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The Art of e-Commerce
So you've got your website, and people can email you about your products and services. The next step, if your home
business is suitable, is to start selling them directly online.
Why E-Commerce?
E-commerce can be a massive business booster. If you sell reasonably small, easy-to-ship products (or services that
don't need shipping), it can expand your market from your local neighborhood to the whole world! You will also find
that you get more repeat business, since people can easily re-order from you without having to call you again, and
you might find that you can afford to sell lower-value things in your web store than you could in real life, thanks
to the reduced overheads.
Setting Up E-Commerce
If you've already got a website, setting up e-commerce can be surprisingly easy. The only real requirements are
that you get some e-commerce software (it's not that expensive, and some like OScommerce are even free), and that
your web hosting will support whatever programming language the software is written in.
If you think that sounds a bit 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. You never know: some hosts
already have everything set up for you, and all you have to do is press a button!
Consistent Design
It is important for the e-commerce section of your site to appear 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 what has gone before. If your store looks out of place, it shouldn't be too expensive to get
whoever designed your website to quickly adapt that design as an e-commerce template.
A Matter of Inventory
Once you've got your 'shop' up and running, the next step is to configure it. This mostly involves telling it 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 every
feature and benefit each product has, and you might wish to set the prices 10% or so below your normal levels, as
an 'online discount'.
It is important, though, that once you put your items on your e-commerce website you do not allow them to 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. Think like a
customer, don't forget about your website, and keep things running smoothly.
Delivery
Depending on what you sell, your delivery methods can vary. We could be talking about a package in the mail, or
perhaps just a follow-up email. Whatever you're doing, though, make sure you do it quickly. Customers will get very
nervous waiting, and won't appreciate it. Keep your customers updated at all times on how things are going -- never
leave them hanging.
Inputs and Outputs
Once you get these things down, though, e-commerce is simple enough that it can mostly 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.
Don't Forget to Advertise It
You won't usually need any separate campaign for your e-commerce operation, but it's well worth mentioning its
existence on your marketing materials. A few simple words before your web address on anything you hand out can work
wonders: 'visit www.yourwebsite.com' becomes 'learn more and order online at www.yourwebsite.com'. You'll find that
many customers will be more eager to check out what you're selling when they can do it as easily as typing in a web
address.
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