Understanding E-commerce:

E-commerce refers to using a web site to buy and sell goods. E commerce transactions are rapidly growing every year as more and more people go online.

The most popular and well known form of E-commerce is using a fully functional shopping cart that lists products in order of categories. For example, web sites like Amazon.com and ebay are examples of very successful E commerce web sites. A visitor chooses the product or products he wants and they are added to an online shopping cart. When a person is finished shopping, he clicks the "checkout" button and is taken through an online payment process.

Another option is using the online catalog in your web site. There may be a link at the bottom of the page to contact the company for a quote or order. But there is usually no shopping cart and no option to process a payment online.

Methods of process payments online:

First, there is real time credit card processing. This where the customer submits his credit card through a secure server, and the credit card is processed through a payment gateway. The transaction is immediate and the customer receives a confirmation of the order.

Second, there is non-real-time credit card processing. This is where the customer submits his credit card through a secure server like above, but the payment information is stored in a secure database online. The merchant manually collects the payment information and phones in the order like a regular telephone transaction.

The main difference between the two is time and price. Real-time credit card processing is immediate and automatic. Non real time credit card processing is manual and is therefore dependent upon the merchant to process the order. The advantage of non real time over real time is the cost savings. There is usually no expensive transaction gateway software to buy or higher transaction fees, because the order is processed like a regular phone transaction.

Third, there is the option of using an E-check. To write an electronic check online, you are required to give your bank's routing number and your checking account number. E-checks take longer to clear your account than credit cards. They usually take 3 to 5 business days to process.

Many small business and individuals choose to use Paypal, an ecommerce site that specializes in processing payments. Paypal continues to expand and is a safe and reliable way to process transactions online.

If you are unsure which option is best for you, Global Link Technologies can evaluate your business needs and help you choose the e commerce web design plan that is right for you.

You can contact us to find out more.