The idea of selling anything and everything on-line is all the rage these days. However, very few folks really understand what is required to be successful as an online e-commerce business. To start the process, you should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages. Smaller businesses might find it to be more cost-effective to have a small product gallery created . Interested buyers would simply call for pricing and inventory availability. However, companies having a large inventory (where the inventory changes constantly) may find that an e-commerce solution is the best option. The first consideration should be your marketing budget. If your budget is very small, you should know that setting up an internet business online can be expensive. Let’s talk about what is needed to get started.
E-Commerce Requirements for an Online Business
- Secure Server Certificate (SSL Certificate)
- Set up a Virtual Private Server for faster load time
- Arrange for a payment portal to accept money online
- Hire a web firm to develop and optimize the site
A secure server certificate will cost you from $100 to $400 a year. A virtual private server is also necessary so your online store which will operate with “no shared resources.” The cost at this time is about $50 per month for private server space. When shopping on line, no customer wants to wait for the site to load. A private server will increase the load time making the site faster. This could make or break the business so it is a priority.
Additionally, a payment portal method is needed to accept payment by credit card, etc. This company will accept the payment liability as it exists which protects the integrity of the users. A payment portal company charges normally, per transaction, per month or by the percent of transaction amount. A couple of choices that we recommend to clients is either paypal.com or authorize.net.
E-Commerce Shopping Cart Software (The Website)
Last but certainly not least, you can expect a one-time fee for installing and developing the E-Commerce Website. Design and programming cost is determined by each design firm based upon the amount of hours needed to complete the project. This cost varies by Design Firm. Ongoing costs to operate the site might be managed by a programmer at the design firm, or you may learn to run the store on your own if the learning curve is not too large. Choose shopping cart software which is user-friendly to the site owner to avoid having to pay large amounts to outside programmers to run the e-commerce store. We recommend Presta Shop to many of our customers looking for a user-friendly e-commerce platform.
Do your “due diligence” as you research options for e-commerce solutions. Call us to discuss options for your project.
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Jean Holland-Rose
SEO Contributor
