Electronic
Commerce seems to be everywhere these days. It's nearly
impossible to open a newspaper or magazine without coming
across an article about how Electronic Commerce is going to
change all our lives. Businesses of all sizes are bombarded
with adverts that seem to imply that any company not
investing in E-commerce will be left behind.
The problem for many businesses is that while they
appreciate the potential of doing business on the Net, it is
difficult to determine the best way to start off. In this
feature, we highlight resources on the web that will be of
use to companies that are about to take their first steps in
Electronic Commerce.
Essentially, doing business on the Web can be broken down
into five main requirements.
On-Line Store
The obvious requirement is an on-line store, or
commerce-enabled Web site where goods or services can be
described and selected.
Payment Processing
While it is possible to run an on-line store without
accepting on-line payments, this is cumbersome and rarely
successful. Accepting on-line payments is therefore
essential - and at the moment this means credit cards.
Shipping/Order Fulfillment
OK, so you've made your sale and now you've got to deliver
the goods. Just package them up and ship them off. Easy -
except what happens if you get dozens or hundreds of orders
a day?
Customer Service
Support, Complaints, Returns - the biggest complaint about
E-Commerce is the poor level of customer service in the
event of problems.
Promotion
The big one! Even if you do everything else right, without
successful promotion your on-line business will fail
There is no right or wrong way to start up an E-business,
but any business plan, even if drawn up on the back of an
envelope, should address these five topics.
With
this in mind, if you believe your company could benefit
from e-commerce, click
on this hyperlink now.
