Business owners with the desire to promote products and services on a larger scale find e-commerce hosing to be the perfect solution. E-commerce sites offer a wealth of benefits when compared to brick and mortar stores. Whether a large endeavor with big-ticket items or a smaller venture offering only a couple of products, e-commerce continues to redefine the way companies are doing business in the 21st century.
What to Consider When Building an E-Commerce Site
The first thing you should consider before launching an e-commerce site is educating yourself on basic website design. Although e-commerce hosting packages are user-friendly when it comes to building sites, it’s important that you have a basic understanding of how the process works. With the plethora of online articles and resources available to serve as how-to guides, even novices can learn the ropes in no time.
After doing your homework, the next crucial aspect to take into consideration is securing an e-commerce hosting provider. E-Commerce hosting packages offer everything you need to build and manage your e-commerce site. Regardless of the chosen hosting provider, a shopping cart is vital for the functionality of an e-commerce venture. Shopping carts perform such tasks as receive orders, send order confirmations via e-mail and calculate final sales amount including shipping and handling, sales tax, and any other applicable fees.
The next aspect to consider when launching an e-commerce site is credit card processing. Purchases via credit card transactions are the preferred payment method among customers. A quick online search generates results for the most commonly used credit card processing services. Also, it’s possible to contact your bank to setup an Internet merchant account which allows sellers to accept credit cards as a form of payment. It’s essential for merchants to accept credit cards as a payment method as most items and services are purchased using a credit card.
A payment gateway account is also necessary when building an e-commerce site. An online payment processor is necessary for linking a credit card account number to an Internet merchant account. The processor offers real-time verification and handles the process of transferring requests and authorizing credit cards. Popular processors include companies such as: Authorize.net, VeriSign.com, and Cybersource.com.
PayPal is also another widely used method of payment. PayPal, an account-based service, permits anyone with a valid e-mail address to securely send and receive payments via bank accounts or credit cards. Although registering a PayPal account is free, the company does charge a percentage fee, combined with a small transaction fee. PayPal Website Payments Pro offers enhanced features including a shopping cart for about $20 per month, plus applicable transaction fees.
Finally, choosing a hosting service that meets your needs is the last component to consider when building an e-commerce site. Hosting packages should include adequate bandwidth, disk space, e-mail addresses and FTP access. There are a couple of web hosting providers that stand out from the pack when catering to e-commerce merchants including: InMotion, Web Hosting Hub, IX Web Hosting.
Conclusion
With all of the available tools and services, building an effective e-commerce site that is user-friendly is easy, even for beginners testing the proverbial waters. Understanding the basics of design and functions of a shopping cart as well as implementing safe and secure online payment processors are the essential ingredients for a successful e-commerce venture.
