Ecommerce Solutions

 

Whats involved in ecommerce?

If you want to sell online you need an ecommerce enabled website

This will enable you to:

  • display your product details with images if required
  • allow customers to make their selection and pay for the goods securely online
  • keep track of orders and customer details
  • have the ability to process credit cards or have links to an online payment system
  • maintain the store with an online product administration system
  • allow for product options
  • have a search facility for customers to use
  • have sophisticated stock analysis defining numbers in stock, out of stock messages etc
  • have flexibility over prices to allow for discounts

Ecommerce sites invariably work with a customer choice and selection/buying features commonly called 'shopping basket' and 'checkout'

Why have an ecommerce program?

All the diverse elements outlined above are best controlled by a specialist programme.

These programs are of three sorts

  • Standalone programs loaded onto the users server and controlled by the site adminisrator.
    You can buy these programs at prices varying from a few hunded pounds up to a thousand pouds or so.
    eg Clickcartpro or Shop Factory or Actinic Catalogue
    Some standalone programs are open source
    eg OSCommerce and Zencart
  • Web based hosted shop with some details uploaded onto the users server but most of the shop hosted remotely via an ecommerce company eg Clickcartpro or CybershopUK or Netstores You pay a monthly fee for the hosting of your account
  • Ecommerce web templates with all the ecommerce facilities built in to the page structure. These can be customised tio the owners corporate image - this is the ecommerce templates approach

 

Some sample open source/free shopping cart systems

These are needed so that the customer can browse a selection of goods and link to a payment and ordering system.

(1) Cubecart provides a low cost easily maintained online store. See a demo store: this is cubecart as first installed with no products or store logo yet loaded. See a working store
NB Cubecart is a commercial product but can be used free if there is a reference to the store creators left at the base

(2) Zen Cart is a more complex ecommerce solution. This has more options, but will take longer to install and customise. See a demo store: East African Craft Stall

(3) OSCommerce is similar to Zen Cart with a large variety of options. See the basic system as first installed. See a working store

(4) VirtueMart is an open source store component of the Joomla CMS. See this working store

 

Online payment service

You will need to organise for payments to be made online. Online payment services are the simplest solution.

Two easily set up and inexpensive options are PayPal and Nochex.

See our sample shop using PayPal

Look at these simple shopping cart systems See one of these in a working demonstration

You can set up online payment using routines supplied with your PayPal account. You woulds set up the goods to be sold, state the price and put a payment button alongside. Look at the example below.

 

 

       

Payment gateways
Here the customer can pay you online using their credit/debit card. The payment details are processed by a payment service provider. These companies provide a secure link between your site and the bank so that the customer's details are properly protected.

For this sort of account you need an Internet merchant account with your bank and a account with a payment processor company such as Protx , SECpay or Worldpay

 

SSL Secure Sockets Layer
If you want to accept payments online without a payment processor company you would still need an Internet merchant account and will need to purchase an SSL on a yearly basis.
(SSL) Certificates enable secure e-commerce and communications. Secure Sockets Layer technology secures your Web site by encrypting information and providing authentication.
You can purchase these from your hosting company direct or direct from the supplier. Prices vary greatly depending on the services provided and the level of encryption involved.
see VeriSign , Cybertrust and Geotrust

 


Index