e-Commerce Development: Business Plan Phase Three – Development

You might say the e-Commerce development phase of your business plan is the meat of the process. You have already outlined your business identification and the logistics of how your online business will run. Now comes the part where you actually put your ideas into motion and begin to create your online store. While it may seem this phase is simply about making a web site and getting it up and running for business, e-Commerce development entails more than this.

One thing to consider in the e-Commerce development stage is who is going to design and create your website? Will you tackle these projects on your own, or will you employ an outside service to help? You may feel comfortable designing and developing your own website. If this is true, then you can save some money by doing it yourself. If, however, the technical part of getting your website up and running is not your speed, there are a plethora of companies willing to step in and handle this for you.

Some of these companies will offer a full range of e-Commerce development services to build your site from the ground up. Whether you do it yourself or hire someone, the basic services you need for your online store include:

Web Hosting
Before you can publish your online store on the internet, it has to have a home. Your website and related files must be uploaded to a server where your customers will have access to them 24 hours a day. This part of your e-Commerce development is called web hosting, and the cost of this depends on which company you use and what services they include. If you are doing the work yourself, there are companies that will host your website for free, but these generally place advertising on your site. This can be distracting to your customers, and if the ads really work then your customer will actually be directed away from your site.

Website Creation
This is the heart of your online store’s e-Commerce development. This is what your customers will see, and where their first impression of your company will be formed. Your website needs to be professional and easy to navigate. It also needs to showcase your products and allow your customers to find what they are looking for. The site then needs to gently direct a shopper towards the purchase.

As mentioned before, there are services that will create your website for you. If you choose to build your site yourself, there are also software programs you can use which are very user friendly and will help you in your e-Commerce development. It is no longer necessary to know HTML code to create a website. These programs will take your designs and translate them into the necessary code for browsers to use.

Getting your website up and running is the focus of the e-Commerce development stage of your online business plan. This is a very important aspect, and it should be given a lot of attention. A professional and inviting website is the key to the success of your online business.