$_associatedProducts = array();
if ($_product->getTypeId() == 'grouped')
{
$_associatedProducts = $_product->getTypeInstance(true)->getAssociatedProducts($_product);
}

Once you collect all simple product data associated with the grouped product, you can loop through the array and display the simple product’s data.

We are keen to meet with retail, trade, and contract businesses at the show and show you how our software and services can help Optimise your business while saving you money and time. If you could drop us an email at info@oltd.co.uk or call us at 0131 448 0483, we can send you some visitor’s passes.

Optimise Solutions’ stand number is E7. We are showcasing some new developments on both our software and web design fronts. New products include our trendy Showroom Display Label Ticketing software, Management Dashboard, RBS Bankline integration, Magento eCommerce two way integration, Web Design and Search Engine Optimisation services.

Do visit us at the show to discuss the software’s new features and functionalities.

To celebrate our 21st successful year, we have organised a user group meeting on the 22nd September 2010 at our offices in Edinburgh (10:30 to 16:30). We will be having presentations geared towards getting the best out of the Optimise System and we will be show-casing latest features and innovations.

This is also a great opportunity to meet other Optimise users. As well as inviting existing clients, we have also invited some potential customers.

Some of the many exciting features that we are going to be demonstrating

• eCommerce and Showroom Display Tickets Integration
• Coffee Shop and Restaurant add-ons with touch-screen interfaces
• Integration with EPOS Tills, Wedding and Gift Lists
• iPhone Stock Check App (check product data, while on the move)
• Bar-coding and Scanning for quick stock take

We look forward to seeing you there. To register for this event, please visit www.oltd.co.uk/register.

Seth Godin is a popular marketing guru and he writes some really interesting articles on his blog. I spotted his new article – ‘Things to ask before you redo your website’. The article is spot on and a must read. The web design business has been around for a decent while and only now are businesses finally grasping the true value of a well planned web strategy. I would like to highlight a few important facts before you head on to Seth Godin’s blog.

Public relations face of your business – Visitors, potentials, and customers would want to find information about your company, products, and services. Your website creates the perception of your brand in the minds of the visitors. What they see on the website is what they perceive.

Hits / Visitors / Conversions – Thanks to all those SEO (search engine optimisation) conmen, the entire purpose of websites have been misunderstood to be a war of competitors that take place on Google. Websites require a lot of hits (number of page views). Some of those hits will qualify as a quality visitor (someone who is interested in your products). The visitor will convert to a customer if you can convince them that you can provide the products they are looking for; at the right price; and to the expected quality of service. Conversions have nothing to do with search engines, even though SEO helps you get noticed. If your website’s strategy is not precise, you can get a million hits but end up with no conversions!

Time is money. Act fast – The web is a fast changing medium. For every minute you waste, you are allowing thousands of other businesses / web entrepreneurs to win over you. Set aside some time for your website and PR. What might be surprising is that businesses spend thousands on print and TV advertising and fail to invest similar time and money into their websites. After seeing your print advertisement your potential customers will want to head to your website. You don’t really want to waste the effort and investment that you put into your print campaign to be ruined by a website that couldn’t live up to the expectations of the customer.

Rather than me trying to regurgitate the checklist all over again, I thought it would be a good idea to post a link to his article. Click here to read it.

Searching Google with the keyword ‘Optimise Edinburgh’ returned the following results (on the 23rd of June 2009).

Supplying the word Edinburgh in the search field triggers Google to list some top results from Google Local just above its organic search results. You will notice that Optimise Solutions appears on the Google Maps listing even before the free listing of Optimise (Web) Solutions. Google assumes that I am searching for local businesses and presents the top listings from its Local Business Centre results. Try this with a keyword that relates to your business and specify your town or area. Are you there?

Some businesses might be surprised that they are already listed with Google Business Center. Google collects data from other directories and populates its own. Your listing on Google Local might have come from Yell.com or similar web directories. In such a case where you are already listed, you might want to claim your business listing by providing a valid phone number and verifying it. In order to claim your listing, you will be asked to register a free account with Google. Follow the steps provided by Google to verify your phone number. Once you have reclaimed your listing, you can customise the details and content of your listing. Google allows you to add a wide range of information to your business listing.

Getting your business listed on Google Local is just the beginning. You need to make sure that your listing appears on the top of the searches. This is where custom writing your listing comes to play. Unless you have a well written listing that is rightly targeted to your customer segment, your listing is as good as not being there. There are numerous ways that you can tweak your Google listing for better performance and higher placements. These techniques are learnt through practice and experience, and most SEO experts will be able to help you with it.

Optimise Web offers Google Local Business Center listing writing services from £50 onwards, depending on your requirements. We can spice up your listing with images, videos and reviews too! Call 0131 448 0483 or email info@optimiseweb.co.uk to get your listing noticed. So, are you ready to get new customers?