Compatibility with Existing Systems - Launching an e-commerce site is a tremendous process.  Therefore, you should not make it even more complex by setting yourself up to encounter technical problems.  Whether it is a shopping cart or payment gateway, make sure any e-commerce component you plan to integrate is compatible with your existing hardware, operating system and applications.

Ability to Support Existing Data – An ideal e-commerce solution is one that allows you to easily import data from one location to another.  This becomes a must for large stores that maintain databases in environments where it could be complex and costly to manually transfer large amounts of data into a new system.  Keep in mind that this feature is usually included in high-end enterprise solutions but may not be included in cheaper, entry-level systems.

APIs with Linking Support – Integrating inventory management and finance systems is one of the most challenging aspects of e-commerce.  If this is something you wish to do, you may want to look for a solution that offers flexible APIs.  Short for application programming interfaces, these APIs enable developers to write code that will connect your legacy system to your e-commerce server.

Functional Shopping Cart - The shopping cart is the most obvious and important feature of any e-commerce solution.  You need to put special emphasis on this application as it will allow visitors to browse your store and purchase the items they want to purchase.

Diverse Payment Systems – Most consumers prefer to shop online with credit cards or third-party services such as PayPal.  On the other hand, a complete e-commerce solution goes that extra mile and supports additional payment options.  This will give you the opportunity to maximize your profits by catering to a broader range of customers.

The features listed in this article are just a few that must be obtained to form a complete e-commerce solution.  This means you need to keep your eyes peeled for several more qualities.  Despite how insignificant some of these features may seem, each is equally critical as they will determine the failure or success of your venture with e-commerce.

Easy Item and Category Management

It is important to know that e-commerce systems range from simple shopping carts to fully integrated solutions that can help you build an entire website. While the functionality you require all depends on individual needs, features like image resizing, comprehensive listings and the ability to copy those listings to multiple categories will make it much easier to get your storefront up and running. Another useful capability comes from integration features that allow you to import product listings from an existing store into your new setup. For example, you have some programs that let you import product listings from your current store, a spreadsheet or the location of your choosing.

Extensive Customization

The last thing you want is an online storefront that looks just like what everyone else has. This is when an e-commerce software package that offers customization comes in handy. There are some applications that allow to customize your store through a variety of pre-designed templates. Others allow you to use development technologies such as HTML, CSS and PHP to change the look and feel of your store. These programs generally require that you have a certain level of technical skills in order to make the modifications. In either scenario, an e-commerce solution that enables customization can help to ensure you have an online store that is uniquely your own.

Integrated Shipping Calculators

The ideal e-commerce software will not only calculate your order totals, but also accurately calculate the shipping and handling charges associated with those orders. To ensure flexibility, you may want to opt for something that gives you multiple ways to determine shipping. For example, you may choose to charge for shipping based on the total of the order, or do so based on the weight of the item. Another consideration that deserves attention is making commonly used shipping channels such as UPS, USPS and FedEx available to your customers.

Not all e-commerce software is created equal. Then again, neither is every storefront. Online stores differ greatly and so do the individual requirements of the merchants who maintain them. Regardless of how feature-rich and powerful it may be, there is no single program that makes the perfect solution for everyone. It is all about accessing your needs and understanding what it takes for your business to be successful. One of the best approaches you can take is evaluating a few products, determining their value, and then selecting one that best suits your requirements.

1.) Create a Professional Design

Several beginners make their first critical mistake at the design stage.  Being that HTML programming is fairly easy to master, some develop the gumption to go at it alone and decide to build their own website from the ground up.  Even though web technology has made it much more feasible to create a site with little to no experience, there are many reasons why you may want to leave this task in the hands of someone else.  Building a fully functioning website from scratch can be a hassle and very costly when considering that you will have to invest countless hours on time that could have been spent focusing on something else.  By outsourcing this part of the project to a professional design or development expert, you can devote your time and energy to developing a sound business strategy.

2.) Make Easy Navigation and Usability a Priority

Creating an e-commerce site that offers simple navigation and usability is a must.  You can get a better understanding by viewing your website as the aisle of a retail store.  In an ideal environment, all items are organized accordingly and easy to find.  Customers should have no trouble finding what ever it is they want to purchase.  The same holds true for an online storefront.  Even it is a measly checkout button, it is should be made visible and easy to find on your site.

3.) Don’t Forget Your Inventory

There are some online store owners that get so caught up in running their business, they forget about other key areas such as inventory.  You can avoid this by cataloging all the items you have for sale.  Be sure to update your inventory on a regular basis to avoid scenarios where a customer tries to purchase something that is out of stock.  This can help you salvage a sale and elude embarrassment as well.

4.) Incorporate Customer Friendly Features

One surefire way to succeed with an e-commerce venture is to incorporate and make effective use of desirable features that will benefit your customers.  These features could range from essentials such as an easy to use shopping cart and SSL certificate to novelties like a site map and talking avatars.  You may also want to consider rich media features such as animation and video or something simple and effective like auto-responders to deliver immediate responses.  By pampering your customers, you can increase the probability of a pleasurable shopping experience that keeps them coming back for more.

Critical Security Features

There are a number of components associated with your hosting platform that can affect how customers perceive your business.  One of the important of all is security.  This is one aspect that cannot be overlooked because it will help you establish trusting relationships and the confidence customers need to feel safe when sharing their sensitive information with you.  Proven and visible security mechanisms such as SSL certificates will help to create the trust and confidence you need to be successful with an online business.  By neglecting to use them, you stand the risk of losing many customers because the consumer is growing increasingly aware of the potential dangers that come along with shopping online.

Speed and High Availability

The performance of your e-commerce site is critical, especially in today’s fast paced on-demand world.  If your hosting provider is utilizing slow servers, potential customers will more than likely click their way to the competition.  A degraded performance will undoubtedly impact your bottom line and possibly cause your company to go out of business.  This can all be avoided by choosing a host that uses the best server hardware and redundant connections to the internet.  It is the overall reliability of their infrastructure that will determine the success of your business.

Adequate Server and Network Capacity

Selecting an e-commerce hosting package with limited storage and bandwidth capacity is like intentionally placing restrictions on the potential of your business.  It is highly recommended to choose a plan that provides enough of both resources to compensate for expansion.  Although many hosts offer solutions with unlimited resources, this marketing ploy can actually work to your disadvantage once your files and traffic start bursting through the seams of the server.  When you are no longer able to update your site due to the lack of disk space and visitors cannot access your site because the bandwidth has been exceeded, your audience will view you in a negative light and this will definitely serve as a crucial blow to your credibility.

Having a secure and reliable hosting solution is critical to any online business.  While some of your more loyal customers may give you a second shot in the midst of slow loading pages and unavailability, most new prospects will never return and seek out someone who is more capable of meeting their needs.  When starting your journey with an online business, always remember that excessive downtime results in lost customers and lost sales.  It is simple as that.  A host that can assure you a reliable and secure environment gives you the best opportunity to keep your customers happy and your bottom line on the profitable side of the spectrum.

Reasons to Opt for Shared Hosting

Shared hosting offers numerous benefits and several of them extend into the e-commerce sector.  For one, it is very affordable as you can easily find a feature-loaded plan for under $10 per month.  In addition to that, you typically receive all the tools and services you need to get your online storefront up and running.  This includes shopping cart programs, web analytic tools and support for SSL certificates to secure your business transactions.  However, while shared hosting can provide you with a relatively secure platform, it can never assure the level of protection and reliability that can be obtained from a dedicated server.

The Dedicated Advantage

Though an advanced and often more complex hosting solution, a dedicated server is not exclusively geared towards larger companies.  In fact, it can deliver the same benefits to small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to establish and grow their presence on the web.  Leasing a dedicated server will cost you more than a shared hosting plan, but it can also guarantee you better overall security and reliability, both of which are vital for anyone who wants to be make sure there business is always available.  For many companies, their website serves as the revenue generator that keeps the business going.  If these are your plans, you need to make it a priority to invest in a solution that ensures your site can be accessed at all times and provides the secure environment your customers need to feel safe.

Capacity and Complexity

When leasing a dedicated server for your small business, you are assured a guaranteed allotment of essential resources such as disk space, RAM and bandwidth.  These features alone can give you a website that performs exceptionally better than it would in the shared hosting environment.  However, you should keep in mind that dedicated hosting is one of the most complex types of web hosting you can sign on for.  Unless you opt for a managed service, you will be responsible ensuring and monitoring security, performing configurations and backups, installing software and general maintenance of the server.

There are quite a few small businesses that can thrive with a shared hosting platform and several others that cannot.  Making a choice is difficult and the final decision will depend on various factors, including your budget, level of expertise and the requirements of your business.  Most importantly, it will boil down to the overall quality of the host providing you with service.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/09/22/server-options-for-e-commerce-hosting/

In-House Method

Hosting your e-commerce site in-house involves setting up a server room, purchasing the necessary hardware and software components, leasing a reliable high-speed connection and employing an IT team.  Experienced IT personnel are required to handle day to day technical aspects such as performing backups, monitoring security and basically doing whatever it takes to keep the server up and running.  The costs and complexities that come along with an in-house operation are considerable and often too much for startups and small businesses to handle.

Colocation

Colocation refers to an alternative solution that allows businesses to store their server hardware and network equipment in a facility maintained by a hosting company.  The firm provides you with physical storage space, internet bandwidth and electricity to power the hardware.  There are many advantages to this type of arrangement, including a lower cost for bandwidth and the enhanced reliability you get from the data center.  The disadvantages are that you must purchase your own hardware and actually find a provider that offers a colocation service in your area.

Shared Hosting

One of the most common ways to run an e-commerce website is through a service arrangement known as shared hosting.  In this environment, the websites of multiple companies are stored on a single server, which share an internet connection and various other resources between them.  While suitable for the needs of many, this type of service is best for companies that anticipate a small to moderate amount of traffic and have a limited budget.  This is mainly because there are strict limitations in regard to disk space, bandwidth and control.  With that said, a reputable firm should be able to provide you with a stable platform that can support the needs of both startups and small companies.

Dedicated and Managed Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a method that calls for you to a lease an entire server from a hosting company.  The provider is responsible for maintaining the hardware and network connectivity while the bulk of server administration falls on your shoulders.  This could be a downside because of all the technical challenges that go into maintaining a server, but there are number of benefits as well.  For example, you have extensive control and flexibility that permits you to run your own operating system, database servers, web applications and services.  For those who lack the experience or time needed to handle these tasks, managed hosting exists, a solution that eases the burden of server administration.  Though notably more expensive, managed hosting will allow you to focus more on promoting your e-commerce site and servicing customers rather than dealing with the all the complexities as these processes are handled by the provider.

The fact that there are so many options for hosting an e-commerce site works to your advantage.  What you need to do is a carefully assess your situation and determine which service is best for your business.  After settling on a reliable solution, the fate of your online business is in your hands.

1.) Engage Your Audience

There are a number of features you can incorporate to encourage interaction amongst your visitors.  On today’s highly advanced internet, interactivity is key.  Combine this with original, quality content and you could have an e-commerce site that keeps your audience tuned in.  This is how to convert repeat visitor into long-term customers.

2.) Make Purchasing Simple

This should go without saying, but the large number of failed e-commerce sites leads us to believe otherwise.  Most internet users could do without the lengthy sales pitches, technical jargon, and all the bells and whistles that make it difficult to uncover hidden order pages.  After all this time, many online merchants still fail to cut to the chase and give their customers the options that make them feel comfortable making a purchase.  If want to drive home sales, get to the point, and do it quickly.

3.) Open the Doors to Communication

When doing business online, you should make your contact information easily accessible.  This includes email addresses, business addresses, toll-free phone numbers and fax number.  By doing so, you are demonstrating the credibility that will instill the confidence consumers need to feel to do business.  Potential customers will know that you are there to address their questions or concerns and by making various options available, you can target a larger market and their preferred communications channels.

4.) Post Information in Fulfillment and Return Policies

Before purchasing something online, most customers want to know how much an item costs, how it will get to them and when it will get to them.  Most importantly, they want to know that they are covered if the item should be defective or damaged during transit.  While publishing this information will not sell your products or services, if do not include these details, there is a great chance that you will end up losing sales.

5.) Travel the Low Road

Surviving in the realm of online business requires detailed planning and sound budgeting.  Therefore, it is important to consider all your low-cost budgeting endeavors before throwing money into most costly campaigns.  There is a lot you can do, including networking, building strong partnerships and designing a website that is optimized for search engine traffic.  Spend a little time researching some cost-effective avenues to promote your site and you will have a much better chance of coming out with your bottom line intact in the long run.

6) Price for Profits

Unreasonably low prices are great if you’re in the non-profit business, but not when you are trying to generate steady revenues and brand loyalty.  There are many ways to keep your customers around without sacrificing profits.  It is up to you to determine how to achieve this while keeping a competitive edge and making profits in the process.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/13/six-essential-tips-towards-e-commerce-success/

Affiliate Program – An affiliate program refers to a revenue sharing program where webmasters can earn commission by generating leads, traffic or sales of a web hosting service.  If you feel that have signed up with a respectable hosting provider, you may be interested in their affiliate program to earn some extra cash.

ASP - Active Server Pages is a technology that allows developers to create dynamic, database-driven websites.  The web server processes the ASP code and then translates it into HTML for your visitors to view.

Auto Responder – An auto responder is an automated program that can be configured to acknowledge the receipt of an email, and automatically sends a reply to the sender.  This is an effective tool for keeping base with clients when you’re away from the desk or on vacation.

Backbone - A backbone refers to a single high-speed line or a series of connections that enable a pathway to a network such as the internet.  The more backbones or the higher the capacity, the higher level of availability your site will enjoy.

CGI Scripts - Common Gateway Interface scripts are small programs installed into a web server.  They are designed to perform specific tasks and enable functionality that a simple HTML document cannot.

Control Panel – A control panel is a software package that allows hosting providers and customers to simplify various web server tasks.  This type of application gives you the ability to easily maintain your mailboxes, files, manage domains and more even if you have little to no experience.

Dedicated Server – Also called dedicated hosting, a dedicated server describes a situation where you lease service from a hosting provider and get the entire server to yourself.  This in contrast to shared hosting, which hence, calls for you to share the server with other customers.

IP Address – An IP address is a unique numerical code used to specify hosts (computers) and networks.  Every machine connected to the internet has its own IP address.

Reseller Hosting – Reseller hosting is a type of hosting where a customer purchases service from a provider and then sells hosting package to customers of their own.  This has become a popular and affordable way for entrepreneurs and small businesses to profit from the web hosting market.

Shared Hosting - Shared hosting refers to a hosting arrangement where multiple websites are stored on a single server.  This is the most affordable and common type of web hosting there is.

Web Host – The web host is the company who provides you with the e-commerce hosting solution.  They run computers known as severs that have dedicated lines to the internet.  The purpose of a web host is to serve your pages to internet users and assure its availability.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/06/19/common-e-commerce-hosting-terminology/

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 can be described as a trend that revolves around using interactive, community-driven sites to promote the sharing of information, networking and other forms of collaboration among users.  Some of the most common examples of this activity are blogs and wikis along with social bookmarking sites like Digg and Reddit.  Thanks to Web 2.0, the customers are now able to interact with the business and actually play a significant role in the company’s successes.  This new wave of web interaction is quickly replacing the dull, static website of past times.  These days, users can interact with the website content and get involved in ways that were not possible before.  By allowing the customers to play an active role, your business will gain trust, popularity and most importantly, credibility in the eyes of your audience.  The web has changed and this is now one of the essential keys to succeeding.

You may be familiar with Web 2.0 and not even realize it.  In fact, popular sites like eBay and Facebook are perfect examples.  Ebay has its detailed feedback report while Facebook offers many web-based applications that allow profile users to get hands-on with the site.   These large, dynamic websites are powered by e-commerce hosting services, thriving off the same features and administrative tools that can be used to bridge the gap between you and your customers.

The Role of E-commerce Hosting

Here are some of the Web 2.0 features you will find in an e-commerce hosting solution:

Free Blogging Applications – Blogs can be considered as some of the Web 2.0 pioneers and many web hosting providers offer these applications free of charge.  WordPress is one of several blogging programs that functions well in the business environment.  These platforms are generally easy to use and very friendly in the eyes of the search engines.

Multimedia Support – Internet gurus are raving about how effective video marketing has become.  With support for multimedia technologies such as Flash and Silverlight, you can incorporate rich features that enhance the experience for your visitors.

Social Networking Tools – Social networking is the core of Web 2.0.  E-commerce hosting features such as chat scripts and bulletin boards will give you the power to create a community environment that makes your site the place to be.

Why Jump on the Bandwagon?

The internet is driven by Web 2.0 and if you don’t catch on, your business could get left behind.  Many have found that this is the most effective way to establish and strengthen brand recognition and keep existing customers around as well.  There are many ways to approach this trend and as long as you stick with the program, you can make your business a success.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/04/30/e-commerce-hosting-and-web-20/The phenomenon that is Web 2.0 has made its mark, originating in social networking platforms and evolving through traditional business applications.  Because it has become more widespread, web hosting providers are increasingly customizing their offerings to meet the demands of this trend.  This allows customers to benefit from a dynamic set of features that enable websites to thrive in the world of Web 2.0.

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 can be described as a trend that revolves around using interactive, community-driven sites to promote the sharing of information, networking and other forms of collaboration among users.  Some of the most common examples of this activity are blogs and wikis along with social bookmarking sites like Digg and Reddit.  Thanks to Web 2.0, the customers are now able to interact with the business and actually play a significant role in the company’s successes.  This new wave of web interaction is quickly replacing the dull, static website of past times.  These days, users can interact with the website content and get involved in ways that were not possible before.  By allowing the customers to play an active role, your business will gain trust, popularity and most importantly, credibility in the eyes of your audience.  The web has changed and this is now one of the essential keys to succeeding.

You may be familiar with Web 2.0 and not even realize it.  In fact, popular sites like eBay and Facebook are perfect examples.  Ebay has its detailed feedback report while Facebook offers many web-based applications that allow profile users to get hands-on with the site.   These large, dynamic websites are powered by e-commerce hosting services, thriving off the same features and administrative tools that can be used to bridge the gap between you and your customers.

The Role of E-commerce Hosting

Here are some of the Web 2.0 features you will find in an e-commerce hosting solution:

Free Blogging Applications – Blogs can be considered as some of the Web 2.0 pioneers and many web hosting providers offer these applications free of charge.  WordPress is one of several blogging programs that functions well in the business environment.  These platforms are generally easy to use and very friendly in the eyes of the search engines.

Multimedia Support – Internet gurus are raving about how effective video marketing has become.  With support for multimedia technologies such as Flash and Silverlight, you can incorporate rich features that enhance the experience for your visitors.

Social Networking Tools – Social networking is the core of Web 2.0.  E-commerce hosting features such as chat scripts and bulletin boards will give you the power to create a community environment that makes your site the place to be.

Why Jump on the Bandwagon?

The internet is driven by Web 2.0 and if you don’t catch on, your business could get left behind.  Many have found that this is the most effective way to establish and strengthen brand recognition and keep existing customers around as well.  There are many ways to approach this trend and as long as you stick with the program, you can make your business a success.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/04/30/e-commerce-hosting-and-web-20/