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There are several different ways you might use e-commerce in your business.
Direct sales
Many businesses use e-commerce for the direct selling of goods or services
online. For some businesses such as those selling software or music, the actual
sale and delivery of goods can be made online. However, for most the supply of goods will continue to require a physical delivery. If you plan to sell online, you may need to rethink many of your business
activities. This is because you will change the way in which you
interact with your customers - for example, if customers place orders online
instead of talking to a salesperson. You will also need to work out how every
aspect of a transaction is handled - including order confirmation, invoicing and
payment, and deliveries and returns.
Pre-sales
You can use your website for pre-sales activities - exploiting the widespread use
of the internet to generate sales leads. At its most basic this can be through the
use of 'brochureware' - having an online version of your promotional materials
on your site. Other options include email campaigns or online advertising to
attract visitors to your own website where you can promote your products.
Post-sales support
You can also use the internet to automate aspects of your customer support to
reduce the number of routine customer service calls. This can be achieved by
using your site to answer the most frequently asked questions, or by putting
technical information online.
Key Points
However you decide to use e-commerce, it is important to define your
expectations from the outset.
Ensure that targets are put in place so that you can measure the success, or otherwise, of your e-commerce facility. |
