Setting Up Shop Online
Follow these steps for developing a Web site that will meet the needs of your customers.

By Cassie Woolworth

Forrester Research Inc. estimates that by 2004, business-to-business commerce on the Web will hit $2.7 trillion. It seems that every day new companies are turning to the Web as a method of gaining customers and making money. It’s true that the Web can be a highly profitable venture, but without careful planning, your business may flounder before it ever makes money. Following these seven steps can help you plan a cohesive strategy before you sell your first product.

Identify Your Internet Business
Ask yourself why customers would come to your Web site. Is it an extension of your bricks and mortar store, or will it be a stand-alone operation? What can you provide that no one else can? Of what value is your site to customers? Even if you don’t sell online, you need to answer these questions.

Customers don’t always come to a Web site to buy products. Sometimes they come for information. Tell them about the products you sell, give them your store hours and phone number and provide a map so they can find your shop. Even though you haven’t sold them anything, you’ve provided value. Customers will come back to your site if you provide value.

Design Your Site Right
Create a well-designed, easy-to-use, fast and functional Web site. Your site should have a clean, straightforward design. Customers don’t like busy, cluttered sites. Make organization simple and make the steps through your site obvious. Keep your site easy to navigate. A customer should be able to find a product in two mouse clicks, any more and they feel like they’re being led through a maze. Or worse, they may lose interest and leave.

Keep the graphics and text simple and small. Animation and sound files can be interesting, but don’t force customers to view these items to buy a product or find the information they’re seeking.

There are many options for managing orders. The most popular way is through shopping cart technology. Customers go through the site and pick items they want to buy. At check out, they provide billing details and purchase the items. Building a shopping cart requires programming knowledge or a software package that can manage the behind-the-scenes work.

How will you process sales? Sales can be processed online, offline or a combination of both. Remember, each step a customer must take to order an item is a potential opt-out point. Do customers need to print out an order form and mail in a check? What if they don’t have a printer? What if they don’t have a stamp handy? Customers also want an acknowledgment of their order.  Will they receive a confirmation auto-response e-mail?

Can customers pay online with a credit card? Customers on the Web generally expect this option. It allows them to order quickly and receive an instant confirmation receipt. However, your store must be able to accept online credit card purchases. This requires both a merchant account that accepts online orders and an electronic gateway that facilitates the transaction. Ask if this is included in your Web developer’s quoted fees, or look for a software package that can handle online merchant accounts.

Select the Right Domain Name
A domain name is an extension of your brand identity. It is the first thing people learn about the store, so the name should be relevant to the business. If you own a store or a brand name, this should be the domain name as well. Make it easy to remember and easy to type. Many single words have been registered as domains already and may not be available. New domain names can be up to 67 characters long, so choose a combination of words that describes your store while keeping it simple and memorable.

Use a Trustworthy Web Host
Your site is effective only when people can see it. If your Web site is inaccessible, you can’t do business. Use a Web-hosting provider that guarantees a high level of service. They should have daily backups and redundant systems. A good provider gives you access to your site statistics. This is more accurate than the number of hits. Statistics can tell you where customers are coming from, what they look at and what led them there in the first place. Because you are dealing with sensitive information, your provider should use state-of-the-art security to protect your site from hackers.

Cassandra Woolworth is the owner of R&D Technology, which has over 35 years of computer programming experience, provides services ranging from Web site design and hosting to intricate database development and wireless access. You can reach her at www.RnDTechnology.com or (913) 491-0345.