I launched my original photography training store (www.michaelthementor.com/store) almost exactly 5 years ago. It was absolutely critical to the start and growth of my business, and I couldn’t be where I am today without it.

With time customers repeatedly asked for downloads and the way the original store was set up, it couldn’t handle them. For the last 2 years or so, we had DVDs only on the first site and both DVDs and downloads on the second.

With more time, customers also wanted better shipping options, such as Fed Ex & UPS. Again the way the old site was set up, it couldn’t handle these changes (it had to do with plug-ins for the cart on the hosting site). And even recently, when trying to upgrade how we receive orders for shipments, we couldn’t make the necessary changes.

Additionally, there began to be confusion among my customers as to which store was which and why we had 2. Many didnt know the difference and would try to log in to one or the other.

We also did some tests and learned that not only could our download store at www.canontrainingvideo.com handle all these upgrades, it was MUCH faster for customers to check out.

While we considered upgrading the store to new standards, we learned that not only was it expensive, it would have required us to back up and reinstall everything for all the websites I am hosting on that account, including the blog.

With all these things in mind, I have decided to officially close the first store. We still have all of our customer records, but all new purchases from here on out will be made on www.canontrainingvideo.com.

If you ever have any questions about any of your purchases, please contact my assistant Megan at [email protected]