Selling on the Web

Selling on the Web is becoming big business, although most retail outlets are still having trouble maintaining their equilibrium in a rapidly changing online marketplace . Not to be daunted by folding dot-coms, however, new Internet businesses spring to life hourly around the globe. And everybody is thinking about e-commerce. How will your business make money on the Web? And how much do you have to shell out to create a professional ”and profitable ”e-commerce-capable Web site?

Microsoft has at least one answer for small businesses who want to dip a toe into the Internet marketplace without mortgaging the farm to do it. Microsoft bCentral is a FrontPage add-in and service that helps you build e-commerce capability into your Web site. When you download the bCentral add-in, you are given templates that help you design your own catalog and e-commerce pages, add a shopping cart, create an online store, manage your sales, and process the orders you receive. Then, once your site is in place, you can subscribe to the bCentral.com service, and pay a monthly fee to have bCentral manage all these different e-commerce components for you. For more information about these and other bCentral .com services, visit http://www.bcentral.com.

Aha! ”Showcase Your Services

Microsoft Office Online also includes the Office Marketplace, which enables you to list your services in business-to-business categories such as Creating Documents, Reference, Calendars and Printing, Content Management, Communication and Collaboration, Analysis Tools, and Training and Assistance. To visit Office Marketplace, make sure you re online, display the Help task pane, and click Connect To Office on Microsoft.com.