How to choose the right computer equipment for your business to increase your productivity and efficiency without it costing the earth.
Business software helps you complete a range of tasks. Choose the right software, provide support and train your staff with our introduction.
It is highly likely that you depend on the internet for some aspects of your business. Find out how you can use the internet more effectively.
Good communication with customers, partners and suppliers is vital for business success. This summary explores business communication methods.
How would you cope if your IT system failed or was breached? We cover the main IT security issues and how to protect against them.
Good IT management can help you choose, use and implement IT. Our overview helps you manage IT in a way that maximises the return on your investment.
IT support is vital if you rely on your IT system. But how can you set up an effective safety net in case things go wrong? We explore the options.
Getting the right IT is just the first step. Appropriate training, policies and working practices can help you maximise return on your IT investment.
Setting up an ecommerce website so your business can sell online can be straightforward and very beneficial to your company. Many long-established brands have successfully developed an ecommerce operation after selling via retail outlets for many years; more recent start-ups have been able to take advantage of selling online from day one.
Even if you already have a company website, you could see lots of benefits from setting up an ecommerce website to sell online:
However, building an ecommerce website isn't without problems. Although you can take security precautions, there is a risk of fraud. You also need to establish how your online operation fits with other sales channels. For instance, are you going to charge the same prices online as you do in-store?
Remember to abide by relevant regulations too, like distance selling and data protection rules.
In order to create a successful ecommerce website, you need to take care of these key areas:
Not all of these functions can be performed by an ecommerce system. For instance, you need to ensure you have adequate staff and procedures in place to handle enquiries, shipping and returns.
There are three main ways to build your ecommerce website:
When evaluating these options, consider how well-suited they are to the type and volume of products you sell. In particular, some marketplaces and ecommerce services restrict the number of items you can offer for sale.
Your existing website will also be a key factor. If you have a website already and want to add an online shop to it, a shopping cart system is the best way to do this. If you opt for a marketplace or ecommerce service, you may have to set up a separate online shop and direct customers there.
No matter how you decide to build your website, it's important your web hosting - which allows you to publish your ecommerce site - is reliable. In other words, your online shop is only as good as its capability to handle peak traffic (for example, in the run up to Christmas). A slow or unresponsive site will mean potential customers will go elsewhere. Slow or unreliable hosting can also adversely affect how your site ranks with search engines like Google.
However, it's often important to keep costs low - especially if you're just starting out with your online shop. To balance performance with cost, look for:
Your online shop needs to be able to process payments so people can actually buy from you online. If you buy a ready hosted package, payment processing will probably be included. If not, you'll need to find a payment service provider (PSP).
These include services like PayPal, SellerDeck and WorldPay. Most offer similar features, but check the level of fraud protection and how well the service can be integrated with your own online shop.
It's a good idea to get started with a service customers recognise, like PayPal. However, they often charge high processing fees - typically 4% of every transaction for smaller online retailers. As these costs mount up, you'll want to look at more cost-effective services.
You'll also need to make sure your online shop complies with the UK's strict rules for handling credit card data. These are called the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard - PCI-DSS for short. As you long as you process payments through a PSP, it's easy to stay compliant - you never actually see any of your customers' payment details, so compliance is the PSP's problem, not yours.
