What is E-Commerce? 

Simply put, Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) is any  business transacted electronically.  Electronic e-commerce is the buying/selling of products and/or services over the Internet.

To conduct business on the Internet you need an E-Commerce Web Site. An e-commerce web site can be as simple as a catalog with an order form, or it can be a complex multimedia enabled web site with real-time credit card processing capabilities. The Internet has enabled merchants to offer their goods and services to potential customers around the world 24 hrs. a day, 365 days a year. E-commerce offers customers the opportunity to browse, select and pay for goods in real time from the comfort of their own home or office.

E-commerce supplements the traditional selling channels and attracts customers that you never knew existed. The Internet revolution is affecting every company, no matter it’s size. Business of all sizes can equally share in the benefits of e-commerce, but they are all equally vulnerable to being left behind if they do not adopt the new business models.

 

What is the difference between a 
Web Site and an E-Commerce Web Site?

A web site presents prospective customers with information  and the purchasing options are available off-line. On the other hand an E-Commerce Web site not only presents all the required information but also provides secure options to complete the sale right there.

A web site is like a copy of your printed catalog, presenting information, whereas an e-commerce web site is a new business unit that complements your existing traditional selling channels and accentuates an entirely new sales/distribution channel.

A web site offers limited security options. On the other hand e-commerce web sites provide options for high levels of security by encrypting data and transferring it over secure servers.

A web site operates entirely outside your existing business system.  All orders have to be manually entered into the system and processed off-line.  Whereas an e-commerce web site integrates into your existing system for inventory control, order processing and order fulfillment. A fully integrated e-commerce web site automatically ties into your existing business process and acts like an extension to your existing sales force. 

 

Which E-Commerce Plan is right for me?

It depends on numerous factors like:

Are you a beginner? Or do you have a certain amount of experience with e-commerce?

What are your requirements? - Single category with limited products to sell or multiple product categories with multi-user and multi-store capabilities?

Once you have decided what your marketing strategy is, go ahead and chose any plan from our wide array of options.

 

What do I need for E-Commerce?

Choose Payment Options:

Off-Line Credit Card Processing - This is a good option if you currently have a Merchant Account with a local bank and process in-store charges using a swipe terminal. Your customers’ credit card information is captured and stored on our server for later authorization and transaction processing through a traditional card swipe terminal or through a computer. If you are clearing more than 100 transactions a month, you may want to consider the real-time payment processing option.

Real-Time Payment Processing enabled by Merchant Accounts - To process credit cards transactions in real time through your web site you need to:

Open a TEST Merchant Account with a financial institution.

 

Open a Merchant Account with a financial institution after 
the Test Account has proven successful.

 

Sign up with a payment gateway, for example Card Services or CyberCash Merchant Accounts give you the ability to take Credit Card information from prospective customers over the Internet. E-commerce software offer seamless integration with our online payment gateways providing you with a completely integrated e-commerce solution.

 

MERCHANT ACCOUNTS are issued through an Authorizing Bank. A Merchant Account is like a Drivers License. Though you have a driver’s license you can’t move around without a vehicle. Similarly for you to use your Merchant Account you need a vehicle to move the information around. For example you could ask your 
web site prospects to call you on the phone to place their orders. Now the phone is your vehicle to move their Credit Card information.

ONLINE SHOPPING CART SOFTWARE is another example of a vehicle to move Credit Card and ordering information. Your customers can efficiently order 24 hours a day. Also a Shopping Cart eliminates some potential for error as there is only one human involved in the process rather than two. The Shopping Cart is a vehicle that enables you to: Get the ordering information from the customer, verify via email to the customer that his order has been placed, and deliver the notification and ordering information to the seller.

 

What are the advantages of Online/Electronic Transactions?

Reduces Errors: No need to enter transaction amounts at both the cash register and processing terminals.

Creates Transaction Database: Stores transaction information in your database for as long as you want. You’ll never have to search for lost transaction information.

Increases Accountability: It is easy to confirm whether you have received the proper amount of credit for each transaction.

Minimizes Fraud: Performs address verification (AVS), and eliminates the chance of shipping to someone using a stolen credit card, saving you from a charge back.

Quicker Transactions: Allows you to send multiple transactions as a batch, thus reducing authorization time to as low as three seconds per transaction.

Lowers Transaction Costs: Electronic processing is faster and less expensive than paper processing.

Faster Billing: Makes it easy to build and process a batch of transactions as often as needed; great for recurring billing.

Recurring Billing: Schedule transactions to be processed according to your specific billing requirements.