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Is Ecommerce Right For Our Business
By Jon Kee, Sat Dec 10th
If your business features products or services for sale,undoubtedly the topic of eCommerce has come up. What iseCommerce? Literally defined as “the conduct of financialtransactions by electronic means,” it refers to purchases madeover the Internet. There are popular slang terms such asebusiness, click and mortar, dotcom, cyber-mall and multiplespellings (eCommerce, e-commerce, E-Commerce), but they are allbasically the same thing. Don’t let the different phrasesconfuse you, it all comes back to the same principle: sellingonline. So how do you know if selling online will be beneficial for yourbusiness? There are a few basic questions that can help you withthis decision. First and foremost, can you afford to develop aprofessional eCommerce storefront on your Web site? You’ve heardthe phrase “if you can’t do it right, it’s not worth doing atall”. This is especially true in regards to eCommerce becausepeople will not purchase from your Web site if it looks amateurand is poorly done. Custom developed eCommerce sites can costtens of thousands of dollars, but pre-built shopping cartsolutions such as WebSolutions’ Marketplace can provide yourbusiness with a professional eCommerce storefront for a fractionof the cost. Another benefit of a program like this is whereas aYahoo or eBay store may be less expensive to get going, it’sgoing to be less customizable, and as your business grows,you’ll outgrow the site and need to start over again. An optionlike the Marketplace provides a great starting place withunlimited building potential and growth. After the cost issueis addressed, you need to evaluate the potential of selling yourproduct or service online. Are any of your competitors sellingonline? If not, have a brainstorming session and try to think ofany logical reasons why they aren’t. Could it be that they triedand failed or is it that they just haven’t thought about sellingonline yet? One key to remember is that once you make thedecision to sell online, your product and pricing is nowavailable 24/7 to anyone that stumbles upon your site. After evaluating your competitor’s Web sites, you need to lookat your product line and determine your target audience. Whobuys from your now? Are you selling to businesses orindividuals? If the answer is businesses, are they generallycompanies that are active on the Internet or businesses thatdon’t rely on the Web as much (such as mechanics, restaurants,etc.). If the answer is individuals, what demographic(s) are youadvertising your products or services to? You need to be surethat the people you want purchasing your product have access tothe Internet and are willing to shop online. Few businessesrealize that over 80% of the world’s Internet access speed isstill dial-up, so loading huge catalogs, Flash files, and largegraphics will deter a prospect from purchasing. Finally, youneed to determine how you can make your business stand out fromall the rest. If you’re selling copier supplies, why is someonegoing to come to your site versus the other millions of copiersupply Web sites?
Are you going to sell based on price,location, quantity, quality of service? Are you going to provideonline shipment tracking, account management, wish lists,real-time credit card authorization and processing, and otheradvanced eCommerce applications to make your site moreprofessional? These are all issues that need to be addressedbefore you start designing your first product page. Taking thenext step of selling online is a big decision for your businessand isn’t to be taken lightly. There is significant cost andrisk involved, but there is also significant reward waiting tobe had. Be sure to consult with your Web developer to find outwhich options are available to you and do your research ahead oftime. Not every eCommerce site is profitable, but if youprepare, there’s no reason yours can’t be.
About the author:WebSolutions is a professional Web site design, development, andhosting company based near Chicago. Their expertise in eCommercehas been highlighted in print and television. Jon Kee handlesall sales and marketing related activities for WebSolutions andcan be reached by phone at 630.375.6833 or email @sales@wsol.com. Visit us online: http://www.wsol.com
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