By utilizing Miva Hosting services, store-owners are able to accomplish previously difficult or impossible tasks with great ease. Miva Merchant 5.5 supplies store-owners with an array of completely modifiable design templates.  Miva users can also simply design and add any extra pages they desire for their stores such as Contact Information, About Us, Directions and Maps, Articles and News, Mission Statements, etc.

The more content offered about a business and the products or services being offered for sale, the better.  With this added information and the professional look and feel established by Miva Merchant’s SMT, customers will flock to the website and a sense of trust will also be developed.  Trust and security are probably the most important factors when it comes to people feeling comfortable with spending their money online.

SMT allows store-owners to make their business function and look the way they want it to.  SMT gives store-owners total control over the layout and design of every single page of their site and allows them the opportunity to move things around however they see fit.  SMT also gives e-commerce operators the ability to have different layouts from one page to another and supplies them with the power to place buttons, graphics, products and category lists wherever they would like.

SMT is  renowned for its simplicity and easy use of basic HTML commands.  With just a basic understanding of HTML, store-owners will have no trouble utilizing the SMT feature of Miva Merchant 5.5. SMT also gives a sense of individualism and style to Miva sites.  Not only does SMT make stores stand out amongst other e-commerce and Miva sites, it allows stores to be more functional to their target audience since store-owners can tailor all of the tiny yet important details of their site.

SMT has two variables. One is page specific and the other is a global site wide variable.  With these variables store-owners are able to change either an individual page or all the pages of their site.  Miva leaves it completely in the hands of the store-owner as to how their finished storefront, product pages and any other pages appear to viewers.  For example, one can easily add a search box to any page and even customize how search results are displayed.

If there is any confusion encountered regarding SMT and its many options, an extremely helpful instructions guide is merely a click away.  There is no additional cost for these features.  Store Morph Technology and support are integrated into the Miva interface and the design controls are very easily accessible.

Store-owners can feel safe to freely make changes to their site without worrying that they will cause any errors by utilizing the simple tracking system, which allows them to revert back to previous versions and even make notes on what works and doesn’t.  This makes sites essentially damage proof and creatively open for the owners to decide what suits their site.

Miva Merchant 5.5 puts the power of store design in the hands of the e-commerce store-owner by providing them with a unique and ground-breaking store design system.  Most importantly, SMT saves store-owners money because they will not need to purchase modules or hire third-party developers in order to obtain the desired look and functionality of their website.

For more detailed information about Store Morph Technology and how to utilize this feature, check out Miva Merchant’s SMT Mini-Primer.

Here are 3 Reasons why Miva is right for you and your business:

1. PCI & PA-DSS Compliance

Miva Merchant’s shopping cart will be 100% compliant with the new PA-DSS (Payment Application – Data Security Standard) guidelines by the July 2010 deadline.  Being compliant is a must for any sites that accept credit card payments or store confidential information in their databases.  If you are found to be non-compliant then your site faces serious fines.  Since a majority of small businesses could not afford to pay such fines, there is a strong likelihood that the sites could be forced to shutdown for non-compliance.  Therefore, it is imperative that you ensure you are following the guidelines. If you choose Miva Merchant as a solution to your e-commerce needs then you are already taking a giant leap in the right direction.

ControlScan has developed a tactical partnership with Miva Merchant to provide all-inclusive PCI compliance and security across any and all sites utilizing Miva Merchant Hosting.  Websites that use ControlScan’s services receive a seal from the company notifying customers that they are protected.  Generally, after posting this seal on their site, businesses will see profits from sales increase due to the sense of trust produced by the seal.  Trust, safety and security are keys to success in the world of e-commerce.

2. Store Morph Technology (SMT)

This popular and powerful new feature allows users to create stores that are totally customized to their specific needs based on provided templates. Store Morph Technology is a huge advancement in the creation, design and management of e-commerce businesses.

With SMT, storeowners have total control over the layout and design of every single page of their store and can move things around however they would like. SMT also allows merchants to have a particular layout on one page and a totally different layout on another page unlike many other shopping cart software programs. SMT is renowned for its simplicity and use of basic HTML commands.

SMT allows stores to become more functional to their target clients and customers by modifying small yet important details of a site. This way not every Miva Hosting store looks the same – you can make your site stand out amongst the competition.

3. Miva Modules

Miva Merchant 5.5 presents its users with the ability to purchase third party software and plug-ins known as modules that go above and beyond the abilities of SMT.  These modules are great for the business owner because they are easy to install, allow complete customization of their sites and are very cost-effective and affordable.  They allow big changes to be made without having to pay exorbitant amounts to developers to perform custom programming.  This brings us to a common myth — often times, those that opt for so-called “free,” do not realize the large amount of money they will end up spending to create the custom programming needed to make their stores run the way the want.  In other words, “free” shopping cart programs end up being anything but free.

There are numerous modules on the market that aid in a wide variety of tasks including:

1. Changing the physical appearance of a store
2. Altering the experience that different visitors will receive
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
4. Email Management
5. Ordering and shipping
6. Store and employee management

These are just three of the powerful features of the newest version of Miva Merchant – version 5.5 .

Since there is a steadily growing market for these add-ons, developers are constantly creating new and improved Miva Merchant modules. There are numerous modules available for purchase.  Many modules are designed to change the physical appearance and experience of the online storefront. These modifications even go far and beyond the powerful ability of version 5.5’s Store Morph Technology (SMT).

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) modules have become increasingly popular in the Miva Merchant community.  Through the proper use of such modules, storeowners can make their businesses stand out and increase their page rank in the search engine results pages (SERP).

Other modules available focus on areas like email management, ordering and shipping, marketing and promotions and store management. With such an abundance of Miva Merchant modules on the market, those involved in the e-commerce industry will be surprised by their ability to truly customize their business.

For a list of the best-selling Miva Merchant modules available, please visit the Miva Central Modules Page.