You might notice that our blog is a seminal combination of promotional content and news. Here you’ll find all the latest news revolving around all things E-Commerce, including Magento and Netsuite. We have posts about clients that you might also see in our ‘Clients and Work’ section, but everything that was newsworthy in the past has been categorized here for your reading enjoyment.
Since Magento is a relatively new system, tons of techies around the Web will have things to say about it. One of the reasons why modern news is so exciting is because of the sheer velocity that it can be presented. You’ll notice that in our blogs we always like to stay on top of things in terms of all the latest tech and e-commerce news that’s constantly being released.
We’re also eager to report all the bitty news, ie. the random bits of information scattered around that’s loosely related to e-commerce, but might be more fun to read as enjoyment pieces.
As with other categories on our blog, we like to keep all of our content as diversified as we possibly can, while still keeping it relevant to Magento and e-commerce. The convenience of having all of these blog posts listed under one category means you can have faster access to tech-related news whenever you need it.
At Hara Partners we’re always ready to notify our readers of the latest Magento news—and in terms of e-commerce, there’s always plenty to offer. Magento’s always releasing updates for their software, which is always a good thing for Magenticians such as ourselves to keep track of.
If there are any news that you think is worth our attention, please don’t hesitate to contact us with a message and a news link, and we’ll be sure to put it on our blog as soon as we’re good and ready.
Spotted earlier this year – a window cleaner at the back of our office, cleaning windows from the outside without harness over 100 ft (or 30 meter) above the church roof underneath.
We contemplated if this was the modern version of walking the plank. Next time someone screws up a job, she will have to clean the windows from the outside.
Magento announced a patch for a Magento Enterprise Security Vulnerability as many industry blogs published. Magento has informed all it’s Magento Enterprise customers about the security hole, but Magento has not posted anything on their blog.
Magento has already a security patch reach for its Magento Enterprise Edition clients, which can be access on the account section on the Magento website under Support Patches. This security vulnerability affects all Magento versions prior to the just recently patched version 1.13.1.0 (every version from 1.6.0.0 through 1.13.0.2).
The vulnerability is limited to Magento Enterprise only, and only to users who have administrative privileges. So you can take a deep breath as this Magento Enterprise Security Vulnerability won’t expose you to the rest of the world. However, if you have a poor admin user rights management, such as multiple users sharing the same log-in account and you may want to change this. Read more about proper Magento administrator user rights management in this follow up post.
A user with an administrator access to your Magento Enterprise store exploiting this issue could delete files and folders from your Magento installation. Should you drop everything and apply this patch? Not necessarily, many merchants should be in code freeze for the holidays season and you may be fine riding it out until January with your current code base.
You should tighten your admin access rights management no matter what. If you have past employees who still have access to your Magento admin panel, you should remove them.
This vulnerability is limited to the Magento Enterprise edition only and does not affect the Magneto Community Edition. Magento Enterprise provides a great number of additional functionality with considerable more code
Please contact us for help with applying this Magento Enterprise security patch or help with your other Magento security concerns. An easy way to address all your security and performance concerns is with the proprietary Magento Health Check.
Please post any questions as comments here and our staff will help you get answers fast. Please keep questions around potential security risks private and use the “get it touch with us” form.
We had some great experience with hard magento error screens. Just post them to the people at Magento Errors and they get back to you fast with a solution. We were very satisfied with their services.
Visit them at:
In the wake of the Senate’s 69-27 vote in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013, (the new internet sales tax law) and the impending vote in Congress, the outcome of which determines whether the bill becomes enacted into law, many e-tailers have found themselves in the unenviable position of uncertainty. They are unable to fully understand what the bill would mean for their business particularly and thus cannot take measures to prepare themselves. To assist e-tailers with this unwelcome and onerous task CCH, makers of the Sales Tax for Magento software suite, and one the of six CSP’s (certified software providers) approved by the bill, released a special report outlining what the bill actually would mean to online merchants; we’ll cover some of the highlights here.
Proponents of the bill claim that their main motivation is leveling the playing field between brick and mortar merchants and their online counterparts who under current statutes have no requirement to charge sales tax. Additionally, states are looking to recoup their fair share of the $23 billion in tax revenue industry experts claim was “lost” in 2012.
Opponents claim that the bill fails to take into account exactly how difficult it would be for small businesses to maintain compliance in the myriad different jurisdictions whose laws they now find themselves subject to, and that adoption of the bill would leave merchant open to audits and other tax enforcement procedure in states where they have no legislative representation.
To begin collect sales tax from these “remote sales”, as the bill calls them, states would be required to meet certain criteria, among them:
And this entity has would have responsibility across all state and local jurisdictions
While it is prudent for all e-tailers to begin planning how they will cope with these impending changes it is far from certain that the bill will pass through Congress at this time.
“Although the legislation received strong bipartisan support in the Senate, its future passage in the House isn’t a sure thing,” said CCH Principal Federal Tax Analyst, Mark Luscombe, JD, LLM, CPA. “Supporters claim the issue is about fairness and that Internet sellers shouldn’t enjoy an unfair advantage, but critics say it amounts to a tax increase.”
Hara Partners can get you started with SalesTax from CCH, find out more now.
This past Monday, May 5 2013, the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 passed through the Senate, halfway on its journey to becoming law. The bill, which once passed will allow states and local jurisdictions to collect sales and use taxes from online merchants – even if they have no physical presence in that state (called a “nexus”) has the backing of President Obama but still needs to pass through Congress, where it is expected to be met with a not-inconsiderable amount of resistance.
A bit of background:
The current state of internet sales tax laws, a company is only responsible to collect and remit sales tax on behalf of states in which they have a nexus, stems from the ruling rendered by the Supreme Court in the landmark Quill office-supply case. The Supreme Court’s decision was based on the logic that it would be crippling, and most likely impossible, for companies to keep abreast of the myriad tax laws across the nearly 10,000 districts. As eCommerce grew brick and mortar stores found that they were losing sales to their online counterparts and States found themselves with billions in lost tax revenue. Coupling those facts with technological advances which automate all the accounting requirements, largely removing any burden from e-companies, led lawmakers to decide it was time to make a change (but mainly it was the billions in tax revenue).
Who’s going to be affected?
The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 would allow any state which is a member of the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board to mandate the collection of sales and use taxes beginning 90 days after the bill is enacted; currently the SST has 22 member states. Nonmember states would be required to meet certain requirements and supply free software to collect sales tax, or they could just join the SST – a far more likely scenario; businesses with less than $1million in yearly sales are exempted. Finally, this bill is not going to create any sort of new Internet tax, it is simply a way for states to collect their usual sales tax.
What you must do to become compliant:
At this time there are 6 companies whose sales-tax solutions are approved by the SST, to become compliant e-tailers would need to implement one of these. Unfortunately, these 6 products aren’t compatible with many platforms, and integrations can be tricky and costly for others. There is no word what will happen with those websites who use incompatible platforms.
My Thoughts:
The whole thing seems kinda overblown, right. I mean, what’s the big deal? You add some software, when April comes it tells you how much to pay in taxes – bada-bing bada-boom you’re done. Well, it’s a bit more involved than that. Firstly, even though the bill requires states to provide the appropriate software free to merchants there are still costs which will be incurred, like installation and integration, and future tax liability issues which are sure to creep up. Additionally, while it may be that at some point all the attendant processes may be automated at this time there is nothing built to handle returns or losses and accounting software is currently not built to maintain separate sales tax listings for each state and making it so will require businesses to spend many man-hours and much money. Finally, there is simply no telling how the loss of the competitive edge gained by the lack of sales tax will affect e-businesses. My advice to merchants is to immediately begin researching what the new law will mean to you: Do any of the free software packages work for you? Is your accounting software capable of handling the increased workload? There is a strong possibility that the bill will come into effect around the upcoming holiday season so there’s no time to waste.
A Crumbs/Hara Partners Collaboration
NEW YORK – Today e-commerce solutions provider Hara Partners announced a collaboration with Crumbs, a leader in cup-based confections. Hara Partners has provided Crumbs with a sleek new customer experience, from a total overhaul of the Crumbs.com website to a new and efficient delivery system.
By redesigning Crumbs.com and making it mobile friendly, Hara Partners helped expand the Crumbs consumer base and vastly improved customer satisfaction. Connecting Crumbs with PeriShip, a speedy food delivery service provided by Federal Express, ensures quality and freshness from the oven to the taste buds.
“Crumbs makes some of the most delicious pastries on the planet.” says Mai Erne, CEO of Hara Partners. “Thanks to our partnership more people will be able to experience fresh cupcakes on demand.”
About Hara Partners
Hara Partners (www.harapartners.com), founded in 2006, provides industry-leading, innovative, and cost-effective web solutions based on Magento, the e-commerce platform trusted by the world’s leading brands. From concept to execution to ongoing support, Hara Partners secures clients’ bottom-line revenue growth and profitability via customized website development and design. As of mid-2012, HP has served 250+ Magento-based stores in a variety of capacities—content, photography, video, development, consulting, IT services, and hosting.
Based in NYC and entirely in-house, Hara Partners crafts a growth strategy with each client to refine the look and feel of the brand. Specialties include custom modules, integrations, and customized digital identity-building. They adhere to industry best practices and open standards, minimizing costs to facilitate future enhancements. Whether it’s online stores or complex database solutions, their experts translate business needs into a powerful, flexible web presence.
About Crumbs
Crumbs Bake Shop first opened its doors in March of 2003 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The menu is an irresistible blend of comfort-oriented classics and elegant baked goods, but the specialty of the house is the Crumbs Signature size cupcakes! With more than 50 varieties baked fresh daily and a new cupcake of the week every Monday, each Crumbs Bake Shop is an oasis of wall to wall deliciousness.
Magento recently announced that it has created new quality guidelines for its Magento Connect Marketplace. As per Magento’s PR team, the changes are intended reduce clutter in the marketplace by delisting out-of-date or unvalued extensions thereby increasing the ease with which merchants can find appropriate add-ons. Magento development professionals whose products have been delisted are urged to resubmit their extensions once the necessary adjustments, (outlined in the delisting table below) have been made.
Please review the FAQs provided by Magento for answers to specific questions.
FAQs
Why is Magento delisting extensions?
We’re delisting extensions based on compatibility with recent versions of Magento, and frequency of download/referral. We believe this will improve the overall quality and discoverability for all extensions in the Magento Connect marketplace.
Which extensions will be delisted?
1. Extensions that are not compatible with Magento Community Edition version 1.3 or higher
2. Paid extensions (Magento Enterprise Edition and Magento Community Edition) that haven’t had any referral traffic from the “Get Extension” button on their Magento Connect listing for 6 consecutive months (Exception: Paid extensions uploaded on or after August 1, 2012 will not be affected).
3. Free extensions (Magento Enterprise Edition and Magento Community Edition) that have been downloaded fewer than five times in 6 consecutive months (Exception: Free extensions uploaded on or after September 1, 2012 will not be affected).
How many extensions will be delisted?
Approximately 20% of all Magento Connect extensions will be delisted.
Is this a one-time initiative?
Maintaining the high quality of extensions available through the Magento Connect marketplace is extremely important to us. We may undertake similar quality control measures in the future.
Is Magento delisting developers or extensions?
Only extensions will be delisted, not developers. A developer may have multiple extensions and only those extensions that fail to meet the new quality control requirements will be delisted.
Do the new requirements apply to both industry partner and developer extensions?
Yes. All extensions available through Magento Connect will be held to the new requirements.
I’m currently using an extension that has been delisted. Can I continue to use it?
Yes. Delisting an extension from Magento Connect won’t affect customers or their installations.
What happens to my listing on Magento Connect when my extension is delisted?
If your extension is delisted, your listing becomes inactive and will no longer be visible. However, your extension will still appear under My Extensions in your Magento Account.
How can I get my extensions relisted on Magento Connect?
If your extension is delisted, you may resubmit your extension to Magento Connect.
What happens to my Ratings and Reviews if my extension is delisted?
If you choose to resubmit your extension and it is accepted, your ratings and reviews will be reinstated
As part of the fallout of a $7.25 billion anti-trust settlement brought by a number of retailers against Visa, MasterCard, and other large financial firms, stores in most states may begin charging point-of-sale “checkout fees”—up to 4% of the total purchase—for credit card transactions. Ostensibly to compensate for raised swipe fees from credit card issuers, the credit card fee has already generated quite a bit of controversy.
A host of major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Target, joined the National Retail Federation in arguing against the settlement’s repercussions, claiming that it burdens them with an impossible choice: either retailers swallow substantially higher costs for swipe fees, or they take the risk of passing the credit card fee on to customers. The deal is still evolving, but it’s hard to say at this point whether the final terms will improve the situation. Logistically, implementing register changes and extensive paperwork may not prove worthwhile to many merchants. Ultimately, consumers’ purchasing power and merchants’ bottom line will be the deciding factors for the surcharge question.
Hardest hit will be smaller or low-margin businesses without the clout to negotiate lower rates from the credit card issuers. And consumer advocates claim that allowing the credit card fee would set a dangerous precedent, one that was mercifully avoided when consumer ire forced banks to roll back debit card fees over the past few years.
Not everyone needs to worry; ten states (among them New York, California, and Texas) have made the new fee illegal, and cash and debit purchases will remain unaffected. There are also laws requiring retailers to maintain the same card acceptance policies in all stores, which could prevent the new surcharge from taking off in national or regional chains.
NetSuite’s recent purchase of Retail Anywhere affords the ERP software giant considerably greater scope in the Small and Medium Business (SMB) retail market. The move plays into NetSuite’s strategy of capitalizing on the booming vertical of retail businesses with up to 500 outlets. Key executives retain leadership under NetSuite’s aegis, leveraging their e-commerce expertise to drive cross-channel sales. All told, it’s a farsighted maneuver that aptly secures a competitive stance for NetSuite against a crowd of established retail ERP providers.
Several key customer-facing issues and logistical concerns motivated the acquisition. Tangible benefits include:
Long story short, NetSuite’s acquisition of Retail Anywhere portends healthy growth for its scalable business solutions. Together with its partners, NetSuite can now present a complete, actionable picture in multiple retail markets. Eventually, an increasingly sophisticated customer base could provide the resources and incentive to broaden into deep supply chain operations. In the meantime, with Retail Anywhere incorporated into the SuiteCommerce platform, NetSuite becomes a natural solution for fully integrated, globally compatible online retail.
Attention e-tailers! NetSuite, the premier SaaS ERP solutions provider, has released exciting details about its upcoming new release, NetSuite Version 2013.1. Feature enhancements acknowledge customers’ concerns and requests, delivering a truly versatile NetSuite ERP platform with enough horsepower to accommodate even the most demanding users.
Sandbox Accounts
The Sandbox Accounts page now affords granular control to administrators. You’ll be able to manage data as soon as it’s available and request a refresh directly without consulting NetSuite support first, complete with a turnaround estimate and live progress tracking. In some cases, refresh automation will reduce the time commitment by up to 50%. Full refresh summaries will include refreshes used, refreshes remaining, refresh requests by personnel, real-time status, time-stamped snapshots, and plenty of other details. Functionality handles multiple sandboxes and enables GSI/PS practices, significantly easing project timetables and Release Engineering.
Improved Security: Two-Factor Authentication with RSA SecurID
This enterprise-class module tightens NetSuite ERP login security for roles with access to sensitive data, adding support for RSA SecurID hardware tokens. Two-factor authentication requires users to provide a unique one-time password (OTP) in addition to standard username and password credentials. Additional administrative utilities permit uploading of files containing token seeds and management of user-token association.
SuiteBundler: Refined SuiteApp Upgrade Management
Introducing selective control over the SuiteApp upgrade and install-base processes—filter upgrades by version and/or geographical region, tailoring everything to your schedule. Furthermore, partners and ISVs using Managed Bundles will be able to customize upgrade rollouts by end-customer category. Release administrators can define account notification lists for upcoming upgrades or new versions of SuiteApp. The simplified, intuitive mechanism should prove a boon for developers everywhere.
[derived from a blog post on 848 Group’s blog]