get you the terms you want. Check the Better Business Bureau to learn more about the provider’s reputation and business rating before signing a contract.

Another great feature is the search facility. This brings users updates from their circles, as well as providing the opportunity to check out news from all around the web. If you have been looking at another site, like lovemoney.com and suddenly think of something that you would like to search for on the internet, then this search facility will provide you with all of the information that you could need.

Once you have searched for things, if you need something else to do, then you can have a go at playing one of the games that Google+ provides. With these great games, you can build new civilisations, play poker, humiliate a pig or simply practice your fast-clicking skills. This also allows communication between you and other people who are interested. For example, if you beat a friend’s high score, you can talk to them about it, which gives you another excuse to chat and socialise.

Google+ also features a messenger that enables you to coordinate with many friends at once. This can be done via a group chat that is simple and effective to use, bringing everyone to the same place even if they are physically separated. Google+ has a lot of other great features, including instant photo uploading so you can keep your friends up to date with your life.

The growth of the European Union has increased corporate relocation across Europe, as it’s easier for companies to expand into other member countries. However, the recession has made global relocation more difficult, according to Unipac, a company specialising in global relocation services. Uncertainty in the housing and job markets makes employees wary of moving because it may be hard to sell their homes and for their spouses to find new jobs. Also, if the culture of the country is radically different, employees may be reluctant to move there. If you are preparing to move for work and find these challenges overwhelming, you should look into getting relocation assistance.

Housing is one of the first things people think about when it comes to moving, so it may be a good idea to consult a realtor with international connections. If you need to sell your house, this is also helpful. According to a report published by Scotia Capital, consumer confidence in the European housing market is far from high. However, there’s less need to worry if you have a trusted international real estate broker on your side. They’ll try to minimize the potential loss on the sale of your home. They are aware of the difficulties in the housing market and are skilled at selling houses for the best amount of profit possible. Once you are ready to transfer to the new country, the realtor will help you find appropriate housing there. Since housing is probably one of your biggest concerns, it’s important to pick a skilled agent.

You could also look into using a specialized relocation agency. Agencies have programmes specifically made for transferees. These include real estate support as well as family expatriation consultations. Many agencies provide immigration information and guides to cultural differences. Relocation agencies usually have it all covered, which makes them popular, but these services can often cost more than making all the arrangements yourself. So, think carefully about what your relocation will require and what services you will need.

Moving is hard enough when it’s in the same town, let alone going to another country. Courier services are another important option to consider. These companies help you move your belongings, including cars and other large items. There are websites that allow you to post free listings of what you require to be moved or shipped. Businesses that offer courier services can look at your listings and make bids to ship your items. You can examine these bids that have been made and hire the company that offers the best price and has good reviews.

A great number of individuals are finding themselves having to relocate globally, even during the economic recession. There are many resources available to help make relocation easier for employees and their families.