Top 12 Things to Consider When Choosing an eCommerce Package

July 31, 2007 | Filed Under E-Commerce

Shopping Cart KeyDigital Web Magazine brings us an outstanding article by Shannon Watters on how to choose an eCommerce package. The number of eCommerce packages available on the market can be quite intimidating. With so many options and choices, it is best to create a plan of attack when searching for an ideal solution for your business.

From the article:

Whether you’re a freelance designer looking for a solution for your latest client, or a new company preparing your first online store, choosing an eCommerce package can be a daunting decision. The industry’s rapid growth over the last few years makes it difficult to immediately determine whether a specific package suits both your present and future needs, but there are a few things you can keep in mind to help you through the process. Below, I’ve outlined the top eleven things to consider when choosing an eCommerce package, considering everything from your company’s growth, your store’s integration and checkout needs—right down to the kind of eCommerce firm you want to work with. By considering the following key areas, you can have a stronger understanding of what your company—or client—needs in an eCommerce package.

Shannon goes on to describe in detail eleven factors to consider before starting your search:

  1. Scalability
  2. Integration
  3. Content Management
  4. Analytics
  5. Promotions and Discounts
  6. Customer Service
  7. Technical Support
  8. Intuitive Checkout
  9. Security
  10. Examining the Open-Source Option
  11. Company and Community

I would like to add one more factor to this list: Taxes. Make sure that the package you choose has a robust system for handling tax rules and codes. Depending on the product you sell online, you may need to charge taxes in different ways. Many times this will even vary based on your location and the location of your customers. A quality eCommerce package will allow you to define all of these rules in a simple way that makes it easy to maintain.

I suggest that you have your web developer create a list of the eCommerce packages he or she recommends. Then analyze each option on that list against these 12 factors. Choose the package that best meets your needs in all of these areas.

Head over to Digital Web Magazine for the full article.

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Securing Customer Data: 7 Precautions For Accepting Credit Card Payments

July 9, 2007 | Filed Under Security, E-Commerce, Tips

Making the decision to accept credit card payments through your web site is a major step forward and with it comes a lot of responsibility. Rich over at Aiming for Independence has posted a great article outlining the seven actions you should take immediately if your business accepts credit cards. Here are some excerpts:

#2. Make sure that any credit card information being transferred across the Internet is encrypted.
#5. Set a short time limit on storing unencrypted customer information

In addition, I would suggest that, if possible, you avoid storing users’ credit card numbers all together. Often your merchant processing company will store the required information and allow you to issue refunds with only the unique transaction identifier. This ensures that you will never be at risk of compromising your users’ credit card information. Ideally your website will simply serve as a conduit for transferring payment information between the customer and the credit card processing company.

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