eCommerce is a hot subject right now, but try to get some straight information about it and you won't believe all the different opinions and options about the best way to sell online. Here's our own little primer on how eCommerce works, what you'll need to have a successful online store, and at least some basic knowledge so you'll know what to ask the next time you're just sitting around talking about eCommerce...
How e-commerce works:
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You customer browses your website to find something to buy. A successful e-commerce website must make this as easy and intuitive as possible, with a shopping cart and search capabilities. To do this, we provide you with a Miva Merchant storefront.
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Miva Merchant is a powerful shopping cart system that offers all the features used by such e-tailers as Amazon.com and 800.com. Your storefront will have a simple yet robust shopping cart with pictures and descriptions of your products, and a powerful search function. A website shopping cart works just like a shopping cart you use when you go to a grocery store. Your customer can put items in the cart as he or she shops, remove them at any time, or take them to the checkout. The search function allows your customer to easily find what they need. When you have an e-commerce account with us, we give you free web hosting ($30/mo value) and a free Miva Merchant software license (a $495 value).
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This step takes credit card information from your customer and transfers the funds to your merchant account (see step 4). We can set you up with a variety of third-party services to handle credit card processing. All methods are secure so your customer can be confident using his or her credit card online. Most also feature real-time authorization so your customers knows right away if the credit card was accepted.
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You need a merchant account to accept credit cards. This is where all you're money will automatically be deposited every time someone buys something from your online store. Your merchant account can be set up through the bank you already use, or we can direct you to a bank that allows e-commerce enabled merchant accounts. Contact us for more information about Merchant Accounts.
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