eCommerce Blog

An Internet payment gateway is crucial for any online merchant account to facilitate the sale of capital and accepting payment for the same. This is called eCommerce. This process is like any sale made in a shop where a person buys a product and passes his card to make the payment.

The payment Gateway has made money transaction very simple, the customer does not have to make any tangible transaction but simply enter the card data in a secure online form. This data include the card number, name of the holder and the CVV number on the backside of the card. Payment gets debited from the card in few days and is credited to the bank account.

From a security point of view, the online payment gateways are quite safe, but the customer must be sure that he or she uses a site known. One could confirm of the security by looking at the URL starting after ‘https’. This is a beginning, but not a guarantee to prevent the site using your banking information for illicit purposes.

The Risk factor:

Online security has grown significantly over the past ten years. Online solutions took the best advantage of this technology promotion allowing many companies online to take advantage of the convenience of accepting payments online and delivering the goods to their customers without achieving them.

However, as a coin has two sides, online transaction has its own pros and cons. as Internet has made things simple; it has also given the “cyber-criminal” an opportunity to access our account illegally. “Cyber-Criminals” are experts in the field of software development who prefer to lend their expertise and knowledge to hacking or intrusion into businesses line and on-line processing payments to rob and loot.

Online credit card fraud is nothing new for online transactions. The answer to prevent online fraud is to use a reliable service which has proven expertise in online solutions. They should have perfect skills in the development of SSL technology which means “Secure Socket Layer” technology. SSL encrypts data transmitted over the net and is almost impossible to decipher. This reduces online fraud. If you have a reliable developer to create your software for you, you can make your plans to set up an online merchant account and cash in many processes, your competitors are taking advantage right now.

The yen to maintain a website with ease requires an effective and efficient content management system. This requirement gives rise to a simple and basic question, “Which content management solution to choose?” This post is aimed at discussing CMS solutions and how to select the right CMS solution for your website.

Mentioned below are a few recommendations that would help users in choosing the right CMS solution, based on their requirements.

1. Select the right service provider:
   If you do not have in-house developers; you can source a content management system from third party vendors. However care must be taken while selecting a service provider. Besides this you could also opt for a ready made CMS solution. There are many CMS ecosystems around, some of them being open source solutions like Joomla, Drupal etc. I am not opposed to them but before making a selection it is always advisable to consult an expert in this industry. Also, you should review your requirement and analyze them to be able to make a sound decision. Once you have analyzed your specific needs, you can easily choose the right solution based on your requirement. ( I have already discussed this point in detail in my previous posts)
2. Don’t get mislead by marketing gimmicks:
   Companies will use attractive marketing techniques to portray that they are the best, but don’t get carried away. Make sure to verify the company’s credentials and check references if possible. Ask for demonstrations and ensure that the CMS solution is in sync with your requirements.
3. Hidden costs hound:
   Cost factor, you can say is the key deciding factor. At the time of negotiation, one must look into the hidden cost factor. Most companies would twist their pricing structure to hide additional costs. Such unaccounted costs could have an adverse effect on your overall budget.
4. First make simple.
   “Small is beautiful” more prosaically, measure your ambition and focus on your “core business”. Make your initial objectives as simple as possible and thus avoid getting confused in the course of running the technical project. Choosing a complicated CMS may lead to inefficient performance at your end.Such projects, with time become real bible of “looser web”.
5. And the final?
   An article on CMS which does not mention anything on CMS? I think “out of the box” is no miracle solutions, but solutions that stick to your expectations at a given time are. This would effectively mean that the content management system should be based on your requirements and objectives.

I did a few experiments with two solutions namely Joomla and Drupal, and they did pretty well. I urge you to do tests on your own before you draw any hasty conclusion.

Ecommerce mainly consists of distribution, purchase, sale, marketing and provision for supplementary information of products or services via the Internet. E-commerce also includes the transfer of information between enterprises. In late 70s, Ecommerce started as a process of sending and receiving electronic documents such as invoices. As the process evolved, it included activities such as purchase of goods and services via Internet by using different types of purchase cards i.e credit and debit cards. Today, Ecommerce is spearheading a all new way of buying and selling online. Ecommerce activities fall into identifiable categories and can be classified as business to business (B2B), business to customer (B2C) and many more. This article is aimed at discussing these categories in detail

1. Business to Consumer (B2C): It is the direct trade between companies and end consumers. This is the direct selling via the Internet. For example: selling goods direct to customer and anyone can buy any products from the supplier’s website. In this mode is intended to benefit the consumer and can say business to consumer (B2C) Ecommerce works as retail store over internet.
2. Business to Business (B2B): Business to business Ecommerce existed in marketing from the very beginning. It is the trade that takes place between companies. Terms like offshoring and outsourcing are generally associated with B2B Ecommerce. For example: If I give my company’s payroll work to another accounting firm, it would be deemed as outsourcing. The term offshoring decides the outsourcing term further. If the work is outsourced to a company, which is outside the geographical boundary of the country in which the outsourcing company resides, it is termed as offshoring.
3. Consumer to Business (C2B): In today’s Ecommerce arena, it is growing trend wherein consumers demand specific products or services from respective businesses. For example: I contact a tour and travel operator via their website for purchasing a holiday package.
   Consumer to business Ecommerce is growing at a rapid pace and the trend is set to continue in the future.
4. Consumer to Consumer (C2C): Usually, this type of Ecommerce works as Consumer to Business to Consumer (C2B2C). It essentially means that a consumer would contact a business in search for a suitable customer. Most of the auction websites (like eBay) and matrimonial websites are working on this methodology.

Apart from the types of Ecommerce mentioned above, there are various other hybrid forms of Ecommerce being practiced in today’s globalized world. Choosing the appropriate model is crucial and vital for your business and I would leave it to your best judgment.

CartEdge Ecommerce Solution:
CartEdge Ecommerce Solutions offers easy to use ecommerce solutions and customize you requirements into ecommerce website.

There is a wide range of shopping cart softwares in the ecommerce arena, featuring lots of user friendly options. From affordable or free shopping cart scripts to expensive customized shopping cart applications, you are sure to find suitable options for your eCommerce business. Now the question is, “How a layman who is not tech savvy, can find suitable ecommerce solution according to his/her requirement, among different types of eCommerce jargons”. If you are running a small business with less number of products; economical shopping cart software script is a good option for you, but if you run a large category of products with online payment processing and tracking, you must opt for a commercial shopping cart solution.

We can classify shopping cart software scripts into 4 groups:

• Shopping cart software developed by students for a college project.

• Shopping cart software services offered by freelancers or independent developers.

• Shopping cart software services from web hosting providers.

• Shopping cart software services from a professional IT company.

Let us take a close look at all above categories. The first group does not have practical knowledge of real business environment. Their main objective of developing shopping cart software is getting familiar with web technologies.

The second group offers an economical option for low budget projects. Independent developers and freelancers can provide good solutions at affordable prices but may be ridden with functional issues.

The third group offers shopping cart softwares along with their services and you can use shopping cart utilities as long as you pay for it. The technology offered to you might be rudimentary and outdated. It will fail to suffice all your ecommerce requirements.

The fourth group belongs to professional IT companies. A professional IT company can offer customized solution based upon requirements and business needs. Though, this option is bit expensive as compared to the other three

Which group is the best?

Before finalizing on a give option for your eCommerce application, it is recommended that you analyze your requirements. Cheaper solutions don’t provide any guarantees for technical support, maintenance and security. So if you opt to go with the cheaper solutions, you should have the technical acumen to deal with issues, all by yourself. On the other hand, professional IT companies will prove to be expensive and you must have the requite budget for a fully customized application.

“A precarious situation” – buying cheap shopping cart software or spending extra money for ecommerce solutions from IT companies? Your choice could be based on aspects such as business requirements, budget allocation and many more.

About Cartedge Ecommerce Solution:

Cartedge eCommerce Shopping Cart Software is an example of good and affordable eCommerce shopping cart software. CartEdge is an easy to use Ecommerce website solutions package with lots of advanced feature for users support. Visit http://www.cartedge.com/shopping_cart_advantages.cfm for more information.

Consumers who are looking for any product or service does not spend much time on any website. They spend only few minutes at a particular website. Design is a very important part of website designing. An attractive website design is able to attract the visitor’s attraction. Some points or basics are mandatory for a good website design standards which are such as : good web standards, a sensible structure, and easiest way to get information.

Structure

The structure of the site should be made according to the customer needs. Always design your site structure keeping the user in mind. If any product is being sold by your site, for example you have any inventory for garment, organize garments in a some logical manner like color or alphabets or from lowest price to the highest. Just do analysis of search criteria of your visitors, and provide product information according to that. Pay attention on scalability, navigation should not have a negative effect on the growth of your site.

Web Standards

There is an important factor of web standards that must be followed by a web designing site. Site design should not create any confusion to the visitors. Web standards should be an integral part of your web marketing strategy. Better search engine results can also be obtained using web standards.

For example, some common web standards are

1. After navigation, color of visited links should be changed.

2. Account login information should be placed in the upper right corner of the page.

3. Company name should be placed in the upper left corner of the page.

For example, blue and underlined pattern for links is kept on any website. If your website doesn’t support it, customers might get confused.

Provide easiest route to visitors about your product or information

On your website, Provide easiest navigation to your visitors for your product and information. They never want to waste time in reading every word of information. Customers just want the easiest way to purchase a product and make decisions based on that.

Website creators need to recognize that if visitors cannot easily find the information they seek, they will just as quickly try another website.

Text on any web page should be readable. Choose font type and size in that way that overall design should be appealing. Provide break up in longer text. Avoid longer paragraphs in the text since they make scanning of the text difficult. Use short paragraphs, bold key words and make choice easy with clear, concise web pages.

E-commerce – a platform to start your business online and sell product and services is fast catching the attention of many. The boom is fueled by the fact that E-Commerce shops, resident in the World Wide Web, are easily accessible. People are actively seeking information about your products and services, using Internet as the medium. Having an online presence greatly assists in reaching a prospective customer early.

Having an online shop though is not the end, it just the beginning of a journey. Building a website the sells your products/services and hoping that customers would trickle in is foolishness. Prominent visibility is essential for any online shop to flourish and make money.

Today, customers expect a lot more and hence things have become a little more complex than it was before. If you want to sell online, a website full of information may not be sufficient. To serve customers better, E-commerce shops are becoming more and more interactive. The layout and the feel of E-commerce websites are done by keeping customers in mind. This customer centric approach plays a crucial role in luring prospective clients.

Technological revolution has made E-Commerce a part and parcel of our lives. Anyone can click a few buttons to create a virtual shopping cart and adding and modifying categories does not mandate technical acumen. Advanced tracking programs can assist you in tracking the behavior of customers. Shopping cart software program can be used to integrate shopping cart solutions into your website. Shopping cart software can calculates the total cost to be paid, including taxes and shipping, process the payment and raise an invoice for the customers.

Establishing an Internet shop is becoming easy and has resulted in thousands of E-commerce website being added regularly. For customers, shopping online is a pleasant and rewarding experience. Thanks to E-commerce software like CartEdge, shopping online has added a whole new dimension to itself.

People enjoy the convenience of shopping anytime anywhere and more and more people are discovering it.

Everyday, the number of people buying online is increasing, and this is just the beginning. It is believed that soon everyone will be doing the same, however even today hundreds of millions of people use internet for there daily grocery shopping, on personal occasions and also do their Christmas shopping online.

It is easy to understand why this is so.

Imagine a young mother going shopping. She puts her children in the car and then fights the traffic, noise and long queues OR she could log onto the Internet, order what is required and get everything delivered at her doorstep.

Imagine an old couple or someone who is bound to their house or a leading power with a busy lifestyle or someone who is looking for a product that is not to be found in the surrounding shops.

With the continuous growth of e-commerce more and more people will enjoy the comfort of anytime anywhere shopping. While e-commerce will grow and overcome concerns that some people still have but, this form of trade is here to stay, because the majority of the people of the world work and try to make their life easier and anything that makes life easier today, it is a winner.

E-commerce shops simplify life and with the right e-commerce software you can create a web store with a very low investment.

Imagine yourself walking into an electronics store with some of the most amazing products you’ve ever seen. Everything this store offers is unique. The store employees are kind, the prices are right. But the store looks like a warehouse, and you can’t find anything on your own. It makes you wonder whether these people are for real and if their goods genuine or…

An ecommerce template is like that brick-and-mortar storefront which helps you, guides you to layout your store tastefully.

What is a template exactly though? A template is a tool that serves as a tool, a model for enforcing a standard layout and look and feel across multiple pages or within content regions. When you change a template, any pages or regions that are based on that template are automatically changed as well. Templates provide additional standardization controls, depending on the type you use.

Some things to consider when, choosing how and where you want to display your categories. Products, item etc.

• Color scheme: Different colors solicit different emotional reactions. Understanding what emotions your site is conveying is the key. Since you will probably choose more than one color, it can be very helpful to be familiar with different color schemes together first before putting together a design.
• User friendly navigation: Do you want your navigation to be on the top, the left, or the right? Do you want both top and left navigation? Do not make your home page a cluttered shop window. Since navigation is ultimately controlled by you and your shopping cart software, making this choice before choosing a template can help give your store a unified feel.
• Having an About Us page, a prominent return policy, and contact information will determine if people can trust you or not. We don’t buy from people we don’t know. Where can you display this information so that people can find it?
• Search: Customers who use your search functionality to find products are much more likely to purchase than those who are simply browsing. Make sure it is prominent for your users somewhere in your template.