For Subscribers

New Releases Reviews of ReturnCentral.com's Virtual Returns Disk to control online product returns; Total Merchant Services' Total E-Commerce Solution package; and Lyris Technologies' Lyris ListManager 4.0

By Melissa Campanelli

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

Return To Sender: As your Web site grows, you're probably getting more customers wanting to return or exchange products. If you want to manage your returns better, try ReturnCentral.com's Virtual Returns Desk, a suite of Web-based software designed to help control online product returns. The software gives customers "point and click" ability to make arrangements for returns via your Web site; it then alerts you, prints return mailing labels and tracks orders throughout the process. You can also use the company's Returns Center product, which provides automated disposition, inventory and shipping management to reduce the time required for product inspection. The software can be integrated with popular auction sites to maximize asset recovery. For more information, visit www.returncentral.com.

Shop In A Box: Need to set up your Web site in a hurry? Try Total Merchant Services' Total E-commerce Solution package, which incorporates Web site construction and publishing; domain hosting; communication, reporting and marketing tools; a catalog and/or shopping cart; and, most important, a secure method to process credit card transactions-all in one package. What's more, the service is almost free (there's a fee for the ability to accept credit cards). For details, visit www.ecommercesolutionsandsystems.com.

E-Mail Me: Want to launch an electronic direct marketing campaign? Try Lyris Technologies' Lyris ListManager 4.0, a hassle-free solution for fast, reliable outbound e-mail messaging. Among other features, the software handles invalid e-mail addresses and other problems normally associated with major e-mail campaigns. It also lets you send text or HTML messages along with rich text, attachments and foreign languages; enables personalized messages with a mail-merge facility; and offers a foolproof, user-friendly way for your list members to subscribe and unsubscribe to your e-mail messages. Lyris List Manager delivers mail at speeds of up to 500,000 unique messages per hour, depending on your hardware. Software prices range from a free version to a $30,000 high-performance license; outsourcing starts at $300 per month for a three-month contract. For more information, visit www.lyris.com.


Melissa Campanelli is a technology writer in Brooklyn, New York, who has covered technology for Mobile Computing & Communications and Sales & Marketing Management magazines. You can reach her at mcampanelli@earthlink.net.

Melissa Campanelli is a technology writer in Brooklyn, New York, who has covered technology for Mobile Computing & Communications and Sales & Marketing Management magazines. You can reach her at mcampanelli@earthlink.net.

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