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.
As a result the software required to run such an eCommerce site is a lot more sophisticated. Fortunately though it doesn't have to be all 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
There are Five Things You Will Need:
1. Products : you need something to sell! It can be a physical product like a CD or book or machinery. Or it can be a virtual product like an eBook, pictures or software. Sometime you don't even need to stock these items - you can use 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.
The shopping carts 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' version of a website - you often see this on shopping carts and finance sites. This represents the fact the page is encrypted and more secure than a straight http page.
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. Typically new online stores use an online credit card processing company such as PayPal or Paymate to accept credit card payments. These work well and are widely used and inexpensive. Most shopping carts integrate with them easily too.
You may prefer to set up a merchant facility through your bank. If you do be aware there is usually a monthly fee involved but often you can negotiate a lower if you have a high volume of sales.
Otherwise stick with the online processors.
5. Shipping Provider. This can be harder than you might think. Getting the shipping right is a key part in how competitive your site will be.
The simplest way is to have the shopping cart link directly to your chosen shipping provider. 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 by the software in the checkout process
Another popular way to do it if you have an inventory of smaller or lighter items is set a flat rate for all deliveries. Or even free delivery within a specified region.
Just be sure your shopping cart lets you change between these options at will.
Putting it all together
If you are a DIY sort of person and have enough time then you can save some money by doing it all. ie you can set up a hosting account, map the domain name over, order the SSL certificate and have it installed and then finally installing the chosen shopping cart software.
This shopping cart software will need configuring for your desired payment gateway and shipping and probably will almost certainly need some code modifications and template modifications.
Then you will need to input of your privacy statement, trading terms, returns policy etc
Finally you'll need to set up your categories and input your 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 to do 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!.
Obviously its primary purpose it to allow people to buy on line.
As a result the software required to run such an eCommerce site is a lot more sophisticated. Fortunately though it doesn't have to be all 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
There are Five Things You Will Need:
1. Products : you need something to sell! It can be a physical product like a CD or book or machinery. Or it can be a virtual product like an eBook, pictures or software. Sometime you don't even need to stock these items - you can use 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.
The shopping carts 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' version of a website - you often see this on shopping carts and finance sites. This represents the fact the page is encrypted and more secure than a straight http page.
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. Typically new online stores use an online credit card processing company such as PayPal or Paymate to accept credit card payments. These work well and are widely used and inexpensive. Most shopping carts integrate with them easily too.
You may prefer to set up a merchant facility through your bank. If you do be aware there is usually a monthly fee involved but often you can negotiate a lower if you have a high volume of sales.
Otherwise stick with the online processors.
5. Shipping Provider. This can be harder than you might think. Getting the shipping right is a key part in how competitive your site will be.
The simplest way is to have the shopping cart link directly to your chosen shipping provider. 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 by the software in the checkout process
Another popular way to do it if you have an inventory of smaller or lighter items is set a flat rate for all deliveries. Or even free delivery within a specified region.
Just be sure your shopping cart lets you change between these options at will.
Putting it all together
If you are a DIY sort of person and have enough time then you can save some money by doing it all. ie you can set up a hosting account, map the domain name over, order the SSL certificate and have it installed and then finally installing the chosen shopping cart software.
This shopping cart software will need configuring for your desired payment gateway and shipping and probably will almost certainly need some code modifications and template modifications.
Then you will need to input of your privacy statement, trading terms, returns policy etc
Finally you'll need to set up your categories and input your 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 to do 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!.
About the Author:
Looking for a web designer to help you one your eCommerce project? Get an Ecommerce Web Site Design quote from Richard Law, the Web Design Specialist
No comments:
Post a Comment