Thursday, January 24, 2008

presentation/management of your inventory

After design comes the set of features to be incorporated. Now a good eCommerce website is only as good as its users say it is. That means that if the users find the website easy to navigate through and have no problems in purchasing goods, it is indeed a good ecommerce website. But what does it take to get there?

Most importantly, the presentation/management of your inventory. The website design should showcase every product you have as the best you have to offer. Tricky, since not all products are worthy of front-line display. But the success of eCommerce websites like Amazon.com illustrates how critical it is present an image of seriousness with each aspect of the venture, right from the bestsellers to the the smallest items on sale.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Shopping carts, Payment Gateways and Invoicing software are just a few examples of the several ecommerce solutions available today. However, there is a new trend in way ecommerce solutions are being accessed by companies. This trend is that of hosted/on-demand ecommerce solutions.

What is it? On demand solutions are simply solutions that a firm pays to use, instead of purchasing and installing the entire software itself. These ecommerce solutions are rented out online by vendors for anyone who wishes to employ their services. So if a firm intends to feature a shopping cart software on its website but does not want to purchase it, it can rent the software online for a particular period(6 months, a year or two etc.). As you might have guessed, it has strong advantages.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

eCommece website design

It is important that you verify the company's credentials. Fraudsters often pose as established eCommerce website design firms with the help of a sleek looking website and fabricated testimonials. They will also put up a bogus list of clientèle to lure you into paying them to work for you.

Be warned. eCommece website design is a complex task and involves shelving out a significant sum of money. It is certainly not an arena for amateurs to unleash their experimentations upon. If you must choose between seemingly competitive options, take some time off and go visit the firms, if possible. Meet the design company's staff and interact with its management. Understand their work principle and try to verify their experience of designing eCommerce websites. You are paying them, so you are entitled to know the basics of the firm.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Role of custom website development

Once you have a blueprint, decide on a suitable eCommerce website design firm. Preferably, go for one that offers custom website development services. It will be beneficial in the long run as customization services help get you the exact website that you are looking for. The service needs to conform to your eCommerce website's blueprint, not the other way round.

India for its part offers very competitive and globally applauded ecommerce website design services. Website design in India is a booming sector and attracts some of the most talented designers and programmers. You will get to choose from their pre-made Templates or fully customized web designs. Make sure that you have your vision and the services being offered clearly laid out. Only a professionally built eCommerce website can get you the desired returns.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

To build an ecommerce website

We talked about how not to build an ecommerce website. So how do you build one? Simply reverse the don'ts? No Siree. Creating something out of a vague plot is a task in itself. Creating something that works and impresses is a different ball game altogether.


The cardinal rule is- Know what can go wrong. Spend your time analyzing and scrutinizing and tearing apart your ecommerce website's blueprint to identify as many pitfalls and loopholes as possible. Being realistic helps. This is one time where a negative mindset actually helps. Ecommerce websites are complex assortments of web pages, data blocks, internal & external links, payments gateways and lots more. Things can and will go wrong. Identify them before-hand and build a primary web template to counter them

Friday, January 18, 2008

eCommerce website design

eCommerce website design

Here's a guide on how NOT to build an ecommerce website.

1) Get a tacky design that is as haphazard as half-baked. It's your best bet to turn away a potential customer. Put in garish colors, sprinkle in irritating graphics and use fonts that make reading a strain.
2) Make your eCommerce website an assortment of blocks of outdated, error ridden text and links that mislead.
3) Throw in a useless set of features that have no relevance or utility towards your primary aim- of representing your business online. All they do is make the visitor go around in loops till he quits and leaves.

Your eCommerce website is off to the worst start possible. But wait a minute. How about one that actually impresses? Watch this space.