The promise of convenient and installation-free ecommerce internet solution seems to be as old as the internet itself. However, the truth is that reliable, solid, and affordable hosted ecommerce solution only recently began to appear. The hosted ecommerce service can solve a merchant’s non-product needs; it will include merchandizing, shopping cart technology, payment, marketing, shipping, and hosting.
The varied choices in the market today are quite good but it can also confuse an internet merchant. This is because almost every hosting company offers some sort of hosted ecommerce internet solution package. In this regard, this article will provide you with a guideline in looking for the hosted ecommerce internet solution for you.
1. Full Wizard-Driven Design – it is highly likely that you chose the hosted ecommerce package because it offers an all-in-one solution that takes care of all your basic needs easily. But why do some merchants struggle with the installation? A good wizard should guide you from start to finish; after this process, you should have a complete and fully functional ecommerce storefront.
2. Template Choice – one size will not fit all despite what some ecommerce internet solution companies may claim. So aside from a strong range of templates, the ecommerce vendor should also allow customizability.
3. Import/Export Features for Catalog – all ecommerce storefront allows you to build a complete catalogue. However, only a limited few will allow you to import existing data and export it later when the need arises.
4. Additional marketing features – it is not enough for you to have a storefront; you need to market it online as well. Some ecommerce internet solution offers a mailing list feature and even optional incentives such as coupons, gift certificates, and the capability to include affiliate marketing.
5. Payment – the best ecommerce internet solution companies should offer multiple payment gateway systems. Although PayPal is a good start, it does not meet the needs of every buyer.
6. Shipping – to put your ecommerce solution into good use, it must have an automated shipping calculation with tie-ins to major shipping lines including FedEx, USPS, and UPS among others.
7. Analytics – knowing where our online business derives most of its market is critical to your success. There are hosted ecommerce internet solution companies that include reporting and advanced analytics to help you understand your visitor’s buying behavior.
Aside from these though, you should also look into the support, the service, as well as the actual hosting of the ecommerce internet solution companies to get the best package possible.
