Home > E-Commerce Checklist:
Use this checklist to make sure you've covered absolutely everything before you launch your online store.
This checklist covers the necessary steps you will need to take, prior to your grand opening. You can do them in any order, but they need to be taken care of before your launch.
|
One-time setup costs - Merchant Account
|
(Prices vary in the range of a few hundred dollars)
(Our Price: $ 49)
(Time: 2 days - 1 week)
A merchant account is a special type of a bank account. A merchant account
enables you to process credit card transactions, either online or offline.
When a customer buys something from your online store, the store software
ecurely transmits their credit card and other relevant information to the
bank that has setup your merchant account.
This institution will then verify the credit card information, process the
transaction and deposit the funds into your business checking account in a
matter of days. The online store software receives a confirmation of the
transaction completion. If the credit card is not valid, the transaction
is declined and the online store software displays an appropriate message
to the customer.
With the advent of e-commerce, most banking institutions now offer a
merchant account in addition to a business checking account, but, as
with your business checking account, you should shop around for the
various rates/fees for your merchant account.
We have identified a company that offers merchant accounts with extremely
affordable rates. You still have to get your own checking account, but we
will divulge this somewhat secret merchant account info when you sign up
for our services. But for now, here are the various fees associated with
a merchant account:
| | Plan 1 | Plan 2 | Plan 3 |
| Set-up Fee | $ 0.00 | $ 99.00 | $ 99.00 |
| Monthly Minimum | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Gateway Cost | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Monthly Service Charge | $ 0.00 | $ 9.95 | $ 19.95 |
| Annual Membership Fee | $ 49.00 | $ 49.00 | $ 49.00 |
| Discount Rate (Internet) | 3.79% | 2.79% | 2.39% |
| Transaction Fee | $ 0.50 | $ 0.40 | $ 0.30 |
Confused? Use our cost calculator to
instantly determine your costs and profit margins.
|
|
One-time setup costs - Online store
|
(Regular Price: vary from FREE - few thousand dollar)
(Our Price: varies from FREE - $ 99 ONLY)
(Time: 1 day - 3 days)
Here are some important considerations when looking for an online store:
- How easy is it to change product prices and descriptions
- How easy is it to check orders placed
- Do you receive the customer's contact information in case you want
to offer special promotions in the future?
- Is the customer's information stored securely?
- How easy is it to manage your store when you are away from home on
business or vacation?
- Do you get alerted when the inventory levels drop below a particular
threshold for those hot-selling items?
- Do your customers have to leave your site to place orders
To learn more about our online store features, you can find a detailed
list of the benefits of our
online store and shopping cart.
|
|
Annual recurring costs - SSL Certificate
|
(Regular Price: $ 129.95)
(Our Price: FREE - included in the base price)
(Time: instant)
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer.
This is the same technology that is used on the internet by
banks and other financial institutions.
A SSL Certificate assures your customers that you are serious about
protecting sensive credit card data.
The URL changes from "http://"
to "https://" when entering a site secured by SSL technology.
You may have noticed a little lock at the bottom of your
Internet Explorer or Netscape browser. This lock shows up
when you are viewing a secure site.
Therefore,
it is imperative that you always have a valid SSL Certificate
installed on the webserver that is hosting your online store.
If you don't already have a SSL Certificate, we can do the
necessary paperwork to obtain one on your behalf. Your order
entites you to a FREE SSL Certificate.
|
|
Annual recurring costs - Domain Name Registration
|
(Regular Price: $ 34.95)
(Our Price: FREE - included in the base price)
(Time: instant - 1 day)
A Domain Name is what your customers will type in the browser to get to your
site.
For example, popular domain names are yahoo.com, google.com, etc.
If you don't already have a domain name, we can do the necessary paperwork
to obtain one on your behalf. Your order entites you to a FREE Domain Name.
|
|
Monthly recurring costs
|
E-Commerce Web hosting
(Regular Price: $ 34.95)
(Our Price: FREE - included in the base price)
(Time: instant - 1 day)
|
|
|
