Other Options to Consider

The paradigm for e-commerce is constantly changing, and many players are added to the game on a weekly basis.

Because FrontPage integrates so tightly with any third-party product or system, the entire world of e-commerce is in fact open to the FrontPage user.

NOTE

Exploit this fact to your fullest possible advantage. You are not stuck with a single supplier for all e-commerce tools nor must you only work with a product with a FrontPage plug-in. Pick a "best of breed" approach that provides the options you need at the price that is right for you.

Microsoft Commerce Solutions

As discussed earlier, Microsoft is encouraging the use of the bCentral toolset for the small business. For larger businesses and industry requirements, Microsoft Commerce Server is the recommended Microsoft platform for e-commerce.

Although the product provides no plug-in for it, FrontPage 2003 can be directly used in the development process as the product is built on the Windows platform. Sites can be accessed and edited directly through FrontPage or products in the Visual Studio suite.

Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 provides most of the high-end features you'd expect from a professional e-commerce system. In addition to personalization options and customer-specific catalogs, it also provides levels of e-commerce intelligence to refine your shopping process and integrates tightly with Visual Studio and the entire Microsoft .NET platform push.

NOTE

More information about Microsoft Commerce Server can be found online at http://commerceserver.frontpagelink.com. At the time of publication, the retail prices for Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 (standard) was $6,999.

FrontPage Cart

FrontPage Cart is a unique e-commerce solution because it provides only the commerce-side of the e-commerce equation, allowing you to develop your site any way you want by sending the customer to the FrontPage Cart service only if he is ready to buy. You can customize the FrontPage Cart interface to model the look and feel of your site as you desire, as seen in Figure B.5.

Figure B.5. Customize your shopping cart interface with FrontPage Cart.

It is also unique in that it not only provides e-commerce capabilities, but it also provides an entire suite of services that complete the e-commerce process including a solid affiliate program (two-tiered), unlimited personalized sequential auto responders, e-couponing, ad tracking, digital delivery, and more.

The FrontPage Cart servers provide all the necessary security services, such as SSL connections and encrypted communications between their service and other payment processors. There is no need to purchase any digital certificates or security software if you are going to use this product.

NOTE

FrontPage Cart is a version of the popular 1ShoppingCart product specifically updated with information and documentation for FrontPage users. The service is the same price and engine as 1ShoppingCart but provides focus for the FrontPage user.

Because the FrontPage Cart service only handles the e-commerce end of the Web transaction, it is one of the easiest solutions to integrate into any FrontPage Web site. It also provides the most flexibility because it requires little integration with your Web site short of a Click Here to Purchase link, as seen in Figure B.6.

Figure B.6. Each product in FrontPage Cart gets a Buy Me link that ads it to the shopping cart or a One Click link that takes you right to an order page.

Who Uses This Service?

I have used FrontPage Cart as the e-commerce provider for all of my e-commerce endeavors (including http://frontpagetools.frontpagelink.com) for the past two years and have found its approach to be exactly what I needed for my e-commerce and marketing efforts. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I've sent a lot of money through FrontPage Cart and have done considerable research on the competition. I've found their unique approach to providing both e-commerce and marketing tools in the same package as the very tool I need to do business online.

Take a look around the site. With the free trial, you can't go wrong.

NOTE

FrontPage Cart can be found at http://frontpagecart.frontpagelink.com. Prices for the product range from $19 to $69 monthly based on the user's requirements.

It currently offers a free month of service to anyone interested.

VeriSign Commerce Site Services

VeriSign recently purchased Network Solutions, the original source for all domain name registrations, and has been slowly putting together a series of products and services for businesses.

NOTE

At publication time, VeriSign's product offerings are in flux but more information can be found at http://verisign.frontpagelink.com.

Site Build It

Site Build It is a unique all-in-one approach to Web site marketing and sales that provides considerably much more than the traditional Web hosting package. It is truly a one-of-a-kind company and system that is worth seriously looking at.

Included in this unique service is a series of automated marketing tools and traffic building features that are too numerous to list here. Site Build It is the only service of its kind and should be examined by anyone looking at Web strategy options.

NOTE

At publication time, Site Build It had not launched its e-commerce initiative, but will do so shortly. When it does launch, it will quickly become a major force in e-commerce.

How big is it in scope? It recently passed bCentral in customer traffic.

Site Build It allows the user to develop his site in any HTML design product and upload the pages into his system. There are a few tricks to using Site Build It with FrontPage, but you will find that they are well worth your effort. A great resource on adapting your FrontPage Web Site for Site Build It can be found at http://sbifrontpage.frontpagelink.com.

Soon, Site Build It will support both the sale of electronic goods through its product and a charge for services element that will help service providers eliminate that common "check is in the mail" problem. A full merchant account will be included in the service offering.

NOTE

Site Build It can be found at http://sitebuildit.frontpagelink.com. The service is currently $299 a year.

PayPal

PayPal made a name for itself in the early days of the Internet for providing a simple way for users on the Internet to transfer money safely between each other without the need for a credit card merchant account. PayPal's unique approach to an Internet escrow service brought it customers by the millions. It has since been purchased by auction giant eBay and rivals some banks in its size and impact on the Internet.

The role and impact of PayPal in e-commerce should not be underestimated. It has more than 25 million customers online (how is that for a market) and continues to grow at an astounding rate. Although a PayPal account is a little harder to get than it was in the past, it remains a powerful tool for people doing online commerce.

PayPal can be integrated into your FrontPage enabled e-commerce Web site in the following ways:

• On the most basic level, you can use PayPal to sell products on a single basis. A walk through the PayPal site will show you how to quickly create a "Buy Now" button for your Web site. By answering a few simple questions, PayPal will give you the HTML to insert into your site to make not only the button, but also provide the functionality that will give you the ability to sell online through PayPal.

• The PayPal Developer Network recently released a plug-in for FrontPage that makes developing "Buy Now" buttons easier than ever before (see Figure B.7). You can find the plug-in at http://paypalplugin.frontpagelink.com.

  Figure B.7. The PayPal plug-in for FrontPage makes it easy to create "Buy Now" buttons for your FrontPage Web site that let you sell product online using PayPal as your payment processor.

  

• On a slightly more complicated level, a few shopping cart scripts can use PayPal as a payment processor. One such script that integrates tightly with FrontPage can be found at http://fpcartpal.frontpagelink.com.

• The rise of PayPal's popularity has encouraged many shopping cart and e-commerce service providers to offer PayPal as a payment gateway option. In addition to many others, LaGarde and 1ShoppingCart, both mentioned in this chapter, provide for this option.

TIP

Do go through the effort of getting a PayPal account and do spend some time in the PayPal Developer Network Area of the site. PayPal is doing some amazing things with e-commerce that should at least be examined by anyone pondering business online.

NOTE

PayPal can be found online at http://paypal.frontpagelink.com. There is no charge to sign up for an account: Fees are assessed only when money is received.

Web Stores

Companies such as LaGarde, Yahoo!, and eBay provide Web store solutions entire sites hosted on a third-party Web server that provide both the store and the process for building it.

There are two benefits to using an approach like this when developing an e-commerce strategy: 1) the entire e-commerce process is handled by another entity, and 2) the leverage these big names can bring to the process can potentially help you get more customers for your products.

Many find the ideal e-commerce solution is to build their corporate Web site with FrontPage and host it with a traditional host. The corporate site then links to the Web store enabling each site the capability to do what it does best.

eBay Stores

Very little needs to be said about eBay. Its impact on the Internet and the world of e-commerce is without compare. Its entry into the Web store universe brings both the stability of its name with the ability to promote store offerings within its e-commerce giant.

eBay Stores can be found at http://ebaystores.frontpagelink.com. The service has options as low as $9.95 a month with additional fees for product insertion, transactions, revenue sharing, and so on.

StoreFrontNow

LaGarde's StoreFrontNow program is the most recent entry into this field, but provides a unique angle because the program code used for the product is the same server code LaGarde sells under the StoreFront name. As a result, the product is built on a well proven entity and supports additional feature sets, such as the ability to push your products to popular online auction sites such as eBay and Yahoo!Auctions.

LaGarde's StoreFrontNow program can be found at http://lagarde.frontpagelink.com. Prices start at $39 per month.

Yahoo! Store

Yahoo! Store is the oldest entry in this space. It provides a solid product, can help with the acquisition of a merchant account, and gives you the ability to cross promote your product to the entire Yahoo! Shopping portal.

Yahoo! Store can be found at http://yahoostore.frontpagelink.com. The base for the service is $49.95 a month with additional fees for product insertion, transactions, revenue sharing, and so on.

NOTE

Yahoo! recently announced that it would be producing a FrontPage plug-in for Yahoo! Stores, but no other information was available at publication time.

When more information about this is made available, we'll update the http://yahoostore.frontpagelink.com dynamic link to send you directly to that information.