Looking to put your business online? Before you leap, look into the available
e-com solutions, think about what your customers want, and plan ahead. 18
Jan 1999
E-Storefront
Options for Small Businesses
You need a fully functional commerce site for your small business and you
need it pronto. Evany takes you through the different storefront apps you
can use to make it so. 15 Jul 1999
Hiring
a Site Developer
Whether you're looking for someone to build your site or you're a Web
designer wondering what the hell those clients want from you, Evany shows
you the way. 1 Jun 1999
The IMS Newsletter allows anyone to republish their articles.
We are using the following article to help you understand e-commerce.
Is your online business accepting credit cards? There are many ways to
take credit cards and to process your orders online. We have spent weeks
researching how to get set up with a merchant account to process orders,
and here are the options we found. Using Someone Else's Merchant Account
Merchant accounts are agreements with banks and transaction processors
that allow you to accept credit card charges. First consider if you want
to get your own merchant account or use someone else's. Many companies
will let you use their merchant account for a percent of the sale. Fees
for such services start at 9% and go higher.
There are disadvantages to using another company's merchant account. You
are going to pay about three times or more than you would if you had your
own merchant account. You do not have complete control, and there are
transaction limits, such as minimum charge amounts. Finally, most companies
do not give you your money until a month or longer after the transaction.
Finding a Merchant Account Provider
Just like web hosting, the number of companies offering merchant accounts
has grown substantially, and there are now thousands of providers to choose
from. You can search for providers at Merchantworkz.com
When you find a company that you like, you might want to call them up
and talk to them. Ask them questions like:
- How will the merchant account work?
- Are there any hidden fees?
- Do you charge a Programming Fee, if I have my own software?
- Is there a monthly minimum fee.
Get to know the company and ask any questions you can think of. Make sure
you are completely comfortable about their service before signing up.
At the above website, there are some articles that might help you better
understand this subject.
Software
If you get a merchant account, you also need software. The software you
choose depends on your business. If you are taking orders exclusively
over the Internet and do not have the physical credit card, then you might
be better off with a computer program. You can use a terminal, but software
might be easier if you have customers that order more than one time. Because
it has a reoccurring charge feature. There are a few programs available
online and a very popular one is PC Charge from Go Software Inc. This
software lets you enter and store the customers' credit card information
to charge at ease.
PC Charge is available from most merchant account providers. You can visit
Go Software GoSoft Inc. and find a reseller
nearest you. The PC Charge and terminals usually cost around $300 and
up. Email Us
and we can tell you where you can probable get it for the cheapest price.
If you are a retail business and use the physical credit cards for transactions,
then you can use a terminal to get charge authorizations. A terminal will
let you enter the credit card number or you can swipe it. You can use
a terminal no matter what business you have. Terminals are also available
from most merchant account providers.
Automatic or Manual?
You need to decide if you want your orders to be processed automatically
or manually. To manually authorize transactions, you have to enter the
credit card information into a software program, terminal or swipe the
card with your terminal. If you have the physical part of a card, then
using a terminal will be the best and fastest way for you.
Automatic processing is best for Internet based companies, or businesses
that will not have the physical part of the card. How this works is people
will order online and the order form will be setup with a program that
will process and charge the credit card for you. Most companies offer
this and use a program called Authorize.net.
This program can save you time, but it is more expensive. Most companies
offer the above program and fees can range from $495 and up. Either two
ways are efficient for online businesses.
Complete Control
If your business is strictly online, then a program like PC Charge or
a terminal might be the best way. Though it takes a little more time,
it gives you the control to stop orders if you think they are fraudulent.
Conversely, automatic order processing offers convenience, but with less
control.
Programming Fee
If you don't buy the operating software from your merchant provider, most
companies will charge you a large fee for programming third-party software.
All this consist of is changing a few things in the software. I have seen
fees ranging from a few hundred dollars to $500. There are a few companies
available that will not charge you this fee. We know of one company that
does not charge this fee. Email Us
and we will be glad to help you.
Taking Orders
There are basically four ways to take orders online. You can set up a
form on your website so orders are emailed to you, or you can use shopping
cart software. You might want to use a shopping cart if you have many
products or services, because it's easier for customers to point-and-click
their purchases than manually entering numerous item numbers, colors,
sizes, etc. Ask your web hosting provider and see if one is included with
their service. If not, then you might want to look at Dansie.
It is a professional shopping cart that should meet your needs. The other
two ways are by phone and fax. These two methods are not as popular, but
some customers prefer them.
Secure Server
For anyone to order from your website, you are going to need to make your
order forms or shopping cart secure. Ask your web hosting provider if
you can use their secure server (SSL). This feature might be an extra
fee if it is not included with your hosting package. You might want to
check out our web hosting provider that gives this feature away for free
in their smallest package that is only $24.95 a month.
-----
Curtis Stevens is the owner of the Internet Marketing Success. A free
weekly newsletter that is shipped directly to your e-mail box full of
Internet marketing and promotion secrets. A little good advice never hurt
anyone and everyone can use this valuable resource on a consistent basis,
so sign up now free of charge and take your business to the next level!
Go here: Internet
Marketing Success
