Ecommerce is the catchphrase of current times. The term basically refers to selling products and services on the web. There is enormous potential in this area, and accordingly, a range of solutions are available to cater for small shops selling one or a few products, through to full scale shopping malls.
If you have aspirations in this direction, and would like to explore the idea, careful planning and advice is important, to ensure that the selected approach is both cost-effective, and scalable to handle the future growth of your online venture.
Call or email for advice and a free consultation. To get you started, here are a couple of issues to consider.
Security
Security is an extremely important part of conducting online transactions. There are, as with most web-based technologies, a number of solutions, and a number of issues to take into account.
The most common area of concern in ecommerce transactions is the security of information as it transits between your client’s browser, and your web server, and finally, to your despatch personnel for fulfillment of the order.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology is the most common solution for data that is being transferred between the browser, whereby all data is encrypted during transit. Webscope hosting services can provide 128 bit high level encryption, the industry standard for ecommerce based sites.
Once the required information is securely transferred to your server, you need to either process the transaction through an online payment gateway for real-time authorisation, or have the information securely transferred to you via encrypted email for processing and fulfillment. The former is generally used for sites with a high turnover, while the latter can be a very cost-effective way of getting your project started.
Webscope has experience in successfully deploying all of these technologies, and can advise on what would best suit your requirements.
Product Information Management
In order for your clients to find what they are looking for, you need to display your offerings in a user friendly format, usually with full search facilities, so customers can find what they want, fast.
Webscope has successfully deployed ecommerce solutions using the award winning combination of PHP scripting language, with a MySQL database backend to house your catalogue information, and deliver it quickly and effectively to your customers browser.
Solutions can be provided to facilitate full adminstrative functionality so that you can make realtime adjustments to your pricing, product availability, or product attributes.
Other features that can be made available include order tracking, automated shipping cost calculation, bulk-email of specials and deals to your customers, and more. Your model can be replicated on the web with a fully customised solution, maximising your chances of success. Alternatively, a number of turn-key solutions can be made readily available to fast track your project.
Whatever your requirements, we can help. Webscope has already developed and launched a number of successful ecommerce projects, so we know what to do, and more importantly, what to avoid! Contact us for advice on how best to implement your strategy.