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| Internet |
 Getting Online - Barrier to E-Commerce -
Part 5By Tanis Arcuri - Arvis Search Services Inc. Many of us have purchased online and we know how professional and easy completing an online sale can be. But, for most part, small businesses are still uncertain about e-commerce and its place within their business. E-commerce in its simplest form is the ability to process credit card transactions online in Real-Time from a business’s web site without human intervention. Just think about it - a fully automated ordering, invoicing and processing system all on your web site that is no longer bound by time zones or hours of operations. The benefits to you as a small business/ home-based business for introducing the Internet as a revenue tool are impressive to say the least. Once you enable your web site with e-commerce capabilities, your business will have around the clock hours of operation, every order as a paid order, and you would no longer waste manpower on invoicing or on collection of accounts receivable. So why aren’t you offering your products and services for sale online? Perhaps, to start, you may have a small fear of failure, a fear of the costs, a fear of new technology, or a fear of security. Your possible fear of failing online is what is also inhibiting many other Canadian small businesses as well, even though we are seeing more and more people willing to buy online. Specialty items and products are the most prominent wares sold online, but service sales are increasing. Alternatively, instead of selling your products and services online, perhaps provide an area on your web site where your clients can go to pay their monthly bill, book and prepay appointments, or simply for transacting telephone orders and payments using the Internet as your Point-of-Sale machine. By modifying your idea of how you can use the Internet, you can see how your e-commerce can be a success. As a small business, your costs are the first thought when looking into a new venture. The first way to significantly decrease your cost and increase your control over your e-commerce is by applying for your own Merchant Accounts through your bank. Merchant Accounts enable your bank accounts to accept credit card payments. Without Merchant Accounts, you would rely on using a third party’s Merchant Accounts, thereby giving up control over your revenues, and you would pay a premium per month and per transaction for the use of the accounts. Therefore, the first step to decreasing your costs is to invest an hour at the bank applying for your Merchant Accounts. If your business currently has Merchant Accounts, apply them to your online sales. You have many pre-made tools available for your e-commerce needs such as shopping cart/accounting programs which bring your customers through the ordering, invoicing and paying processes online. That way you do not need to worry about the time, confusion, maintenance and costs of developing the technology that will run your e-commerce solution. Security always remains one of the main issues keeping businesses offline. It is generally misunderstood that a Real-Time or instantaneous credit card transaction is unsafe, when it is, in fact, the instance when a credit card number passes over email or is retained on an unsecured form to be manually processed later that is unsafe. By using a Real-Time processing system along with some minimal technology like an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Security Certificate, all important sale information can be hidden while it is in transit, thereby protecting you and your customer at the same time. It is understandable for you and all Canadian small businesses to have existing fears associated with venturing into a solid e-commerce solution, such as the fear of failing, security issues, new technology reservations, and the possible costs. However, I do hope that these fears can be lifted in order to get more Canadian consumers buying online from Canadian businesses. Tanis Arcuri is the marketing director of Arvic Search Services Inc., which helps individuals & small businesses get online & stay online through domain registration and e-commerce capabilities. Reach Tanis at tanis@arvic.com , or look at their services at www.arvic.com |