Checklist: Are you ready for ecommerce?

Transcription

1 ORGANIZATION 1. Please provide your address so we can mail your results: 2. ebusiness Plan in Place? An e-business plan is much the same as any business plan where the business concept, its financials, aspirations, markets and goals are tightly summarized. Your ebusiness Plan should contain the following elements: 1) Who are your clients and where (online) are they 2) Sales Strategy 3) How to use USP s of your company, product/service, marketing, distribution and website 4) What products/services are you going to sell to what market 5) Online Sales techniques 6) Cost of selling online & expected cash flow 7) Conversion rate (how many visitors do you need to make a sale) 8) Total investment needed. Before you start with your ecommerce project, do some research. Check out websites that you like and look at what your competitors are offering. What are the sites you like? Where would you buy a product or service? Why or why not? What is going to be your unique selling point? Check out this link: 3. Customer Service policies in place? The customer is always right. Be sure to keep that saying in mind at all times and execute your business around it. Consider these enhancements of the customer experience: - Offer a chat feature - Offer free return shipping - Thank you calls and/or s after purchase - Personalize everything Be sure to include the shoppers name on everything you send them. 1 P age

2 4. Do you have a dedicated resource with the time and availability to manage the ongoing responsibilities of an effective ecommerce project? It is one thing to plan for ecommerce and launch your ecommerce site, but a whole other story to actually execute and operate it. In the past, many companies have just launched their site and waited for things to happen. Or even worse, they have launched their site and were not prepared to deliver what they were selling in a correct and timely manner. Ask the opinion of colleagues, friends, your clients/customers, business partners. 5. Have you revised your processes and workflow management for ecommerce? An ecommerce project requires daily marketing and operations efforts. In order for you to deliver on your promises you might have to revise your company s processes and manage your workflow even tighter. Complete your online orders ACURATELY and as soon as possible. Even better: give your clients something extra! 6. Have you identified the financial implications of ecommerce and prepared for it. Do you know how you will handle taxes, duties and financial reconsolidation? Do you already process credit cards in your organization, or do you have to set this up? Do you have a plan on how to process credit cards online? Do you have an existing payment gateway? Have you prepared online sales projections for the coming period? 7. Shipping policy in place? Shipping can make or break the way in which you fulfill an online order. Choose your shipping partners carefully Consider using an all-in-one ecommerce and shipping solution like Cpost s Right to the Door or Dushi Food. Consider offering free shipping; Clearly indicate when this applies Check out this link: 2 P age

3 MARKETING 8. Do you know what product / service you are going to sell online? An ecommerce project is more than product database and a shopping cart. Your clients/customers need to be convinced of the added benefit you offer. This needs to be carefully identified for each target market. Typical client benefits are: - Lower price - Delivery - Ease of ordering from home - Information about available stock - Online store open 24/7 The First thing you need to ask yourself is what you want to achieve with your website. Do you want to achieve direct online Sales? Or do you want to provide information and obtain leads for your sales team to follow-up? Your website could have the following goal, that will eventually all lead to more revenues, but are not all ecommerce sites. 9. Do you know who your target client is? Determine your unique selling point and make sure you match the benefit that you are selling to the customer that you are targeting. Who is your target client for your ecommerce project. Is it different from your current target group? Do all your products or services target the same Group? What are the most promising product/market combinations? 10. Do you have a marketing plan? Are you trying to expand your client base? Through international expansion? Or by becoming more competitive? These are important issues to consider when determining your ecommerce and marketing strategy. Consider starting with one target group (your current clients for example) and expand phase by phase to other target groups (e.g. international clients). 3 P age

4 11. Is your Marketing Department involved in your ecommerce efforts? Tasks of Marketing department are: Identifying new markets building awareness and demand Create a website. Claim local directory listings Request customer testimonials. Start and maintain a blog Monitor your online reputation. Send broadcast/mass communications Create and promote discount codes Integrate with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Integrate with YouTube for video support and sharing TECHNICAL 12. Do you know what ecommerce platform/shopping cart you are going to use? 13. What systems do you have that will require integration into your ecommerce website? Order fulfillment Inventory management Accounting Sales Customer Relationship Management (CRM) You have a choice here. Create a whole new ecommerce site or embed the shopping cart in your existing site. Carefully review the functionality and quality of your current website. Compare the target group and goals of your website with your ecommerec target group and goals and you should be able to determine what works best in your case. ecommerce is the tip of the iceberg, the part of your organization your client sees and communicates with. But you can only deliver on your ecommerce commitments if your organization s operations are tied into it. For a list of Open Source ecommerce Platforms and Shopping carts: 4 P age

5 14. My site works in multiple browsers Be sure that your site works in IE, FireFox, Chrome, Safari and other browsers. Check this often. Test in multiple browsers 15. My site uses: Keywords in title tag Keywords in meta tags RSS feeds title attributes in your link code - Keywords in title tag Be sure you write a title tag that includes the keywords you re targeting. Keep the title tag less than 65 characters. - Use title attributes in your link code When creating links in your code, include a title attribute. This will give you another opportunity to include your keywords and will help with usability. 16. My Site uses easy to understand URL s: 17. My site uses optimized images LEGAL 18. Are your basic legal company issues in order The URL is the address or name of your site: Though it is tempting to use a slogan or long name, the human eye should be able to grasp it in an instant. So don t use this for example: - Make sure your images are as small as possible without degrading the quality of the photo. If you re showing a photo use a jpg image. If you re showing a logo use either a gif or png image. - When creating an <img src=> tag be sure to include the alt attribute as is will give you another opportunity to include your keywords and will help with usability. This refers to the basic requirements for any company that wants to do business or open a bank account, such as: Registered at Chamber of Commerce Complying with tax regulations 5 P age

6 19. Return Policy in place? Make sure your return policy is easy to read and understand 20. I have legal policies in place dealing with (provisions for) the following issues: Taxation Electronic Payments Contract Law and Evidence Liability Intellectual Property Rights Consumer Protection Privacy Issues Some of these issues are: Preventing double taxation How to apply OB, import duties Using Digital Documents European VAT directives Validation of electronic documents / contracts, digital signature terms and conditions governing the contract type of liability various actors could face protect intellectual property right of web site, domain name, trade mark or other applicable consumer protection rules for contracts, advertising, website applicable general and specific Privacy legislations competent jurisdictions and the applicable law in the following matters: Contracts, Liability, Intellectual property Rights, Marketing and competition law, electronic payments and banking issues mandatory criteria in the context of consumer protection WEBSITE 21. My website meets the following criteria: Responsive site Runs Quickly Important information clearly displayed Logo is clearly displayed Within 5 seconds site visitor should grasp who the company is and what they are selling A good logo is easy to read and communicates who you are Make sure that your logo is clearly displayed throughout your website and links back to the homepage Tagline Display a tagline under your logo that communicates what you sell and why your company is different from others. 6 P age

7 22. Homepage shows the following: - A feature billboard is a rotating feature billboard at the top of the page should display new products or sales you re having. Featured or on sale products Feature billboard Customer testimonials Show a prominent customer testimonial On the home page feature one or rotating testimonials. Include a link to a page with all your testimonials. It will add an additional level of comfort for shoppers. 23. Website uses the following structure: Landing Pages Product Category Pages Product Pages - Build unique landing pages for each keyword you re targeting and use them with special campaigns. Create these landing pages and test them to find which page(s) convert the best. - Product Category Pages divide your products into easy to understand categories. Allow users to click on these product categories to view product category pages. - Product Pages should provide the shopper with more opportunities to better understand the product. Allow for multiple ways to get to your products Have several nice clean product photos Have minimal amount of description text Have a Buy w button Have a Get More Details button or link Create compelling product copy Clear inventory indicator Show several product photos in a gallery and use a photo zoom feature Some of your photos should include people using you product. Have a large Add to Cart button Suggest related products Tabbed product details Include Product reviews, Product videos, demonstrations and Product reviews by media Include Warranty information Include social links 7 P age

8 24. Website includes following elements: Why shop with us? information page supplier logos breadcrumbs contact information call-to-actions social Networking links Privacy Page Return & Exchange Policy FAQ s Sign up (to newsletter or mailing list) Site map 25. I am measuring the conversion rate - Why shop with us? information page lists all the reasons why someone should buy from your site and not a competitor s. - Supplier logos Getting consumers to trust your company versus your competitors is key to conversions. Show logos such as SSL logos, McAfee, shipper logos payment solution logo s, credit card logos, etc. - Breadcrumbs help users find where they are in your navigation. They also are good for SEO. Always track your conversion rate. This way you can track all the improvements that you make to your site. Show a large phone number in the header of the site. Have a contact us page in your main navigation that includes, phone, , address and any other means of contacting the company. Have a site search If a user gets lost they will have a tendency to search for the item they are looking for. This will make it easy for them. Whatever your call-to-action is Add to Cart, More Details, or Buy w, make sure your buttons are easy to see and click on. Use Google Analytics Tag each page and add a conversion tag to the final page after checkout. 26. Navigation on my site is clear and consistent Users can find what they re looking for quickly and easily. Provide multiple ways to find your products. Having multiple sorting options (by color, brand, style, etc.) will increase the chance customers will have of finding the product they are a looking for. THANK YOU! YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE SURVEY! 8 P age

9 Calculate your score: - For questions 13, 15, 20 24: Give yourself 1 point for each box checked. - For all other question: Give yourself 1 point for each yes answer. If Your score is 25 or lower: - You have made an excellent start, but there is some more work to do! check out the items that are missing and continue with your effort. Make an appointment with CITI if you need help to identify the next step. - Consider other support options that are offered locally: Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online) Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. - Korpodeko also offers financial support to set up you ecommerce Website. If your score is points: - You are almost there, check out the items that are missing and continue with your effort! Remember that support is offered by CITI, Korpodeko and others. Look at your scores and identify the areas that need the most work. 9 P age

10 Start considering the different options that are offered locally: Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a separate International Merchant Accountant combined with an International Gateway (offered by MCB) Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a complete payment processing solutions (offered by CX Pay) Selling you products through a 3rd party website that takes care of receiving payments and delivery of the products (offered by CPpost, DushiFood) Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online). Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. If you have a PERFECT SCORE of 55: Perfect!: You are ready to go to the next stage: selecting a payment solution. Consider the different options that are offered locally: Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a separate International Merchant Accountant combined with an International Gateway (offered by MCB) Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a complete payment processing solutions (offered by CX Pay) Selling you products through a 3rd party website that takes care of receiving payments and delivery of the products (offered by CPpost, DushiFood) Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online. Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. 10 P a ge

11 ORGANIZATION 1. Please provide your address so we can mail your results: 2. ebusiness Plan in Place? An e-business plan is much the same as any business plan where the business concept, its financials, aspirations, markets and goals are tightly summarized. Your ebusiness Plan should contain the following elements: 1) Who are your clients and where (online) are they 2) Sales Strategy 3) How to use USP s of your company, product/service, marketing, distribution and website 4) What products/services are you going to sell to what market 5) Online Sales techniques 6) Cost of selling online & expected cash flow 7) Conversion rate (how many visitors do you need to make a sale) 8) Total investment needed. Before you start with your ecommerce project, do some research. Check out websites that you like and look at what your competitors are offering. What are the sites you like? Where would you buy a product or service? Why or why not? What is going to be your unique selling point? Check out this link: 3. Customer Service policies in place? The customer is always right. Be sure to keep that saying in mind at all times and execute your business around it. Consider these enhancements of the customer experience: - Offer a chat feature - Offer free return shipping - Thank you calls and/or s after purchase - Personalize everything Be sure to include the shoppers name on everything you send them. 1 P age

12 4. Do you have a dedicated resource with the time and availability to manage the ongoing responsibilities of an effective ecommerce project? It is one thing to plan for ecommerce and launch your ecommerce site, but a whole other story to actually execute and operate it. In the past, many companies have just launched their site and waited for things to happen. Or even worse, they have launched their site and were not prepared to deliver what they were selling in a correct and timely manner. Ask the opinion of colleagues, friends, your clients/customers, business partners. 5. Have you revised your processes and workflow management for ecommerce? An ecommerce project requires daily marketing and operations efforts. In order for you to deliver on your promises you might have to revise your company s processes and manage your workflow even tighter. Complete your online orders ACURATELY and as soon as possible. Even better: give your clients something extra! 6. Have you identified the financial implications of ecommerce and prepared for it. Do you know how you will handle taxes, duties and financial reconsolidation? Do you already process credit cards in your organization, or do you have to set this up? Do you have a plan on how to process credit cards online? Do you have an existing payment gateway? Have you prepared online sales projections for the coming period? 7. Shipping policy in place? Shipping can make or break the way in which you fulfill an online order. Choose your shipping partners carefully Consider using an all-in-one ecommerce and shipping solution like Cpost s Right to the Door or Dushi Food. Consider offering free shipping; Clearly indicate when this applies Check out this link: 2 P age

13 MARKETING 8. Do you know what product / service you are going to sell online? An ecommerce project is more than product database and a shopping cart. Your clients/customers need to be convinced of the added benefit you offer. This needs to be carefully identified for each target market. Typical client benefits are: - Lower price - Delivery - Ease of ordering from home - Information about available stock - Online store open 24/7 The First thing you need to ask yourself is what you want to achieve with your website. Do you want to achieve direct online Sales? Or do you want to provide information and obtain leads for your sales team to follow-up? Your website could have the following goal, that will eventually all lead to more revenues, but are not all ecommerce sites. 9. Do you know who your target client is? Determine your unique selling point and make sure you match the benefit that you are selling to the customer that you are targeting. Who is your target client for your ecommerce project. Is it different from your current target group? Do all your products or services target the same Group? What are the most promising product/market combinations? 10. Do you have a marketing plan? Are you trying to expand your client base? Through international expansion? Or by becoming more competitive? These are important issues to consider when determining your ecommerce and marketing strategy. Consider starting with one target group (your current clients for example) and expand phase by phase to other target groups (e.g. international clients). 3 P age

14 11. Is your Marketing Department involved in your ecommerce efforts? Tasks of Marketing department are: Identifying new markets building awareness and demand Create a website. Claim local directory listings Request customer testimonials. Start and maintain a blog Monitor your online reputation. Send broadcast/mass communications Create and promote discount codes Integrate with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Integrate with YouTube for video support and sharing TECHNICAL 12. Do you know what ecommerce platform/shopping cart you are going to use? 13. What systems do you have that will require integration into your ecommerce website? Order fulfillment Inventory management Accounting Sales Customer Relationship Management (CRM) You have a choice here. Create a whole new ecommerce site or embed the shopping cart in your existing site. Carefully review the functionality and quality of your current website. Compare the target group and goals of your website with your ecommerec target group and goals and you should be able to determine what works best in your case. ecommerce is the tip of the iceberg, the part of your organization your client sees and communicates with. But you can only deliver on your ecommerce commitments if your organization s operations are tied into it. For a list of Open Source ecommerce Platforms and Shopping carts: 4 P age

15 14. My site works in multiple browsers Be sure that your site works in IE, FireFox, Chrome, Safari and other browsers. Check this often. Test in multiple browsers 15. My site uses: Keywords in title tag Keywords in meta tags RSS feeds title attributes in your link code - Keywords in title tag Be sure you write a title tag that includes the keywords you re targeting. Keep the title tag less than 65 characters. - Use title attributes in your link code When creating links in your code, include a title attribute. This will give you another opportunity to include your keywords and will help with usability. 16. My Site uses easy to understand URL s: 17. My site uses optimized images LEGAL 18. Are your basic legal company issues in order The URL is the address or name of your site: Though it is tempting to use a slogan or long name, the human eye should be able to grasp it in an instant. So don t use this for example: - Make sure your images are as small as possible without degrading the quality of the photo. If you re showing a photo use a jpg image. If you re showing a logo use either a gif or png image. - When creating an <img src=> tag be sure to include the alt attribute as is will give you another opportunity to include your keywords and will help with usability. This refers to the basic requirements for any company that wants to do business or open a bank account, such as: Registered at Chamber of Commerce Complying with tax regulations 5 P age

16 19. Return Policy in place? Make sure your return policy is easy to read and understand 20. I have legal policies in place dealing with (provisions for) the following issues: Taxation Electronic Payments Contract Law and Evidence Liability Intellectual Property Rights Consumer Protection Privacy Issues Some of these issues are: Preventing double taxation How to apply OB, import duties Using Digital Documents European VAT directives Validation of electronic documents / contracts, digital signature terms and conditions governing the contract type of liability various actors could face protect intellectual property right of web site, domain name, trade mark or other applicable consumer protection rules for contracts, advertising, website applicable general and specific Privacy legislations competent jurisdictions and the applicable law in the following matters: Contracts, Liability, Intellectual property Rights, Marketing and competition law, electronic payments and banking issues mandatory criteria in the context of consumer protection WEBSITE 21. My website meets the following criteria: Responsive site Runs Quickly Important information clearly displayed Logo is clearly displayed Within 5 seconds site visitor should grasp who the company is and what they are selling A good logo is easy to read and communicates who you are Make sure that your logo is clearly displayed throughout your website and links back to the homepage Tagline Display a tagline under your logo that communicates what you sell and why your company is different from others. 6 P age

17 22. Homepage shows the following: - A feature billboard is a rotating feature billboard at the top of the page should display new products or sales you re having. Featured or on sale products Feature billboard Customer testimonials Show a prominent customer testimonial On the home page feature one or rotating testimonials. Include a link to a page with all your testimonials. It will add an additional level of comfort for shoppers. 23. Website uses the following structure: Landing Pages Product Category Pages Product Pages - Build unique landing pages for each keyword you re targeting and use them with special campaigns. Create these landing pages and test them to find which page(s) convert the best. - Product Category Pages divide your products into easy to understand categories. Allow users to click on these product categories to view product category pages. - Product Pages should provide the shopper with more opportunities to better understand the product. Allow for multiple ways to get to your products Have several nice clean product photos Have minimal amount of description text Have a Buy w button Have a Get More Details button or link Create compelling product copy Clear inventory indicator Show several product photos in a gallery and use a photo zoom feature Some of your photos should include people using you product. Have a large Add to Cart button Suggest related products Tabbed product details Include Product reviews, Product videos, demonstrations and Product reviews by media Include Warranty information Include social links 7 P age

18 24. Website includes following elements: Why shop with us? information page supplier logos breadcrumbs contact information call-to-actions social Networking links Privacy Page Return & Exchange Policy FAQ s Sign up (to newsletter or mailing list) Site map 25. I am measuring the conversion rate - Why shop with us? information page lists all the reasons why someone should buy from your site and not a competitor s. - Supplier logos Getting consumers to trust your company versus your competitors is key to conversions. Show logos such as SSL logos, McAfee, shipper logos payment solution logo s, credit card logos, etc. - Breadcrumbs help users find where they are in your navigation. They also are good for SEO. Always track your conversion rate. This way you can track all the improvements that you make to your site. Show a large phone number in the header of the site. Have a contact us page in your main navigation that includes, phone, , address and any other means of contacting the company. Have a site search If a user gets lost they will have a tendency to search for the item they are looking for. This will make it easy for them. Whatever your call-to-action is Add to Cart, More Details, or Buy w, make sure your buttons are easy to see and click on. Use Google Analytics Tag each page and add a conversion tag to the final page after checkout. 26. Navigation on my site is clear and consistent Users can find what they re looking for quickly and easily. Provide multiple ways to find your products. Having multiple sorting options (by color, brand, style, etc.) will increase the chance customers will have of finding the product they are a looking for. THANK YOU! YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE SURVEY! 8 P age

19 Calculate your score: - For questions 13, 15, 20 24: Give yourself 1 point for each box checked. - For all other question: Give yourself 1 point for each yes answer. If Your score is 25 or lower: - You have made an excellent start, but there is some more work to do! check out the items that are missing and continue with your effort. Make an appointment with CITI if you need help to identify the next step. - Consider other support options that are offered locally: Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online) Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. - Korpodeko also offers financial support to set up you ecommerce Website. If your score is points: - You are almost there, check out the items that are missing and continue with your effort! Remember that support is offered by CITI, Korpodeko and others. Look at your scores and identify the areas that need the most work. 9 P age

20 Start considering the different options that are offered locally: Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a separate International Merchant Accountant combined with an International Gateway (offered by MCB) Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a complete payment processing solutions (offered by CX Pay) Selling you products through a 3rd party website that takes care of receiving payments and delivery of the products (offered by CPpost, DushiFood) Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online). Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. If you have a PERFECT SCORE of 55: Perfect!: You are ready to go to the next stage: selecting a payment solution. Consider the different options that are offered locally: Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a separate International Merchant Accountant combined with an International Gateway (offered by MCB) Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a complete payment processing solutions (offered by CX Pay) Selling you products through a 3rd party website that takes care of receiving payments and delivery of the products (offered by CPpost, DushiFood) Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online. Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. 10 P a ge

21 ORGANIZATION 1. Please provide your address so we can mail your results: 2. ebusiness Plan in Place? An e-business plan is much the same as any business plan where the business concept, its financials, aspirations, markets and goals are tightly summarized. Your ebusiness Plan should contain the following elements: 1) Who are your clients and where (online) are they 2) Sales Strategy 3) How to use USP s of your company, product/service, marketing, distribution and website 4) What products/services are you going to sell to what market 5) Online Sales techniques 6) Cost of selling online & expected cash flow 7) Conversion rate (how many visitors do you need to make a sale) 8) Total investment needed. Before you start with your ecommerce project, do some research. Check out websites that you like and look at what your competitors are offering. What are the sites you like? Where would you buy a product or service? Why or why not? What is going to be your unique selling point? Check out this link: 3. Customer Service policies in place? The customer is always right. Be sure to keep that saying in mind at all times and execute your business around it. Consider these enhancements of the customer experience: - Offer a chat feature - Offer free return shipping - Thank you calls and/or s after purchase - Personalize everything Be sure to include the shoppers name on everything you send them. 1 P age

22 4. Do you have a dedicated resource with the time and availability to manage the ongoing responsibilities of an effective ecommerce project? It is one thing to plan for ecommerce and launch your ecommerce site, but a whole other story to actually execute and operate it. In the past, many companies have just launched their site and waited for things to happen. Or even worse, they have launched their site and were not prepared to deliver what they were selling in a correct and timely manner. Ask the opinion of colleagues, friends, your clients/customers, business partners. 5. Have you revised your processes and workflow management for ecommerce? An ecommerce project requires daily marketing and operations efforts. In order for you to deliver on your promises you might have to revise your company s processes and manage your workflow even tighter. Complete your online orders ACURATELY and as soon as possible. Even better: give your clients something extra! 6. Have you identified the financial implications of ecommerce and prepared for it. Do you know how you will handle taxes, duties and financial reconsolidation? Do you already process credit cards in your organization, or do you have to set this up? Do you have a plan on how to process credit cards online? Do you have an existing payment gateway? Have you prepared online sales projections for the coming period? 7. Shipping policy in place? Shipping can make or break the way in which you fulfill an online order. Choose your shipping partners carefully Consider using an all-in-one ecommerce and shipping solution like Cpost s Right to the Door or Dushi Food. Consider offering free shipping; Clearly indicate when this applies Check out this link: 2 P age

23 MARKETING 8. Do you know what product / service you are going to sell online? An ecommerce project is more than product database and a shopping cart. Your clients/customers need to be convinced of the added benefit you offer. This needs to be carefully identified for each target market. Typical client benefits are: - Lower price - Delivery - Ease of ordering from home - Information about available stock - Online store open 24/7 The First thing you need to ask yourself is what you want to achieve with your website. Do you want to achieve direct online Sales? Or do you want to provide information and obtain leads for your sales team to follow-up? Your website could have the following goal, that will eventually all lead to more revenues, but are not all ecommerce sites. 9. Do you know who your target client is? Determine your unique selling point and make sure you match the benefit that you are selling to the customer that you are targeting. Who is your target client for your ecommerce project. Is it different from your current target group? Do all your products or services target the same Group? What are the most promising product/market combinations? 10. Do you have a marketing plan? Are you trying to expand your client base? Through international expansion? Or by becoming more competitive? These are important issues to consider when determining your ecommerce and marketing strategy. Consider starting with one target group (your current clients for example) and expand phase by phase to other target groups (e.g. international clients). 3 P age

24 11. Is your Marketing Department involved in your ecommerce efforts? Tasks of Marketing department are: Identifying new markets building awareness and demand Create a website. Claim local directory listings Request customer testimonials. Start and maintain a blog Monitor your online reputation. Send broadcast/mass communications Create and promote discount codes Integrate with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Integrate with YouTube for video support and sharing TECHNICAL 12. Do you know what ecommerce platform/shopping cart you are going to use? 13. What systems do you have that will require integration into your ecommerce website? Order fulfillment Inventory management Accounting Sales Customer Relationship Management (CRM) You have a choice here. Create a whole new ecommerce site or embed the shopping cart in your existing site. Carefully review the functionality and quality of your current website. Compare the target group and goals of your website with your ecommerec target group and goals and you should be able to determine what works best in your case. ecommerce is the tip of the iceberg, the part of your organization your client sees and communicates with. But you can only deliver on your ecommerce commitments if your organization s operations are tied into it. For a list of Open Source ecommerce Platforms and Shopping carts: 4 P age

25 14. My site works in multiple browsers Be sure that your site works in IE, FireFox, Chrome, Safari and other browsers. Check this often. Test in multiple browsers 15. My site uses: Keywords in title tag Keywords in meta tags RSS feeds title attributes in your link code - Keywords in title tag Be sure you write a title tag that includes the keywords you re targeting. Keep the title tag less than 65 characters. - Use title attributes in your link code When creating links in your code, include a title attribute. This will give you another opportunity to include your keywords and will help with usability. 16. My Site uses easy to understand URL s: 17. My site uses optimized images LEGAL 18. Are your basic legal company issues in order The URL is the address or name of your site: Though it is tempting to use a slogan or long name, the human eye should be able to grasp it in an instant. So don t use this for example: - Make sure your images are as small as possible without degrading the quality of the photo. If you re showing a photo use a jpg image. If you re showing a logo use either a gif or png image. - When creating an <img src=> tag be sure to include the alt attribute as is will give you another opportunity to include your keywords and will help with usability. This refers to the basic requirements for any company that wants to do business or open a bank account, such as: Registered at Chamber of Commerce Complying with tax regulations 5 P age

26 19. Return Policy in place? Make sure your return policy is easy to read and understand 20. I have legal policies in place dealing with (provisions for) the following issues: Taxation Electronic Payments Contract Law and Evidence Liability Intellectual Property Rights Consumer Protection Privacy Issues Some of these issues are: Preventing double taxation How to apply OB, import duties Using Digital Documents European VAT directives Validation of electronic documents / contracts, digital signature terms and conditions governing the contract type of liability various actors could face protect intellectual property right of web site, domain name, trade mark or other applicable consumer protection rules for contracts, advertising, website applicable general and specific Privacy legislations competent jurisdictions and the applicable law in the following matters: Contracts, Liability, Intellectual property Rights, Marketing and competition law, electronic payments and banking issues mandatory criteria in the context of consumer protection WEBSITE 21. My website meets the following criteria: Responsive site Runs Quickly Important information clearly displayed Logo is clearly displayed Within 5 seconds site visitor should grasp who the company is and what they are selling A good logo is easy to read and communicates who you are Make sure that your logo is clearly displayed throughout your website and links back to the homepage Tagline Display a tagline under your logo that communicates what you sell and why your company is different from others. 6 P age

27 22. Homepage shows the following: - A feature billboard is a rotating feature billboard at the top of the page should display new products or sales you re having. Featured or on sale products Feature billboard Customer testimonials Show a prominent customer testimonial On the home page feature one or rotating testimonials. Include a link to a page with all your testimonials. It will add an additional level of comfort for shoppers. 23. Website uses the following structure: Landing Pages Product Category Pages Product Pages - Build unique landing pages for each keyword you re targeting and use them with special campaigns. Create these landing pages and test them to find which page(s) convert the best. - Product Category Pages divide your products into easy to understand categories. Allow users to click on these product categories to view product category pages. - Product Pages should provide the shopper with more opportunities to better understand the product. Allow for multiple ways to get to your products Have several nice clean product photos Have minimal amount of description text Have a Buy w button Have a Get More Details button or link Create compelling product copy Clear inventory indicator Show several product photos in a gallery and use a photo zoom feature Some of your photos should include people using you product. Have a large Add to Cart button Suggest related products Tabbed product details Include Product reviews, Product videos, demonstrations and Product reviews by media Include Warranty information Include social links 7 P age

28 24. Website includes following elements: Why shop with us? information page supplier logos breadcrumbs contact information call-to-actions social Networking links Privacy Page Return & Exchange Policy FAQ s Sign up (to newsletter or mailing list) Site map 25. I am measuring the conversion rate - Why shop with us? information page lists all the reasons why someone should buy from your site and not a competitor s. - Supplier logos Getting consumers to trust your company versus your competitors is key to conversions. Show logos such as SSL logos, McAfee, shipper logos payment solution logo s, credit card logos, etc. - Breadcrumbs help users find where they are in your navigation. They also are good for SEO. Always track your conversion rate. This way you can track all the improvements that you make to your site. Show a large phone number in the header of the site. Have a contact us page in your main navigation that includes, phone, , address and any other means of contacting the company. Have a site search If a user gets lost they will have a tendency to search for the item they are looking for. This will make it easy for them. Whatever your call-to-action is Add to Cart, More Details, or Buy w, make sure your buttons are easy to see and click on. Use Google Analytics Tag each page and add a conversion tag to the final page after checkout. 26. Navigation on my site is clear and consistent Users can find what they re looking for quickly and easily. Provide multiple ways to find your products. Having multiple sorting options (by color, brand, style, etc.) will increase the chance customers will have of finding the product they are a looking for. THANK YOU! YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE SURVEY! 8 P age

29 Calculate your score: - For questions 13, 15, 20 24: Give yourself 1 point for each box checked. - For all other question: Give yourself 1 point for each yes answer. If Your score is 25 or lower: - You have made an excellent start, but there is some more work to do! check out the items that are missing and continue with your effort. Make an appointment with CITI if you need help to identify the next step. - Consider other support options that are offered locally: Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online) Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. - Korpodeko also offers financial support to set up you ecommerce Website. If your score is points: - You are almost there, check out the items that are missing and continue with your effort! Remember that support is offered by CITI, Korpodeko and others. Look at your scores and identify the areas that need the most work. 9 P age

30 Start considering the different options that are offered locally: Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a separate International Merchant Accountant combined with an International Gateway (offered by MCB) Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a complete payment processing solutions (offered by CX Pay) Selling you products through a 3rd party website that takes care of receiving payments and delivery of the products (offered by CPpost, DushiFood) Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online). Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. If you have a PERFECT SCORE of 55: Perfect!: You are ready to go to the next stage: selecting a payment solution. Consider the different options that are offered locally: Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a separate International Merchant Accountant combined with an International Gateway (offered by MCB) Setting up you own ecommerce website in combination with a complete payment processing solutions (offered by CX Pay) Selling you products through a 3rd party website that takes care of receiving payments and delivery of the products (offered by CPpost, DushiFood) Full support in setting up and executing your ecommerce Project (offered by Dushi Online. Setting up an international entity, an international bank account and merchant is possible to the local representatives of PayVision. 10 P a ge

31 ORGANIZATION 1. Please provide your address so we can mail your results: 2. ebusiness Plan in Place? An e-business plan is much the same as any business plan where the business concept, its financials, aspirations, markets and goals are tightly summarized. Your ebusiness Plan should contain the following elements: 1) Who are your clients and where (online) are they 2) Sales Strategy 3) How to use USP s of your company, product/service, marketing, distribution and website 4) What products/services are you going to sell to what market 5) Online Sales techniques 6) Cost of selling online & expected cash flow 7) Conversion rate (how many visitors do you need to make a sale) 8) Total investment needed. Before you start with your ecommerce project, do some research. Check out websites that you like and look at what your competitors are offering. What are the sites you like? Where would you buy a product or service? Why or why not? What is going to be your unique selling point? Check out this link: 3. Customer Service policies in place? The customer is always right. Be sure to keep that saying in mind at all times and execute your business around it. Consider these enhancements of the customer experience: - Offer a chat feature - Offer free return shipping - Thank you calls and/or s after purchase - Personalize everything Be sure to include the shoppers name on everything you send them. 1 P age

32 4. Do you have a dedicated resource with the time and availability to manage the ongoing responsibilities of an effective ecommerce project? It is one thing to plan for ecommerce and launch your ecommerce site, but a whole other story to actually execute and operate it. In the past, many companies have just launched their site and waited for things to happen. Or even worse, they have launched their site and were not prepared to deliver what they were selling in a correct and timely manner. Ask the opinion of colleagues, friends, your clients/customers, business partners. 5. Have you revised your processes and workflow management for ecommerce? An ecommerce project requires daily marketing and operations efforts. In order for you to deliver on your promises you might have to revise your company s processes and manage your workflow even tighter. Complete your online orders ACURATELY and as soon as possible. Even better: give your clients something extra! 6. Have you identified the financial implications of ecommerce and prepared for it. Do you know how you will handle taxes, duties and financial reconsolidation? Do you already process credit cards in your organization, or do you have to set this up? Do you have a plan on how to process credit cards online? Do you have an existing payment gateway? Have you prepared online sales projections for the coming period? 7. Shipping policy in place? Shipping can make or break the way in which you fulfill an online order. Choose your shipping partners carefully Consider using an all-in-one ecommerce and shipping solution like Cpost s Right to the Door or Dushi Food. Consider offering free shipping; Clearly indicate when this applies Check out this link: 2 P age

33 MARKETING 8. Do you know what product / service you are going to sell online? An ecommerce project is more than product database and a shopping cart. Your clients/customers need to be convinced of the added benefit you offer. This needs to be carefully identified for each target market. Typical client benefits are: - Lower price - Delivery - Ease of ordering from home - Information about available stock - Online store open 24/7 The First thing you need to ask yourself is what you want to achieve with your website. Do you want to achieve direct online Sales? Or do you want to provide information and obtain leads for your sales team to follow-up? Your website could have the following goal, that will eventually all lead to more revenues, but are not all ecommerce sites. 9. Do you know who your target client is? Determine your unique selling point and make sure you match the benefit that you are selling to the customer that you are targeting. Who is your target client for your ecommerce project. Is it different from your current target group? Do all your products or services target the same Group? What are the most promising product/market combinations? 10. Do you have a marketing plan? Are you trying to expand your client base? Through international expansion? Or by becoming more competitive? These are important issues to consider when determining your ecommerce and marketing strategy. Consider starting with one target group (your current clients for example) and expand phase by phase to other target groups (e.g. international clients). 3 P age