eCommerce is the Future
Ecommerce is transaction of buying and selling online. eCommerce stands for Electronic Commerce.
With the ability to process credit cards electronically on the internet, just about anything can be sold on the web. The traditional marketplace, where customers drive up to a store and get the products they want, by spending time and money to acquire the item, is slowly being replaced by eCommerce.
Numbers don’t lie. The statistic data that is vastly available to anyone on the internet will show a strong trend of changing retail environment. Retailers are realizing that they can stay in commerce world, with changing the traditional retail stores with an eCommerce operation. This applies to services as well. A Real Estate agent can offer their services and attract the attention of homebuyers, through their website. They no longer need to have their clients come to an actual office to get an introduction of their services.
eCommerce is the future, as it offers solutions with little investments.
Start with 8 Steps
eCommerce is driven by software. You have plenty of choices when it comes to software and shopping carts you chose to use in you eCommerce operation. Once you choose the software and the form of shopping cart, you will then move on to add the main components of your eCommerce site. Start with this list:
1. Research Your Idea
Many entrepreneurs make the fatal flaw of marketing a product that consumers just don’t want to buy. Avoid this startup mistake by researching your idea to make sure it’s welcomed by consumer market2. Register the Domain Name
Once you have decided that your product is well demanded by consumers in the market, now it’s time to register your brand and company name, as a domain name. Think about the name you choose. Choose a name with your product line in mind3. Find a Web Host
Web hosting service provider, is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or webpage to be viewed in the Internet. Websites are hosted, or stored, on special computers called servers. Essentially, web host rents internet space to website owners4. Design the Site
You have two options when it comes to designing your website. You can hire a designer to create a custom site, or you can design and build the site yourself, which is the least expensive of the options. If you decide to build your own site, many web hosts offer free website building tools5. Get Set Up to Accept Online Payments
Obviously, customers need a way to pay you for their purchases. You can accept online payments this by using a merchant account plus a payment gateway, an all-in-one provider, or other options, including e-checks and ACH transfers6. Design Your Delivery System
A plan to deliver your products to the customers that buy them is an important aspect of a well-designed online store. Your delivery system will depend on what you sell7. Market Your Site
Your next step is to ensure that consumers know about your site. Here are some of the ways you can market it. Fill your site with quality content to increase your search engine ranking. This will allow more people to find your site8. Track Your Growth
To measure your success, you should track and measure your site’s growth and determine which online marketing methods are getting results. Do this by closely following your site’s search engine ranking for the keywords that you target, and by using tools such as Google Analytics