|
|
|
eCommerce, How much does it cost?
Making profits with your existing website design or creating a new online store can be exciting, affordable and most of all; rewarding. Mmmm . . . that's what the last sales guy told me.
What is eCommerce (or selling via the Internet)? It is...
Ecommerce Store Owners : Want Visitors? Here’s How. . .
Have you recently opened an online store, and waiting for those customers to drop by and start shopping? In cyberworld - unlike the real world - you just can’t pick a good location and rely on passing trade. You’ve got to work hard to get visitors...
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...
Reverse Logistics and eCommerce
It’s no secret that a positive experience delivered to a customer determines whether that customer will come back. Retailers must enhance the user experience prior to pressing the “buy” button but also focus on the post-purchase site...
The Seven Pillars of eCommerce Defined
A study released by research firm "Gartner Group" predicts 75% of all e-business projects will fail due to poor planning and unrealistic expectations of technology. In order for any company to conduct successful business on the Internet, a process...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
Utilizing a ecommerce shopping cart software solution frees
you of the burden of setting up and managing your shopping car,
credit card processing and sales management functions so you can
concentrate on what you do best, providing products and services
for your customers.
The cost of using professional financial management providers
who can set up your ecommerce shopping cart software pay you
back 10 times over by eliminating the worry if your cash flow is
being managed correctly, if your software is working properly
and if your ecommerce income is secure and under responsible
management.
By utilizing ecommerce shopping cart software solution, the
quality of service is significantly higher than a conventional
solution such as PayPal and the worry of having your account
frozen or service in some other way disrupted is completely
eliminated.
Creating a profitable web site is the dream of many of us. As
you begin to explore the technicalities of getting your web site
up and running, there are a lot of decisions to be made. Perhaps
one of the most daunting areas of research is how to handle
payments online. But getting paid is the bottom line of any
business. You need a reliable and trustworthy tool for
collecting payments for your goods or services and one that will
grow and change with your business and as your web site grows.
In the beginning, the questions outnumber the answers.
Of these many questions and the many more you may have, none are
more perplexing than how to set up that "ecommerce shopping cart
software" on your web site so you can accept credit cards.
Do I have to Apply to the Credit Card Companies to Accept Credit
or to set up my Ecommerce Shopping Cart Software?
The good news is that there are services that are already in
business on the web that can provide you with ecommerce shopping
cart software services and handle all of that overhead for a
small fee. These services have gone through meticulous scrutiny
and have been validated as trustworthy to handle your accounts.
As you start to research these accounts, you will learn how to
look for the proper authentication so you know you are working
with a reputable service.
But here is where a bit of caution is in order. Do your homework
and be a savvy web shopper. Merchant account handlers can be
very costly. Shop around for the right deal. You want an
ecommerce shopping cart software partner who has set up your
business relationship so your level of cost is directly related
to how profitable you are.
Another internet concept that is good to know well is the idea
of having your ecommerce shopping cart software "hosted".
"Hosted" means that a third party is handling the transactions,
the credit card management (and fees) and the payment
authorization as we described earlier.
One alternative to having your ecommerce shopping cart software
transactions hosted of course is to set it all up yourself which
itself is a daunting challenge. A second alternative is to
download a free ecommerce shopping cart software module that can
handle that part of our business for us at no cost. Therefore,
before you go into partnership with a third party hosting
vendor, you need to have peace of mind that it is the right
decision for you.
Are There Some Tangible Reasons to Have My Ecommerce Shopping
Cart Software Hosted Rather Than Use Free Software or Do It
Myself?
What are the reasons for using a hosting solution for our
ecommerce shopping cart software that will be reflected in our
bottom line?
* Your focus is on what you do best. Your internet business, the
services and products you offer there represent what you are
really good at supporting. Let's face it, that is your real
passion, not the nuts and bolts of the infrastructure, the
bookkeeping and the financial details.
* Compare the cost to the investment of your time. In general,
the cost of a hosted ecommerce shopping cart software is under
$100 a month. Compare that to the effort and risk, you will take
by using unreliable software or doing it yourself and it becomes
painfully clear that this is the kind of service you need to
outsource.
* What do you do if something goes wrong? By subscribing to a
reputable business that does this kind of thing for a living,
you have that assurance that they will be there when you need
them.
* You need this job done right the first time! By using a hosted
ecommerce shopping cart software service, the installation and
maintenance of your shopping cart is handled by skilled experts
who are
installing well tested systems on your web site. That
alone is worth the monthly cost of the service.
* One word - Security. Financial transactions must be guarded at
the highest level of security, particularly in the online world.
A reputable hosting service not only has put in place rock solid
security measures, they are bonded and responsible to see to it
your accounts are managed in a secure fashion.
Should I Rely on PayPal for My Ecommerce Shopping Cart Software
Solutions?
PayPal is probably the most well known service for handling
online transactions. However, there may be good reasons to think
again about using PayPal as your primary ecommerce shopping cart
software service and to do some comparison shopping when that
time comes.
At the very least, consider keeping more than one ecommerce
shopping cart software option at your disposal. If for any
reason your account becomes unavailable, "frozen" or locked out
because the service has problems, that can have a dynamic impact
on your business and on your customer retention as we will
discuss I a moment.
What Are the Best Ways to Enhance My Ecommerce Shopping Cart
Software Presence to Improve My Web Visitors Experience and
Encourage More Business?
In addition to choosing the right ecommerce shopping cart
software vendor and keeping backup alternatives as we have
discussed, putting some thought into how your site will manage
the purchase processing will pay off in completed sales and
repeat sales.
* Use a secure sign authority (SSL certificate) such as Verisign
or Scanalert. Once you have set your site up with these
services, you can prominently display your authorization which
will give your business credibility as a legitimate member of
the internet business community.
* Put into place a site search function early in your web
visitors experience. Web shoppers love to use search engines and
it also gives you a point of contact to collect interest
information from them which can be used later for marketing
purposes.
* Be subtle in guiding your customers to the point of purchase.
So many sites put a "buy now" button on every page which is
pushy and tends to drive customers away. Instead, draw your
customer in and then when you know they are looking at what they
want, then guide them to the purchase process where your
ecommerce shopping cart software is located.
* Review your purchase process to assure that it is easy,
enjoyable and fast so the customer frustration is kept very low
or eliminated. Have your site reviewed by friends and associates
so they can give you an impartial review of how your purchase
flow works for the average web customer.
* Retain input. If you harvest their information early in their
visit, use that again later when they are signing up for a
purchase. Display on the screen the information you have
gathered.
* Give your customers a point of review before they confirm the
final purchase. Once they have made their product, shipping and
other related choices, display a summary page of their purchase
which represents their invoice.
* Make sure the customer is sure where they are in the purchase
process and how much is left. If there is a five step process to
the purchase, tell your customer what that is as they begin and
let them know where they are as they go so they know they are on
the right track and will be done soon.
* Communicate often with your customers about the purchase as it
is processed. Send a confirmation email with the invoice to
supplement the place online where they can purchase. As the
purchase is processed, send frequent emails letting them know
what is happening.
There are many ways you can customize the purchase experience
for your customers so their interaction with your ecommerce
shopping cart software is enjoyable and rewarding to them. They
will never know they are working with a third party service but
by combining the professionalism of your ecommerce shopping cart
software provider with your own high priority on customer
service, you are building a web site sure to be a on the book
mark list for your valuable customers.
About the author:
Since 1998 Sandro has been helping ordinary people achieve
"extra-ordinary" results in business and in life. He lives in
Vancouver, BC - Canada and he's one of the late Corey Rudl's
protégés teaching internet marketing at the IMC. Learn to
supplement your income, get free weekly tips and how-to advice
by visiting
http://www.sandrosalsi.com/articles/ecommerce-shopping-cart-softw
are.html
|
|
|
|
|
| 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 |
|
|