Selling things on the Internet: E-commerce
Things to think about and prepare for a website that is selling stuff.
A clear comprehensive inventory is necessary for any kind of selling. When you are selling online you are preparing a catalog of your inventory so you need prepare information for each item. Use relevant key words while composing all text, titles, descriptions, alternate text…
- ID #
- Item Name
- Item Price
- Discount or comparison price if these apply.
- Images
- At least one image for each item. You will probably need a larger image and a thumbnail.
- “Alternate Text”
- Alternate Text is a phrase that will go behind the picture. If the picture does not load the viewer will see this text in place of the image. Use key words that describe or identify what is in the picture.
- A short concise description of the item.
- A full description of the product specifications.
You will need a shopping site. If you are starting out, consider selling through another mega e-commerce company. You can have a low maintenance main website to present your company and link to other services.
Pros:
- They have brand recognition that you will be associated with.
- They have reputations, they are known. It is likeley you have at least heard of ebay and probably purchased through Amazon
.
- If you don’t expect to sell a lot you can start as an individual seller and only pay the fees when things sell.
- They include services that make selling easy to keep track of.
Cons:
- They have brand recognition that you will be associated with.
- The cost of the service may or may not be worth it.
- You have less freedom of design for the website.
Before you choose, compare the various fees, the per item fee and the % fee. Also consider potential costs related to postage and tax. Do a little math to figure out which service is best for your product. For example if you are selling a lot of little things, a higher per item fee might really cut into your profits. On the other hand if you are selling a few expensive items, the per item fee is irrelevant.
Off Site Links
– Selling on Amazon
– “Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or e-comm, refers to the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_commerce
– E-commerce Times