E-Commerce Application

Electronic commerce or E-Commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet.  E-commerce websites could be divided into B2C (Business to Customer), B2B (Business to Business) and B2B2C (Business to Business to Customer) sites. They can be a small online virtual shop to large virtual malls.

Rules for a Successful Ecommerce website

The success of E-commerce site starts with applying basic retail success. There are 8 rules to make an ecommerce site successful:

1)    The retailer has a product or products that one can sell online.

A product, no matter whatever size or price, does not a successful ecommerce site make.

2)    The retailer needs a place to showcase his product. Traditionally, this is a building of some kind.

Navigation and access to products are critical to ecommerce website design; visitors to your ecommerce site need the same kind of visible, easy-to-follow pathways. They need to be able to examine your products and compare them with other products easily.

3)    The retailer chooses a building for his store that is in good repair, and has all the facilities such as electricity and heat that are necessary to make his customers comfortable.

You must have consistent, 24/7 hosting if you want to operate a successful ecommerce website. You must present a fully functional, complete store to get ecommerce visitors shopping online. User friendly is another important component of ecommerce website design. Pay special attention to the ease of the buying process. Maintain your e-commerce website regularly. 

4)    The 'traditional' retailer makes there store as attractive as possible, and displays the product to best advantage.

An excellent catalogue also provides stock information and makes it easy for the online shopper to purchase the product.

5)    The retailer (or members of her staff) is physically present in the store to welcome, communicate with, and serve the customers that come into the store.

Successful e-commerce websites provide information about customer service and contact information that is clear and accessible. Build credibility with potential customers by making your customer service information a prominent feature of your site. Use FAQs, which provides answers to common questions, such as how to order, shipping charges, and return policies.

6)    The traditional retailer ensures that customers feel secure in his store.

Site security is a prime concern of potential online shoppers. You have to work especially hard at this, because you have to deal with both the reality and the perception of online credit card processing.

7)    The traditional retailer makes it easy for customers to purchase products. Where in one can use , whether it be cash, cheque, credit or debit card.

To accept payment online, you can use an online payment system, such as PayPal, or set up a merchant account for credit card processing. All-in-one online payment systems such as Beanstream (a Canadian company) allow you to set up merchant accounts and online payment processing for both debit and credit cards.

8)    The traditional retailer closes the sale with a "Thank you; please come again."

You need to do this on your ecommerce website, too. Whether it's a simple screen that comes up after the transaction thanking your customer, a follow-up thank-you email, or a thank-you card that you ship with the completed order (or all three!), you need to let your ecommerce customer know that you appreciate her business.