E-Commerce Solutions

While some e-commerce operators will choose to handle all the tasks needed to build and design their website, others will choose to outsource some or all of those duties. And, to be honest, if money is no object, you should hire a consultant or web-designer to help in the building and design stages. However, most readers’ budgets can’t accommodate the costs of outsourcing such chores and thus they must take care of the website design aspects themselves. This means that they are charged with the task of finding the best service or e-commerce software package to meet their budget and requirements. This chapter is written for that group, but even those with deep pockets should read this chapter to understand what their outsourcer(s) offers.

In the previous chapters we discussed the necessities of a basic website infrastructure, now its time to determine how to incorporate that infrastructure into a working e-commerce site. This requires some sort of e-commerce software. The application or program you chose must enable your website to provide your customers with the convenience of on-line shopping, i.e. provide your customers with the ability to view your goods, to add or to delete items from their selection, and to review their final selection prior to purchase.

Whether you are a novice or an expert, whether you are starting a new web-based business or giving your brick-and-mortar business a web presence, there is an e-commerce software package that is right for you. It doesn’t matter if you have just a few products or a whole catalog that gives your online customer thousands of choices, determining the right e-commerce software package for your e-business can be a confusing undertaking. For example, some e-commerce products are designed to grow with your business, but other products work well only in low traffic environments. Use your blueprint — it will make the task easier.

One of the first decisions to make is whether to enable online order processing or handle your orders via an order form that is then emailed to you for processing. Next, you must decide whether you would rather run your website from an e-commerce package, an “out of the box” solution, or a “software toolkit,” which requires additional programming to provide a complete, but flexible, customized solution. Here again, use your blueprint — it concisely lays out your site’s exact needs and specifications.

NOTE
Consider your own and your staff’s “expertise” with computers before making a final decision as to which e-commerce solution is right for your e-business.

While the author has categorized the various e-commerce packages, please note that these categories often spill over into each other. However, there are a few items that are consistent throughout the categories and as you examine the various e-commerce solutions, you should consider:

• The product’s ease of set up.
• Will the software integrate easily with your existing software?
• Is scalability limited to what is offered by the hosting service or can you integrate new software products?
• How are orders processed?
• Is the software difficult to administer?
• Can it import product data from a database?
• How thorough and responsive is the documentation and support?
• Will your website operator have limited technical knowledge? If so, the software should make extensive use of wizards and templates.
• Or, if you have an experienced website operator, the software can be more flexible and responsive to your needs such as software that can create CGI scripting and HTML pages.

NOTE
It is of the utmost importance that you install your online e-commerce software on a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) server to facilitate safe (and private) online transactions.