E-Commerce

I have been building e-commerce websites since 2000, and have experience building a number of successful customized e-commerce websites and applications for a variety of different businesses., and I have the knowledge and ability to build a successful online storefront or customized e-commerce application for you as well I have built retail storefronts, customized registration and donation forms, custom quote and contract applications, and many others.

Since an e-commerce website is both a website and a store, there are a number of factors to be taken in consideration that both you as a website owner and I as an e-commerce developer need to take into account. I have outlined some of the more common considerations below, and would be more than happy to give you a free initial consultation and work with you to understand all considerations and build a website for you that provides the maximum benefit to you and your customers.

Credit Card Payment Processing

Selecting a quality credit card payment processor is extremely important, and can determine whether or not your e-commerce website is a success or a failure. I have worked with seven different payment processors serving Canada and the United States, and as such am familiar with how their services work and how to integrate them into your e-commerce website.

Canadian Credit Card Payment Processors

The companies below offer credit card payment processing services to businesses throughout Toronto and the rest of Canada, and I have worked with each of them:

  • BeanStream. BeanStream is the official payment processor for TD Online Mart; however, they also offer services to any qualifying business, regardless of whether or not the business deals with TD.
  • Internet Secure.
  • Moneris. Since Moneris processes credit cards both online and offline, you may have seen their point-of-sale terminals in various retail stores throughout Canada.
  • PSIGate.

American Credit Card Payment Processors

I have worked with the following US-based credit card payment processors in the past:

PayPal

If you have a PayPal merchant account, I can integrate PayPal payment processing as a payment alternative into your website and have done so on multiple occasions. However, I don't recommend using PayPal as the sole or primary payment processor for your website; contact me for more information.

Other Considerations

There are many standard and individual design and development considerations to take into account when developing an e-commerce website. I've listed a few of them below:

  • Website security.
  • Navigation.
  • Ease of cart use.
  • Promotion.
  • Ease of administration of the site (ability to add/delete/modify products, categories, etc.).

Is E-Commerce the Right Choice For Me?

As an experienced e-commerce developer, I can tell you which considerations you need to take into account and whether or not an e-commerce website is the best choice for you. E-commerce works for some websites and businesses, and it doesn't work for others.

If you're not sure as to whether or not e-commerce is suitable for your business model, here are a few preliminary questions that will give you a general idea:

  • Do you sell something unique or hard-to-find?

    Online businesses that sell one-of-a-kind or rare goods and services tend to outperform those that do not. This is especially true of online businesses that sell goods and services that cannot be purchased in retail stores.

    Hibiscus Florals (one of my top clients) offers a vast selection of high-end silk wedding flowers and silk wedding flower packages in both standard and custom configurations, and have experienced a degree of success that enabled them to close their Toronto showroom and focus exclusively on their online customer base.

  • Do you process mail order/telephone order (MOTO) credit card payments?

    If you process credit card payments via telephone, you can save the time it takes you and/or your staff to process the payments by giving your customers a secure website whereby they enter in their credit card information and have it processed instantly.

    The costs of doing so are surprisingly low as well! The fees for an Internet merchant account in Canada are identical to those associated with a Canadian MOTO merchant account; the only two additional costs are costs associated with developing your Internet payment solution and the costs associated with an SSL. I can outline these costs for you during your free initial consultation as well.

  • Do you sell high-value products?

    High-value products are often more suited to e-commerce, since the competition factor isn't as high and since the costs of shipping don't rise at the same proportion as the retail value of the products.

  • Do you exclusively offer service rather than product?

    Service industries often fare better from an e-commerce point of view, since they are not subject to shipping costs which have to be passed on to the end user of the product in turn.

  • How many different products/services can you offer online?

    Size does matter...at least from a purely e-commerce perspective. The more products/services you have to sell, the larger your potential customer base will be and the more successful your site will be.

  • Does your company have at least one skilled writer on staff?

    I cannot stress the importance of a skilled writer enough! You or one of your staff must be able to write/adjust website copy, prepare promotional material, and most importantly answer customer emails. The sites I build generate numerous and varied customer inquiries; answering these inquiries in a timely, professional, and accurate manner is an essential part of your successful e-commerce website.

Make Your Site Sell!

Your e-commerce website is a business, and should be treated as such. I am acutely aware of this, and will build your website with this logic in mind at all times.

Get an e-commerce website that works for your company. Contact me for a free initial consultation or get a quote today!

Web Design/Redesign and Web Development
A quality, custom website for your company.