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Posts Tagged ‘Ecommerce’

How to Choose Your Ecommerce Hosting?

Posted by weblinkindia on April 9, 2010

Selling and buying of products and services online has become very common and is attaining more and more popularity. Having a website online does not translate that you have achieved a prominent web presence. Why? This must be a question tickling your brains….

In this so called computer era, almost every business has its website online so as to attain promotion and business. Ecommerce hosting services are being taken by entrepreneurs to escalate their business graph. In this write up you will find the points that need to be considered before you choose your ecommerce hosting. But before that you need to know some basics.

What is ecommerce web hosting ?

Ecommerce hosting is a web service that is provided to the businesses looking forward for success and profits. Ecommerce hosting encompasses services like:

  • Providing payment gateways
  • Offer Shopping cart

The web space is thronged with hundreds of companies providing ecommerce hosting services so it becomes difficult for a businessman to select the right kind of service for their business. Here are some unavoidable points that need to be ensured before you sign up with an ecommerce web host

 Uninterrupted server:  When a visitor comes to your ecommerce site or shopping cart, he should be provided with uninterrupted service. In between the transactions, if the server gets disconnected or jammed the chances of you loosing the customer increases.

So, you must ensure that your ecommerce host offers you continued server services.

 Free of cost added features :  If you opt for supplied ecommerce hosting then you have to install various added features on your website so as to make it more efficient. Features like zen cart, oscommerce, etc. are to be installed without paying anything. It is Ideal for those businesses that have low budget.

 Secure payment gateway :  Payment system is the most important part of any shopping cart or ecommerce site. The transactions online requires to be safe and secure so that the details of the customer remains hidden. So, before choosing the ecommerce hosting you must enquire that the payment gateway has safe features or not.

 Different payment options :  The customer must be provided with a range of payment options like paypal,etc. This allows all types of customers to buy products irrespective of what payment option they can access.

You have to choose from either supplied or hosted ecommerce hosting considering your requirements and budget. Thus if all the above mentioned points are ensured then the ecommerce hosting chosen by you is apt and will draw more traffic to your website.

Posted in Ecommerce Hosting, Ecommerce Solution | Tagged: , , | 9 Comments »

Ways to Increase your sales using ecommerce 2.0

Posted by weblinkindia on April 6, 2010

There were days when after creating an ecommerce site the owner just relaxed and entertained visitors. But now with the increased participation of the retailers in the ecommerce, the ecommerce sites or shopping cart owners have to struggle to prove their mettle in the field. The competition in the ecommerce has given way to excessive use of marketing tools.

What according to you is the main motto of any ecommerce site or online store owner’s?
They aim to attract as many visitors as they could to their store and turn them into customers. But it has been observed that most of the online customers leave the shopping cart before buying. This problem has been persistent and has become a cause of worry for the online store owners.

How to get rid of this problem?
Web developers have introduced some latest techniques under Web 2.0 technology that reduces the desertion rate of the customers on the Ecommerce site. The web applications created using web 2.0 technology are faster, interactive and more user friendly. The web 2.0 has proved beneficial for ecommerce and is thus also referred to as ecommerce 2.0.

We provide you few most common reasons why customers abandon an online store before buying and have also presented ways to rectify those:

Hidden and high shipping rates :-  People who come to shop on online stores must be provided with complete charges. No one likes to pay extra. Revealing the shipping rates at the end irritates the customer and he is forced to leave.

What you can do:
By large offer free shipping for huge orders. Also, display the shipping charges right beside the cart so that the customer is aware of the total money he/she has to shed.

Automatic saving of the product :-  The item added to the cart should be saved automatically. So, even if the customer leaves the site, on re-login that product will be displayed on the cart. In this case, the chances of buying that product increase. Again web 2.0 has software that enables automatic saving of the page.

Don’t just compare :- You must keep track of the competitors cart and simultaneously improve upon the functionality of your online store. Web 2.0 offers various such facilities.

Long and complicated checkout process :- This is one of the major reasons of customers leaving a shopping cart. You must ensure that the checking out should be an uncomplicated process. A simple form with not more than 2-3 categories should be asked to fill by the customer.

Late Information regarding out of stock products :- Most of the carts inform the customers at the time of checkout that the product they wish to buy is unavailable. This infuriates the buyers and they leave the store in haste. So, it is mandatory to provide information regarding the out of stock products beforehand.

Poor navigation on the site :- If the navigation of the site is poor then it is difficult for the visitor to stay for long there. Using Web 2.0 technologies the navigation of the site becomes efficient and simpler. Also, the downloading time of the product images reduces.

Insufficient contact information :- Your contact details should be clearly visible on your cart. A product adding system based on wizard Web 2.0 functionality) should be added to the cart. Thus ecommerce 2.0 is a boon for the ecommerce store owners. Its highly advanced functionalities remove most of the flaws of the ecommerce sites or stores and make them efficient.
WEB 2.0 Development India

Posted in Ecommerce Solution, Ecommerce Web design, Web 2.0 | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Benefits and limitations of e-commerce

Posted by weblinkindia on March 30, 2010

E-commerce has revolutionized the concept of conducting business by providing equal chance to all the businesses to mark their global presence. It has also eased the customers with online shopping and easy transactions. With the introduction of e-commerce business, communication has become effortless and has also changed a lot in recent years for the better. Still, there are people who think that conventional business practices are far better then the e-commerce business. Here, we are bringing you some of the benefits and limitations of e-commerce that will make you aware of the certain aspects of this new trend of conducting business.

Benefits

Expands the reach of your business to the global market :- The foremost advantage of e-commerce is that it empowers the business to reach the global market. E-commerce caters to the demands of national as well as international business simultaneously and brings your business activities out of geographical boundaries. With e-commerce, even small businesses get the access to the global market.

Round the clock availability :- E-commerce has abolished time restrictions on business activities because with this you can execute business transactions 24X7. The time factor significantly turns into the increment in sales as well as profits.

Gives freedom to make choices :- It also gives customers an opportunity to look for cheaper and better quality products. With e-commerce, consumers can search the specific product or service they require and can even find the direct manufacturer from where they can purchase products at comparatively less price. Shopping online is time saving and convenient. In addition to it, you also get to see the reviews of other consumers that will help you in making beneficial purchase decision.

Cost effective : - E-commerce is proved to be highly cost effective for business concerns as it cuts down the cost of marketing, processing, inventory management, customer care etc. It also reduces the burden of infrastructure required for conducting business. You can also collect and manage the information related to the customers efficiently, which in turn will assist you in developing efficient promotional strategy.

Limitations

Technological and inherent limitations :- The technological limitations of e-commerce have restricted a large number of people from using this revolutionizing technique. The major disadvantage of e-commerce is the limitation of the Internet, as it still has not touched the lives of every individual. Lack of knowledge restricts large number of people from using the internet and understanding online transactions. Some people refuse to trust the legitimacy of online business and some are not comfortable about disclosing their personal and confidential information online. Authenticity of e-commerce businesses has always remained in question.

Not suitable for perishable commodities :- The biggest limitation of e-commerce is that it is not suitable for perishable goods and food items. For purchasing such items people prefer the conventional way of shopping. Along with that, the time period also plays a significant role in delivering goods to the customers. Customers may need to make lot of phone calls and e-mails for getting the products within the desired timeframe. Moreover, it becomes really troublesome to return the product or get refund in case if you are not satisfied with the product.

After evaluating the pros and cons of e-commerce, we can clearly state that the benefits of e-commerce are sufficient enough for overpowering the limitations. If apt strategies are followed and technical issues are addressed properly, you can easily build up the customers trust in your system. The present scenario of e-commerce can also be changed for good, so that it can easily adapt to the ever changing needs of the customers as well as of the world.

Ecommerce Web Design Company

Posted in Ecommerce Solution, Ecommerce Web design | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Are Ecommerce Transactions Secure?

Posted by weblinkindia on March 27, 2010

Ecommerce is one of the fastest growing businesses in the current scenario. Scarcity of time and unavailability of the products at a given point of time are the most important factors contributing to the growth of ecommerce. Even in times of depressed economy online shopping gained popularity and continued to generate large revenue.

Is online transaction secure?
With fraud and hackers lurking at all corners, online transaction is not at all secure. Ecommerce stores or shopping carts have their payment gateways that carry out the financial transactions. It is a business’s responsibility to choose the perfect payment gateway that has all the possible security options. All online financial transactions include sharing of personal credit card details. It is witnessed that most of the customers have turned down their orders online because of the poor security. But use of newly invented software have made the transactions secure.

Latest measures taken up by the shopping cart owners:
The developers have designed various security software in order to make online transactions safer.

Steps that an advanced secure shopping cart follows:

  1. When you place an order on a shopping cart you are directed to a web page with order form
  2. Then after filling up and submitting the form the order is send via https:// to a safer server
  3. This secure site contains a security device in the browser
  4. It may also have SSL trust marks that encrypts the information in coded form
  5. The SSL verifies the details of both the client and the server
  6. A SSL certificate is awarded after verification
  7. The encrypted information intentionally messes up the data that makes it more secure
  8. Each of this SSL certificate have two keys public and personal

Public Key :-  for encrypting the information
Private Key :-  for decrypting the information

Only the authorized users are able to encrypt and decrypt the information. Thus this whole process makes the ecommerce transaction process fair and secure. Using the safe mode of transactions, the businesses have been able to shun away the fears related to online transactions. The highly advanced security software enables the ecommerce stores or businesses to conduct their businesses with much ease and without any fear.

Secure Payment Gateway Solutions

Posted in Ecommerce Solution, Ecommerce transactions | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Ecommerce Hosting Considerations

Posted by weblinkindia on March 20, 2010

Ecommerce is the fastest growing field in the web market. With the growing access of the Internet and the busy lives of the people ecommerce have acquired a new thrust.

What is ecommerce?
The buying and selling of services and products that takes place through the electronic medium is ecommerce. It comprises of B2B & B2C/ shopping cart websites. For uploading your own ecommerce site or store online, reliable website hosting is required. There are various points that have to be considered while choosing an ecommerce host.

Following are the things that have to be assured before selecting your ecommerce host :

Calculate Disk Space and Transfer:

  1. This is the base thing that you need to consider while opting for a general host
  2. The amount of space you need on the server and transfer rate all need to be determined beforehand
  3. After calculating this you can choose an appropriate size plan
  4. Ecommerce sites require space and transfer more as compared to the other sites ( because of the presence of shopping cart)

How will decide upon the requirements of space and transfer?
It is solely dependent on the number of products that you have offered. Also, it depends of the amount of traffic

Choose a perfect Shopping Cart:

  1. Choosing shopping cart software is entirely a choice of the business owner
  2. A web hosting company provides you plenty of choices: thoroughly enquire about the features that the software will provide and also ask them to give demos of the same
  3. You must acquire some basic knowledge about the shopping cart software and their working in order to better handle your ecommerce store or business
  4. The software must support SSL, which is a security set up
  5. An efficient payment gateway must be there
  6. Enquire about the product limit of the cart

Trust Factor and uninterrupted support:

  1. The most important thing to be considered while finalizing your ecommerce web host is its trustworthiness.
  2. The server allotted to you should work 24×7 without any break down
  3. Search for customer reviews about the web hosting company you are signing up with

Thus keeping these abovementioned points in mind we assure that you will find and sign up with a perfect Ecommerce website host. The right host will help you earn maximum profits from your ecommerce business.

Posted in Ecommerce Hosting | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Best Ecommerce Software Programs

Posted by weblinkindia on March 17, 2010

Ecommerce is the term related to online buying and selling of goods or services. The growing access of the Internet and its reach to even the remotest areas of the world has perked up the growth of ecommerce. Time is a crucial factor in everybody’s life, wastage of time is unaffordable in the current times. Ecommerce websites is a time-saving solution that enables a buyer to purchase goods from any part of the world in any quantity. The choice options are extensive and the prices are reasonable. Having a shopping cart or an ecommerce website proves highly profitable for a business. Businesses looking forward to have their own ecommerce sites or shopping carts require advanced software programs.

What do you understand by ecommerce software programs?
The software programs that enable a developer to create a site that displays your company’s products or services along with options to buy them are the ecommerce software programs.

There are 3 ways of creating an ecommerce store:

  • Using ‘out of a box’ software
  • Signing up with ecommerce hosting company
  • Using necessary codes creating your own program

There are numerous Ecommerce Software Programs available in the market but selecting the best one for your business is a must. We provide you the characteristics of an ideal ecommerce software programs that you must look out for while choosing yours.

But before that you need to know some points:

  1. Analyze your requirements: what you want in your store.
  2. Calculate your budget

Your ecommerce store MUST BE:

  • Capable of providing an attractive storefront appearance
  • Able to handle all the requisite backend operations
  • Be easy to install
  • Having an efficient payment gateway system
  • Designed by reliable companies

Capable of providing an attractive storefront appearance:
Designed by reliable companies This includes

  • professional appearance
  • Attractive template
  • Is able to display maximum products
  • Site made should be easily navigable
  • Site should be displayed in all the browsers

Handle all the requisite backend operations:
This includes:

  • Record keeping: of purchases, shipping details, tax paid, etc.
  • Should not use cookies
  • Systematic and timely mailing to the clients

    • Should be easy to install :  The software shall be designed such that it requires simple coding and programming.

    Have an efficient payment gateway system :  Until the payment system is not effective the transactions of the online store suffers. So, it is necessary for a ecommerce software program to have an effective payment gateway system.

    Should be designed by reliable companies : The software program must be designed by trusted firms with wide client base. If your ecommerce software program provides fulfills all the aforementioned features then it is an ideal one and will enable you to build a perfect ecommerce store or site.

    Ecommerce Web Design Company

    Posted in Ecommerce Software, Ecommerce Solution, Ecommerce Web design | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

    How Ecommerce Website can benefit your business

    Posted by weblinkindia on February 13, 2010

    As the world is heading its way towards new advancements, it is becoming more tech savvy. Internet is being used on a large scale and by an enormous number of people. Computer has become an integral part of almost all households and offices. Computer has dominated all spheres and fields, it has outpaced manpower. Trade has been influenced the most by web and its services. Promotion and buying & selling of the products are conducted on the Internet with the help of : 

    1 ) Ecommerce Websites
    2 ) Banner advertisement
    3 ) Social networking sites
    4 ) Blogging, etc

    Be it a brick and mortar business, a consultant agency, a travel agency, an institute, a sports academy, etc. all have their Websites online.

    What is an ecommerce website?
    Any website that is meant for the purpose of business is an ecommerce website. It is mainly related to buying and selling of services and products through Internet. The website carries:

  • Business details- type, infrastructural details, etc.
  • Products images and their description
  • Contact information

    • Why an ecommerce website?
    A Business cannot be successful unless it is promoted in a systematic manner. In the present scenario, Internet has emerged to be one of the strong and effective medium of endorsing a business. It has many benefits over other mediums like electronic and print.

    Benefits of an ecommerce website: It helps a business earn a huge amount of sales revenue because of the following benefits:

    Mass Reach :-  Your online store is open 24×7. There are no time constraints, no holidays, etc. Visitors can purchase the required products or services at any hour of the day. This adds to the convenience of the buyers.
    Also, as the products are properly categorized on the websites, it saves time of the customer.

    Time and convenience :-  Your online store is open 24×7. There are no time constraints, no holidays, etc. Visitors can purchase the required products or services at any hour of the day. This adds to the convenience of the buyers.
    Also, as the products are properly categorized on the websites, it saves time of the customer.

    Cost effective :-  Maintenance of the online store is negligible; you just have to pay the web hosts some amount of money to upgrade and renew your site. The money spent on the staff and general maintenance of a store is saved.

    As the time is charting forward, the scope and market of the ecommerce business will reach its apex. So, it is very important to advertize your website using various online marketing strategies in order to reap the benefits of the ecommerce business. Thus a well-designed and duly promoted ecommerce Website can be a key to a successful and prosperous business.

    Posted in Ecommerce Web design | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

    Market your Ecommerce website

    Posted by weblinkindia on February 7, 2010

    Businesses whether brick or mortar or online needs appropriate marketing strategies. Advertisement of a business can be done  through various means but in the present world the most effective and prominent marketing tool is having an Ecommerce site. Various web designing companies offer competent website designing services. Once your website is created, the foremost step to be taken is to promote it. Until and unless you do not market your site, customers will not know about you.

    Following are the marketing strategies that you can employ in order to promote your site efficiently 

    List yourself with various search engines :-  This is the most important and the primary step that has to be taken after the display of the website on the Internet. Search Engines like Yahoo, MSN, DMOZ, etc.

    Add Product Feeds :-  This is a must for all websites. It should be ensured that your product feeds are active (have not expired).

    Add RSS Feeds :-  these feeds are necessary for your site and have to be submitted to different sites.

    Write Blogs :-  Blogs containing the link of your website shall be uploaded on the net. As search engine spiders crawl over the blog content easily, it will help in your website promotion.

    Newsletters :-  Newsletters are one of the most effective online marketing tools. If a customer sign up for your newsletter you can send him updates. Also, details about your new products can be conveyed through them.

    Email Lists :-  If you have arranged an Email list containing the email IDs of your past customers then drop them a mail containing the details of your business. This email must carry your website link.

    Join Forums :-  Join forums that are related to your field. Discussions that take place on them help people know about your work and might be interested in visiting your site.

    Subscribe to Free classified ads :-  Advertise your site on various free classifieds.

    Articles :-  Articles related to your products or work should be written and uploaded on various directories.

    Refined Content :-  Your site must have description of the products along with the specifications and images. This will assure more potential clients on your website.

    Add and exchange Links :-  Exchange link of your website with various other sites. This will help divert more traffic towards your website.

    Thus properly marketed ecommerce site can draw maximum benefits and thus reap large profits. So, grow and prosper using our useful marketing tips.

    Posted in Ecommerce Web design | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

    Choose the Right Merchant Gateway

    Posted by weblinkindia on February 5, 2010

    Any business whether online or brick or mortar needs a service that takes care of the transactions with proper security. The payment gateway or the merchant gateway is an online service provider that sanctions payments for online retailers, e-businesses especially shopping carts, etc. Any ecommerce website requires a merchant gateway to conduct its business online.

    What does a payment gateway do?
    It basically enables the easy transfer of information, related to the payments, between the bank and the payment portal. It acts as a safeguard for the transactions that are carried out between the merchant and the customer by encrypting the important details of the credit cards.

    Why is it essential to choose the correct gateway?
    Fair and secure transactions are the key to a progressive business. If the purchase details are not kept safe by a business then the customer tends to lose his/her trust in that business. The credibility of a business begins to waver. So, it becomes necessary to choose an efficient and secure merchant gateway system so as to carry out the money deals with ease.

    Why a Merchant Gateway?
    >   Helps in faster dealings
    >  Safer transactions
    >  Facilitates 24×7 online purchase
    >  Reduce fraud cases

    What are the things that have to be taken into consideration while selecting a payment gateway?

    Below we have given some points:
    Ø  Shopping Cart Integration & Internet Payment Gateways
    Ø  Address Verification System
    Ø  Merchant Payment Gateway Integration
    Ø  Before hiring a programmer ensure
    Ø  Popular Internet Payment Gateway Service Providers

    Shopping Cart Integration & Internet Payment Gateways:

    • Ask the payment gateway providers about the list of shopping carts, which their gateway supports. If you already have a shopping cart package then search for a compatible gateway for it.
    • Your merchant gateway must have a language support i.e. PHP, ASP, etc.
    • Also the gateway must accommodate additional disk space or the bandwidth.

    Address Verification System:
    This is an important feature that a payment gateway must possess. An AVS enabled gateway helps in processing secure transactions. It verifies the addresses provided by the credit card holder with the records of the credit card company. Do check the working of the AVS before it is used by the customers.

    Merchant Payment Gateway Integration:
    Assistance of a professional programmer might be needed in payment gateway integration. This service can either be availed from your web host or a reliable freelance programmer. All the required customizations are carried out by the programmer.

    Before hiring a programmer ensure:
    Ø That he has references or a data carrying his earlier works.
    Ø There are no complaints against him in the business bureau.
    Ø The contract made is in place.

    Popular Internet Payment Gateway Service Providers:
    Conduct a market research before choosing a payment gateway service provider. Select the one that needs less amount of customization. E.g. of renowned providers of merchant gateways are: PayPal, Google, etc.

    Thus payment gateway is one of the vital components of an ecommerce website so don’t not just hurry and choose a wrong package. Carefully think about all the above mentioned points and then opt for a merchant gateway. They are very important to reduce the fraud instances.

    Posted in Payment Intergration | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

    Common mistakes to avoid in ecommerce designing

    Posted by weblinkindia on December 2, 2009

    With the emergence of ecommerce sites or the online stores, people all over the world are eased of buying anything and from any part of the world. E-commerce sites are the ones that allow you to buy products (gifts, grocery, apparels, toiletries, appliances, etc.) online. The customers are offered an extensive range of products to choose from. These websites facilitate fast and hassle free shopping. While designing of the e-commerce sites various mistakes are committed by the designer and developers that ends up in providing confusion to the customers. In order to comfy visitors and avail full potential of e commerce website we have highlighted some of the mistakes that a designer and developers must avoid while creating an e-commerce site.

     Mistakes that should be avoided while designing an e-commerce site

    Lack of product information: As the customer who shops online does not have the facility to physically examine the products, they expect to receive detailed information. Size, dimensions, material used, weight, colors available, etc, should be clearly mentioned so as to provide complete detail to the customer. Lack of this information might distract the customer from buying your product. So provide maximum information about product on offer. The details provided should be in simple language rather than in technical terms. 

    Contact Information should not be hidden: The mention of contact details on your ecommerce site assures the customer with your authenticity and reliability. With this customer gets an assurance that post sales he can speak to somebody in case of need. The contact information should be clearly visible on the site; it can be placed on your header or footer of every page. Also there should be more than one contact number, emails Id, etc. in order to provide utmost satisfaction to the customers.

    Lengthy or Confusing Checkout Process must be avoided: The process of buying a product should require minimum number of steps and time. More complicated is the process more are the chances of the customer to leave your site. Ideally the checkout process (placing order, billing and shipping) should be carried out on a single page to ease the customers. The process can be made concise with the help two-column layouts.

    Account should be created very carefully: It is very important to create an account in order to purchase anything online. Asking for details at the very beginning might annoy a customer and he may lose interest in the transaction. This could be avoided by asking for details of the customer after he has chosen the product and that should be done in a polite manner, giving customer’s an option of saving his details.

    Poor Customer Service Options: A customer should be provided with all the requisite services options like contact details, help requests forms, etc. if the services provided by you are inadequate the customer might lose his trust in you.

    Small Product Images:  It is widely seen that the web designers while designing a e-commerce site incorporate small product images that does not provide a clear idea of the product to the customers. The designer should insert large images or provide an option of zoom. This will help attract more customers.

    Single Image:  The sites that provide single images for their products are always at loss. There should be numerous images of the product in order to satisfy the customer. The customer should get a detail of the product after looking at the pictures. The details include like the colors, patterns or grades they are available in.

    Poor designed Shopping Cart: It is the most essential part of an e-commerce website. A cart should be designed in a way that it allows addition of multiple products and should be transparent. The option of editing of the products on the cart is a mandatory thing. The detail about the shipping charges should be provided before they enter the transaction process.

    Limited Payment Options: This is the most vital mistake that the sites commit. If the customer is provided with limited number of payment options, he might not be able to continue. Mostly the sites have either Visa or Master Card gateways but the customers may have AmEx. The sites should provide a Pay Pal Account option that increases the choices of the customer and thereby making him more comfortable.

    Confusing Navigation: The navigation through an ecommerce site should be a smooth process. If the customer have to strive hard to search for his products, there is a possibility of his discarding the site and switch to other. This can be avoided by providing categories and sub categories of the product, so that a customer can easily find his product.

    Shipping Rates and store policies not mentioned: Most of the times, order is abandoned by a customer if he is not provided with adequate shipping and store policies (return, exchange, etc.). These should be properly highlighted to the customers so as to ensure him of a fair deal.

    If these mistakes are carefully avoided the site designed will be a customer friendly one. The aim of the e-commerce site is to provide the customer’s with a wonderful shopping experience and not a tumultuous one. Also a well designed e-commerce site ensures a fair deal to the customers.

    Posted in Ecommerce Web design, Web Design | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »