| Like any other business, online and electronic business | | | | shipping calculations based on weight, ZIP, and type of |
| also needs skillful sales and service, merchandising, and | | | | shipping selected. |
| marketing. Actually, careful application of all these | | | | - Payment Gateway: It automatically processes sales |
| business concepts is crucial in e-commerce than in any | | | | and authorizations online, reducing processing time |
| other business, considering the inertia of online buyers. | | | | dramatically. It is advisable to get payment gateway |
| Even a single bad online experience can discourage a | | | | bundled with a merchant account. By doing so you |
| customer from visiting that particular website again. | | | | avail the payment gateway at a discounted rate. If you |
| Create your website | | | | use Pay Pal, Yahoo! Merchant Solutions store, and |
| In an ecommerce business, you must have a website | | | | some other hosted systems, the payment gateway is |
| that could be transformed into an online store. Thus, | | | | already supplied. |
| the first step is to register your URL through a | | | | - Merchant Account: This account enables you to |
| registration company online. Second, select | | | | accept payments for the products sold. You can use |
| e-commerce software that has all the essential | | | | a bank or any other financial institution to accept and |
| features like minimum maintenance and easily order | | | | deposit credit card payments into your account. |
| processing. You must also check whether the | | | | Usually, your bank will have an online facility for your |
| software can place the search engine promptly and | | | | transactions and fees associated with this service. |
| provide quality support for promoting and selling your | | | | Make sure that you select your shopping cart first. |
| products and services. There are several | | | | You can then select a merchant account and |
| e-commerce solutions available to create your online | | | | payment gateway compatible with your shopping cart. |
| catalog, out of which you have to select one that is | | | | Get your business rolling |
| user-friendly so that you learn it fast. It is advisable that | | | | For operating your business successfully online, you |
| you check the software for flexibility of adding | | | | must get visitors to your site. Majority of them will get |
| customized features when you need them. | | | | your reference through search engines. Hence, do key |
| Start Your Online Store | | | | word research to obtain a list of key words that can |
| A successful e-commerce site comprises three | | | | be used in your site information so that the visitors find |
| elements - a shopping cart, payment getaway, and | | | | you. Include these keywords in product names and |
| merchant account. | | | | descriptions. You will also have to design a shipping |
| - Shopping Cart: It is a complex software that allows | | | | process after selecting a shipper to establish a |
| you to take orders, calculate tax and shipping, display | | | | successful order fulfillment process. |
| products, and build an online catalog. You can select | | | | Ensure security and trust |
| from a range of shopping carts programs depending | | | | Tell your customers who you are and state your |
| on what products you sell. Some programs are quite | | | | privacy policies. Provide secure transactions and make |
| simple and others are highly sophisticated with special | | | | payments easy for the customers. You may also use |
| features such as true order management, catalog | | | | privacy certificates, escrows, and digital security to |
| building, wish lists, gift registries, and real-time UPS | | | | promote trust among your customers. |