Selling effectively on the web

The right e-commerce solution for your needs...

Whilst the basic premise of selling on the web might appear quite simple - you put your products up, people buy them - there are a whole host of choices facing you when you decide to start selling goods online. The first choice: off-the-shelf package OR bespoke?

Just who should use the off-the-shelf package?

You could buy a package - and heaven knows there are plenty out there to choose from! You might choose a package if you meet any of the following criteria:

• You are simply experimenting with e-commerce and don't want to make a large commitment.
• You have limited funds and need a cheap solution.
• You don't expect to have the level of sales on the web that would justify investing in full blown e-commerce.
• You don't have any particular styling or functional requirements.

And who should use the bespoke route?

You might choose to develop a fully bespoke e-commerce solution and, if that is the case, then we'd love to talk to you. A bespoke solution will suit you if:

• You have a strong brand and want a site that reflects that identity and doesn't just look and feel like other e-commerce sites.
• You have requirements for cross-selling and up-selling that won't be met by a package solution.
• You want to build processes into your software to ensure your e-commerce runs according to your company's standards and procedures. For example, this might be a post-sales courtesy call or perhaps the automatic generation of supplier orders.
• You have multiple staff working on the site with different access requirements. For example, the person maintaining stock or picking from the warehouse will not have the authority to process refunds onto credit cards.
• You need to integrate with other software packages, such as Sage or Mail Order Manager.