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E-Commerce Starter Kit
Author: Shane McLaughlin (more by this author)
Source: inc.com, July 02, 1996

This round-up article of the best e-commerce content at inc.com is written by Shane McLaughlin. Shane's our producer for Sohodojo content on inc.com.

It's easy to sell your product or service on the Web.

If you believe that, then you probably also think Al Gore invented the Internet and Bill Gates is sending you a check for $5,302 because you forwarded an e-mail chain letter. The reality of the virtual world is that there are millions of e-commerce ideas that can drain entrepreneurs of time, energy, and most important, capital. To help you find the right strategies for your business, we've put together this reading list.

Building Your Virtual Store
Setting Up Shop in Cyberspace
Here's an overview of five things to consider before breaking virtual ground for your online store — in layman's terms.

Establishing a Merchant Account for Your Web Business
To accept credit cards online, you need to open a merchant account at a bank. Find the right one for your business with our help.

Choosing a Credit Card Clearing Service
Not only do you need a merchant account to process credit cards, you also need a credit card clearing service to make sure they are legit.

Decide Whether a Turnkey Solution Is Right for You
Turnkey solutions are a quick and affordable way to get your Web store open for business — that is, so long as your site doesn't need too many custom features.

Customer Service on the Net
The Insider's Guide to Customer Service on the Web
You know it, we know it, pretty much every Web business out there knows it. Web-based customer service almost always sucks. So the future of e-business lies with those who figure out how to make it work.

Checklist: Hire and Train Your Customer Service Staff
In a world where job vacancies outnumber qualified employees several times over, it's not easy to find good customer support. Check out our checklist for hiring, training, and evaluating your customer service staff.

Come In. I've Been Expecting You
Web shoppers surfing to a site have the same expectations as window shoppers walking into a store: They want guidance from a salesperson. Cheap Web personalization tools can help.

Pumping Your Visitors for Information
A recent New Yorker cartoon depicts a canine Web surfer making the comment, "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." Getting the skinny on who your visitors are — whether they have two legs or four — is vital to realizing your e-commerce potential.

Troubleshooting
Add a Human Touch to Your Web Site
It doesn't take a focus group to figure out that more people buy online when they feel like they are talking to a human being, not a computer server. Here's how to humanize your site.

Get a Grip and Learn to Ship
Is your strategy for fulfilling online orders as sound as your strategy for generating them? If not, you could be losing customers without even knowing it.

E-Mail: Your E-Commerce Ally
Bringing customers to your online store doesn't have to be as complicated as building it. A well-executed e-mail marketing strategy is the oil in the gears of your e-commerce machine.

Resources
Find Web Hosting
Find the best Web hosting service to drive your online store, searching on such criteria as price, technical capabilities, and support features.

Web Development Matchmaker
Looking for a few good geeks to erect your virtual store? Find the tech help you need — both in your budget and geographic area — free of charge.

Know When Your Site Goes Down
It's a fact of the Web world that the words "site not responding" will send surfers away from you permanently. This free site-monitoring service alerts you when your site has crashed, so you can get back up and running with minimal loss.

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