Just the
idea of having an e-commerce web site was once enough to get many businesspeople salivating
in anticipation. But now, it??™s no longer enough to say, ???E-commerce is the future??”get online
or get out of business.??? You now need compelling, realistic, and specific reasons to take your
business online.
If you want to build an e-commerce site today, you must answer some tough questions.
Here are a few things to ask yourself:
??? Many big e-commerce sites have failed. What can e-commerce possibly offer me in
today??™s tougher environment?
??? Most e-commerce companies seem to need massive investment. How can I produce
a site on my limited budget?
??? Even successful e-commerce sites expect to take years before they turn a profit. My
business can??™t wait that long. How can I make money now?
We??™ll take a shot at answering these questions in this chapter.
Deciding Whether to Go Online
Although there are hundreds of possible reasons to go online, they tend to fall into the following
groups:
??? Retain existing customers and get new customers
??? Encourage existing customers to spend more money
??? Reduce the costs of fulfilling orders
We??™ll look at each of these in the following sections.
Get More Customers
Getting more customers is immediately the most attractive reason to go online. With an
e-commerce site, even small businesses can reach customers all over the world.
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