An automated sales mechanism
You would not open a physical store without a sales clerk to complete a sales transaction. You should not open an Internet Web store without a similar mechanism to take a customer's order. Your Web site is available twenty-four hours a day. That means you should be able to take a customer's payment for goods twenty-four hours a day. If your Web site does not do this, then you are missing the whole point of having a Web store.
Your sales mechanism for your Web store MUST be automated. Imagine the following scenario: You walk into a mall retail store. There are all sorts of great products you want to buy. You pick out some items and go to check out. Instead of a cash register, there is a note saying that you should e-mail them your order or call their 1-800 number to place an order. What would you do? You would probably think twice about your order, decide it isn't worth it, and go to the next store.
So WHY would you do this for your Internet Web store? So many Web stores do just this, and then the proprietors wonder why they haven't made any revenue. Here's a clue: YOU NEED AN AUTOMATED SALES MECHANISM FOR YOUR WEB STORE! Just like a regular retail store, your Web store needs to be interactive during the sales process, to ensure the user that they are placing a tangible order. Since the user cannot physically pick-up products on your Web store, you need some kind of "shopping cart" system (more on this later). When the customer is satisfied with their selections and ready to purchase, YOU need to get the payment information from them. Don't put the ball in their court by asking them to call or e-mail. Chances are good that they won't bother. |
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