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Ecommerce Online Shopping Solutions |
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| If you intend to trade online and actually sell goods, products or services directly from your website, you will require an eCommerce enabled site, complete with an online product display catalogue, shopping cart, and secure online ordering facilities. |
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What is eCommerce?
ECommerce is the name used to embrace all the business activities involved in the act of selling or trading goods and services directly online. It covers everything from online shopping catologues and other advertising aids, to directly selling goods, products or services to customers through a variety of other online methods.
Whether you run an exclusive business-to-business operation or sell goods or services directly to the public, you will gain maximum benefit from your website by using a dedicated eCommerce Shopping Cart or a Product Display Catalogue.
Whilst large expensive products like cars and houses are not normally sold directly online using a shopping cart, car dealers and estate agents do need to display their current stock using an appropriate online display catalogue. This is generally achieved using an online database to display the products dynamically on demand. |
eCommerce Shopping Cart Software
Ecommerce shopping cart software comes in a variety of different styles, features and functionality, but they are all designed around one specific central feature...
...enabling your customers to buy or order products instantly online.
Although this may appear to be a simple process, it is actually quite complex. For example, your customer must be able to buy a variety of different products, quantities, styles, sizes and other options, whilst also being charged VAT and delivery or postage charges where appropriate. The shopping cart must be able to track all these items including changes all the way through to checkout, and then process a variety of different payment options as well.
These days, most shopping carts handle such matters with ease! |
Effective shopping cart software requires the following minimum specifications:
- Shopping Catalogue: To display goods, products or services. Capable of displaying thousands of product lines if necessary.
- Shopping Basket or Cart: To calculate and record goods being selected for purchase by customers.
- VAT + Delivery Costs: Handle complex VAT + Delivery issues on local, international and worldwide levels.
- Payment Methods: Provide alternative payment methods, including Credit Cards.
- Match Existing Website: Able to blend with and match your existing or proposed website design.
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Static or Dynamic Product Display?
A display is static when the information is permanently embedded into a web page, rarely changes, and requires your web designer to update it. A display is dynamic when the information is fed on demand from an online database, which enables you to make changes at any time 24/7.
The decision to display your products statically or dynamically depends on 3 factors:
- The total number of products being displayed on the website
- The frequency with which products, specifications or prices change
- Your website budget
If you have less than 100-150 products, it is probably more cost effective to have a static shopping cart, as this has a lower start-up cost than a dynamic site, and you can then pay your web designer to make changes whenever they are required. For more than 150 products however, the cost of creating a static display is likely to start outweighing the advantages, and a static site is not recommended for 250 products or more.
If your product details, specification, options or prices are likely to change frequently, or you have more than 250 products, then a dynamic shopping cart is recommended. Although the initial price is considerably more expensive than a static cart, you should be able to add, delete or change products at any time 24/7 without the assistance of your web designer and therefore without incurring additional charges.
Irrespective of the number of products you plan to sell online, if your budget will stretch to it a dynamic shopping cart is highly recommended, as this will enable you to keep your product display fresh and up-to-date at all times. Dynamic carts are extremely powerful and usually provide much more functionality and top-end features like "wish lists", best sellers, recommendations and linked products.
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B2B or Retail?
Selecting the right shopping cart is just the start of the eCommerce journey. The shopping cart has to be configured to the specific trading requirements of your business, whilst the pages and product catalogue have to be designed and built to reflect your business identity, philosophy and range of products or services.
This is where WebLink4u come in. Following a detailed discussion about your business and online trading plans, we will suggest the most appropriate eCommerce solution to match your needs.
For example, if you are providing a Business-to-Business service only to registered clients on monthly terms, your requirements will be completely different to a trader who is selling directly to the public and requires instant payment by credit card. |
Cars, Houses & Services
And, if you are providing a service or promoting goods which cannot be sold directly online, like cars or houses, you have a completely different set of requirements for your website display compared to these other business types. |
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Talk First....Buy Later!
As the whole issue of eCommerce shopping solutions is complex and directly related to each customer's specific needs, WebLink4u prefer to talk to each client first before suggesting a particular solution or course of action.
We therefore recommend that clients contact us by telephone on 01443 791905 or send an Email to info@weblink4u.com, before making a decision to opt for a specific ecommerce solution. It is far easier and more cost effective to match a solution to a client, than try and adapt a client to an inappropriate solution. |
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