Getting Started in ECommerce

So you've got your website, and people can email you about your products and services. The next step, if it’s appropriate for your home business, is to start selling them directly online.

Why ECommerce?

E-commerce can be a great way to boost your business. If you sell small, easy-to-ship products (or services that don't require shipping), it can expand your market from your local neighbourhood to the whole world! You’ll also find that you get more repeat business, since people can easily re-order without having to call you again, and you might find that you can afford to sell lower-value items from your web store than you can offline since your overhead is much lower than a physical store.

Setting Up ECommerce

If you've already got a website, setting up ecommerce is relatively easy. The only real requirements are that you get some ecommerce software (it's not that expensive, and some like OScommerce are even free), and a web host that supports whatever programming language the software is written in.

If you think that sounds too technical, just take a look through the help section of your hosting company's website — you should find something there that explains your specific situation. Some hosts already have everything set up for you, and all you have to do is press a few buttons!

Consistent Design

It is important for the ecommerce section of your site to be integrated into the rest of it. You should have clear links to your store on each page of your website, and the design of the store itself should be consistent with the rest of your site. If your store looks out of place, it shouldn't be too expensive to get your webmaster to adapt the design as an ecommerce template.

A Matter of Inventory

Once you've got your 'shop' up and running, the next step is to configure it. This involves setting up what you plan to sell, i.e. entering descriptions and prices for the items, as well as uploading pictures. Take some time with the pictures, and make them large and easy to see on the screen. The descriptions should list the features and benefits of each product, and you might want to set the prices 10% or so below your normal levels as an 'online discount'.

It’s important, though, that once you put your items on your ecommerce website you don’t let them go out of stock. There are few things more frustrating for a customer than seeing something they want to buy and not being allowed to buy it — or, worse, paying for something only to be told that it'll take weeks to arrive.

Delivery

Depending on what you sell, your delivery methods may vary. Whatever you're doing, though, make sure you do it quickly. Customers will get very nervous waiting, and won't appreciate it if it takes to long to arrive. Keep your customers updated at all times on how things are.

Inputs and Outputs

Once you’re setup, ecommerce is simple enough that it can almost be left to run itself. It's like a system of inputs and outputs that multiplies everything put in: you spend an hour or two telling it what you've got, and out of the other end come orders and money. You'll find that almost all e-commerce stores easily pay for any time you put into them as soon as you make one or two sales.

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