| |
|
eCommerce Introduction |
|
eCommerce has revolutionized global trade and can be
generally defined as: 1. The buying and
selling of goods and services over the Internet
2. The transfer of funds through the Internet
1994 is considered the birth of mainstream
eCommerce. In this year entrepreneur Jeff Bezos
started Amazon.com. . .
|
 |
| |
|
Getting Your Products Online |
|
Displaying goods on your website is the first step
to generating online sales. Depending on the nature
of your business, there are two avenues you can
choose from:
Option 1 - Order Form:
Suitable for businesses with only a few products for
sale. Each of your product pages is linked to an
electronic order form, which allows your customers
to make a purchase.. . .
|
|
|
| |
|
Choosing Your Shopping Cart Software |
|
In
addition to allowing customers to browse and make
purchases from your store, a good shopping cart
system can include features such as:
Gift Certificates:
Allowing visitors to purchase pre-paid gift
certificates from your store.
Product Search:
A search box that allows visitors to quickly find
what they are looking for by specifying product
type, manufacturer or model number.. . .
|
|
|
| |
|
Preventing Shopping Cart Abandonment |
|
It's
no secret that online shoppers can be extremely
fickle. Internet research group Jupiter found that
54% of Internet shoppers have abandoned an online
store before completing a purchase.Customer's top
reasons for leaving a store in the middle of a
transaction include: Concerns about the product or
delivery time. . .
|
|
|
| |
|
Securing Your Website |
|
Research shows that privacy and security are two of
the biggest concerns for Internet users. Regardless
of whether these fears are valid or not, as a
merchant it's your job to make your visitors feel
safe on your website.If you're selling goods or
collecting information from your visitors, you'll
want to publish your Privacy Policy and Terms &
Conditions on your site.. . .
|
|
|
| |
|
Accepting Payments Online |
|
If
you're going to be selling anything online,
accepting credit cards is an absolute must. In
recent years credit cards have become more popular
online as households have turned to the Internet to
pay their bills, do their banking and retail
shopping.Credit cards allow you to 'strike while the
iron is hot' by giving visitors a quick and easy way
to purchase your products and services.. . .
|
|
|
| |
|
Benefits of Accepting Credit Cards |
|
1.
Familiar and ConvenientOther
digital payment systems have come and gone, but
credit cards remain the most preferred payment
source for online shoppers.
2.
Improves Cash-flow
Accepting credit cards is also great for cash-flow.
By accepting credit card payments, you get your
money straight away. . .
|
|
|
| |
|
Processing Credit Card Transactions |
|
There are two types of credit card processing
methods;
real
time
and
manual.
a) Real Time Transactions
A 'real time' transaction is one
which is processed immediately.
Here's how it works: When a customer makes a
purchase, your website communicates with the banking
networks via a payment gateway. The bank verifies
the status of the card and if successful. . .
|
|
|
| |
|
Overview of 3 Popular Payment
Processors |
|
PayPal
Type:
Payment Processor Founded in 1998, PayPal
(owned by eBay) is the world largest consumer
payment service.
Overview
Over
64 million account members worldwide Available
in 45 countries around the world Used extensively by
buyers and sellers on eBay Fast set-up and low free
structure. . .
|
|
|
| |
|
Payment
Processing Fees |
|
While third party payment processors like PayPal
have a simple fee structure, a Merchant
Accounts/Payment Gateway combination is a little
more complicated. Here's a breakdown of each the
fees and what they mean:
1.
Merchant Account Fees Application/Set-up fee:
Banking institutions will charge a fee to apply for
a merchant account. . .
|
|
|
| |
