DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE ECOMMERCE BUSINESS PLAN

Here is where the rubber meets the road in your online business venture – it begins with an effective ecommerce business plan. Without a winning plan of action, your ecommerce development will never achieve its maximum potential. Your business plan must cover a number of features from the ecommerce web site design to internet sale fulfillment service methods; each of these features should be the best available with a heavy bias towards the customer. A thoughtful overview of the online process from browsing to payment now is well worth the effort. Examine each step with care to maximize your Internet marketing sales success.

Important Product Criteria
The product, around which the whole ecommerce business plan will revolve, will have to fulfill certain criteria in order to make the online venture a success. These are

Homogeneity – the product, though obtained from different suppliers/sources will have to be of a homogenous quality and dimensions. Whether it is a mobile set offered at art auctions online or a book listed with internet book sellers, the item should be favorably comparable to the ones that are bought elsewhere.

Ability to ship the product – before you launch your online venture you should find out whether the product can be shipped easily. The ecommerce fulfillment aspect will a daunting task if the product is bulky or very fragile. If you expect to offer the best in buying online, the buyer must get the product quickly and undamaged or you will lose repeat customers as well as valuable word-of-mouth advertising.

Cost of delivery – in similar manner, heavier items will cost more to deliver to the doorstep than lightweight items. The cost of delivery is an important factor that decides what ecommerce companies the customer uses when deciding whether or not to buy an item. Hence, keep this cost as low as possible.

Cost of the product – many customers are attracted to online shopping because they get many of their favorite products at a much lower cost than in brick-and mortar-shops. You need to keep the cost at least 10 percent less than what is available in the brick-and-mortar market.

Availability – do you plan to have a good stock of the product that you propose to sell or do you have a good tie-in with supplier(s) who can provide you with the product on the spot? If the product is not available easily to the customer, especially after you’ve filled his ecommerce shopping cart and the payment is processed, you will have a very unhappy customer.

Target market – think whether you need to address the needs of a certain age group, geographical area, or it is an item that can be available via Internet commerce for all people, all over the world.

Making your ecommerce business a success is solely up to you and how much time and effort you are willing to invest into it; this is the real bottom line.