E-commerce


  1. How many products do I want to sell online Now?  Is there a deadline I'm up against?
  2. How many products do I want to sell online in the future?
  3. Do I need to integrate with Shipping?
  4. Do I need to integrate with Inventory?
  5. Who is going to keep my e-commerce pages and products up-to-date?
  6. Do I want a turnkey solution -- where I just hire someone who maintains this for me for a set monthly fee -- or do I want a solution that I or a current employee will administer?
  7. Does this person have the technical or other skills they will need?
  8. Does this person have the knowledge of the business that they will need?
  9. How much am I willing to pay for e-commerce?  
  10. What kind of Return on my investment (ROI) would I like to see from e-commerce?
  11. When do I want to implement this?  
  12. What is the value of the labor involved to set this up?  

We can't help but notice that there's a strong "penny-wise but pound-foolish" trend.  If you are going to set up your own e-commerce for your business, we admire your ambition.  But isn't your time better spent running your business?

We think that businesses that have large inventories need to outsource e-commerce solutions to be successful.  
We think that hobbyists can probably do very well with small-scale solutions, but things change with scale, types of products, and audience.

We get asked for advice for e-commerce -- even when some people have already contracted out to a solution provider.  
If you have a solution provider that you are happy with, well, then you need to get them to earn their money.  It's pretty common for providers to have people sign up for "free" accounts.  But then it's not long when the customer realizes the limitations of the "free" services.  Those services aren't free.  You invest your time, or your staff's time, and folks, time really is money.

The best way to do e-commerce is to have a PLAN for what you need and an understanding of why you need it.  


We have solutions for the hobbyist, the small at home business person, charities, and schools.

We have solutions for brick and mortar businesses that really do have a 250-product catalog.  (We know you need to integrate your retail POS, accounting, shipping, and inventory management.  We know you have staff who can help with this -- but what solutions are best for you?)


Whoever you are, Our solutions allow you to get the best return on your modest investment, and allow your staff or you to manage your own store.  (We can help with that too, as well as set up and design.)


You need to contact us, and we'll help you answer the 12 Questions and even suggest some of the solutions that can meet your needs.  And don't cost an arm and a leg :)

 

Don't settle for an e-commerce hosting solution.  What you need is the e-commerce database, payments, syndication, and versatility solution.

 

Many companies promise that their solution is the best for you. 

But then you find out that you can't sell on more than one site, or you can't embed product images and buy now buttons in email, or you find out that their solution "wires you in" to their payment processor.  And those monthly fees.

 

We recommend a real solution -- that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, is versatile, allows you to pick from different payment processors, and allows you the flexibility to display products on your Firstcup Site Creator site as well as Facebook, My Space, WordPress Blogs, you name it -- without extra fees.

 

It supports software downloads and document downloads as products, building affiliate networks, and the selling and shipment of tangible goods.

 

It's called e-junkie.  It's logo looks like this: 

 

E-junkie Shopping Cart and Digital Delivery

 

And yes, they have a 7-day free trial for our clients.  You can even use e-junkie on ebay, believe it or not. 

Your eBay digital delivery will be provided by E-junkie.com

 

We recommed e-junkie for clients who have these requirements:

1.  Small number of products -- or a product catalog that does not change dynamically.

Why?  Well, with e-junkie, if your catalog of products is perhaps 20 or 30 items, you can easily manage this, and if your catalog does not dynamically change, then keeping the catalog updated and your codes up to date really is not an issue.

2.  Nonprofits.

Why?  Many nonprofits are enjoying e-junkie at either a free cost basis or at a discount.

3.  Looking for low cost of entry. 

In other words, you want to get started with e-commerce, but you don't want to make a big investment.

4.  Do not need a large-scale catalog solution.

 

5.  May have a need for an affiliate or partner program. 

A nonprofit example.  For example, your larger nonprofit entity is selling charity tickets -- but has smaller entities helping with this effort, and the smaller affiliates receive a small amount of the proceeds for doing so.  Maybe you're a state organization with local chapters.  E-junkie will allow you to track which of your local affiliates sold which tickets online, so you can ensure they receive their share of the sales.

 

A for profit example.  You run a small business where you sell handmade jewelry.  You make an arrangement to give your referring affiliates (whether they are individuals, other buusinesses, or nonprofit clubs or charities) a 10% bonus for sales they refer.  E-junkie will allow you to give your affiliates a tracking code for this purpose.


6.  Selling Virtual Products
E-Junkie supports selling virtual products -- like e-books -- online.  So if your product is an electronic 9one, e-junkie is probably a very attractive service that will save you some frustration.  many service providers don;t support virtual products, or can charge high fees for doing so.  


Are you a brick and mortar business or do you have a large catalog?


There is no "one-size fits all" for e-commerce.  Every business is unique and deserves having its needs looked at before you invest in an e-commerce solution.  Most importantly, you need to formulate a PLAN.

It doesn't have to be detailed or perfect, and it's not written in stone, but you need to be able to at least have the answers to the 12 questions below.


These are the answers that you need so the PLAN you have can actually be successful.  

Success is good.


Here's the important questions you need to ask - or answer - so you can make an informed decision:



  1. How many products do I want to sell online Now?  Is there a deadline I'm up against?
  2. How many products do I want to sell online in the future?
  3. Do I need to integrate with Shipping?
  4. Do I need to integrate with Inventory?
  5. Who is going to keep my e-commerce pages and products up-to-date?
  6. Do I want a turnkey solution -- where I just hire someone who maintains this for me for a set monthly fee -- or do I want a solution that I or a current employee will administer?
  7. Does this person have the technical or other skills they will need?
  8. Does this person have the knowledge of the business that they will need?
  9. How much am I willing to pay for e-commerce?  
  10. What kind of Return on my investment (ROI) would I like to see from e-commerce?
  11. When do I want to implement this?  
  12. What is the value of the labor involved to set this up?  

We can't help but notice that there's a strong "penny-wise but pound-foolish" trend.  
If you are going to set up your own e-commerce for your business, we admire your ambition.  
But your is better spent running your business.  Many small business owners take that valuable time and try to do everything themselves instead of delegating to competent staff or outsourcing.

We get asked for advice for e-commerce -- even when some people have already contracted out to a solution provider.  If you have a solution provider that you are happy with, well, then you need to get them to earn their money.  It's pretty common for provisders to have people sign up for "free" accounts.  But then it's not long when the customer realizes the limitations of the "free" services.  those services aren't free.  You invest your time, or your staff's time, and folks, time really is money.

The best way to do e-commerce is to have a PLAN for what you need and an understanding of why you need it.  


We have solutions for that 250-product catalog.  We even have solutions for that 1,000 plus catalog.


We know you need to integrate your retail POS, accounting, shipping, and inventory management.  We know you have staff who can help with this -- but what solutions are best for you?


Our solutions allow you to get the best return on your modest investment, and allow your staff or you to manage your own store.  (We can help with that too, as well as set up and design.)

 

Maybe you really do need that "big seller" solution that is RELIABLE, HOSTED, and ADMINISTERED by IT professionals right now.  Yesterday even.

But maybe you can get into this more simply, a little bit at a time, and see how things "fit" for you.  


You need to contact us, and we'll show you the solutions that can meet your needs.

 

  First Cup Site Creator