Search
Related Links

 

 

Informative Articles

Ecommerce 101 – Online Credit Card Processing
Back in 1998 (through 2000 or so), I worked for a small company (called PaymentNet / then Signio) that handled online transactions. Verisign later purchased this company, and the product team I led integrated the "client" - the portion that took...
Getting Started In Ecommerce - Part One
In 2004, Enquiro.com conducted a study of the search behaviors of men vs. women. They found that women spend more time in their searches and at specific sites. The study also revealed that women tend to be more deliberate in reading search...
Introduction To Ecommerce
Many people new to websites and/or ecommerce are confused at the in and outs of ecommerce. Even many people who are fairly adept at scripting can set up a store using some popular package such as OSCommerce and then are left stumped by the idea of...
Is eCommerce Right For Our Business
If your business features products or services for sale, undoubtedly the topic of eCommerce has come up. What is eCommerce? Literally defined as "the conduct of financial transactions by electronic means," it refers to purchases made over the...
Quick Ecommerce Tutorial
Quick Ecommerce Tutorial When choosing to create an ecommerce store, there are 3 important questions to ask yourself. 1) Do I need ecommerce? This is important. Generally speaking, consumers are comfortable making purchases online for under $250....
 
eCommerce Fundamentals

"Blocking and Tackling" - A quick take a some eCommerce fundamentals

eCommerce can be VERY complex. To offer a world class customer experience, retailers must incorporate technologies and functionality that exceeds rising customer expectations.

On the flip side however, site fundamentals still play a very large role in converting visitors into customers. Many retailers surprisingly lose sight of these site basics and leave significant sales on the table. This brief examines 4 quick "fundamentals" every eCommerce manager cannot afford to lose sight of.

Think Fast

Speed has become less of a problem due to the penetration of broadband, but don't forget that a significant number of people still shop by a dialup connection. When creating a site framework, designers and e-commerce teams should ensure that the site is developed with pages loading in less than 9 seconds (over a dial-up connection).

Our recommended page size is within 60-70k in bytes. At that amount, sites will likely load within the maximum wait time of 9 seconds. Online retailers should avoid flash at all costs within their transactional site. Flash's artistic aspects may help you establish a brand presence - but it will likely lose potential customers before they have even searched within your store.

Image is important

Images are a very important aspect of selling online and are often neglected. All product images should be of the highest resolution possible, be much larger than the product


page original, and have

multiple views. Dynamic imaging capabilities can improve the user experience to an even higher level by increasing interactivity (zoom & rotate). At a minimum - retailers should have at least two additional views outside of the product page image to help build emotion.

Be my guest

Shoppers do not like being forced to do anything, especially when they are ready to open their wallets. Forcing a shopper to register on your site before purchasing is a sure way to drive a portion of your traffic to your competitors. Too often, shoppers do not have the time or the inclination to fill out a lengthy form explaining what types of information they desire.

Always offer the ability to checkout as a guest. You will see less customer leakage within the checkout process and can still offer the option to register when the sale is completed.

Make sure it's "above the fold"

Your homepage is the most important page within your eCommerce store. It sets the initial tone for the shopping experience and offers your best promotions and products to your visitors. Users typically visually scan a web page from top to bottom and then from left to right. All critical content and navigation options should be obvious to the shopper without having to scroll down. If you have your best promotions "below the fold" - you can bet that a large percentage of browsers are not scrolling down to see it.





About the author:

http://www.trinityinsight.com

 

E-Commerce Times: Because E-Business Means Business
Everything you need to know about doing business on the Internet. Information for C-Level executives and small-to-mid-sized business managers.
www.ecommercetimes.com
 
ECommerce-Guide to News, Reviews and Technology Solutions
ECommerce-Guide provides ecommerce business owners with e-commerce news, hardware and software reviews and tutorials, technology solutions and information ...
www.ecommerce-guide.com
 
Electronic commerce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Electronic commerce (also referred to as EC, e-commerce or ecommerce) ... Even in product categories suitable for e-commerce, electronic shopping has ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
E-Commerce News for IT Managers
Daily e-commerce news for managers of business covering marketing, transaction processing, security, retailing and service delivered over the Web.
www.internetnews.com
 
New Zealand Government E-Commerce
Resource containing information on electronic commerce, including law, trade, tax, privacy, consumer protection, and help for businesses.
www.ecommerce.govt.nz
 
eCommerce Guidebook for web hosting
The eCommerce Guidebook provides many resources, including a directory of online transaction providers, a tutorial, and many other resources.
www.online-commerce.com
 
ClickZ Internet Marketing Solutions for Marketers
Includes columns with commentary and analysis on a wide variety of internet marketing subjects ranging from B2B marketing to search engine marketing.
www.clickz.com
 
Shopping cart software for Dreamweaver, Frontpage, CSS ecommerce ...
Shopping cart software integrated into Frontpage, Dreamweaver, CSS and Golive ecommerce software templates.
www.ecommercetemplates.com
 
E-Commerce & the Internet
Information from the FTC on E-commerce and the Internet. Includes anti-fraud tips.
www.ftc.gov
 
Economy & Work: eBusiness | Europa - Information Society
The e-business concept goes well beyond e-commerce (buying and selling ... A pilot study on E-commerce and the Internet in European businesses (2002) was ...
ec.europa.eu
 
Online Business
If your e-commerce site currently accepts online payments, and is really, really, ... They are looking for entries from ugly e-commerce sites to win a new ...
onlinebusiness.about.com
 
eCommerce Info Center- ONE-STOP for eCommerce info, services ...
eCommerce Info Center, created and maintained by Slim Baltagi, will make it easier and faster for you to find out relevant eCommerce information, ...
www.ecominfocenter.com
 
eCommerce Innovation Centre
Practical resources for small business involved in or considering eCommerce implemetations. Expert Advice and Assistance.
www.ecommerce.ac.uk
 
Web Marketing Today -- E-Commerce, E-Mail, Internet Marketing, and ...
Articles, tips and advice on e-commerce and effective Internet marketing strategies.
www.wilsonweb.com
 
Web Marketing Today Research Room for E-Commerce
The largest collection of annotated links to web marketing and ecommerce articles and resources to be found at any single place on the planet.
www.wilsonweb.com
 
The 2005 E-commerce Awards - Welcome
The UK national E-commerce awards organised by the DTI and Interforum.
www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk
 
Mal's e-commerce
Mal's e-commerce ... Customize the look and feel of your store; No scripts or applications to install; Build as large an e-commerce site as you want ...
www.mals-e.com
 
Howstuffworks "How E-commerce Works"
E-commerce has exploded in the last 10 years. Find out how e-commerce works and how you can harness the potential of e-commerce, from affiliate programs to ...
www.howstuffworks.com
 
Ecommerce Guide - Terms You Need to Know to Do Business on the ...
An online computer dictionary and internet search engine for internet terms and techincal support.
e-comm.webopedia.com
 
Shopping Cart Software Ecommerce Solutions
Ecommerce solutions by Volusion will take your business to new heights. Volusion offers the best prices in the industry for a complete ecommerce web ...
www.volusion.com
 
 

 
Content Menu
  • 7 tips to increase sales with your ecommerce web site

  • accepting payments online an ecommerce web site overview

  • advertising your ecommerce web site

  • an arm a leg for ecommerce

  • an ecommerce internet merchant account

  • ask mr d ecommerce sales

  • a successful ecommerce website part 1

  • a successful ecommerce website part 2

  • blocking and tackling a quick look at some ecommerce fundamentals

  • blogs podcasting and rss ecommerce impact

  • blogs podcasting and rss how will these technologies affect ecommerce

  • building ecommerce websites that work part 1

  • building ecommerce websites that work part 2

  • building ecommerce websites that work part 3

  • building ecommerce web sites where do i start

  • canadas ecommerce opportunity

  • canada and ecommerce

  • choosing an ecommerce shopping cart

  • comparing ecommerce software programs 5 tips

  • cost effective ecommerce solutions

  • developing a winning ecommerce marketing strategy

  • developing a winning ecommerce strategy

  • divesify with ecommerce

  • drop shipping is ecommerce snake oil

  • ecatalog a key component of your ecommerce initiative

  • ecommerce 101 online credit card processing

  • ecommerce and other strange animals

  • ecommerce a new artform

  • ecommerce a plan

  • ecommerce boost your business roi

  • ecommerce communications and the global internet community

  • ecommerce development for microsoft great plains tools and highlights for programmer

  • ecommerce fundamentals

  • ecommerce hosting considerations

  • ecommerce hosting for your online business

  • ecommerce hosting how to choose a merchant account

  • ecommerce how much does it cost

  • ecommerce installing and configuring your shopping cart

  • ecommerce making your bank account grow

  • ecommerce marketing plan

  • ecommerce seo

  • ecommerce solutions

  • ecommerce solutionsthe call of the time

  • ecommerce solutions compared

  • ecommerce solutions for small business owners

  • ecommerce solution for the big and small business

  • ecommerce store owners want visitors heres how

  • ecommerce that makes sense

  • ecommerce turnkey sites

  • ecommerce website development brings more people to your business

  • ecommerce website overview accepting payments online

  • ecommerce web design solutions

  • ecommerce web hosting all you need to know

  • ecommerce web sites if you build it they will come or will they

  • ecommerce web site building where do i start

  • ecommerce your opportunities are unlimited

  • econnect ecommerce development for microsoft great plains

  • evaluating vendors of ecommerce fulfillment services

  • ever wondered what an ecommerce merchant account is

  • eyes on your ecommerce website

  • for your ecommerce success

  • getting started in ecommerce part one

  • getting started in ecommerce part two

  • hosting options for an ecommerce web site

  • how exactly does ecommerce work

  • how to achieve ecommerce success you gotta plan

  • how to create a money magnet ecommerce web site

  • how to set up the ecommerce shopping cart software tools to handle your transactions and how to do in smart efficient and cost effective way

  • increasing your conversion rates 50 tips for ecommerce sites

  • index

  • integrating microsoft great plains accounting erp rms crm ecommerce lotus domino overview

  • integrating microsoft great plains accounting erp rms crm ecommerce lotus domino overview for developer

  • internet basics ecommerce is like playing house

  • introduction to ecommerce

  • is ecommerce right for our business

  • leading ecommerce consultant admits you should only listen to one real expert and its not him

  • meeting the uk ecommerce regulations

  • merchant services add ecommerce functionality to any business

  • microsoft dynamics gp 9 0 ecommerce web development overview for programmer

  • microsoft ecommerce web development great plains econnect net approach highlights for programmer

  • microsoft great plains ecommerce know your options and alternatives

  • microsoft great plains ecommerce overview for developer

  • microsoft great plains ecommerce stored procedures approach

  • microsoft small business manager ecommerce overview

  • my top 7 favorite ecommerce tools

  • network monitoring for serious ecommerce

  • oscommerce a viable ecommerce solution

  • outsourcing your ecommerce order fulfillment

  • quick ecommerce tutorial

  • reverse logistics and ecommerce

  • rotator

  • search engine optimization in an ecommerce world

  • select a niche market for ecommerce

  • seo for ecommerce

  • small business ecommerce web design

  • surviving the ecommerce competition

  • the ecommerce business plan

  • the ecommerce myth

  • the lowdown on ecommerce making all the pieces fit together

  • the no 1 ecommerce solution tip for you

  • the rumors of ecommerce death

  • the seven pillars of ecommerce defined

  • using ebay to market your ecommerce website

  • victoryvisions your one stop to build a successfull ecommerce website

  • web design for ecommerce

  • web ecommerce where to begin

  • whats toll free numbers got to do with ecommerce

  • what ecommerce software has to offer

  • why ecommerce is not ready for my daughter or me

  • why vps is perfect for ecommerce hosting

  • why you should use turnkey websites to jumpstart your ecommerce activity