Getting Started with E-commerce

E-commerce software

The following information was copied from the os Commerce web site. It is a Free software that is data based driven. Keep in mind that the learning curve to modify your site can be a long one.
There are many other software programs available on which to build your store.

Os Commerce's community forum will help you with making the software program into what you want it to do and look like.

os Commerce E-Commerce SoftwareÂ

Building Web Pages

We will cover each part of the web page, it's importance and why we designed it the way we did. Again we will be using Patiostore.com as our example. If you have chosen to use E-commerce package, a lot of the areas discussed here will be pre-formatted for you. The points made here will still apply when you construct your doorway pages for use when promoting your web site to the Internet's search engines. Doorway pages are one of the keys to your success. At patiostore.com all pages are designed to be doorway pages.

Building Product Item Web Pages

Product(Item) PagesÂ

The layout of item or product pages should present the product to the customer and give them the information needed to buy the item. Look at some of www.patiostore.com item pages to see the different layouts that were used. Remember your web site pages are your salesman.

Your software will dictate how you modify your page layouts
or it may create the category pages automatically.

Basic Page Design.

Your web site pages should be designed to get orders, everything else is secondary. If you will be using one of the E-commerce web software packages (OS Commerce) a lot of the layout and operational parts of the web site will be pre-formatted. If you plan to build your site from scratch, you will be doing the design, layout and adding the order form functions yourself.

Before You Begain To Build Your Site

Before you can begin building your web site you need to have the following. Actually you could build the web site and go back and add some of this information before you launch the site. I am going to repeat here a statement I made earlier. If you are serious about this business you need to own and host your own store. I know it is not the easiest way nor the cheapest but it is the best way and essential to your Long term success.

1. A name for your store
2. A URL, same as the store name if possible
3. A credit card processor

Pricing Your Products Offerings

PricingÂ

Product Questions.Â

After you have chosen a product category you are interested in, you need to determine if the items you are considering will allow you a high enough profit margin and sales volume to reach your sales and profit goals. The following questions will help you decide what items to include in your product offerings.

Getting Started with E-commerce

Choosing What To Sell
& Locating The Manufactures

The success of you online venture begins when you decide what you are going to sell. If you already have a product in mind, use this section to refine your Internet marketing plan. If you are looking for a product line to sell, use this section to walk yourself through the selection process.

Getting Started with E-commerce

Why People Buy Online & Getting shoppers that buy

Why people shop on line?

Your online Business.
What It Takes To Run An Online Store

We will discus here what you need to set up your on-line retail sales business.