Setting up a client w/ecommerce

[three]

I have a client who wants to set up his site for ecommerce. I'm pretty new with the ecommerce set up and hope someone can point me in the right direction. I've been trying to research all the different solutions and companies out there, but since there are so many - i need help!
1) First, I want to know exactly all that is necessary to sell products online. I have a general idea: merchant account/merchant account provider, credit card processing agent, shopping cart - is that everything?
2) I need some examples of companies that anyone has used for any of these services. Seems there are so many questionable ones out there.
3) Anything I need to do differently w/coding, setting up the backend, etc.

I'm so confused as to what exactly I need to set this site up, and how to go about coordinating everything. (can you tell!) Any information or experience would be greatly helpful.

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Ash | White Multimedia - web site development
http://www.ashwhite.com

[hearts]

well.. for more info .. go to FQ's page www.FutureQuest.net/Packages.php (http://www.FutureQuest.net/Packages.php) .. scroll down.. and look for Value Added Services.

And as for the rest of your questions, FQ holds those answers.. it depends on which way you choose to go. However, you will NOT NEED to purchase a separate domain for that, no. Your URL would begin with https:// rather than http://

[This message has been edited by hearts (edited 04-06-99).]

[hearts]

First I would recommend surfing the net for sites similar to what your client is selling. This will give you an idea of layout and style and for your client too. Infact, I would have your client do this and leave you the URL's to the things he/she finds that they like. (since this is to be their website and allows them to be actively involved)

Setting up a shopping cart can be either simple or hard, I suppose it would depend on which you use, and I offer no recommendations on this, but should ROXIE appear, she is excellent in this field.

You really should have a secure server for accepting credit cards. I believe FQ has theirs up and running now.. and there are two options for this. 1. you can share their cert for a one time set up fee 2. you can aquire your own. Either verisign or thawte. www.thawte.com/ (http://www.thawte.com/)

As for what merchant account you will chose, here you will need to surf around. There are many fees involved and you must pay attention very carefully to ALL the fine print.

If your client already has a MO/TO account, he can use this for online, however he should check with his merchant to make sure that it is okay to use with his web site. Like with my client, all they asked of him upon letting them know, was to be sure that it was done using a secure server. Rich advised me when doing it in this manner that it was very important to inquire with the existing account handler, as this could be some kind of breach of terms of service.

as for coding, that all depends on how you go about setting up your security. As for this, all you will have is a URL, just like anything else. It has been advised here not to use a lot of images in the secure area as it will slow things down, as a secure server is a bit slower than the normal set up.

As for everything that you will be needing, that all depends on your clients needs.

I was advised to research things out thoroughly. I personally involve my clients as much as possible and I am truthful with them if they are asking something of me that I have never done, I will tell them honestly that I will need to do some research... and if they would like to keep down their costs, to help me.

Maybe some would view this as a bad approach, however the client i am presently working with highly appreciated it and together we put him together a site he is so impressed with and very comfortable with and he got to clearly see how much work does go into having what he so wanted.

I hope this helps .. ?

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hearts
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[This message has been edited by hearts (edited 04-06-99).]

[three]

Thanks - that helps. I guess now i'm kind of unclear on how to go about setting up for a secure server. Does the site need another domain that will go to the secure server? or can you just specify a subdirectory? Also, do you know somewhere I can go to get more info on how to use Futurequest's Secure Server - set up, etc?
Thanks much for you info. Things are making more sense! As for your rule of honesty - I agree with you. I've told my client I haven't yet done ecommerce stuff, but he's completely computer illiterate, so he doesn't seem to be too worried!
Any more info you have on the secure server stuff would be great!

[Binky]

three,
have you got a handle on this stuff, yet? It's got me totally confused. There's a lot of info out there but the more I look at the more bewildered I get.

[three]

It's definitely very confusing, but i'm getting more familiar with what is necessary to get goin.[nbsp][nbsp]Rich from RS Marketing gave me a ton of really useful information (thanks rich!).
Here's the jist of what's necessary to set up an ecommerce solution:

-- Secure Web site (SSL)
-- Shopping Cart
-- Merchant Account (specifically setup for Internet sales)
-- Payment system/gateway
-- Transaction processing software and/or service provider
-- Fulfillment/payload processing system or service provider
[nbsp][nbsp] (for hard or soft goods shipping/delivery)

It seems that it's easier to find a merchant bank who also provides transaction processing.[nbsp][nbsp]Rich had recommended Humbolt Bank, who provides internet merchant accounts as well as processing. (you can apply thru http://www.rsmarketing.com)
As far as shopping carts, etc - i'm still looking for a good one - www.miva.com (http://www.miva.com) seems to be good, but more useful if you have a ton of products.[nbsp][nbsp]If you only have a few, the form based solution seems good - and cheap. (you have a listing of all products, and user just fills in quantity)[nbsp][nbsp]I haven't yet found a free shopping cart that isn't totally UGLY, so if you come across one, let me know!
I'm still researching and figuring things out myself, but now know the basics.
Anyone else out there who has some more info on this, please share![nbsp]
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Ash | White Multimedia
marie@ashwhite.com
www.ashwhite.com

[Binky]

Thanks. I'm now more boggled than before. There's much to digest in your reply and I'm sure to be back with more questions.

I've also looked at dozens of very cumbersome and ugly shopping carts. Here's one I just found that looks promising, and is free. I haven't looked at the details, yet, but you might want to check it out if you haven't already. It's at http://www.careyinternet.com/main/commerce/download.html

[Rich]

Binky:

If you would like to drop me an email and let me know a little bit about your business and what you are wanting to accomplish with your e-commerce solution, I'll be glad to offer some recommendations.

Rich Shockney
rich@rsmarketing.com
http://www.rsmarketing.com

[kteicher]

** Shameless Plug **

You may want to zoom over to http://www.onlineorders.net, which of course is hosted by FQ, and check out available shopping carts.[nbsp][nbsp]Around 200 are listed, many of them are free.[nbsp][nbsp]Also available is info on adding credit card capability to your web site.

There really are a bunch of good carts available.[nbsp][nbsp]Some very good systems look junky in demo form but really do have a lot of capability.[nbsp][nbsp]Unfortunately, shopping cart designers/programmers are not always the best web page designers![nbsp][nbsp]Many shopping carts have you insert just the "add to cart" button in place, but the rest of the design can be totally your.[nbsp][nbsp]

Let me know if you need more info.

Keith Teicher
www.onlineorders.net (http://www.onlineorders.net)
Resource Guide To Shopping Carts & Credit Card Merchant Accounts