Shopping online has never been more popular. An estimated £40 billion was spent via the internet in 2010 alone - companies who don't trade online are being left behind.

The mechanics of e-commerce website development

Traditional E-Commerce sites are those where companies have products that they wish to trade via the internet. Users would add the products to a virtual basket, visit a checkout to enter their details and then pay via a credit or debit card electronically. The order is then received by the client who sends the products to the user, and receives payment via their bank or merchant system

It's not always shopping carts and checkouts

Many businesses use E-Commerce to trade their goods even if they aren't normal 'physical' goods. Here are a few examples - do you have a better one?

• Existing clients can order goods via an online catalogue on account.
• Users can create customised products and have them shipped to their premises.
• Businesses can allow access to information or services on payment by users.
• Users can securely download files or media after payment is made.
• The same products seamlessly offered in different languages to different countries

What do we need to trade online? Is it safe?

Apart from a great website? Well you will need to ability to take money from customers unless you are billing offline. That can be done either through your existing merchant account (if you already take card payments) or through a 3rd party such as PayPal or SagePay. we can help assist with making the correct choice. When best practice is used in developing a site and in choosing the right payment processing system, maximum security is ensured by the various mechanism that are put in place.

Getting help along the way

E-Commerce is all about supporting your business by trading on the internet, and we can help assist you. There are many elements to a good E-Commerce website - design, development, payment processing, management and reporting. Why not get in touch to talk about your idea?