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 Internet. There are popular slang terms such as ebusiness, click and mortar, dotcom, cyber-mall and multiple spellings (eCommerce, e-commerce, E-Commerce), but they are all basically the same thing. Dont let the different phrases confuse you, it all comes back to the same principle: selling online.
So how do you know if selling online will be beneficial for your business? There are a few basic questions that can help you with this decision. First and foremost, can you afford to develop a professional eCommerce storefront on your Web site? Youve heard the phrase if you cant do it right, its not worth doing at all. This is especially true in regards to eCommerce because people will not purchase from your Web site if it looks amateur and is poorly done.
Custom developed eCommerce sites can cost tens of thousands of dollars, but pre-built shopping cart solutions such as WebSolutions Marketplace can provide your business with a professional eCommerce storefront for a fraction of the cost. Another benefit of a program like this is whereas a Yahoo or eBay store may be less expensive to get going, its going to be less customizable, and as your business grows, youll outgrow the site and need to start over again. An option like the Marketplace provides a great starting place with unlimited building potential and growth.
After the cost issue is addressed, you need to evaluate the potential of selling your product or service online. Are any of your competitors selling online? If not, have a brainstorming session and try to think of any logical reasons why they arent. Could it be that they tried and failed or is it that they just havent thought about selling online yet? One key to remember is that once you make the decision to sell online, your product and pricing is now available 24/7 to anyone that stumbles upon your site.
After evaluating your competitors Web sites, you need to look at your product line and determine your target audience. Who buys from your now? Are you selling to businesses or individuals? If the answer is businesses, are they generally companies that are active on the Internet or businesses that dont rely on the Web as much (such as mechanics, restaurants, etc.). If the answer is individuals, what demographic(s) are you advertising your products or services to? You need to be sure that the people you want purchasing your product have access to the Internet and are willing to shop online. Few businesses realize that over 80% of the worlds Internet access speed is still dial-up, so loading huge catalogs, Flash files, and large graphics will deter a prospect from purchasing.
Finally, you need to determine how you can make your business stand out from all the rest. If youre selling copier supplies, why is someone going to come to your site versus the other millions of copier supply Web sites? Are you going to sell based on price, location, quantity, quality of service? Are you going to provide online shipment tracking, account management, wish lists, real-time credit card authorization and processing, and other advanced eCommerce applications to make your site more professional? These are all issues that need to be addressed before you start designing your first product page.
Taking the next step of selling online is a big decision for your business and isnt to be taken lightly. There is significant cost and risk involved, but there is also significant reward waiting to be had. Be sure to consult with your Web developer to find out which options are available to you and do your research ahead of time. Not every eCommerce site is profitable, but if you prepare, theres no reason yours cant be.
WebSolutions is a professional Web site design, development, and hosting company based near Chicago. Their expertise in eCommerce has been highlighted in print and television and their custom developed solutions and pre-built shopping cart application (The Marketplace) has been successful for businesses nationwide. Jon Kee handles all sales and marketing related activities for WebSolutions and can be reached by phone at 630.375.6833 or email @ sales@wsol.com. Visit us online: http://www.wsol.com
Intermediate Tips for Ecommerce
If you are like many people who are interested in developing an Internet based business, you need to understand the different...
Quick Ecommerce - 3 Top Ways to Get Started With Ecommerce
The Internets exploding popularity and usefulness has engendered an entirely new type of business that the worlds executives ...
The Ecommerce Consultant
An ecommerce consultant has the job to help you improve and market your site effectively in order to assist you in increasing...
How to Make Money Through Your Ecommerce Website
If you are in the process of setting up an eCommerce website, or of you are interested in increasing the revenue and profits ...
Struggling to Choose an Ecommerce Merchant Account?
If you run an online business and you dont know what an ecommerce merchant account is you need to read this article. A simply...
Best Ebusiness - Make More Profit With Ecommerce
Ecommerce is the way trace is being done these days. The internet has changed the way of doing things. The way we do business...
Targeted Ecommerce - 4 Steps to Make More Profit with Ecommerce
The innovation and advancement in technology in the recent years has changed the way we do business today. In the past the bu...
Lucrative Ecommerce - 6 Quick Steps to Ecommerce Success
If you are interested in establishing a lucrative ecommerce enterprise, there are 6 steps to ecommerce success that you must ...
Best Ecommerce - 6 Steps to Get Started With Ecommerce
If you are interested in starting the best ecommerce venture, there are 6 ways in which you can get started with the most pro...
Ecommerce Web Design Easier Methods for Merchants
There are so many web designers and web design companies available online today for merchants to use as resources for their e...
Ecommerce - The Trade World Today
With the essence of internet as the most important source of trade and business, the real world markets have lost the traditi...
Specialized Needs for a Successful Ecommerce Solution
An Exploding MarketplaceThe world has become a busy place, with trillions of dollars changing hands each year in business tra...
Ecommerce Website Design - Understanding All of the Aspects
Online business is taking the world by storm, creating billions of pounds in revenue. Many companies are scrambling to put t...
Profitable Ecommerce - Cutting Edge Points of the Profitability of Ecommerce
Because we live in fast times and demand everything in the shortest amount of time, everything else has adjusted and evolved ...
E-Commerce Packages: This One or That One?
Cyber space is flooded with all types of solutions that you cant even imagine. With increasing trend of online shopping & eco...
The Ecommerce Business Plan
This is where the online business venture begins.The ecommerce business plan is a plan of action, without which nothing of re...
Why Ecommerce Merchant Account Is Absolute Mandatory For Your Business?
The importance of Ecommerce Merchant Account is talked about all the time because if you are in online business, you need mec...
Profitable Ecommerce - 3 Keys To Make A Profit With Ecommerce
Ecommerce is the way to go. Trade and commerce has been affected a lot by the evolution and evolvement of internet as the mos...
How to Ecommerce
Ecommerce is becoming one of the primary ways for companies to do business because so many are home based or dont carry any i...
Ecommerce Hosting - What You Need To Know
There are a few key considerations a beginner should consider when it comes to ecommerce hosting. Although it may appear to b...