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E Commerce
Services |
E-commerce hosting is a business in which a company provides other companies whatever
they need to sell their products and services on the World Wide Web - including
a Web server to serve a company's pages, possibly the Web site design (including
catalog pages), and the special capabilities needed to accept, process, and confirm
sales orders.
E-commerce hosting usually includes providing templates for building virtual storefronts
or online catalogs, providing software for customized electronic "shopping carts,"
taking and filling customer orders, arranging for secure credit-card purchasing,
and providing tools for tracking and managing inventory.
Here's how it typically works:
A company contracts with an e-commerce hosting provider to purchase hosting space
on its computer server. This space usually is billed monthly, along with any leasing
of computer software for processing online orders. The computer server may be shared
with other clients, or in the case of companies expecting a substantial amount of
traffic, may be dedicated exclusively to one client.
E-commerce hosting firms customarily manage all the technical aspects of creating
and maintaining a commercial Web site for its customers E-commerce sites face challenges
above and beyond traditional web design issues.
An effective e-commerce web design informs customers, provides efficient service
and manages their purchases. As a result, a web presence is needed in addition to
features such as e-commerce solutions (shopping cart software and merchant accounts)
and e-commerce web hosting. Some e-commerce firms offer a full range of services
to support any online business venture.
To find the best fit for your project, determine how much support your e-business
requires with this checklist.
* Does the project require services or resources beyond e-commerce web design?
* What features are needed in addition to web design (database development, shopping
cart software installation, live support software development, merchant account
creation)?
* Is this a new e-commerce site or a re-design project?
* Is there a need for e-commerce web hosting in addition to design issues? |
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