The web is revolutionising the way we conduct business today. Businesses are using the web as a powerful new tool to reach customers and offer their products and services. Much is being said about e-Commerce and a typical definition used for e-Commerce is as follows -

"e-Commerce - The buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over the Internet."

We at Limelight Global, eWeb take a much more pragmatic view, arguing that e-Commerce is much more than selling from a website however we use the term broadly here to describe how a business presents information and offers goods and services to its customers through a website. If you want to sell goods and services over the web, you will be engaged in e-Commerce.

Benefits of E-Commerce/Online Store:

No single force has transformed the way we do business more than the growth of the Internet over the past few years. The Internet has become a part of everyday life, accessible from almost anywhere on the planet.

New ways of developing business and conducting transactions are emerging, as entrepreneurs are able to start new businesses more easily, with smaller up-front investment requirements. The growth of electronic commerce is being driven by lower purchasing costs, reductions in inventories, lower cycle times, more efficient and effective customer service, lower sales and marketing costs as well as new sales opportunities.

Specific Benefits of E-Commerce:

• Electronic marketplace presence
• Improved competitiveness
• Improved quality of service
• Customer involvement in product and service innovation
  
• Improved market intelligence and strategic planning
• Personalized products & services
• Reduced delivery costs - especially for products that can be delivered electronically
• Shorten or eradicate supply chains
• New business opportunities

(Source: European Initiative on Electronic Commerce)

Your e-Commerce approach can be as simple as offering simple information about your business to posting a product image or list of products with an email address for sales inquiries next to it, or it can be as complex as a fully integrated online catalogue that allows customers to place orders and process real time credit card transactions through a secure order form on your website.

There are a variety of e-Commerce approaches to suit every business need.

Several terms are used to describe developments in the world of electronic trading and their use often causes confusion.

Terms in E-Commerce:

• eCommerce - one of the first terms to be used as a generic title for all electronic trading activities. For some it is synonymous with selling from a web site, but the broader definition is more applicable to most business.
• eBusiness - widely applied to business-to-business interactions using the Internet and other solutions, but also used by companies such as IBM as a generic title for all electronic trading activities.
• mBusiness - an emerging term which applies to the use of mobile communications and their interaction with the Internet.
  

There is considerable hype about e-Commerce that would lead many small to medium businesses to believe they are lagging behind if they are not part of the new trading revolution. This is all not that true. For different businesses the right time to be in e-Commerce is different.

Types of E-Commerce:

Much of the hype relates to success stories on Internet selling but other types of e-Commerce relationships exist which can bring their own benefits:

• Business-to-Consumer (B2C). Where much of the initial success was generated as companies sold selected consumer products to an Internet-literate audience, willing to buy on-line.
• Business-to- Business (B2B). Interaction between businesses either in an established supply chain, or with new trading partners.
• Business-to-Administration (B2A). A third category of e-Commerce in which the business community interacts electronically with public sector organisations. Submission of planning applications, VAT returns, income tax, or patent registration, all come within this category and B2A applications (also known as eGovernment) have the potential to bring even more companies into the world of electronic trading.
  
  
  

The First Steps:

It is good to develop into Internet progressively. When you first decide to upgrade your website into an e-Commerce outlet, you usually start to look for a company that can do that for you. We carefully analyse your needs and suggest a sincere progressive plan and technologies to get a sound development into Internet. We also focus on progressive education of our clients about the Internet, technology and terminology. Straight away getting into a huge e-Commerce solution without knowing it or without having a sound strategy cannot be useful for any business.

What to Do?:

Do not be discouraged. Getting your store online is simply a matter of making the right decisions. We are there to lay out various options for you so you can make educated decisions on your e-Commerce strategy.

Make a Decision:

• What are your current needs? What are your future needs?
• How much money and time are you willing to allocate to get your store online?
• Do you want to launch an online store right away, or is the store something you can add in the future? Go either way and you will find us with you.

Contact Us should you require assistance or quote