Wednesday
Nov042009
Online Stores
If you are preparing a website for the sole purpose of creating an online store I have two words. Good Luck. A lot of people have tried this and failed miserably because there is too much competition. Most people think that an online store is a great way to make a quick buck but they fail to realize that most people who shop online already know where they want to shop.
The big boys ( Filenes, Walmart, Sears, Target, etc.) pay good money on advertising and own their specific corner of the internet. For instance if someone is looking for blenders or microwave ovens you'll have a tough time getting found.
However, if you insist on having a store you're best to create one around a specific niche. In other words you will only sell a specified type of product and one that is hard to find or unavailable at most Big Box stores.
You'll have much more success getting found by the search engines with a niche online store as opposed to trying to sell more generic items like shoes, laptops, and sporting goods.
Then you are going to need a shopping cart for your site and a payment processing system. I don't have any experience with shopping carts but I have heard good good reports on 1 Shopping Cart. My understanding is they have autoresponders which don't require a double opt in which is nice, ebook delivery, surveys, questionnaires, and their prices are reasonable.
The only payment processing service that I've ever used or ever will use is PowerPay. PowerPay is one of the largest providers of e-commerce payment solutions in the nation. Over 50% of all of the merchants that they set up to process conduct sales over the internet.
If you launch an information product that you've been marketing and it generates millions in sales in a short period of time. These guys can handle it.
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Success has a simple formula: do your best, and people may like it. Sam Ewing
[James Rouse