Important factors to consider when creating an E-commerce site
An e-commerce website allows consumers to buy products and services online rather than at a brick-and-mortar location. Through an e-commerce website, a business can process orders, accept payments, manage shipping and logistics, and provide customer service.
When developing an e-commerce site, there are a number of important factors a business must consider.
Security measures
When a customer makes a purchase on a business’s e-commerce site, the business is responsible for managing the customer’s financial and personal information including their personal details and payment information. An e-commerce site that requests this information should have an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. This ensures that the data collected by the business is privacy-safe. A business’s e-commerce web address will begin with https:// when they have an SSL certificate. HTTPS is the secure form of http, and https websites are websites that have their traffic encrypted by SSL.
Shipping and Delivery
Shipping and delivery are a vital part of a business’s e-commerce site. There are three basic ways to process and ship online orders: self-fulfillment, drop shipping, or outsourcing to a third-party logistics provider:
Self-fulfilment is when an e-commerce business chooses to store their own inventory and manage the shipping process in-house.
Drop shipping is when the business does not own any inventory or manage shipping responsibilities. Instead, the order is transferred to a third-party supplier (a wholesaler or manufacturer) who prepares and ships the order on behalf of the business.
Third-party logistics involves outsourcing logistics and supply chain management functions to an external service provider.
When creating an e-commerce site, businesses must weigh up the pros and cons of each shipping method. Once the business has made a decision on how they plan to process and ship online orders, detailed information about shipment options and costs must be included on the business’s e-commerce site.
Payment Options
Today consumers make purchases using various payment options including Apple Pay, PayPal, Visa and many more. If an ecommerce site only offers one payment option this will limit sales to consumers that use this option. When developing an ecommerce site business owners must ensure that it accepts payments in different formats.
To discuss how Full Circle could support you with creating an e-commerce site, contact us to arrange a consultation.