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Introduction to E-Commerce
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Introduction to E-Commerce |
The Internet is obviously a great new medium, and brings with it untold
opportunities and potential, most of which we cannot yet comprehend or
imagine. But what most people don't realize is that it requires a whole
new way of thinking, what the philosopher Thomas Kuhn called "a paradigm
shift."
I say this because I've seen so many people take their offline, brick and
mortar, businesses, and simply transfer it online, often putting up what
amounts to an online catalogue. Admittedly, this may work fine for some
people and some products, but it is not taking advantage of the new medium
and all that it has to offer.
One big problem here is that there have been so many so-called experts
wanting to cash in on the Net phenomenon yet so few of them who really
know what they are doing and how to maximize the opportunities for their
clients. They know a bit more than their customers, shroud their work in
secrecy, and make it appear far more technical and difficult than it
actually is.
It is our intention here to both de-mystify cyber-business and to clear
some of the debris and hubris from the e-record. In other words, what
follows is some straight talk, tips and insights for those considering
doing online business, whether you are just starting a business or already
have a business and wish to add an online component.
Let's start with my introductory list of the ten basics of taking it to
the Web.
Baby Steps: The Top 10 Basics
1)
Do the research.
Study and learn as much as possible. This general rule
of life certainly applies to a successful online business. Do your
homework. Take some time and familiarize yourself with the online world,
focusing on business sites in particular. Look how the big boys do it.
Determine what you like in a website and begin to envision how your own
will take shape. If you have no standards or criteria on which to judge
the work that someone is doing for you, they can get away with a lot, and
often do.
Electronic commerce is a huge, multi-billion dollar, rapidly changing
field and it is vital for all new merchants to learn as much as possible -
and then to keep up to speed with the changes. Fortunately, there are many
great resources available online - all you need to do is find the time to
read them!
The shortcut here is to find several very professional, trustworthy sites,
and learn from them. Sign up for several good mailing lists on topics that
interest you and try to at least gist them every day. And finally, find
and retain a good consultant - you will not regret this.
2)
Take aim.
Choose your niche and focus For those considering starting a
brand new online business from scratch, consider the following. There are
literally thousands of potential web-based businesses to choose from, but
if you try to address too broad an area or market you'll probably fail -
unless you have the funding available to become a major online player
right from the start. Even then, you're playing with fire.
The secret of success for the small online business is to choose a niche
and then focus, focus, focus. Develop a set of rules or guidelines that
tightly define the boundaries of your business. Then, the next time you
get a "hot" business idea in the shower you can use your rules as a litmus
test: if your idea meets these rules, falls within your strict guidelines,
then by all means go-ahead and follow it through; otherwise, ditch it
fast.
If you fall into the category of my friend, with his well-established
offline business and niche, then you needn't worry so much about this
point. You will want to check out your competitors online, see what and
who you are up against, and then work together with your Web consultant to
bury them.
3)
Chart your course.
Plan carefully and realistically. One of the biggest
mistakes that newbies, start-ups, and would-be Web entrepreneurs make is
to assume that "normal" business rules do not apply to the Web and
therefore there is no need for business and marketing plans. However, all
businesses need a plan or they are like a ship without a rudder, aimlessly
floating about and very vulnerable.
When drafting your business plan, strive to remain realistic, particularly
about the number of visits your site will receive, the percentage of
visitors that will actually make a purchase, and the time and money it
will take to build your business.
Be sure you understand your statistics. Have your personal consultant (see
below) explain them to you.
Your focus should be on the needs, desires, and expectations of your
customer, not on your entrepreneurial wish list. If you follow all of
these steps patiently, and with due diligence, the latter will follow
automatically from the former.
4)
Brand yourself.
Create a unique and professional website with your own
domain name. Your website will be the cornerstone of your success online.
It should stand out from the rest of the pack and it should have a unique
domain name.
Consult the professionals - in this case, someone in advertising, ideally
Web advertising or marketing. There are considerations for names online
that do not apply offline, which will enable your site to attract more
visitors.
And get a good web designer, someone whose work you like, and someone with
whom you will be able to work together with to create your company's
distinctive website.
5)
Find a home on the Web.
Get a good host. Your consultant should be able
to help you with this. There are many, many hosts out there and the whole
scene can be very confusing indeed.
This is why HostSearch exists. We have done all the homework for you in
this area already. You just need to determine the basics of what you need
and enter this criteria into our search engines. For example, once you
know how much you want to pay, how much disk space you will need, and what
platform you will be working on, HostSearch generates a list of reputable
web hosting companies where you can situate your site in cyberspace. Our
e-commerce search engine can be found by clicking HERE .
6)
Automate. ASAP. Many new Web merchants wrongly assume that automation
is something they need to think about only once their business gets
bigger. However, the best time to set up automated systems and procedures
is before a Web store opens its doors for the first time.
The important thing is to at least have a plan in place that details what
tasks you are going to automate, and when you are going to automate them.
For tasks that you decide to automate later, check to make sure that your
initial Web store can be expanded to include them.
For example, if you decide not to implement real-time credit card
authorization initially, ensure that your merchant account, your shopping
cart and your host (ISP) can support this at a later date and that you
will be able to upgrade easily.
7)
Think "dynamic."
Provide new products or services on a regular basis If
you can create a new product of your own once or twice a year, you'll
stand a better chance of growing your income continually. Also be sure to
update your existing products on a regular basis to keep content and sales
fresh.
If you're not able to create your own products that often, then consider
finding a product you could get behind and do a joint venture with the
owner. Even if the owner does not offer an affiliate program, you can
offer to promote their product or service for a percentage of sales. Let
them know you have a targeted list of prospects that would love their
product, especially if they could get it at a reduced price through you!
Ideally you should sell at least one product or service that you own
completely. If that's simply not possible right away, then make sure you
align yourself with only the strongest companies that you can rely on
going forward.
Your site needs to be kept fresh and dynamic. Surfers need to know that
someone is minding the store. Tell them about yourself. Make yourself
real. Put up pictures of your staff and your office. Sell yourself!
8)
Be in touch.
Design an opt-in email strategy. You must always be
growing a tightly targeted list of prospects. It's the only way you can
"capture" a percentage of the folks who visit your site and do not buy the
first time (which is unfortunately nearly all of them!).
An opt-in strategy works best when you give something of value away in
exchange for a visitor's name and email address. Then, you must stay in
touch with these people on a regular basis, while providing value for
them.
Be professional and polite to them since we are all receiving far too many
emails from people and companies we have absolutely no interest in. Make
it easy for them to "unsubscribe."
9)
Direct traffic to you.
Design a viable marketing strategy. Lets face
it, in order to make money online, you must get visitors to your site.
There are tons of ways to do this on the Internet and people are inventing
new ones every day. But what works for one site may not work for the next.
It all depends upon your target market and your products and services.
If you need to pay to get listed on Yahoo!, well then pay. $199 to be
listed may seem like a lot, but how many orders would it take you to
recoup this? The same with GoTo - if you must pay for keywords or "click-thru's"
then so be it. This is business after all. Nothing personal.
You say you don't know where to begin with this. Well then...
10)
Get a Guru.
Retain a Web man. Hire a Consultant. Everyone thinks they
are a writer. Or a musician. Or an actor. And now, or so it seems, a Web
Designer.
Believe me. Everyone is not.
The single best investment you can make in launching your online business
is to have your own personal Web consultant by your side, holding your
hand, guiding you, working with you, plotting with you, strategizing with
you.
There are many candidates out there for this position, so finding a
handful to interview should be no problem. Check out their portfolio of
clients. Look at their web sites. Assess their strengths and weaknesses.
And decide if you could work with this person in your online business.
In the best of all possible worlds, this person would possess a package of
skills, from designing web sites, to maintaining and promoting them, to
sales and marketing. Although this may seem like a lot to ask for, these
people are around and are well worth paying a monthly retainer to - or
hiring - in order to help you realize your online business goals.
You may need to motivate this person with a cooperative package; for
example, they get a certain percentage of online sales, or even handle all
the orders. Different companies and individuals can tell you what they
have to offer. The point is not to think you can do it all yourself, or
simply delegate an already busy employee additional responsibilities they
do not have a clue about. Invest. You need to speculate to accumulate.
It's often difficult to separate the hype from the reality, but if you do
your homework, read a bit, surf around and look at professional sites, and
use professional resources like HostSearch, you will be well on the way to
putting up your own e-commerce site. With a good product, a good site, and
some perseverence, you may soon find yourself with a successful online
business. Committing to doing it right is the first big step in anything
you undertake, and online business is no exception . |
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Getting Started in ECommerce |
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In 2004, Enquiro.com conducted a study of the search behaviors of men vs.
women. They found that women spend more time in their searches and at
specific sites. The study also revealed that women tend to be more
deliberate in reading search results, linger longer at sites and have a
greater satisfaction in the overall shopping experience. Another study
conducted by iProspect.com revealed that women are more apt to click the
paid search advertising because they find it more relevant to their
searches than do men (WebProNews - July 14, 2004).
What does this mean?
It means that if we understand the searching and shopping patterns of our
target audience we are better able to create marketing strategies to
effectively drive traffic to our sites. Don’t yet have a website?
Electronic commerce or ecommerce is used to describe doing business
over the Internet. Selling products and services to customers over the
Internet can be accomplished a number of ways and various levels of
sophistication.
The first thing you need is a professional Web site with its own domain
name. You need to design and promote a Web site. You'll need access to
expertise that can regularly design and maintain this Web site for you. A
good website which gets visitors to return is constantly evolving and
therefore, require ongoing attention. There are thousands of resources
available for you to take advantage of, many of which are free. You can
surf the Internet for what you need or you can simply visit www.WECAI.org
to see the many resources we have listed. We have resources for guests and
if you are a member we have even more resources to help you get started.
In fact, you can search our domain registry and purchase your own unique
domain name at www.affiliatesphere.com/domainregistration.htm
Developing a business over the Internet requires many of the same major
activities as starting any other business. You need a business plan,
something to sell such as a product or service; you need customers and you
may even need financial backing to get started. In addition, you need to
market products to your customers, exceptional customer service practices
and many other resources just as you do with traditional bricks and mortar
enterprises. They may include inventory, fulfillment, shipping banking
relationships and more.
Your store will need a "merchant" account, or the ability to process
your customers' credit card transactions over the Internet. This includes
needing a "secure server," (security certificate such as Versign or
Geotrust) so that thieves cannot gain access to your customers credit
information. Your merchant processing can be as simple as accepting
payments through PayPal or as complex as a custom designed shopping cart
system you pay for.
Getting a Merchant Account - If you have a good relationship with your
bank and they don't require a security deposit this may be your best
option for setting up a merchant account. Alternatives to getting a
merchant account through your bank are to go through a broker, a
fulfillment house, or using third-party billing.
For more information on establishing an ecommerce presence check out
the e-book entitled: Show Her the Money – The Woman’s ECommerce Handbook
for Online Transactions (www.showherthemoney.com). If you are, or become a
member of WECAI – www.wecai.org, this resource is yours with your
membership.
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In the previous Part we talked a little bit about what Ecommerce is, getting a
domain name and setting up a merchant account. Ecommerce is more than
that, much more. To have a really good online presence that gets people to
stop and shop you need a strategy for success. Your strategy must include
your USP or Unique Selling Position in the marketplace. What makes you
stand out from all the other online entrepreneurs looking for the same
type of customers as you? Can you stand out from the competition based on
quality, price or benefits? Once you know your USP, you can begin the
monumental task of telling the world about your site. A really unique
selling position will give you an advantage over all the competition –
well that and a lot of planning and investing of your time and money.
FOCUS
Emphasize the benefits and the results the customer will get from
purchasing from you and using your product or service. You can discover
the benefits by listing all the features and then converting them to
benefits. List everything your product or service offers. For each feature
list a relative advantage from the customer’s perspective. You can
discover the customer’s perspectives when they buy. Simply ask them, “ Why
did you place an order today or use our service?” BE very specific when
creating your benefit statements. An example of this is, “You will save
$100.00 sells better than “you will save money.” “You will loose 20 pounds
in 10 days” sounds better than “you will loose weight.” Rank your benefits
in order of importance to the customer. If you have enough of them, use
bullet points for emphasis.
Emotion sells. People make most buying decisions with their heart and
not their head. Paint a picture of the results the customer will get when
they purchase from you. “ You will look 20 years younger.” “You will be
$100 richer.”
Make sure you include a call to action. Want them to make a buying
decision today? Give them a reason to do so. Offer a bribe (discount,
bonus, something for nothing).
Your website must load quickly and function easily. If your site loads
slowly people will get impatient and go elsewhere. Do all your links work?
Have you tested your order page by running sample orders? Have you tested
load time using different connection speeds? You can get a fr*ee analysis
by visiting Submitplus.com.
Make your website easy to look at and read. I find dark background tend
to be more difficult to read than do pale backgrounds. The overall look of
your site should be clean and professional. When we were first creating
the Women’s ECommerce Association, International we did everything
in-house. Not being truly adept at HTML coding we thought we could just
use a simple program to create a professional site. It was okay, but the
one we now have is so much better. Why? Because we hired a professional.
You can create a website with a good template program. We are using
ECommerce Templates to create our new look for WUN Publications. It is
simple to use and relatively inexpensive.
When it comes to graphics, be conservative. Sites that are laden with
graphics and flash tend to take longer to load. If your site takes more
than 3 seconds to do so, you will loose many visitors and potential
buyers. If you must use graphics, make sure the files sizes used have been
reduced as much as your image editing/compression software will allow.
View your site using as many different browsers as possible. In
addition to Internet Explorer and Netscape, there is Opera, Mozilla, Lynx
and those are just the ones that run on Microsoft Windows. WebMonkey has a
chart of those supported by Macintosh, Unix/Linux and others. Also, many
people will surf with their browser’s graphics switched off. Make sure you
know what your site looks like without the graphics and that it is still
easy for visitors to surf.
One last thought Make sure all your important information is above the
fold. If you know that visitors are looking for something specific and you
make them scroll down to find it, chances are they won’t.
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Build and
Promote Your Web Site |
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When I was writing this
article, I posted a message on the Online Advertising (http://www.o-a.com)
mailing list asking people to tell me about how they made or saved money
on the Web. One individual wrote to me saying that small businesses lose
money more often than they make it on the Web because of the high cost of
creating and running a Web site.
Unfortunately, there is some truth in what that
individual had to say. Many small businesses have spent more money on the
Web than they will ever make or save.
But the good news is that doesn’t have to happen.
You can profit from the Web if you plan carefully and use your ingenuity.
Decide What the Purpose of Your Web Site Will
Be
If you go to business meetings or look in the local papers, you will find
numerous service providers who offer Web site design, hosting, and
marketing services. Among them are advertising agencies and marketing
firms, desktop publishers, office support services, commercial artists,
computer programmers, computer consulting firms, and companies that also
sell Web site hosting and Internet connectivity services.
Some of them will have experience setting up huge
corporate sites, some will have limited experience building Web sites, and
some may be people claiming to be Internet consultants or Web site
developers because they have just purchased a Web page creation program
and assume that owning the program gives them the expertise to design Web
sites.
Many will try to convince you to buy their
services now, whether or not you know anything about the Web—or about
them. Don’t be pressured by their solicitations. Don’t sign any agreements
to buy Web site space or to have a Web site created until you have a clear
vision of what you want the Web site to accomplish.
Every decision you make about your Web site
should be focused on what you want to achieve by having a Web site. Do you
want to use the Web site primarily as a capabilities statement or online
version of your press kit or promotional materials? Will you be selling
products to consumers directly from your Web site? Or will your primary
purpose be communicating with customers, employees, or suppliers?
To avoid spinning your wheels or spending money
on services you don’t need, make a list of all the capabilities you need
and put them in priority order.
Determine Your Needs
To save time, money (and possibly your sanity), plan out the Web site
carefully before you sign any contracts or spend any money on developing
it. You can determine what capabilities you’ll need and gather the
information you need to get accurate pricing estimates by answering these
questions:
1..Who do you want to use the Web site?
2..How many people do you expect to use the site?
3..How will you let them know about the site (how
will you market it)?
4..Who will do the marketing?
5..What capabilities (ordering, database, audio,
video, and so on) will you need?
6..How often will you have to update the Web site?
7..Who will do the updates?
8..What will it cost to host the site (or for your
own server and Internet connection)?
9..What will it cost to design the Web site?
10.What it will cost to market the Web site?
11.What will it cost to update the site?
12.How much will you have to spend on inventory?
13.What will fulfillment costs be?
14.Will you need warehouse space?
15.Will you have to hire employees?
16.How many sales or leads will you need to break
even on costs?
17.What sales volume do you want to attain?
18.How much, if anything, do you expect to make in
advertising revenues?
19.How soon do you need to reach your sales goals?
Use the answers to these questions to determine
what it will cost you to build the site and maintain it. Then compare your
costs to the results you hope to achieve and determine if the cost will
justify the results.
If the results will justify the cost, set
specific goals and timelines for achieving the goals and start the
project. At each step along the way, compare your progress to your needs
to keep it on target.
If the results won’t justify the costs, look for
ways to cut expenses or increase revenues. Or don’t build the site at all.
You can reap many of the benefits of the Internet without having your own
domain name and Web site.
Don’t Purchase Your Own Internet Server
You don’t have to have your own Internet server (computer dedicated to
serving pages to the Internet) and Internet access lines to put your
business on the Web. The most cost-effective way for most small businesses
to launch and maintain a Web site is to rent server space from a
Web-hosting company.
Similarly, if you don’t have the time, skill, and
interest to do a good job of designing a Web site, farm out the chore to a
reputable contractor or Web design company. The reason is simple: The time
you would have to invest to learn to create Web pages could be put to
better use selling your products and services and running your own
business.
Know What to Expect
With Web design, like other services, you don’t always get what you pay
for. High price is no assurance of good design or a result suited to the
intended use for your site. One organization paid more than $9,000 to have
their Web site designed and hosted for a year. The Web site consisted of
only a few pages of text and one graphic image. There were no databases
and no order forms. The only interactive feature was a function to send
mail to the owners of the site. The entire job, including creating the
graphic image, shouldn’t have taken more than a day or two to create.
You could get ripped off like this, too, if you
don’t know what you are buying. Launching a Web site is a process that
involves several types of activities. Depending on the nature of your
site, those services will include some or all of the following:
1..Setting up the Web site on a hosting service
2..Hosting the Web site on an ongoing basis
(storing the Web site on a computer, connecting it to the Internet)
3..Registering a domain name (giving yourself a
unique “address” on the Web, such as yourbusiness.com)
4..Designing Web pages (similar to typesetting and
laying out a newsletter)
5..Designing artwork (creating original artwork for
the Web site)
6..Writing the editorial content for the Web site
7..Programming a database to work on the Web (for
mailing lists, surveys, catalogs, customer sales data, and so on)
8..Registering the site with Internet search
engines
9..Marketing and promoting the site (on the Web and
offline)
10.Advertising (on the Web and offline)
11.Scanning your graphics and text to make them
usable on the Web
12.Maintaining the site on an ongoing basis
Few companies offer all these services. Many,
however, offer “complete” packages that include setting up and hosting the
site along with design and limited maintenance. Although using a single
source to do all the work sounds convenient, it isn’t necessarily a good
idea. The person who is a whiz at computer programming may have no
artistic abilities and no eye for graphic design. Someone who is capable
of putting text into html format may not know anything about creating the
editorial content for the site or about Internet marketing. (Don’t assume
they can type well or spell words correctly either!) And the company that
hosts the Web site may charge a small fortune to “design” your Web site,
when all they do is plug your material into a cookie-cutter template that
they use to “design” every Web site they create.
Furthermore, if you are charged a flat fee, you
may wind up paying for services you don’t need, or overpaying for the ones
you do need.
To make sure the price you are quoted is fair,
ask the provider to give you an itemized list of services they provide and
to specify the fee they are charging for each service.
Get quotes from several vendors and compare them.
Look at how much disk space you get, how much bandwidth you are allowed
(how much data can be transferred monthly for the fee), and what extra
charges you’ll incur if you go over these amounts. If you plan to sell
online, see if there are extra charges for a storefront, too. Ask whether
you will have access to update the files yourself if you decide to; how
many e-mail accounts you will be given; and whether there are extra
charges for autoresponders, mailing lists, and other services you may
want.
Know the Going Rates
Be wary of deals that offer you a set number of pages unless you have no
plans to add anything to your site after it is set up. A page requires
very little space on a computer. If you need to have only a few pages on
the Internet, you shouldn’t have to pay more than $10 or $15 a month for
hosting them, plus a reasonable hourly fee for taking your material and
converting it into html Web pages.
In 1999, Web-hosting prices for people who could
build their own Web sites ranged from as little as $15 a month to $50 a
month or more depending on the amount of computer (server) space needed
and whether the Web site would require database, audio or video
capabilities. A site costing $15 per month in hosting fees is adequate for
most small businesses whose primarily goal is to put sales literature on
the Web to get sales leads. Some hosting companies included shopping cart
software (software for setting up a retail site) at no extra charge with
host plans costing about $25 a month. Graphic artists and programmers
typically charge $75 an hour and up. Conversion of documents to simple
html pages costs between $15 and $25 an hour.
Find Affordable Web Hosting
If you will be creating your own Web pages or if you want to compare the
prices your service provider quotes to price elsewhere, be sure to visit
BudgetWeb.com
http://www.budgetWeb.com/budgetWeb/index.html. This Web site contains a
directory of companies that offer Web-hosting services and a primer that
explains some of the terms you may encounter in setting up your Web site.
There is also a list of questions you should ask a Web-hosting company.
Ask for References and Check Them
Before you agree to have anyone design your Web site, ask for references.
Get the names and URLs of Web sites they have designed for other
companies. Look at those sites and see if you like them. Is the design of
the pages attractive? Do they load quickly? Do they all look the same?
Look around the sites for the e-mail address of the owners and send them
e-mail. Ask if they were satisfied with the work that was done for them
and if it was done in a timely fashion.
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How to Get Free Internet Merchant Accounts |
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Here I will show small businesses how
to get free internet merchant accounts. If your business is to grow and
succeed, it is essential to accept online credit cards.
Benefits of accepting online credit cards.
1. It has been proven that sales increase dramatically when you accept
online credit cards.
2. Up to 75% of online purchases are made on impulse and customers
spend up to 50% more when using their credit cards.
3. Above all, if you accept online credit cards you build credibility
in the eyes of your customers as they assume only established businesses
will accept cards.
However, it is not necessary to have your own internet merchant account
to be able to accept credit card payments on your website. Most small
businesses do not need their own online merchant account.
How to get free online credit cards
Getting your own internet merchant account is more difficult than
obtaining an offline merchant account because the card is not present at
payment nor is the signature obtained. Sometimes, small and new companies
face extra difficulties.
Nevertheless, these problems can be overcome by getting a Third Party
Processing company to accept online credit card payments on behalf of you
or your company.
How Third Party Processors operate
The payments your customers make are processed through the third
party’s own merchant account, and you the retailer is paid (minus a
commission) by the third party processor. This allows you to sell online
without the necessity of having your own internet merchant account.
However, the Third Party Processor makes its profit by charging a
processing fee. Usually, third party processor charges are a little more
on a transaction compared with having your own online merchant account.
Though set-up fees are usually free or minimal.
So, there you have it. You can accept online credit cards on your
website through a Third Party Processor without needing your own merchant
account. Free internet merchant accounts by another name!
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Evaluating Vendors of Ecommerce Fulfillment Services |
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Once your website has secured an order, you have to fulfill it. While the
fulfillment of digital goods is usually handled online, the delivery of
physical goods is handled in a "brick-and-mortar" world.
When choosing a
fulfillment company ( http://www.4th-media.net/order_fulfillment/decision_making.php
) for your ecommerce operation, you need to evaluate both fulfillment
services and ecommerce services for order processing.
Evaluating Fulfillment Services
Fulfillment services includes receiving, inventorying, warehousing,
delivery, record-keeping and customer inquiries. You have options to
outsource part of or all of fulfillment services to a third party.
Receiving - This is the process that fulfillment vendors acquire goods
from suppliers and the accuracy of services starts at the receiving.
Inventorying - The skills of inventory management directly impact the
quality and cost of fulfillment. If inventory is out of stock, you may
lose customers. If inventory level is too high, it may increase the cost
of inventory.
Warehousing - Physical goods are stored in a warehouse and valuable
items are usually stored in secure storage. While fulfillment companies
have their warehouses and distribution centers, small businesses can store
goods in their garages or basements.
Shipping - For order fulfillment, goods are delivered to customers in
various shipping methods - ground, overnight, etc. at fulfillment centers.
Customers specify shipping methods when they place their orders and the
fulfillment companies may adjust the shipping methods of the delivery.
Return and Order Inquiry - Customer Service Reps at fulfillment
companies can handle return and refund for their clients. Most ecommerce
sites allow customers to view their orders and status of fulfillment
online.
Record Keeping and Reporting - The ability to track all information
pertinent to the order fulfillment (from inventory items, customers,
orders to shipping) will help businesses to gain insights into the
behaviors of their customers. Fulfillment companies and large
organizations usually install inventory and fulfillment management
software to automate the processes. Small business owners can find
shareware for less than $100.
Evaluating Ecommerce Services
E-commerce fulfillment vendors are usually fulfillment vendors that
provide ecommerce services related to fulfillment.
Online Catalog - Ecommerce fulfillment vendors can either develop
online storefront ( http://www.4th-media.net/online_storefront/ ) for you
or integrate your online storefront into their backend fulfillment system.
Online Payment Processing - Online storefronts from ecommerce
fulfillment providers should have the ability to process payments online
in credit card, electronic check, and purchase order. Using a fulfillment
company, you can accept credit card online without a online merchant
account.
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