Web Design since 1994 by Webtide Internet Solutions



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			Ecommerce Building Blocks Make a Plan Generate a Requirements Document. Design to Sell Create a Storefront Design. Satisfy Technical Requirements Decide on specialized software and hosting. Choose the best Ecommerce Solution Third-party, packaged software or proprietary

Read more about Webtide web design below.

You've heard the projections about internet sales and you've decided to investigate the idea of putting your widgets online. How hard can it be, right? - after all, your friend's great aunt started selling her cookies online and now she's sitting pretty.

Well, take a deep breath. Great Aunt Ag's cookie adventure may be a lot more sophisticated than you think. The tricky news is that you have to do your homework to build the most effective ecommerce site for your product, your company and your customers. The great news is that you can capture a piece of that multi-billion dollar internet market. And then, you'll be sitting pretty too.

There are many options available for your ecommerce business based on:

Third-party network based solutions - A popular option to get a simple storefront online quickly. Select a design, enter your products and away you go. The complex applications of taxation, shipping and payment are handled for you.

Packaged software solutions - These applications allow for a more customized site design and usually support plug-ins for additional specialized software programs.

Custom-designed database ecommerce solutions - Solutions that offer sophisticated back-office applications and allow you full control in design and structure of your store through standardized interfaces.

To decide which is the right solution for you there are few steps you should take...

First - Make a Plan

Generate a Requirements Document
Webtide uses the summit approach at the very beginning. We meet with representatives from all corporate areas to discuss the entire marketing, sales and fulfillment cycle. A phased development plan is discussed, prioritizing essential events and scheduling additional features as time and budgets allow.

Additional features add value to your website environment. Enhance a customer's experience with customized services such as an answers and advice area, install collaborative filtering, where customers get the benefit of other customers' experience, and cross-sell to customers with similar buying patterns. We begin by talking to your salespeople; they are on the front line and know what customers require and how best to communicate with them.

From these discussions, essential events, innovative ideas, detailed timelines, and realizable expectations are generated into a Requirements Document.

Ecommerce Website Design and Development by Webtide Internet Solutions. Next - Design to Sell

Create a Storefront Design
Your product will significantly determine the design of the site. Gift and Impulse Products, Commodity Products, Considered Purchase Products and Configurable Products each have unique design criteria. Webtide will design the storefront according to what best suits your product, your company and your target audience. Give your customers a pleasant purchasing experience and they will return.

After considering the product's characteristics, following advice offered by department representatives and consulting the Requirements Document, Webtide will design a storefront to meet the current objectives of the website, while planning for future expansions.

Ecommerce Website Design and Development by Webtide Internet Solutions. Let the Technical Festivities Begin!

Decide on Specialized Software
Once the Requirements Document has been researched and developed and a site that's in keeping with your product, your company and your customers has been designed, you're ready to swim in the deep end!

No matter how straightforward the design of a storefront, odds are that behind it are some pretty complex back-office applications. In conjunction with your ecommerce solution you may have to allow for the inclusion of specialized software.

Ecommerce transactions rely on ordering, tax, shipping, security, payment and banking applications that tie into the product and customer databases, that may or may not have already been developed.

Specialized tax, shipping and banking software may have to be incorporated into your ecommerce solution. The online to physical fulfillment process must be streamlined to ship quickly. Remember, you don't get the money til the product is shipped. The same streamlined process must allow for processing of returned goods, partial orders, and back orders.

For security, many ecommerce solutions use the SET (secure electronic transaction) standard which includes tight security measures and antifraud technologies, but you may wish to invest in additional forms of security. Encryption technology seals internet transactions inside encrypted code that can only be unlocked with the matching key.

Webtide will work from the specifications of the Requirements Document to decide what specific software components need to be incorporated into the ecommerce software. We will then return to your specific departments (legal, accounting, fulfillment) for their approval of our recommendations.

Ecommerce Website Design and Development by Webtide Internet Solutions. May We Have The Envelope Please

Choose the Best Ecommerce Solution
Okay, we've got the marketing and sales people, the fulfillment crew, the legal and accounting heads and the CEO on side with our thoughtful approach to covering all the bases. Now we choose the ecommerce solution to tie it all together.

The three options available are:
1. Third-party network based solutions
2. Packaged software solutions
3. Custom-designed database ecommerce solutions
(If you've been following closely you'll notice we're back where we started.)

Each solution has it's pros and cons. If you can find a network based solution hosted by a third-party and your requirements are basic this may be the option for your business. These ready-to-go storefronts are usually inexpensive and get you online in a hurry. The other side of the coin is that they are restrictive in their customizing options and may not offer you expansive features.

Packaged ecommerce solutions that match your company's essential requirements and many of the preferred features are worth a big look. Webtide will check the package's list of features and supportable plug-ins to see if they will accommodate present specialized requirements and still keep pace with your growth potential. A packaged solution that works today may involve hidden charges to keep it working tomorrow.

The initial expense of building a proprietary ecommerce solution and customizing an environment that satisfies the current requirements, while accommodating your future goals, may be an investment worth making. Putting the dollars down now for the expertise and time involved may return you with substantial savings down the road, when your business takes off, customers are many and the time to install a new system is non-existent. Then you'll be very happy that you chose a custom design that grows along with your profits.

One of these solutions will match the goals set out in the Requirements Document. Webtide will add our internet and ecommerce experience and expertise to your business acumen to create a uniquely designed storefront backed by a sophisticated technical infrastructure.

Webtide lives and breathes the internet. Our pool of technical and design talent has one goal in mind - your success. When our clients succeed, we succeed. And we like to be winners!

Ecommerce Website Design and Development by Webtide Internet Solutions. One More Thing

Reports, Statistics, Advertising
Once the store is online and customers are buying, the ongoing R&D kicks in. You'll want to track customer orders, preferences and buying patterns.

Statistics on referral sites, keywords used to find the site, length of time spent by visitors surfing the site, entry pages and exit pages - basically, all the stats you ever wanted to know are available in the log files.

Checking the effectiveness of banner ads for your own advertising or advertising by sponsors is important for marketing and revenue opportunities.

All this information can be channelled into a database for multiple reporting. Once you're in business on the net, the next step is to stay there. Webtide will make sure you have the flexibility to generate comprehensive management reports about the website.

Have Fun! Ecommerce Website Design and Development by Webtide Internet Solutions. And, the last word is - keep innovating. Keep your site fresh. A site that continues to evolve customer services and concepts in a friendly environment will have a positive effect on the bottom line. So shake it up, try new ideas. Have fun.

We sure do.

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