E-commerce
is a huge part of what's happening on the web.
It may be your reason for wanting a website.
Millions
of dollars are spent each year in online purchases.
It's convenient, secure, it's easy to price
compare and almost anything you need can be
found online.
If you
are a merchant you have the opportunity to
reach more people through
your website than you otherwise might.
People from all over the world can visit your
site and make purchases.
So
what does it take to get an e-commerce site
up and running? There are several factors
that must be considered:
- How many products do you
wish to sell?
- Will you include pictures
of your products (always a good idea)?
- Are your products downloadable
(music files, software, etc.)?
- What method of payment will
you accept?
- What shipping fees will
you charge?
- Is your product taxable?
- Are you offering a service
instead of a product?
Shoppingcart System
If you're planning on selling
a large number of products your best bet will
be a shoppingcart system. With a shoppingcart
system your customers can view your products,
add them to the cart, and send payment through
the checkout area. The program keeps up with
everything.
There are many shoppingcart
systems available, depending on your needs.
These can be purchased and installed on the
server where your website resides. There are
also several free cart programs available that
work pretty well.
We have four different licensed
and pre-installed shoppingcart systems that
our clients may use. We do not charge for the
programs, however we do charge to custom configure
your cart system (see
our services page).
Maybe you specialize in one
product or a service. In that case a shoppingcart
program might not be necessary. It would still
be possible to show your product or describe
your service and accept payments online through
your website.
Accepting Payments Online
In order to accept payments
online you will need a payment processor. This
could be a credit card merchant account or
an online payment processor such as Paypal.
Merchant Account
A merchant account allows you
to accept credit cards. You can obtain a merchant
account through your bank or through an online
service such as Charge.com.
Shoppingcart programs are built
with a to
most major merchant service providers. Many
merchant service providers also have shoppingcart
systems that their clients may use.
You should decide on the merchant
service provider before choosing a shoppingcart
system. That way you will be able to choose
the shoppingcart system that is right for you.
Paypal
A very popular payment option
is Paypal. Many of our clients use Paypal to
accept online payments.
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