An ecommerce site is different from an information site – it has a different function or purpose altogether
Obviously its primary purpose it to allow people to buy on line.
Behind the scenes the software required to run such a site is a lot more involved and complex than a straight information site. But the good news is it doesn’t have to be that much harder to build or maintain.
So if you are looking to start selling on line, here’s a short list of what you will need to get you get started
The Five Things Required Are
1. Products Of course – you have to have something to sell!! But what you sell online doesn’t have to be a physical product. Shopping carts can be configured to sell digital goods such as pictures, music, software, etc. Or another option if you don’t have any inventory is to look into drop shipped products. This is where people buy from you but the order is fulfilled by a wholesaler who then delivers the product directly the customer without any further involvement from you.
2. Shopping Cart Software to run the site. If you google eCommerce software you will see there is no shortage of choices. Some software is better suited to certain types of sites than others. Some are free and some are very expensive. One thing you should always keep in mind is the level of technical support available.
I have built sites using 3 or 4 different shopping cart programs – and I have tested out many many more. The ones I recommend for 99% of all eCommerce sites are zencart and CS-cart. They are both easy to install, modify and have good technical support. Plus they are fairly easy to use!
3. SSL and Dedicated IP: An SSL certificate creates the ‘https’ secure version of your website. This represents the fact the web page is encrypted and is thus more secure than an http page. With SSL , sensitive financial data like credit card details are protected.
So sensitive financial data like credit card details are protected. Thankfully you don’t need to know too much about how to install an SSL certificate just be aware that you need one. Let your web host or web designer do the rest!
4. Merchant Account and Payment Gateway. For most online stores a credit card processing service like PayPal or Paymate is used to accept payments. These work well and are widely used and are inexpensive
You can also set up a merchant facility through your bank. Just be aware there is usually a monthly fee involved but it can be cheaper if you can often can negotiate a lower transaction rate – usually only possible if you have a high volume of sales.
Otherwise stick with the online processors.
5. Shipping Provider. Getting the shipping and delivery set up correctly is key to how competitive your prices will be perceived to be.
The easiest way is to do it is to have the shopping cart software link directly to your chosen shipping company – in Australia this would most likely be Australia Post. The software tells the shipping company the weight, size, origin and destination of the item being sent and gets a shipping cost in return. This is then used in the checkout process.
Alternatively if you can try setting a flat rate for all deliveries. Or even free delivery within a specified region.
Be sure your shopping cart allows these options..
Putting it all together
If you are a hands-on kind of person you do it all. ie you can set up a hosting account, order and map the domain over and have the SSL certificate installed to it and then install the chosen shopping cart software.
This software will almost certainly need configuring for your desired payment gateway and shipping and probably will almost certainly need some code modifications and template modifications.
You will then need to input of your privacy statement, trading terms and so on.
Finally you’ll set up your categories and input your catalogue of products.
As you can see it’s not an instant process. If you’re doing it for the first time it might take 60 – 80 or so hours. But it would only have cost you a few hundred dollars.
Or you can get a web designer like myself to do it. Just supply me with the required data and I can have it all ready for you within 3 – 4 weeks. Ready for launch. It will cost more than $500 obviously. But not that much more… especially considering it will free up 80 hours of your time!
Now you have a shopping cart: what next?
Getting online with your shopping cart is just the beginning. You’re going to need to generate some good traffic to start to make sales. But that’s another story!.
Dont want to do it yourself? Get an Ecommerce Web Site Design quote from Richard Law, the Web Design Specialist
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- How To Safely Apply Online For Credit Card Facilities Today.
