Choosing the Right Turnkey E-commerce Solution
by Danny Brown on November 27th, 2007
If you plan to start an online store, or if your website is not currently enabled for e-commerce, you may be looking at the choices available to you. To start your own online store, there’s a laundry list of necessities to consider – hosting, shopping cart technology, inventory management, credit card processing…the list goes on. You can either find several different companies to handle each part, or you can consider a turnkey e-commerce solution. Turnkey e-commerce packages include all aspects of setting up and maintaining an online store, all from just one company.
Whatever your current situation, you need to make sure that the turnkey e-commerce solution you’re either using or considering is right, both for you and your business. But with so many options to choose from, how do you know which one to go for?
Look for the Benefits
With the number of companies offering turnkey solutions out there, the best thing to do is to look at what’s available and choose the package that fits your needs and, most importantly, those of your customers. Since an effective turnkey e-commerce package can result in lower overheads, you can pass these savings on to your customers if you wish, ensuring more sales and repeat business.
Before shopping around for an e-commerce package, take a look at some other sites that sell what you plan to sell and make a list of specific features you would like to have on your site. Also make a list of all the back-end, administrative features you would like so you know exactly what to look for when researching your options.
Set-up and Administration
Since you’ll want to obviously concentrate on making your business as successful as possible, the last thing you’ll want to do is to have to constantly look after all the administrative aspects of your site. This is where a turnkey e-commerce solution is so useful, as your provider should offer a package that sets everything up, including credit card processing, layout and design of your online store, and back-end administration.
Shopping Cart and Shipping
Any e-commerce package should offer shopping cart technology as standard. When considering packages, ask for a demo so you can see how easily your customers will be able to add items to their cart, continue shopping, and checkout. As well as a shopping cart, a good e-commerce solution should have a feature that allows you to enter the shipping methods you plan to offer, and then calculates the shipping costs automatically for your customers.
Credit Card Processing
Since credit cards are the most popular method of online buying, you need to make sure the e-commerce package you’re considering includes credit card processing (via a secure server). Additionally, the option for PayPal and similar methods should be standard (or an easily added option) as well.
Security of the Package
A good software company will have an SSL certificate, which means that they support Secure Sockets Layer. This is an industry standard for encrypting credit card details and other personal information. You should also make sure they offer firewall protection, to minimize and risk of viruses or hacking.
Design and Layout
What makes turnkey e-commerce packages so easy to use is the fact that most (if not all) include design templates, so all you have to do is select a color scheme and upload your logo and content. Layout is extremely important, since how your site is laid out can mean the difference between a sale and an abandoned shopping cart. When shopping for a package, make sure you ask to test out or demo one of the company’s existing sites so you can see how navigable their sites are. Also make sure to ask how customizable the sites are – if you want to change anything to make your site easier for your customers to use, how easy will that be?
Inventory Management
A good product or inventory management module will allow you easily add, edit, or remove products from your store, as well as see your current inventory levels at a glance so you know what to order. Ask what kind of product and inventory management features are included in your package, and make sure they’ll meet your needs so you can stay proactive with your inventory.
Customer Relation Management (CRM)
Just as important as the sale itself is analyzing what triggered that purchase in the first place. With a dedicated CRM in place as part of your e-commerce package, you can see buying trends, allow order details to be held in memory for faster access, and let your customers track their orders. This simple functionality can mean all the difference to a customer, and make sure they come back to you, as well as recommend your services.
Although your e-commerce package choices are staggering, all it comes down to are your needs as the business owner and the needs of your customers. By listing everything that you want in an e-commerce package and then thoroughly researching your options, you can build an online store that benefits both.
