THE SEVEN KEYS TO E-COMMERCE SUCCESS

Creating an e-commerce site can be very simple if you have the right elements in place. However the process can also be extremely arduous if the project is not planned properly. A knowledgeable management staff with realistic expectations is key to e-commerce success.

A successful e-commerce management team must address al aspects of the project start to completion. In the effort there are seven key ingredients to e-commerce success.

1.      Generating demand.

2.      Ordering

3.      Fulfillment

4.      Payment processing

5.      Service and support

6.      Security

7.      Community

These elements are discussed in the following sections.

GENERATING DEMAND

If you expect customers to visit your site. You will need to create awareness of your products and services. There are several methods for generating awareness and demand, including Web advertising, traditional advertising and direct email.

ORDERING

After demand has been generated the true test begins. Can you turn your visitors into buyers? The ordering process on your site must be as straightforward and efficient as possible. If it’s too cumbersome a potential buyer may abandon the process midstream. Keep the forms as short and simple as possible.

FULFILLMENT

After an order has been placed stay in communication with the customer until it has been fulfilled. Immediately send an automatic email to the customer verifying the order information. In addition provide a phone number and e-mail address where the customer can reach a customer support representative to inquire about the status of the order. If applicable provide a tracking number for the package, so the customer can check with the shipping company on the status of the shipment. Ensure that the package is shipped in a timely manner and that the packaging material is sufficient to prevent damage.

PAYMENT PROCESSING

Arguably the most important part of the process us actually transferring funds from the buyer to your company. By far the most common method is via credit card, but there are other options worth trying. The more options you give a customer the more likely they are to purchase from your site.

The three models for payment processing in e-commerce on the web are; Credit card model, Cash model and Check model.

SERVICE AND SUPPORT

It’s extremely important to provide excellent customer support so you can generate trust and loyal customer base. It a customer does not know how to contact your after submitting an order, he or she will wonder whether the shipment will ever arrive. It’s essential to have clearly accessible help area on your site. Include instructions on how to use all of the features on your site---browsing products, changing account information , viewing order status , returning items, cancelling an order and so on---and provide contact e-mail and phone number information.

More advanced customer support software is also available. The Land’s End customer support area features an automatic call back request feature, a live chat feature and co-browsing capabilities. These features are powered by Cisco system Intelligent contact Management Solutions.

SECURITY

Security is a major concern for online shoppers and it should be an e-commerce company number are priority. Credit card numbers and home addresses are stolen from web site database with alarming frequency so you must do everything possible to safeguard your data from unauthorized access. Use certificates, attachments that provide proof of identification from a well known vender such as VeriSign and use SSL technology to encrypt the data sent across the internet.

COMMUNITY

One of the most important and least tangible aspects of e-commerce success is creating a sense of community at an online store. There are many books on this subject and entire courses are available to study it, still it remains an elusive goal for many sites. The most successful e-commerce sites such as Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com) have made significant efforts in the area of community building via the use of message boards, notifications e-mail, personal pages and customer.