Choosing an e-Commerce Solution
Choosing an ecommerce system that will fit your needs today and into the future can be a time consuming task. This article should give you a direction and key considerations for choosing the right online store for your business.
Multi-functional. Most merchants would think of an ecommerce system as a way to generate more sales. This can be true. But all too often little thought goes into selecting the right ecommerce system for the business. Nearly every e-commerce system can generate more sales, if it is promoted, easy to navigate and includes elements that generate trust (promotion, navigation and trust are very purposeful elements). Equally important, and often overlooked, is that the system should most accurately resemble the sales process. Not every business has the same process that brings a customer from product introduction to final sale. Having more sales is great - but if the system that generates these sales creates redundant processes that are difficult to train and administer (and different from off-line processes), then what we've actually created is a reduction in profit margin (more work for less money). Keeping on-line and off-line processes similar and integrated will save valuable time and money. This article will address a variety of different aspects of sales and fulfillment, but remember the goal is to create a system that will generate more sales without reducing profit margins AND be a natural part of how you do business day-to-day.
Consider your products. Every merchant has unique product organization or interrelations. The ecommerce system must allow for product organization and flexibility. One example is how products are accessorized for upselling. Can one accessory be used for more than one product? How are products matched for upselling? Are products categorized? sub-categorized? sub-sub-categorized? Are products offered in different sizes or colors? Can a product be customized? All these and more are part of the data structure and functionality to be considered.
Consider the sales process. Take time to diagram the sales process. Don't forget how sales representatives or distributors play into this. Think about refunds, returns, referrals, discounts (more on this next) and follow-up efforts. Your e-commerce system needs to fit the sales process and be flexible enough to move with changes in the business.
Consider features and options. What shipping options and carrier are used? How is this calculated? Is shipping based on weight, location, volume, individual items, etc? Do you want to have a built-in shipment tracking system? How about an order tracking system? What are the pricing options (take a look at your whole inventory)? Do you have volume pricing discounts? Do you want any type of discounts? (2 for 1 of the same item sale, buy 5 get one free, buy item A get item B at 20% off, etc.) Do sales and discounts have a date range? Are offer or discount codes used? Do you want credit card processing? Which cards? Which payment gateway system (API) do you want to use? Do you want to do charge backs online? What other automated payment features do you want (e-Check)? Do you want batch processing or automatic monthly payments (subscriptions)? There are dozens of features and options to consider. Think about what you already have off-line and consider what you want to have in your ecommerce system.
The fulfillment process. Diagram how the order gets from the customer on the Web site to their door step. Are payment processing, assembly and packing/shipping in the same building? Are quality control checks any place in this process that need to be electronically documented? Be sure the ecommerce system can handle this whole process and that every person who needs to have access to information can have access to the information they need - and consider locking out people who don't need access to information.
Consider privacy. How does the ecommerce system ensure compliance with privacy laws? Are necessary access controls built into the system? How is personal information shared between cooperating agencies? And what are the privacy policies of these these other agencies? Privacy is a growing concern for both the consumer and the merchant. A good place to start building a privacy policy is at p3p-services.com.
Other Considerations:
- Product and Sales Data Transfer and Back-Up
- Sales Statistics and Tracking
- Notifications and Follow-up
- Customer Data Access and Controls
- Return and Refund Policy Statements and Electronic Acceptance Methods
- Retainment of Sensitive and Personal Information (credit card information)
- Web Hosting
- Security
- Future Plans and Growth
This certainly is not an exhaustive list of things to consider. An experienced web developer will be able to help you through this process. Remember Journey Internet has been doing e-commerce systems since business first came to the Internet. Call us for a consult - 719-638-9925.