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E-Commerce
Options
Do you wish to actually sell your products or services on the Internet?
A website is
considered an "e-commerce site" when products are sold and credit cards
are accepted online. Adding e-commerce capabilities can increase the amount of time, effort, and money that go into creating your website. However, it is often worth it to have the income potential your website could generate from actually selling products online.
When deciding whether or not to sell products online, a few useful questions to consider include the following:
 Is selling products the primary nature of your business?
Do you manufacture a product, so people will expect to be able to get the product from you?
Do you have a lot of competitors on the world wide web that are already selling the products you wish to sell?
If so, what will set your site apart from theirs? Better prices? Greater selection?
What is your budget for developing your website?
Would it be better to start with an informational site and add on e-commerce functions later?
If you
decide that going with an e-commerce site is right for you, there are
four options listed below. Please be sure to review the examples listed
at the bottom of each column to ensure your choice includes all the
features you desire. Additional features will require additional
development time and expense.
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Option #1
PayPal
Buttons* |
Option #2
Fully
Functioning Shopping Cart |
Option #3
Fully
Functioning Shopping Cart with Custom Design |
| Setup
Fee |
$100 setup fee includes up to 10 product "add to cart" buttons. Additional products are $5 per button. |
$500 setup fee
provides functioning, database-driven shopping cart. Products may be entered by the client using a web-based interface, or by the web designer for $15 per product. |
$1500 setup fee integrates design with fully functioning, database driven shopping cart. Products may be entered by the client using a web-based interface, or by the web designer for $15 per product. |
| Monthly
Fee |
No
Additional Monthly Fee |
Hosting fee increases to $50
per month |
Hosting fee increases to $50
per month |
| Advantages |
Cheapest option.
Allows
Client to receive payment via credit cards without applying to a
bank for a Merchant Account. |
Captures
all order totals even on multiple quantities of multiple items.
Calculates
order total, including shipping and tax when appropriate.
There is
no additional cost of creating the web page with the product
photos and descriptions. These pages are generated automatically
by the shopping cart database. |
Most
professional option.
Captures
all order totals even on multiple quantities of multiple items.
Calculates
order total, including shipping and tax when appropriate.
There is
no additional cost of creating the web page with the product
photos and descriptions. These pages are generated automatically
by the shopping cart database. |
| Disadvantages |
Web design client must set up own PayPal Business Account.
Each of
clients' customers must setup an individual PayPal account upon checking out.
PayPal
takes a small percentage of the sale, comparable to a merchant account with a bank.
Some
people report negative experiences with PayPal. See details on this
website.
*Other
factors may apply. To confirm PayPal advantages or disadvantages
or learn details, visit PayPal.com.
Griffin Web Design cannot be responsible for PayPal policies or
reliability.
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Uses generic
design only. (Website design does not carry over to shopping cart
pages.) Requires
setting up a Merchant Account with a bank to accept credit
cards.
Requires
setting up an account with an online payment gateway such as
Authorize.net.
Requires
the purchase of an SSL certificate.
Bank takes
a small percentage of the sale. |
Most
complex setup.
Most
costly option.
Requires
setting up a Merchant Account with a bank to accept credit
cards.
Requires
setting up an account with an online payment gateway such as
Authorize.net.
Requires
the purchase of an SSL certificate.
Bank takes
a small percentage of the sale. |
| Examples |
The Lane
Collection uses a PayPal shopping cart.
Please review the example to ensure it includes all the features
you desire. Additional features will require additional
development time and expense. |
The Online Spy Store
uses a full database-driven shopping cart (WITHOUT a custom
design).
Please review the example to ensure it includes all the features
you desire. Additional features will require additional
development time and expense. |
ThePestControlStore.com uses a full database-driven shopping cart
with a custom design.
Please review the example to ensure it includes all the features
you desire. Additional features will require additional
development time and expense. |
Contact
us to discuss your options further.
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