Like most average people, I wanted some extra money to supplement my regular income. At times I had considered a second part-time job, but I hated that option because it would take me away from the family, tire me more, and probably only pay minimum wage. I also wanted to be able to work from home.
He had been surfing the Internet for years and had often considered the idea of ​​participating in the Internet revolution. I had read some statistics on Internet use and the increasing number of households with computers and the increasing percentage of Christmas purchases made over the Internet. So I decided to jump with both feet.
First, what is e-commerce? The online world designates websites dedicated to retail sales as an e-commerce site. E-commerce sites sell information or hard products like cameras or knives. Ecommerce sites also have attached shopping carts and payment gateways that non-sales websites don’t need.
Ok … so you want to develop an e-commerce site. You are now probably wondering if I have the skill, the mental patience, or the aptitude to be successful.
Well, if you have average intelligence, I think that you and thousands of people like you could have an ecommerce website. All that is required is the willingness to learn a few things, the patience, and the determination to apply.
How? I’m glad you asked.
Let’s start. We first need to discuss the basic components that you will need.
1 computer
2. Internet connection
3. Site creation software
4. Graphics software
5. Web hosting company
6. Shopping cart
7. Payment gateway
The items above are where most people stop when they think about what they will need when they want to start an ecommerce site. However, there are other elements that must be considered, such as obtaining legal sources and products.
Items 1 and 2 above are fairly straightforward and most people can understand why they are necessary. However, the other elements are a bit more complex. The site building software allows the beginner to build a website without knowing the html programming code. What is HTML programming code?
Html is the programming language of the Internet and stands for Hyper Text Mark Up Language. The two best software programs currently available for writing HTML are FrontPage 2003 from Microsoft or Dreamweaver from Macromedia. These programs are more correctly known as HTML editors.
These two programs are the best available. I have both, but I use FrontPage 2003 mainly. I think FrontPage 2003 is easier to use and offers better tables than Dreamweaver. Most professional website developers, however, consider Dreamweaver the best of the two because some claim it has more features, but I think it’s a bit more complicated to use. I would recommend that you surf the internet and read the reviews of both programs and make your own choice.
Next, you will need a good graphics program such as Adobe Photoshop 6. A graphics program allows you to manipulate the size of images, create images in different formats, and create special effects. “PhotoShop 6” is the current version of Adobe and is the best graphics software program. Adobe
You can also use “Photoshop Elements”, but it is a limited version of the full Photoshop software. Adobe programs are expensive, so shop around for the best price.
Web hosting is very important and you should first compare the features, not the price. Web hosting and e-commerce are closely related, and they learned from personal experience the mistake of trying to separate e-commerce from web hosting. The web hosting company is the company that rents space on its server for its website, but it can do so much more. They can offer an integrated shopping cart.
The shopping cart is the heart of the e-commerce website. The shopping cart for all intents and purposes runs your ecommerce website, so getting a good one is critical. Contains and displays the products you intend to sell. It also performs other neat administrative functions that will make running your store easier. There are a few standalone shopping carts for sale, but most come with a web host attached.
The “Payment Gateway” is the store cashier and is also known as the “Merchant Account”. This is basically a business credit card account. The payment gateway allows your store to accept credit cards and transfer money to you. Business accounts are very important and you should also carefully review their services and prices. If you don’t get a merchant account, you are pretty much limited to papal. Search the web for available shopping carts and payment gateways.
Now what are you going to sell and where are you going to get it? You can search everywhere for the products you want to sell. How do you know what will sell well? You need to do market research. Not everything sells well, including electronics. If you don’t have a preference on what to sell, look for some marketing software that will allow you to determine which products are doing well online.
Next, you will need a font for those products. Assuming you are not doing them yourself. The best way is to send them directly. The problem is finding a reliable drop shipping source and avoiding imposters.
Once you find the source for your product, you need to open an account, stock your store, and start selling. There is more information in an ecommerce store that can then be explained in a short article format. As someone who recently went from scratch to an online store (Cynscorion.com), I know firsthand the downfalls that await the novice ecommerce site builder.
For more information on what to avoid when creating an e-commerce site, visit: http://www.cynscorion.com, go to the bottom of the page and click on “E-commerce book for beginners”, or go to : http://cynscorion.com/store/cart.php?page=what_yofuture_release_of_a_very_unique_ecommerce_book
This book is for people who are not determined to start an e-commerce site and want to find a point of reference to help them make a decision.
Lastly, I wish you good luck and success in your e-commerce endeavors. If I can do it, you can too!
For additional help, go to:
http://people.lulu.com/users/index.php?fHomepage=101573