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Guide to e-commerce - the guide

Guide to e-commerce

E-commerce is here to stay. Handled correctly, it can provide your company with new channels to market.

Many businesses still shy away from e-commerce because they think they don't understand it. But that isn't the case; if you can run a successful business, you can also run a successful e-business. However, you do need to get all the right technology in place.

Be clear what your proposition is

Define your market - what are you selling and whom do you want to sell it to? This will help you to guide the design and presentation of your e-business site - just as you would when thinking about the design and location of a shop, letterhead or brochure.

Decide if you want to handle on-line orders

Does your product or service translate to on-line delivery or not? If you are an optician, you cannot do eye tests on-line, but you could show examples of frames or perhaps carry a 'frequently asked questions' section about contact lenses. However, orders for solutions and other sundries may be fine to handle on-line. The point is, look at whole depth of service you supply and consider what aspects could be delivered on-line and which could not. Try to think "outside of the box" and use your imagination.

You know how to give good customer service don't you? It's good service to answer phones and correspondence promptly and e-commerce has similar common-sense rules which are often overlooked - below are some examples:

Answer queries promptly

You wouldn't leave the phone unanswered for days, so make sure someone looks at and answers your e-mail at least once a day. Research shows that failure to do this is the single biggest cause of frustration amongst Internet customers.

Make sure your staff know your web site

Ensure that the people who take phone calls know what is on your web site, especially current offers and latest developments. Ideally, they should have on-line access available at all times.

Ensure you have a reliable web host

If you are on the web, you potentially have a worldwide, 24 hour a day, 7 day a week business. You're wasting your efforts unless you have the site hosted on a reliable server with a fast internet connection to the whole world.

Make your offering clear

If you can only serve clients in the UK, say so. If there is going to be any delay in delivery, say so. If a product is out of stock, say so - but also when it will be available. With Click and Build you can even show actual stock levels - if you want to. Either way, because e-commerce gives the impression of being instant, clients will expect fast delivery unless you tell them otherwise. Prices, sizes, colours, discounts or whatever options you offer all need to be clearly shown.

Publicise your site

It is important to register your site with the main search engines - most of them allow you to do this on-line from their own sites but you have to keep going back to keep your profile in their search results. Alternatively, use search submission software like Submit Wolf Pro to do the work for you. Also, get your product or service known by contacting clubs, newsgroups etc. - for example if you sell mountain bikes, do a search on related subjects and you will find many sites happy to place free links to equipment manufacturers and retailers. Why not get your suppliers, customers and partners to link to your site from their site and link to them from yours? Find out more in Part 7: Promoting your website.

Update your site regularly

Ensure you carry the latest prices, products and promotions on your site. If it is plainly stale and out of date, people will look elsewhere. Consider using a special offer page.

OK, as you say, that is all common sense - so what about the technical bits? What do I need?

Your own website

See 'Finding a host' and 'Choosing a domain name'. Writing the brief. These guides will give you the info you need to build your own professional-looking site or consider getting a professional agency to design the look and function of your website. It will be money well spent.

A secure server

Simply put, this means that the data your customer sends to you is encrypted so that it cannot be 'hacked'. Even if you simply have the equivalent of an online brochure, you will still need encryption if you wish to receive orders - and perhaps credit card details - online. Whilst there has been concern about security, there are a number of reliable and proven systems which can be provided by your 'perfect host'. Click and Build and Actinic Catalog both have industry standard encryption technology for complete peace of mind and customer confidence.

E-commerce software

There are many software packages available, from free packages which allow you to test the e-commerce concept with a few products, through to those costing several thousand pounds which will allow a comprehensive catalogue, shopping basket and automated credit card clearance. Beyond this, major businesses may choose a bespoke package that will integrate with accounts, warehousing and delivery. The best way to select a package is to look at a few sites that offer e-commerce in a similar market to yours, and find out what software is used by the best ones.

On-line card acceptance

Because e-commerce opens up a huge new potential market, you will need to consider a safe and reliable means for customers to pay. In retail, this often means credit and debit cards. If you only expect small numbers of transactions, you may be able to use a normal merchant account and enter the sales manually - but do check with your bank that they allow you to receive orders over the INTERNET. If you expect larger volumes, consider using on-line payment automatically from within your e-commerce software. Remember there will be an extra charge for this service over and above your current merchant charge but this will be more than offset by the cost effectiveness of selling on-line.

Be willing to take external advice

We mentioned earlier the need to think "outside the box". The reason for this is that on-line commerce, for many companies means a quantum shift in their business environment and in particular in the competitive landscape. In short, new threats and opportunities arise at a rapid rate, and you might be too close to your own business to spot them. Take advice from experienced experts in the field; it need not be expensive and might make a huge difference.

Part 1: Guide to e-commerce
Part 2: Writing the brief
Part 3: Choosing a supplier
Part 4: Assessing the proposals
Part 5: Finding the right host
Part 6: Choosing a domain name
Part 7: Promoting your website