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Choose The Right E commerce Solution For Your Website
ore and more businesses in order to conduct business over
these days are beginning the Internet you have to have an
to sell and distribute expensive merchant account that
their products and services via will allow your customers to pay
the Internet. It’s a win-win you by credit card. This used to
situation – consumers get the be the case, but today there are
best selection at the lowest a number of services available
prices, and retailers get access that make e-commerce a very
to markets outside their affordable option. These services
geographic location. But come in the form of third party
depending on the type of credit card processors.
e-commerce website the business
is pursuing, the cost to A third party credit card
implement the project could range processor acts as an intermediary
from a couple hundred to a few between the customer and your
thousand dollars. There are some website. Generally, a customer
less professional but more cost will click on a link to purchase
efficient solutions, as well as a product and be taken to the
some high-end solutions that will third party’s website to process
have your website rivaling the the credit card information in a
best e-commerce sites around. In secure environment. The payment
this article I’ll discuss the for the purchase is deposited in
different options available to your account, and the order
website owners as well as the information is forwarded to you.
costs associated with those The only cost to the e-commerce
options. retailer is usually a small fixed
fee and / or a small percentage
E-commerce on the Cheap of the sale.
It’s a common misconception that This is a good beginner option
for any business looking to make customizable. Also, it looks a
the e-commerce leap because the little less professional when the
upfront costs are very low. purchaser must leave your website
2CheckOut (www.2checkout.com) is in order to enter their credit
a good choice for a third party card information. But, when
credit card processor - they only weighing these disadvantages with
require a $49 setup fee, and then the costs associated with
$0.45 per transaction and 5.5% of building a professional
the sale amount. An even cheaper e-commerce website they really
route would be to use PayPal don’t seem like a big deal.
(www.PayPal.com) to receive
payment over the Internet. The Really Taking the Plunge
only downside with PayPal is that
the consumer must have a PayPal Opening a fully functional online
account in order to use this store with the ability to process
payment method. The upside of credit cards on-site can be a
both these products is the fact pretty costly production. Here is
that they will provide the a list of elements that all need
shopping cart system and to be integrated: a shopping cart
associated codes to that are system, secure web server,
necessary to integrate into your payment gateway, and a merchant
website. account.
Although using a third party There are some shopping cart
credit card processor can be systems that are available for
cheap, it does have its free, and many web hosts offer
disadvantages. The shopping cart the ability to integrate a
system may not seamlessly shopping cart system into your
integrate with your website website. But, if you’d like your
because it’s not easily system to be fully featured, easy
to use, seamlessly integrate with to include Secure Socket Layer
your website, and include (SSL) encryption. An SSL
advanced functions such as certificate is billed on either a
automatically calculating tax and yearly or monthly basis, and the
shipping charges, the cost could cost can total in the hundreds of
run several hundred dollars. dollars.
The most expensive and difficult In addition to the extra costs
part of the process is obtaining associated with processing
a merchant account to process transactions right on your
credit card numbers. These website, there is also a
accounts usually have monthly and significant difference in the
transaction fees associated with price your webmaster will charge
them. Fortunately, most to setup the different solutions.
businesses already have merchant Using a third party to process
accounts, and these can be used transactions usually just
to process credit cards over the involves inserting a few lines of
Internet as well. But, in order code into the website which
for the shopping cart system to shouldn’t cost very much. On the
communicate with a merchant other hand, implementing a fully
account, they need to be functional e-commerce website can
interfaced with a payment easily add another thousand or
gateway. Payment gateways usually two dollars on top of all the
require a setup fee of a few other costs.
hundred dollars and a percentage
of each transaction. Lastly, all As with any project, it’s
the communication needs to take probably best to start small
place over a secure server. This before shelling out big bucks for
means that your website hosting a professional e-commerce
package will need to be upgraded solution. And don’t forget, even
after you’ve spent thousands of more marketing your website in
dollars getting your e-commerce order to recover your investment.
website launched, you’re probably E-commerce is not cheap!
going to have to spend thousands
About the Author:
Paul Coulter owns and operates a Toronto Website Design Company that specializes in search engine optimization (SEO).
Read more articles by: Paul J Coulter
Article Source: www.iSnare.com |
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