Step 1
eCommerce Overview

eCommerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet. An eCommerce site can be as simple as a single catalog page with a phone number, or it can range all the way to a site utilizing real-time credit card processing where customers can purchase goods or services with the click of a button. eCommerce merchants can range from a small business with only a few items for sale all the way to a large online retailer such as Amazon.com.

The following graphic outlines the basic process by which an eCommerce site is developed. In some cases these steps may not follow this order, but they all need done at some point.

(*Additional important information is found below this graphic*)

Plan an eCommerce Web site

When you begin to develop an eCommerce Web site, there is some basic information you need to gather. Building off the right foundation will help ensure the success of your Web site and allow it to grow when you want to expand it.

Here is a general list of questions to address:

1. What kind of eCommerce Web site do you need?
   
2. How many products are you going to sell (dozens, hundreds or thousands)?
   
3. What characteristics will the products have, i.e. color, size, style?
   
4. What is the estimated volume of purchases that are going to be made from the Web site?
   
5. How much traffic is going to visit the Web site in addition to those making purchases?
   
6. How much email is the server going to need to be able to handle?
   
7. Is there going to be a database on the back end to query product information?
   
8. Do you want your own digital certificate? (highly recommended)
   
9. How are you going to market your new eCommerce Web site?