22 Oct 08 Ecommerce Functions

In order for companies to trade through out the European Union there are some must have functions to consider when selecting an ecommerce solutions provider.

1) Multi-Language

• All the shop’s navigation controls, messages, and all email templates to be pre-translated into local languages by mother tongue nationals.

• All product descriptions to be held in a server database pre-translated into local languages, including local country VAT / Tax rates, and shipping calculations.

• Support for all European Languages, plus rest of the world languages, and other English variations (such as USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.)

• A data structure that permits a different shop profile and product profile for each territory.

2) Multi-Currency

• A principle currency should be assigned to each language / territory. This should not be a calculated figure on the fly as then it is possible to have different pricing policies for each territory.

• The Online Credit Card Transaction Service is then specific to the chosen language / currency used.

3) Multiple Shop Dynamics

• The ability to set a shop dynamics for international and domestic customers, as well as trade (B2B) r consumer (B2C) sales or both.

• Support for all online credit card payment providers. Options for buy online, pay offline transactions.

• Option for restricted access to specific areas for pre-registered account users only.

• Option for Account invoiced sales for existing trade customers.

• Complex VAT calculations, includes multiple tax rates, so each product can be assigned a specific VAT rate. Zero rating VAT for international trade customers.

• Postage calculations including free post threshold, domestic and international rates. Option for customer to choose premium delivery service at the point of sale.

• Set Product dynamics for volume products or high value – “one off” products. This incorporates a central wish list function with a timed product reservation-of-interest feature.

• Set product dynamics for “simple” reservation sales. Sell good / services for hire, bookings, rent or letting.

4) Hosted and Managed Shop Deployment

Shops to be hosted on pre-configured servers. Three types of installation are available:

• Shared installation on shared server - online shops are hosted on shared server, and on shared installation with a shared domain name. This is a lowest cost service, ideally suite to smaller online shops. One other advantage for this type of installation is that the shared domain name will be well indexed with the search engines so products will be shown the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) quicker than with a new domain name.

• Dedicated installation on shared server - the online shop is hosted on shared server, but with a dedicated installation not shared with others and would be provided with a customer specific domain name. This allows for a greater degree of shop customization and is ideally suite to medium sized online shops.

• Dedicated installation on dedicated server - the online shop is hosted on a dedicated server, not shared with others and with a customer specific dedicated domain name. This allows for optimum shop performance and is ideally suite to larger online shops.

5) Shop Front Design and Layout Options

Best practice online shop design techniques continually advances with the introduction of improved software development tools and usability studies and trends. It is important these advances can be applied to the online shop interface. Online shop design can have an incredible impact on customer conversion rates and should be designed with the customer profile at centre stage.
There are three basic options for the online shop design to balance budget constraints and market demands:

• Standard Design – This is a clean, simple and sharp shop layout. Providing customizable screen colour changes and fonts selection from pick lists. This does not require any web design knowledge.

• CSS Style – Customize the shop design with CSS Style sheet capability. This requires design skill levels with CSS and smarty. An offline viewer is ideal to assist in the design process. With this option, an additional online shop database set to development mode is also required to assist in the design process.

• RIA Design – Customize the shop design with Rich Internet Application capabilities. This requires a much higher design skill set with Flex and smarty knowledge. An offline viewer is required to assist in this design process. As with the CSS option, and additional online shop database set to development mode is also required to assist in this design process.

6) Comprehensive Product Database

The product database structure is central to the online shop and should include the following functions:

• Free text description
• Multiple Images which are auto resized on the server and available in zoom size in the shop
• Unlimited Thumb-detail images
• User definable fields
• Additional URL Links to pdf or html pages – i.e. product technical details
• Simple price option
• Complex price options - product colour and / or size pricing variations
• Special price function - discounts selectable by product, by customer details, by volumes purchased
• Sale price function with start / end dates
• Reservation option at check-out
• Customer selectable postal charge options
• Meta tag description for whole shop and for each product
• Keyword search
• Multiple and Nested product categories
• Products to appear in more than one category
• Product ranking – Top selling items
• Products cross linked with other products to promote up-selling
• specific search engine optimization fields

7) Comprehensive Shop Level Features

• Popup Information Windows - Create and customize pop-up windows for general shop information / topics / privacy policy

• Real time notification of sales - Emails sent to clients in local language. Emails to be fully customizable with html / images etc.

• Online shopper order history - Users can track all their current orders and view their order history

• Stock Control Function -

Set stock level
Set minimum stock level
Set different options when out of stock
Hide product when nil stock
Display out of stock notice
Email User when items are back in stock

Off line Shop Management Tools

In the process of creating and running an online shop there are a number of specific functions which many be undertaken by different individuals, departments, even offices in various locations. These generally include; Finance, Product Management, Order Fulfillment, Web Design and SEO / Internet Marketing.

In order to manage these functions specific online and offline tools are needed with multi-user and multi-lingual capabilities.

• Product Manager - an offline database to produces and manage all the product data. Designed so multiple users can each add category specific or language specific products which are then uploaded to the online server database. Export functions provide data for cost comparison sites, and product feeds to Google Base ( Froogle ) and other cost comparison sites.

• Admin Manager - an offline tool to manage all the customer details and order details. This information can be exported into the company’s existing accounting systems.

• Web Designer Tool - an offline CSS design viewer showing various shop designs and how they will look as changes are made.

• Despatch Centre - an online tool for the order fulfillment department to update order progress and courier tracking information, which is then provided to the online shopper.

9) Internet Marketing and Metrics Analysis

• The online shop must be tuned to maximize onsite search engine optimization. This “on-page” SEO accounts for about 20% of the total SEO function.

• Back link building function - this “off-page” SEO accounts for the remaining 80% SEO function. This function is required to improve positioning in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

• Online shops require a business blog, with the same design styles. The business blog is used to generate online customers using evolving Web2.0 internet marketing techniques.

• Web metrics - track online shoppers behavior. Monitor which search phrases are used, which landing pages have the highest and lowest rates, tracking all pages viewed and actions taken. This information is used in A/B testing to improve customer conversation rates and overall return on investment.

10) Affiliate Program Ready

In terms of online marketing, affiliates are viewed as “commission only sales persons”. These individuals rely on their internet marketing skills to generate qualified customers for online shops. They work on a sales percentage on order basis, and in some markets provide a considerable revenue source.

• The online shop should be affiliate program ready in order to capitalize on the increased consumer sales through third-party affiliate programs.

For more information read the <strong>uooBOUTIQUE</strong> Ecommerce Business Proposition <em>(English version)</em>

uooBOUTIQUE Ecommerce Business Proposition

The see the full range of uooBOUTIQUE Ecommerce Solutions visit uootek ecommerce solutions

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