E-commerce hosting services and store fronts.

Shopping cart software

Web page creation tools

Domain name services

E-mail accounts

Merchant accounts

E-commerce software applications

Technical support and server security.

The online catalog

Presentation of content - Attractive; user-friendly.

Comprehensive and hierarchical system - Beginning with general categories, moving to subcategories

Front-end systems - Online search capability, secure payment system, customer service support.

Back-end systems - Databases involving inventory, pricing, payment systems.

Static versus Dynamic catalog

A static catalog has separate Web pages which must be edited manually; easier to program; labor-intensive-and therefore costly-to maintain.

A dynamic catalog requires more initial programming; easier to maintain when interfaced with back-end systems; can be specialized to increase customer use.

Application Service Provider (ASP)

A complete Web hosting service is a solution that can offer you the use of numerous software applications, as well as all of the necessary hardware and software that your business needs to operate efficiently.

Leasing or renting the solution rather than owning it.

An online instant storefront is a good way to get started doing e-commerce without investing a great deal of time and money on infrastructure. An instant storefront is a good solution for a business that wants to invest very little in infrastructure, but it also mandates that a business give up control over its e-commerce infrastructure as well. Instant storefronts use software packages developed by third-party vendors. There are two kinds of instant storefronts, online and offline.

Online instant storefronts typically charge a monthly fee based on the number of orders placed on the site. Most online storefront providers offer different pricing plans based on the number of orders.

Most online instant storefronts use templates for creating various kinds of pages during store creation.

An online storefront is completely hosted by the service provider and can be managed from a browser anywhere on the Internet.

An offline storefront resides on the computers of the business. The business must make changes to the store in the application and then upload the changes to the Web site. An offline storefront requires more infrastructure.

An in-house solution uses the computing infrastructure of a business to house its e-commerce site. An in-house solution, in which the business supplies the infrastructure and buys, develops, and implements its own e-commerce solution, is usually best for large business that have the resources to devote to the task.

Custom in-house storefronts will differ because they are built individually.

Independent storefronts offer fully qualified domain names. Fully qualified domain names make it easier for customers to remember the URL of your business.

An in-house instant storefront is a good example of outsourcing. While the cost is less than an in-house solution, the business gives up a large degree of control over its e-commerce site.

An online store catalog enables those businesses that decide on an online instant storefront the ability to display their products in an easy way. A catalog is a listing of products on your e-commerce Web site.

The shopping cart serves as a repository for all the purchases that the customer might want to make while he or she is browsing on the site.

Transaction processing encompasses customer authentication, purchase authorization, and online payment.

Using a portal or community storefront gives small businesses an easy and inexpensive way to get started with e-commerce. A portal is a collection of vendors, some of which sell similar products. As the business grows, it becomes more expensive.

Typical portal and community storefronts don't allow stores to have their own fully qualified domain names and don't allow as much customization as other options. Also, searching through a community or portal storefront displays all merchants selling similar products together, making it harder to differentiate your business.

Some portals offer shopping carts at some levels and allow for some customization. Portals allow you to create catalogs of your products. Secure transactions, visibility, and shopping cart capabilities are available on portals.

Turnkey solutions do not always offer a ready answer for items such as the refund of credit card transactions.

A phased approach is when a site implements its e-commerce site in steps, rather than launching all of the functionality the site will have at once. The steps in a phased approach are:

1 - Information only - An information-only site is a good way to get your company's name out into the Internet world without providing a full transactional environment.

2 - Limited transactions - A limited transaction site is one that limits Web-based customer support, but still allows customers to order from your business's site.

3 - Full transactions

4 - Legacy system integration - In the legacy system integration stage, Browser-based front-end GUI applications are typically used to link back-end databases to the Web. A critical component of a successful e-commerce site is making sure that updated inventory, invoicing, and shipping information are available to the customer. This is most often accomplished by linking to back-office systems.

Backoffice systems include invoicing, billing systems, inventory control, and shipping. By integrating your Web site with backoffice systems, you automate business processes and reduce costs.

Customization features of many EC storefront packages allow you to create customer-discount and customer-interest databases. This lets you do targeted marketing and helps you build community and generate demand.