NetDirector™ e-Trade Pro

The growth opportunity is indisputable; online retail sales grew by over 50% in 2007 with a record breaking Christmas for many e-retailers. Double digit growth is predicted by all the experts for at least the next couple of years. But are you still struggling to get your business online? Or is your existing online shop failing to deliver results? Is now the time to evolve your online operation into a more efficient business?

We’re all aware that a less favourable outlook on the High Street means that ignoring the online sales channel just isn’t an option. The UK consumer has fully embraced online shopping and the technology has improved considerably to offer a much enhanced shopping experience when compared even with just 2-3 years ago. And from the website owner perspective, things have improved too. You no longer have to shell out thousands of pounds on websites that don’t function properly or take months to build.

We have come up with the following guide on how to take hold of the ecommerce opportunity.

Choose your Technology Partner Carefully
The quickest and most cost effective way to get your shop online is via the new ‘pay-as-you-go’ ecommerce software packages that are available to purchase online. These allow you to ‘rent’ a fully functioning online shop with minimal or no upfront financial layout. You populate the store with your products / services, add your shop logo / branding and off you go. Some suppliers even have no contract and this therefore means you have no long term financial risk for your new online venture.

Find the Right Online Payment Partner
To sell products or services over the internet, you will need a Payment Service Provider (PSP) integrated with your website to accept credit and debit charge payments. There are many PSPs to choose from, all of which charge using different criteria and different products and packages – so consider carefully before making a decision. You may also need an Internet Merchant Account (IMA) which is a special type of bank account designed to accept funds from payments made online, but banks typically require certain guarantees if you do not have a trading history. If you have a new business and want to get trading online as soon as possible, the quickest and easiest solution may be a PSP Bureau (such as ‘Metacharge’). Bureaus work closely with partner banks to get new businesses through the risk and compliance hurdles and trading online as quickly as possible.

Get your Act Together on Fulfilment
Put together a plan for stocking your online business and for dealing with anticipated and unexpected demand. The better ecommerce software packages include real time stock management. The last thing you want to do is disappoint your online customers – that’s a sure way to lose business. Find a delivery company that will suit your products, your customer expectations and consider the cost implications and if/how you will pass on the charges. There are more and more delivery companies in the market so shop around. Devise your strategy for dealing with the bugbear of online shopping – RETURNS. And whatever you decide your policies to be on Delivery and Returns, make sure that you make these readily accessible and understandable on your website.

Sort out your Product Data and Images
Populating your online store with your products or services can take considerable time if you have a large catalogue. Businesses often under-estimate how long this will take, especially if no product database and associated images already exists. Be realistic about target launch dates or alternatively, adopt a phased approach; launch your site with some key product lines and add as you go along. If you don’t have images for your products, avoid poor photography and employ a specialist as this will vastly improve the presentation of your website. Take time with your product descriptions and make sure your web pages really sell your products. Check to see if your ecommerce technology allows videos and product reviews from customers as recent research shows that these are highly effective selling tools.

Pull Together a Marketing Plan
The success of your online business will depend on how effective your marketing is. Simply publishing your products on a website and hoping that customers will come flocking is no longer a reality in today’s competitive online market. Understanding how to promote your business online and resourcing this adequately will be key to your success. Make sure that the ecommerce software you purchase allows you to run a full marketing programme; with promotional functionality for discounts, special offers, seasonal activities, as well as voucher codes, loyalty programmes and email marketing campaigns. Many of the cheap ecommerce packages only offer limited promotional functionality.

Ensure your Website can be Search Engine Optimised
Ensuring your website can be found by the leading search engines, such as Google, is critical. Before purchasing ecommerce software, make sure that you have checked how search engine friendly it is. Basic search engine optimisation (SEO) tools such as meta tags and keywords, alt tags on images, sitemaps, and search engine friendly URLs / page titles should be included. Ask your technology provider if they provide additional services to help you in this complex, but vital online marketing activity. Investing in SEO can reduce your reliance over the long term on more expensive online marketing such Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising.

NetDirector e-Trade Pro offers the complete ecommerce solution

£99 +VAT per month — No Contract –- No Extra Charge for Hosting – Automatic Software Upgrades Included

Sign up now for a 14 day ecommerce free trial and access your ready to use online store within 60 seconds!

Alternatively call 0845 055 9040 or email sales@netdirectoretradepro.co.uk for more information.