Part 3 > Business rules: build an eCommerce web site that works the way your business does

Build an eCommerce web site that follows the "Rules"

Part of any business that you do on or offline involves everyday rules: sales tax, shipping and handling, return policies, discounts, specials. Anything that affects the sale will be part of your business rules. Before you build an eCommerce web site, define these rules and then publish them on your site. Remember, information is key to building a successful eCommerce web site. Define additional charges, state your refund and privacy policies, offer guarantees. Give customers every reason to click that "buy now" button with confidence.

Ready for online success? Contact us for eCommerce web site consulting and development.

Consider These before you build an eCommerce web site...

As you plan your eCommerce project, keep these important factors in mind and you're more likely to end up with a product that meets your business needs:

• Sales tax. Make Uncle Sam happy by knowing your local, state and federal tax requirements. A simple phone call to your accountant before you build an eCommerce web site can prevent a lot of aggravation later. The good news is that there are prepackaged tax programs that can handle the math for you. Once you know the rules, you can invest in an appropriate tax program and build an eCommerce web site that easily calculates taxes as part of the transaction.
• Shipping. Some eCommerce sites build shipping costs into the product price. Others have fixed shipping costs, and still others base shipping on factors such as product weight or destination. Before you build an eCommerce web site, decide what works for your business. Depending on your choice, you may adjust your product pricing, determine a standard rate, or perhaps tie into a major carrier's shipping table.
• Returns. When you build an eCommerce web site, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of selling, but remember that products will occasionally come back to you. Products may be damaged in shipping or simply unwanted, so build an eCommerce web site with a clearly defined return policy for just such events. Determine who will pay for return shipping, under what conditions you will accept returns, how long a customer can keep a product before returning, and how you will track returns. Be aware of trends - are customers constantly returning your American Flag paperweight? Examine the reasons to learn if there is a flaw in the product or if your description is a little too enthusiastic. It's important to build an eCommerce web site that accurately represents your products.
• Sales. If you run sales offline and intend to do so online, build an eCommerce web site to accommodate these business needs. Handling a sale may be a simple matter of including an extra field in your database to accommodate new pricing.

The most important thing you can do before you build an eCommerce web site is to spend a good amount of time planning. Make sure you know what you want to accomplish with your site and how it will work. Any business rule can be accommodated as long as you plan for it.

Remember that defining these rules will do more than help you do business - they will provide visitors with the information they need to make a confident purchase. Build an effective eCommerce web site by telling visitors what to expect when they do business with you, and you'll avoid the dreaded "shopping cart abandonment". Learn more about building a good eCommerce web site by reading about mistakes to avoid during checkout.

Once you do that, you're on to the next piece of the eCommerce puzzle: the database.

Need help sorting through the possibilities? Contact us to find out how we can help you plan for your eCommerce project.

Next > The "Back end": custom database design