Internet, Intranet, Extranet & Ecommerce

E -Commerce
E-commerce describes the practice of selling products and services over the internet.  Despite the burst of the ‘dot-com’ bubble in 2001, online trading has become an increasingly profitable market and many companies are turning towards the internet in attempt to generate additional sales.
 In 2008 online retail generated in excess of 200 billion dollars in the US alone. Consequently, it is perhaps not surprising that many people are rushing to join the e-commerce boom. The evolution of technology has made it cheaper and easier than ever before to set up an e-commerce website; even the smallest company can install software on a PC, enabling them to sell their products online.
The benefits of online retail must, however, be tempered against the difficulties of operating an e-commerce website in a fiercely competitive marketplace. The problem for many companies who wish to expand into the online markets is that there are already thousands of online retailers, who are more established, and able to sell products at a much lower cost.
Many companies who start up e-commerce websites fail because the simply do not have a proper understanding of how an online retail service should be constructed and managed.
If you wish run a successful e-commerce website, you must follow strict guidelines when constructing your site. The site must then be carefully and extensively marketed to ensure that it is displayed on major search engines, allowing people to find your products, and ultimately buy them.
At Cogent, we can advise you as to the best solution for your e-commerce worries, guiding you away from the pit falls of online retail, ensuring that you have the best chance of financial success  with your e-commerce venture.

E-Commerce technology
There are numerous types of different e-commerce packages available to the public with various benefits:
A low cost software package, such as Actinic, might be the best option for small business with a limited product range. This software can be easily uploaded onto your PC and allows you to create basic templates from the comfort of your own home.
A more sophisticated online interface system, such as Magento, is the system that many of the larger e-commerce websites adopt.  With this package the e-commerce system is hosted on a remote server and can be accessed through any internet browser, so you can update your site from anywhere in the world, in real time.  A benefit of this sort of package is that all your information will be stored on a backend database like MYSQL. Additionally, this e-commerce package can easily be integrated with accounts packages such as Sage.
At Cogent, we will help you to decide on the most effective package for your needs in relation to your backend ordering process, ensuring that you will get the best trade off between value and efficiency.

Things to remember when setting up an E-Commerce site

• Keep it simple. The best e-commerce sites are the ones that have the fewest links from the homepage to the product. Customers will be put off by complex and time consuming navigation systems.
• Keep it fast. When you set up your site make sure that your server or host has the ability to cope with the web traffic you expect to receive. Customers will soon be put off by long load screens.
•  Think of the customer. Make sure it is easy for customers to find your products. Put them in clearly marked categories that are easily accessible. 
• Market your site. Creating the site is not enough. You have to generate interest after the launch by constantly promoting your service. Social networking sites, mailing lists, newsletters and advertisements are all great ways of telling people about your site.
• Have a clear URL. Your URL, or web address, must be easy for your customers to find on search engines. You can do this by making your address relevant to your business name or product. Avoid ID addresses at all costs. 
• Let them pay. Many online shoppers are put off by complicated payment systems. Make sure your checkout is easily visible and that your customer does not have to register before they can use it. It is a good idea to use reputable online merchant service, like PayPal, because they are trusted by the online shopper.
• Know your facts. You must have detailed information about key customer FAQs on your website. A customer will not trust a website that does not display key information such as their shipping and handling or refund policy.
• Keep them updated. It is always a good idea to notify the customer at each stage of delivery, perhaps by including a tracking system on your website.
• Keep it safe. When you run an e-commerce website it is vital that any critical date is processed on SSL encrypted pages.  This means the customer will feel safe and will protect you from litigation should there be a case data theft
• Be contactable. It is always a good idea to have a contact telephone on your website. Email enquiries can be frustrating for the customer. Having a phone number on your site lets the customer know they can contact someone if a serious problem arises. If you are worried about being inundated with calls an alternative solution could be to include a live chat feed on your website, this should reduce any phone traffic significantly.
• Photos over words. Pictures tell the customer a lot more about your product than reams of detailed specifications. You will need large high resolution images to capture the customer’s attention and encourage them to buy your product.
• Make it interactive.  User generated content will generate more traffic to your site through links and keywords. Allowing the user to tag products or write product reviews will encourage them to interact with your site and make them feel like they have a voice.
• Use the best technology. Most of the largest e-commerce sites use the latest in website technology to appear exciting and professional to their customers. It is a good idea to include features like content sliders or flash innovations to make your website appear to be operating at the top level.
• CHECK YOUR WEBSITE. An e-commerce site must be thoroughly checked and debugged before it goes live. If a faulty e- commerce site is launched it will be instantly branded ineffectual and untrustworthy. You would have to work very hard to re-establish a credible reputation.