Part 1Doing Business Online

The term e-business means different things to different people. To some, e-business is simply having a Website and e-mail capability through which customers can place an order, request a quote, or make a reservation. For other people, e-business is having a Website that enables customers to order and submit their credit card information online, even though their orders may then be processed manually just like a fax or telephone order. For others still, e-business means being able to place a secure online order, having immediate credit card verification, and having fully integrated back-end systems that are dynamically updated and inform the customer of the latest prices and whether or not an item is in stock. The point is, the appropriate e-business solution for you will depend on the type of business you operate, the products and services you intend to sell, your budget, your target market, what your competition is doing, and so on.

For instance, a software development company that sells a downloadable software application (i.e., has no physical boxed version) has no inventory per se. Therefore, they would not require a back-end inventory database to be integrated with their e-business system. All they might need is an e-business system that includes payment-processing capability. On the other hand, if you have an online business that intends to sell books and you want to become the next Amazon.com, you will require a full-blown, full-featured e-business system to compete with the Amazon.coms of the world. Otherwise, potential customers will shop at Amazon.com because their e‑business system is more convenient and easier to use. In this section of the book we discuss the features of e-business sites, online storefront options, taking online payments, and selecting the right e-business model for your online business.

Getting the Point Across

The consumer is king. This statement is especially true in the e-business realm. For instance, if you were to visit an offline bookstore to do your holiday shopping, you might browse through the aisles for a few hours, pick out a few books you wanted to buy, and take them to the cashier to pay for them. If you asked the cashier whether the bookstore offered gift-wrapping or shipping services, the response from the vendor would probably be “No, we don’t provide those services.” You would be satisfied with this and make the purchase anyway. You would then take the gifts home, wrap them, and ship them to their various destinations.

If you are making the same gift purchases in an online bookstore, you expect to be able to have them gift-wrapped and delivered to any address you desire. It defeats the purpose somewhat if you have to pay to have the books delivered to your address, only to turn around and pay to ship them someplace else. If you are purchasing the books as gifts, you want to have them gift-wrapped. Again, it defeats the purpose if you have to have the books sent to your address so that you can gift-wrap them and then reship.

Online it’s a whole different world. Consumers have higher expectations. Often they shop online for the convenience and expect the online merchant to meet all their needs. Consumers expect the online merchant to deliver what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. If you don’t provide what they want the way they want it, another vendor is just a click away.

Not all possible features of an e-business site are applicable to every business, but if you intend to be competitive online, you must give your consumers what they are looking for.