Your Own Total Shopkeeper

Time:2010-03-10 18:40:43 Source:Ezinearticles Author:Alexandria Marx

You've looked high and low for another way to make extra income. Maybe you've been downsized, received a not-quite-convenient pay cut, or simply would like to get ahead for once. If you're joining the eCommerce revolution, you need your own total shopkeeper. Join hundreds and thousands making an added income in this tight market, where job stability and security are things of the past. You need to take charge of your own financial destiny. You need a total shopkeeper solution to start getting paid in your own business, owning your own eShop.

What Should I Look For In A Total Shopkeeper?

Alright, so the idea is a fledgling idea you have, a vision or dream of owning your own virtual store. You don't need to be Amazon...yet...but making that leap into private ownership and entrepreneurship has a bit of a learning curve. What do you need to look for? What makes an eCommerce solution a "total shopkeeper?"

For starters, your customers will need to be able to shop securely. What this requires is two things, and usually they come bundled. The first is a "shopping cart," much like the one you use in real life: you put your goods in there and take them to the checkout stand. You'll also need an SSL certificate, or Secure Sockets Layer, which is now transitioning into TSL or Transport Layer Security. Without getting overly technical, TSL and SSL are encryption protocols, or ways your customers can shop safely without their payment information getting stolen. When you shop online, placing your credit card information into the online form will generate a little lock icon someplace, signifying SSL or TSL is active. These can be purchased with a total shopkeeper package, or separately. Either way, savvy customers don't shop without them in place!

Your shopping cart package will allow you to upload your own images to your site, keeping in step with your brand identity, and allow you to upload as many or as little as you want. A total shopkeeper will allow you to organize into categories, much like at a grocery or department store: we shop the aisles we're interested in. Many shopping carts provided by web hosting companies will charge extra once a certain threshold is met, making it difficult to expand your store without cutting into your profit. This is why traditional software solutions are your best bet.

A good shopkeeper solution will allow you to upload inventory and track it easily, so you know when to re-stock or what items aren't selling. You should also search for software that allows you to have sales promotions, gift certificates, and the like. Promoting your site to your customer list is also a great feature to have: you might as well have the ability to organize your client list to convert as many of them into repeat customers, especially around holidays and their birthdays. If you think of your best shopping experiences in real life, finding a total shopkeeper that allows you to emulate these experiences for your customers will be more of an intuitive search. Your customers are already shopping...you should be, too, for a shopkeeper solution that will allow you to reach them as quickly as possible.

Alexandria Marx is co-founder of Dan Marx Creative, an online creative ad agency providing creative business services for startups. Services include copywriting, brochure design, web design, ecommerce, SEO, SEM and internet marketing. Enroll in our FREE Ecourse for Startups and receive information on how to start a business on the Internet, tips on copywriting and how to market online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexandria_Marx

Alexandria Marx - EzineArticles Expert Author

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