part 2 > Product inventory: the core of eCommerce web site development

Good eCommerce web site development: know what you're selling

Of course you know what you're selling - you've ordered it, inventoried it, stocked it. You see it every day in your Main Street location. How hard can it be to convert your inventory into an eCommerce inventory? If this is your first foray into eCommerce web site development, get out the donuts - this may take a while.

An important part of eCommerce web site development is making the distinction between customers who visit your Main Street location and those who visit your web site. Store-shoppers are more likely to browse, or engage a salesperson. Online shoppers are more likely to click through a couple of pages in search of specific information, and leave your site if it's not immediately available. In your Main Street store, the homemade mint jelly is lined up neatly next to the hand-embroidered hats. But online customers are unlikely to click on a link to "homemade jellies" if they are searching for hats. ECommerce web site development takes into account these differences.

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Make organization an integral part of eCommerce web site development

Product organization is key to successful eCommerce web site development. It may take some time to categorize, subcategorize and cross-categorize your products, but it will be time well spent. Visitors will only convert into customers if they can find what you're selling. Set up a "test site" and ask people to locate specific products. Make sure they can do it with ease. Pre-testing can be one of the most valuable phases of eCommerce web site development.

One of the myths of eCommerce web site development is that all of your pages should be within a click or two of your home page. Studies show that people will continue to hunt for a product as long as they think they're on the right track, even if it requires a dozen clicks. In other words, don't be afraid to subcategorize. Your customers won't "get lost" in the layers of your site as long as you give them a clear "breadcrumb trail" to follow and a logical sequence of actions.

Planning your site layout is a fundamental piece of good eCommerce web site development. Start with top-level categories, like "outdoor living". Separate "grills" from "gardening tools". Then subdivide "grills" into "propane" and "electric". Keep going by offering "propane grills with side burners", and "without". Far from being annoyed by multiple steps, your customers will thank you for meeting their specific needs. Good eCommerce web site development focuses on organizing and reorganizing products into groupings that real-life customers will be searching for. If you see customers in your Main Street store, you already know what they're looking for - now turn that knowledge into good eCommerce web site development by making their choices natural and easy.

A word of caution: it's imperative that your groupings are logical (keep hoes separate from grills) and cross-linked. Don't force visitors into a subcategory for "propane grills" and leave them stranded with no way back to "electric grills". Cross-link your products and make sure visitors know where they are and how to back out. Good eCommerce web site development avoids dead-ends.

A second word of caution: make sure product categories are named clearly. If you sell bedding, avoid cute category names like "Fluffy Stuff". Visitors are more likely looking for "pillows" and "comforters". Effective eCommerce development ensures that your web site is a natural shopping experience. When it comes to eCommerce, predictability is paramount. Shoppers come to your site with preconceived ideas of how and where they expect to find products. The more closely you can match their expectations, the better your site will fare.

Deciding where product information will come from

Once you've determined the best way to present your products to potential customers, the next step in the eCommerce web site development process is figuring out where the product information is coming from. Do you have an internal inventory management system? If so, that should feed your web site. Don't "reinvent the wheel" by developing a second database just for your site - you'll only end up with double the work for maintenance, and inconsistencies are bound to creep in. Good eCommerce web site development takes advantage of business processes and inventory systems already in place.

If you don't have a preexisting database, then there's more work ahead! The good news is that the more time you spend in the setup phase of eCommerce web site development, the more time you'll have later to watch your sales roll in. Good eCommerce development is about carefully planning for the success of your web site and your business.

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