| In order to develop an on-line store there
are a number of considerations that must be addressed. As defined on our Options for E-Commerce page, there are several methods, from the
most basic to the most complex, that can be employed to enable your customers to purchase
products or services through your website. You must first determine what method you
intend to deploy. If you are planning to sell a
subscription to an on-line service or intellectual type property that will be delivered
on-line, many of the following questions will not apply to your situation:
PURCHASING CONSIDERATIONS:
- How many different products will you be offering in your
on-line store?
- Will there be any minimum orders?
- For each item, how many different options are there (ie.
size, color, style)?
- What is the availability of your products? Does it
vary?
- Do you offer any one-of-a-kind or limited supply items?
- How frequently do you add or eliminate products that you
offer?
- How frequently will the pricing change on products?
- Do you intend to offer seasonal discounts or coupon
redemption?
- How important is it to promote similar products when a
customer selects a particular item?
- Are any of your products customizable and if so, how?
- Will your customer need assistance to calculate necessary
quantities?
- Do you want to offer on-line customer assistance during
ordering?
SHIPPING CONSIDERATIONS:
- How will shipping be computed? Will it be based on
total weight, total value or quantity?
- Do your shipping costs need to vary for different regions?
- Does your shipping method vary for different products?
- Will you be shipping overseas?
- Will you offer a choice of common carriers (FedEx, UPS, DHL,
USPS)?
- Will you offer a choice of shipping method (ground,
overnight, etc.)?
- Do you have special handling charges for some items?
- Are you offering discounts on shipping for certain size
orders?
- Do you plan to include greeting cards for gift orders?
SALES TAX CONSIDERATIONS:
- Do you need to collect sales tax for more than one state?
- Does your sales tax rate vary from different points of
shipment?
ORDER PROCESSING CONSIDERATIONS:
- How do you want your orders delivered to you?
- Will more than one person need to receive the order
information?
- Do you wish to give customers the ability to track check the
status of an order?
- What type of receipt to you want to give your customers?
- Are any of your products going to be delivered on-line?
- Do you plan to operate an affiliate program?
- Do you have agents or reps that will need accountings of
their sales?
- Will you be maintaining inventory level information on-line?
- Does your on-line inventory need to interface with your
local accounting?
PAYMENT PROCESSING CONSIDERATIONS:
- Will you process the transaction locally or on-line?
- What credit cards will you accept?
- Will you accept payment by checks on-line?
- Will there be recurring monthly charges related to your
sale?
- Do you want to track your customers' purchasing history and
avoid sales to customers who frequently charge-back or return merchandise?
- Will you be paying commissions on-line?
- What kind of reports related to your sales will you need?
- Does your on-line payment information need to interface with
your local accounting?
These are just some of the considerations that must go into
defining the appropriate e-commerce solution. In nearly every instance, the answer
is going to be a custom solution employing a variety of techniques and features.
Most third-party hosted solutions, shopping carts in-a-box, and website designers with
limited experience, will not have the flexibility or capability to insure the right
solution for your unique needs. Rather than trying to force a square peg into a
round hole, MegaIQ will provide exactly what you need, no more and no less.
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