Your Business Need: E-Commerce Sales

"We Need to Sell Our Products Online."

One of the most common needs we here requested is from companies that want to put their product catalogs online and begin taking orders online.

Companies wanting to create an e-commerce presence are usually shocked at the amount of effort that has to go into a successful online store. Action items can include:

• Web site development

• Merchant account set-up

• E-commerce application development or customization of an existing package

• Hosting account set-up

• Domain name search & acquisition

• Customer service planning & programs - including return policies, call center services,

• Accounting & financial planning - tax & shipping rates

• Privacy policies

• Security issues regarding credit card numbers and account information

• Business planning and modeling
   

Think of it as building a new building and business to sell your products 24 hours a day. Many of the same types of issues must be addressed - planning, construction, bank accounts, utilities, and policies.

Metheney Consulting can help alleviate these headaches by working with your staff to walk you through the whole process of developing an e-commerce web site as well as assistance in maintaining the site.

"The biggest potential benefit of e-commerce for providers involves eliminating overpayments and reducing rework and manual processes."

Michael Pastore, Cyberatlas.com
based on an Andersen study
on the future value of e-commerce

Is e-commerce for everyone? No. In fact we have actually discouraged some prospective clients from going to the expense and effort of developing a e-commerce presence. After reviewing their business models and plans, it simply didn't make sense. The return on investment (ROI) simply wasn't there.

If your business is conducive to online sales, a successful e-commerce business can be very profitable (can you say Michael Dell?) One of the best ways to think of it is as a completely separate entity with a separate business plan and goals.

If you would like one of our consultants to sit down and discuss your e-commerce business plan and how Metheney Consulting can help you transport your products to the web, call us today at (704) 544-7758 or email us at info@metheney.com.