E-commerce Solutions: Learn how to easily sell your products and/or services online

- Thanks to services like Google Adwords, MSN Adcenter and Yahoo's Search Marketing Products, people like you and me can be online selling our products and services to the entire world within 15 minutes

It doesn't have to be complicated if all you want to do is get online and sell your products or services. For what most of you will be doing, getting an e-commerce enabled website can be quite simple and affordable.

A few of the basic things you'll need are:

a domain name
a website
a shopping cart
a SSL security certificate (makes your site secure for credit card users)
a merchant account (to accept credit card payments)
a bank checking account (which is where your money gets deposited)
and some products or services to sell

Domain Name
Simply put, a domain name is the name people type in to find you on the Internet. For example, www.hippoMarketing.com will bring you to this website. Similar to a person calling you at home, in order for them to call you, they must have your phone number. And for the sake of simplicity, a domain name works basically the same way. It allows people to pull your website up on the Internet!

Website
The first thing you'll need of course is a website. This is where your prospects/visitors will be directed to. Once visitors start coming to your website, it is then your goal to provide them with the information they need to make a "buying decision".

The size of your website will be determined primarily on the number of products you're selling. Some of you will only need a few pages, while others may need much more.

Shopping Cart
When a customer makes a decision to purchase a product from your website, they select the item they want and "add it to the shopping cart". The shopping cart's primary purpose is keep a running total of what's being added to the cart.

For instance...if you purchase 5 books that costs $10/ea., the shopping cart will calculate the costs based on the cost per item and the quantity ordered; which in this example would be $50.00. If taxes are being charged, the shopping cart will calculate the final total with taxes added.

When your customer has finished ordering and "check-out", the shopping cart will also collect all of the shipping and billing information (to include the credit card number) from the customer. The cart will then present the customer with a grand total (with shipping charges included too, if any).

Once the customer agrees to the total and hits the "submit order" button, the shopping cart then passes all of the data securely across the Internet to your merchant services provider. It is here where the credit card is checked to ensure the funds are available to purchase the products added to the shopping cart.

Once approved, the shopping cart sends back a confirmation number (approval code) and the shopping cart instantly creates a receipt and sends a copy to the customer's email address and then you're instantly notified that an order has been placed. 2-3 days later, the money hits your checking account!

SSL Security Certificate
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology protects your Web site and makes it easy for customers to trust you. An SSL Certificate enables encryption of sensitive information during online transactions (such as customer billing information and credit card data). Each SSL Certificate contains unique, authenticated information about the certificate owner. Every SSL Certificate is issued by a Certificate Authority that verifies the identity of the certificate owner.

You need SSL if...

…you have an online store or accept online orders and credit cards.

…your business partners log in to confidential information on an extranet.

…you have offices that share confidential information over an intranet.

…you process sensitive data such as address, birth date, license, or ID numbers.

…you need to comply with privacy and security requirements.

…you value privacy and expect others to trust you.

Many 3rd party shopping cart providers already have SSL incorporated in their setup.

Merchant Account
Many people get confused and assume a shopping cart and merchant account are one in the same. They're not. They are 2 totally different products.

A merchant account allows a business to accept credit card payments, debit cards, gift cards and other forms of electronic payment. This is also widely known as payment processing or credit card processing. It's fairly easy to get a merchant account and you could be up and running within 1-2 days.

Checking Account
Once your customers credit cards are charged, the money will be released into your checking account within 2-3 days. You can typically get started with your personal checking account and switch the account over to a business checking account later on. However, I'd recommend you start with your business checking account from day one. It's farily easily to get a business account, all you need is a business license and that's it.

FREE WEBSITE QUOTE -

Tell us more about the type of products & services you want to sell. Fill out our no obligation quote form below and fill us in on the details. Please provide as much details as you can so we can provide you with an accurate quote. All information provided to us will remain strictly confidential.

Your Name:
Your Company Name (if any):
Type of Business (web site):
Your Email Address:
Phone Number:
Your Time Zone:
Do you have an existing web site up already? Yes  No If yes, what is the current URL (web address)? Will you sell products from this site? Yes  No If selling products, how many do you anticipate selling? Will you need a merchant account to accept credit cards? Yes  No Will you need web hosting? Yes  No Do you need us to register your domain name? Yes  No Will you provide the content for the web site? Yes  No Briefly describe your business: Briefly describe those most likely to use your product or service: When do you wish to get started with this project? Once we start the project, how soon do you need the site completed? Are there any specialty items you'll need? (Check all that applies) Feedback Form               Shopping Cart Message Board               PDF Files Audio / Video                 Newsletter Other - Please specify: How did you hear about Hippo-Marketing Group, Inc? Word-of-mouth             Search Engine Link from another site   Television

Hippo-Marketing Group, Inc
650 Henderson Dr, Bldg 45
Cartersville, GA 30120