Thinking about getting into Internet commerce? Studies show as many as 80 percent of Internet users make online purchases. So how do you tap into this growing marketplace?
Consider that of the e-commerce sites that succeed, there are two types. One, the marketing site, is merely an offshoot of a “real-life” company’s marketing program. This type provides added product or company information. It usually pushes visitors to contact the company, either by phone or by signing up for an e-mail list.
The second type, a selling site, is an online store. Selling sites need elements such as:
• A catalog with product details (images, benefits, specifications, prices).
• A secure shopping cart system to accept payments and track orders. It should allow customers to view their carts, continue shopping or check out.
• A credit card processing service or a system to take phone orders.
• Company and product information to instill customer confidence.
Most online merchants use a credit card processing service that charges a monthly fee. If your business isn’t large enough to warrant such an expense, you may accept checks or money orders, or use an online service like PayPal. For a small fee per transaction, PayPal collects check or credit card payments and then transfers the funds to your bank account.
(One downside of PayPal-type services is that your customers may dislike having to register before their payments are accepted. I’ve also heard complaints about PayPal freezing clients’ accounts for reasons such as a customer disputing charges.)
For a selling site to succeed, you must promote it both on and off the Web. Optimizing your pages and registering with the few major search engines is the cheapest way to go. But may get better results with:
• Traditional marketing and PR.
• Direct marketing by mail or by e-mail.
• Trading links with other Web sites.
• Pay-per-click advertising on search engines.
I’m still experimenting with the Google AdWords pay-per-click program. So far, I've received a number of clicks but few valid client inquiries.
Other Webmasters have advised me to be patient because if only one out of 100 clicks turns into a sale, I will make a profit. But the field I'm in is highly competitive, so I think a print advertising campaign may be more profitable for my company.
Like me, most e-commerce enterprises are experimenting to find out which marketing efforts work best.
Once you get visitors to your site, make sure you provide an environment that’s easy for them to navigate — and eventually buy. Customers should be able to find the products they want in just a few clicks. If they have to go through many levels or menus, they may just click right off your site.
