Going for a new e-commerce or web 2.0 solution is a big commitment so it’s important to make an informed decision.

First, lets start with the basics:

1. The internet is a tool, not an obscure new world before which we bow down in servitude. It must work for us, not the other way around.
2. Any entity/individual, whether computer literate or not, has the same rights as the next to harness the power of the internet. This is the spirit of democracy.
3. It is the responsibility of firms like ours to use our knowledge responsibly, to listen and to educate you about the possibilities and limitations of the technology. And at the end of the day, the solution offered must empower not enslave.

No matter who you choose for this exciting new netventure, consider the solution from the point of view of all the people who will interact with your site :

Your business’
Your customers’
Your webmaster/programmer’s

For your business, your site should be:

inline with your business image
built around your needs
up-to-date in terms of content and aesthetics
low maintenance
make it easy to administer categories, products, shipping, orders, users and reporting without touching a line of code
upscaleable
For your visitors, you site ought to:

inspire their trust and confidence
be easy to browse and search
include a product search feature
draw them into the site right from their entry point
expose them to new products unknown to them
allow the users to update their profile and retrieve a lost password
facilitate secure online transactions

For your webmaster/programmer:

This is what most IT firms won’t tell you and most prospective customers don’t realize:

Your website will need servicing and if it experiences growth, then it will also need upgrading. People come and go, but you are stuck with your site. So it’s absolutely key for any experienced web developer to ‘pop the hood’ of your site and say, ” here is where we’re going to insert that new module”, without having to sift through a jumbled sac of code for days on end.

Good coding is important because once your site is launched you are not bound to the support of the same company that made your site. You can approach the programmer or firm that best suits your needs. Keep in mind that a programmer often charges around $100.00 per hour for servicing and periodic upgrades. Add it up and the hours spent cleaning up code and searching for targets can dramatically increase the maintenance cost. Also, a sound logic and good coding increases security and minimizes or eliminates malfunction.

The code that drives your site should be such that it can accommodate future business endeavours that you didn’t initially anticipate or that you perhaps wanted to phase in at a later date.

That’s our bit on democratizing knowledge and educating the prospective client.