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Blocking and Tackling | A quick look at 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.
eCommerce can be VERY complex. To offer a...
Choosing an Ecommerce Shopping Cart
Choosing an online shopping cart is a big decision. Unlike a traditional brick and mortar business, your website is your only chance to impress potential customers. It needs to project a professional image to capture the trust of your visitors....
Ecommerce Hosting Considerations
Website hosting can be a complex undertaking. Determining how much space you need, how much transfer, finding a reliable host, and getting everything online is no simple task. Add ecommerce to the mix and things become even more complex. This...
How to Create a Money Magnet Ecommerce Web Site
If you've been online for more than a day you've probably
heard some "guru" somewhere recommend that you create a
Money Magnet Web Site - a site that is highly automated and
helps you make money 24 hours a day. While that might
*sound* great, what...
Merchant services add ecommerce functionality to any business
According to paymentonline.com, this includes credit cards
processing systems with a Merchant Account to receive payment
from the customers. Merchant Accounts are an important element
in any ecommerce venture. Merchant services provide...
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What Ecommerce Software Has to Offer
Setting up a website can seem a daunting task to many of us. Not everyone is proficient at building stunning, effective and dynamic websites; but if you have a product or a service to sell, then having your own website utilizing ecommerce software is one of the most fruitful methods of making sales.
The Advantages of Ecommerce
Selling your product online means there are no geographic limitations. You can sit in your lounge in Texas and sell your home-knitted scarves to people living in Japan. The costs of setting up your business are comparatively non-existent. You don't need to purchase or rent a shop. You don't need to pay for decoration, you will undoubtedly be using less staff and the only utility bills are bills you would usually pay at your own home anyway.
About Your Ecommerce Website
Ecommerce software is any software used on your website to help customers easily shop and pay for their items easily, safely and quickly. In recent years, one of the many advances of the Internet has been the increase in publicity surrounding Internet security. It is absolutely imperative that as well as a good crisp and clean looking website you also offer and display high security on all of your online payments. If you don't you will undoubtedly lose customers and money.
Shopping Carts and Payments - The Essential Items
If you've done any shopping online, you will have probably come across shopping carts of varying levels of quality. When considering ecommerce software you need to pick shopping cart software for your site that is user friendly, stable and fits the design of your site. You should ensure that it can be used on any operating system and as many browsers as possible. Don't forget that not everyone uses Internet Explorer.
When a visitor is looking around your site at the
items you have to offer, you are perhaps hoping that they will make a purchase. Making the buying process easy for them will encourage them to do that. An 'Add To Cart' button is virtually standard on any ecommerce site now, and clicking on this button should take you to a simple but effective looking shopping cart page. Shoppers should be able to select how many items they want and then add that to basket. Once they have selected that item, it may be a good idea to take them back to the page they were last on, encouraging them to continue shopping and spending more money.
Offers
Everybody loves a good deal, and Internet shoppers are by no means different. Try to make sure that your ecommerce software allows you to give discounts under certain circumstances. Perhaps, a 10% discount for anyone spending over $200. Recent ecommerce software offering shopping carts will give you both product level and order level discount options, so you can have sale items as well as spend dependant discounts.
The Bottom Line
If you want to set up an ecommerce website, you will have to get some shopping cart software. Most surfers will simply look for another site if you don't give them the options they expect.
A good shopping cart will give you plenty of options and the opportunity to offer discounts and sale items. A reputable ecommerce software company will, at the very least, give you detailed instructions on installing this software onto your site and how to use it. Choose wisely.
About the Author
Halstatt Pires is an Internet marketing consultant with http://www.marketingtitan.com - an Internet marketing firm in San Diego offering automated web site systems through http://www.businesscreatorpro.com.
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Shopping cart software for Dreamweaver, Frontpage, CSS ecommerce ... |
Shopping cart software integrated into Frontpage, Dreamweaver, CSS and Golive ecommerce software templates. |
www.ecommercetemplates.com |
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E-Commerce & the Internet |
Information from the FTC on E-commerce and the Internet. Includes anti-fraud tips. |
www.ftc.gov |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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eCommerce Innovation Centre |
Practical resources for small business involved in or considering eCommerce implemetations. Expert Advice and Assistance. |
www.ecommerce.ac.uk |
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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 |
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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 |
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The 2005 E-commerce Awards - Welcome |
The UK national E-commerce awards organised by the DTI and Interforum. |
www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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