Establishing
your online e-commerce presence, is not as easy as one might think.
We
at West1Media have worked through the years with many software
shopping cart systems, vendors, and hosts. Let us guide you making
the right decisions not just in the design, but also marketing
of your store. Some of the steps in getting your store online
include:
- Image optimization
of products
- Template
pages for easy updates
- Shopping
Cart configuration
- Promotion
- Compliance
in code and usability
General
Questions Answered...
What
is E-Commerce?
The buying and
selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over
the internet. Such a practice has exploded in the past year alone,
as security issues have improved, and more and more consumers are
buying and goods and services online also called ecommerce. Typically
there are three types of ecommerce transactions: business to business
(Cisco), business to consumer (ie etailers), and consumer to consumer
(eBay).also called ecommerce.
The consumer
moves through the internet to the merchant's web site. From there,
he decides that he wants to purchase something, so he is moved to
the online transaction server, where all of the information he gives
is encrypted. Once he has placed his order, the information moves
through a private gateway to a Processing Network, where the issuing
and acquiring banks complete or deny the transaction. This generally
takes place in no more than 5-7 seconds. There are many different
payment systems available to accommodate the varied processing needs
of merchants, from those who have a few orders a day to those who
process thousands of transactions daily. With the addition of Secure
Socket Layer technology, eCommerce is also a very safe way to complete
transactions.
What is
a Shopping Cart?
Shopping cart software
is an Internet software that can be used to allow people to purchase
your items, keep track of your accounts, and tie together all of
the aspects of your eCommerce site into one cohesive whole. While
there are many other types of software that you can use in it's
place, such as catalog software or a flat order form, shopping cart
software is the most popular and the most widely known.
Many Online Transaction
Providers will have shopping cart software that comes with their
service, but it can often be very expensive, so be warned.
If you cannot
afford to spend at least a couple of hundred dollars on this software,
you should be looking for a package that offers it as a rental included
in the monthly service charge, or one that offers a simple flat
order form.
What
will help me create a successful e-commerce business?
What makes one e-commerce site take off while another
languishes is hard to say. The best all share some common traits
worth considering when building your site.
Create easy-to-Navigate pages
Generally, good sites have a minimum of graphics
and clutter, display navigational tools along the top or down the
side, and offer a table of contents, maps, and indexes. Make merchandise
easy to find. Shoppers can't buy what they can't locate. Storefronts
that hide merchandise behind a crowded home page or several layers
of information will frustrate them. Build into your site the search
capabilities that will let users sort by subject, item, or some
other category.
Getting
an Internet Merchant Bank Account
In order to
be able to accept credit cards over the internet, you must apply
to your bank for an Internet Merchant Bank Account. This can be
relatively easy or somewhat difficult, depending on which country
you live in and what bank you are with. U.S.A.: In the US, this
is a fairly simple procedure. Many banks offer Internet Merchant
Accounts, and most Online Transaction Providers will support them.
See your bank for details. International: Since the vast majority
of Online Transaction Providers are located in the US and are restricted
in their ability to interact with banks outside their own country,
international merchants have very little choice. An international
merchant has to find a way to get a US merchant account, embark
on the equally difficult task of finding a local Online Transaction
Provider, or utilize one of the few companies that services the
international market. Also, many banks outside the US have very
restrictive policies regarding internet accounts. Luckily, the situation
is improving, and most Online Transaction Providers will help you
with this if you get in touch with them.
Here are
some additional issues to keep in mind when you apply for a Merchant
Bank Account:
- A US merchant account can take up to a month to come through.
If you already have a merchant bank account, you will probably also
need to upgrade it to an Internet account.
- Ensure that your bank accepts Internet merchant accounts and has
credit card processors that can connect to FDC, Paymentech or CyberCash.
- Your account must be able to handle Card Not Present transactions.
