E-commerce

E-commerce, short for Electronic Commerce, is a term used to describe any commercial activity which is done electronically.

E-commerce normally refers to selling products and services on the internet.

Some examples of well know e-commerce web sites are Amazon and Play.

Any web site that sells products on line that is not necessarilly as big or well known as Amazon is still considered to be an E-commerce site. One such site is Express Safety which sells PPE and safety equipment on-line. This is a site for new brand we have just finished developing and it is already seeing some healthy trading results in its first month live.

Which companies need e-commerce

Simply put, if you sell a product, you would benefit from an E-commerce site.

If you already have stock, clients and infrastructure, you can start to sell on-line amost immediately.

There are many tools and services available to help you get your E-commerce web site up and running.

Even if you are just considering setting up a business or selling a product, an e-commerce web site is essential to help your business grow.

How an E-commerce web site helps businesses

Simply put, you can reach a wider audience, 24 hours a day and cut overheads on many aspects of a traditional business.

The internet is essentially your shop's location. The web site is your shop and your E-commerce web site are your shelves and departments.

With an E-commerce web site or on-line shop, you can take orders, make payment transactions and send invoices with no human intervention.

You shop can also mnage stock information, delivery note and pricing so it really keeps your shop working seamlessly.

The cost of E-commerce web sites

Depending on what you are selling, what information and pricing structure is required and what your current back office setup is, an E-commerce web site will not necessarily be as expensive as you would imagine.

There are many open source solutions (that means they are free software that you hold the right to use) available that can be set up and configured to run a small internet shpping site for a very modest cost. You will still need to invest in a design but we can help you with that.

Using professionals helps your project run smoothly, helps your site work better, gets it up and running quicker and frees you from the hassle of learning new skills so you can concentrate on what you are best at. Making your business work.

If your requirements are for a very specific product or integration requirement, it is likely that a bespoke solution would be required. This is still not necessarily cost prohibitive. If you consider the wider audience you will reach, the increase in profuct sales and the reduced administration costs, an E-commerce website will make you money.

Taking payments on line

Taking payments on line is now a far simpler task than it was several years ago.

On line payment mechnisms like WorldPay, StreamLine and ePDQ are now mature and effective products that can be integrated into most shopping applications easily.

With the advent of Google Checkout, it is now possible to trade on line using the vast array of Google [products and their excellent integrated business support tools.

Taking the next steps

To take the next step towards an E-commerce solution, why not contact us and we can discuss where you are right now, where you want to go with your internet shop and how we can help get you there.

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