E-commerce is the fastest expanding sales channel in history, transforming every type of industry, creating new ways of reaching out to customers and developing customer loyalty. E-commerce changes the way in which trading partners share information.

Reasons for e-commerce enabling your business:

• Increase sales.
• Enable buying decisions to be made instantly.
• Eliminate customers having to request information by email or post.
• Achieve repeat orders through customers having a good user experience.
• Use technology to give you a competitive advantage.
• Facilitate stock management.
• Integrate with other systems within your business.
• Integrate with business partners for products, services and information.

What you need:

• Internet service provider offering: a shared or dedicated server over a high speed backbone; minimal downtime; daily backups; expansion capability; hardware reliability and performance; facility to run a database; site statistics and logs. Wavepage can advise on suitable ISP's.
• Online payment EITHER via a visible re-direction to a secure 3rd party payment gateway OR, without leaving your site, by using: a secure server, SSL server certificate and hidden link to a payment gateway. Wavepage can advise on suitable vendors and does not make any charge for the provision of these services.
• Credit card agency or bank.
• E-commerce system by Wavepage. Website design and code would typically include: page layout; artwork; database; shopping basket; link to payment gateway.

Factors contributing to a website’s online success:

• Transaction security guarantees both by major financial institutions and by firms selling on the web.
• More information about products on sale.
• Ease of ordering.
• Legitimacy - banks vet companies before allowing credit card payments.
• Making the returns process easier.
• Ensuring the site runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – '24/7'

Tips:

• Offer customers exactly what they want in terms of products, services and content.
• Let customers get to the information they need quickly.
• Don’t throw away traditional business models – see where e-commerce can compliment or enhance existing practices.
• Be prepared to deal with anomalies in your business practices.
• If you want to reach out to a global audience, be prepared to address markets in the language they understand.
• Offer customer feedback and personalise the experience.
• Elaborate graphics are OK if they give meaning, don’t slow the site down and don’t detract from core functionality such as getting to vital information or closing off the sale.
• Do your costings – ensure you’re going to have sufficient sales volume to justify online payments.
• Ensure your offerings are suitable for selling online.

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Last Modified: 24 August 2010