Because the internet enables shoppers to access your website 24
hours a day, 365 days a year without geographic limitations or
concerns for time zones, automation of the sales process is a
necessity. It would be incredibly expensive to staff your
internet business to accept orders 24 hours a day. An ecommerce
provider that can automate your ordering process eliminates the
need for a sales staff to take orders from customers.Selecting an ecommerce provider can be a bit mind boggling
because there are many options for an ecommerce provider and they
don’t all offer the same types of services and ecommerce
solutions. The costs associated with using an ecommerce provider
also vary from one provider to the next. The main thing to
consider when choosing an ecommerce provider is the availability
of payment options that they provide for your customers. If you
offer a limited number of payment options, you may make it
difficult for some customers to buy from you. By offering a wide
array of options, you can actually gain a competitive advantage
due to the customer-centric service you can provide.I am adamant about the necessity of accepting credit cards
through an online business. If you don’t accept credit cards, you
lose sales. It really is that simple. The majority of online
shoppers use credit cards to make purchases online, so if you
have to compromise in regard to the types of payments processed
through an ecommerce provider, be sure to choose the ecommerce
provider that accepts the greatest variety of credit cards.Other payment solutions that may be offered by an ecommerce
provider include the acceptance of checks online, accepting debit
cards, use of digital wallets (also known as e-wallets), person-
to-person email payments, and escrow services. Accepting PayPal
as a payment option is also a good idea as it is a popular online
payment method used by internet shoppers worldwide. Some
ecommerce providers use a web-based shopping cart that is
associated with your website to automate the sales process.It is important to understand that services offered by an
ecommerce provider are not generally all-encompassing. In other
words, they don’t necessarily provide all of the services for
various payment options themselves. Rather, an ecommerce provider
generally works as a consultant and coordinates various services
and ecommerce solutions to be sure that they work well together
and meet the unique needs of your business.Components that have to be compatible in order to efficiently
operate a website with an automated sales process include the
hosting plan, the website design, the software used for shopping
carts or order processing, and the payment processing solutions.
Because hosting and website design are included in the mix of
ecommerce solutions, it is best to choose a web development firm
that is an ecommerce provider and has the capability of hosting,
designing and developing your website. Otherwise, if you use one
company to host the site, another to design the site and another
as an ecommerce provider, you will likely have a hodge-podge of
problems that require reworking of previously developed parts of
your website which can result in unnecessary costs.So, what if you have already had your website designed and
launched, you need to add ecommerce solutions, and your web
developer is not an ecommerce provider? This is a dilemma that
many internet business owners face. At this point, you need to
find an ecommerce provider that has website design and
development capabilities. A good web development company that is
an ecommerce provider should be able to work with what you have
already and add ecommerce solutions to transform your basic
website into an ecommerce website with an automated sales
process.