Essential E-commerce for Your Web Site
Potential customers decide in seconds—or less—whether to explore your site or move on. If you have e-commerce functionality, an easy-to-use site that inspires confidence is even more critical. Influential analyst firm Forrester Research recently estimated that there are 650,000 sole-proprietorship online stores that sell roughly $13 billion of merchandise. That’s a lot of opportunity, and online buying is on the rise. Here are some of our favorite tips for how you can make the most of it.
Establish Trust. Two-thirds of respondents to the 2007 Annual Javelin Consumer Payment Poll said they’ve limited their online shopping due to fears of abuse or theft of their privacy or financial information. Buyers can be skeptical of using even some of the most prominent e-commerce web sites. Millions of dollars are lost in potential e-commerce sales each year due to both real and perceived security risks. Whether you’re selling products online or accepting donations or membership payments, your site must have every appearance of complying with security standards. To do this, the site must represent a legitimate, established business in every way. Customers are unlikely to go into a store that looks dilapidated from the outside. They’re even less likely to spend money there. Ask yourself how well your site inspires trust.
Build Credibility. Believing your company is credible is a byproduct of trust. In addition to having a site with a great look and feel, prove your credibility through the experiences of other users. List testimonials from your satisfied customers. If you don’t have these, begin to collect them. Also consider allowing buyers to post product reviews, much like most of the most progressive and best-known e-commerce sites. All these actions will help you establish your company as credible. Of course, if you’re getting more negative product reviews than positive, your e-commerce functionality may not be your biggest concern.
Enable Outstanding User Experiences. The easier you make it for customers to buy from you, the greater the sales you’ll realize. Your navigation must be simple. Customers must be able to go from product selection, to checkout, to purchase, with ease.
Regularly check all the links on your site. Non-functioning links will erode the confidence in your products, organization and web site that you’ve worked so hard to build.
One important note on the user experience: It is best practices to establish the availability of a product early in your customer’s shopping experience. This will reduce the frustration of finding out at checkout that a product is unavailable. And it will help build your customers’ loyalty.
Remove Hurdles. Make the shopping process easy on your customers. Forcing a shopper to register on your site before purchasing is a formula for driving some of them away. Or worse yet—driving them onto the domains of your competitors. Provide the option to checkout as a guest.
The technical components of the site should be transparent. Ensure that you know your users and their technology restrictions such as bandwidth and software.
Remember, unless you’re in a tight niche market, your customers probably have a lot of options. Use these essential e-commerce tips and your web site will be a powerful tool in convincing them that you’re the clear choice.
Find out more about MDA Technologies’ e-commerce solutions.
Compete 24/7: How does your web site compare?
When: Thursday, July 26, 2007, 8:00-9:30 a.m.
Where: 14059 Crown Court, Woodbridge, VA 22193
Cost: $20 by July 25, $25 at the door.
Includes Continental Breakfast
Join us for this in-depth seminar on how you can most effectively use your web site to maximize your bottom line! Gather survey data, generate customized reports, improve e-commerce functionality, and transform day-to-day manual processes into online practical solutions. Learn what solutions like these—and others—can do for your business or organization
- Are you still using paper timesheets for payroll?
- Is managing multiple spreadsheets for one process impacting your productivity?
- Are you spending time taking credit cards over the phone when customers should be able to easily make payments online?
- Are you using PDF templates that must be manually entered to be stored in your database?
Learn how your web site can help you increase revenue through e-commerce and reduce costs through other functionality. We’ll share time-saving solutions that have helped organizations like yours streamline business processes. We want your toughest challenges. Bring it on!
For more information, contact Chavonne Outerbridge at Chavonne@mdatech.com or 703-730-9444.
Recent MDA Technologies Web Site Projects
These sites are now live!
Georgetown Caterers
Prince William Home Improvement
Prosperity Building Company
The Lieumann Firm
Client Spotlight: Organic Fred
The web site we launched for Organic Fred was the result of a fun and challenging project. Organic Fred is a web site dedicated to organic living. The site features organic apparel and products that support organic agriculture.
Organic Fred’s founders had been working with a web development company for four months, but the vendor made little progress. Meanwhile their marketing campaign was driving people to the site, with a launch date rapidly approaching. Organic Fred sought a team of fast-moving and highly-skilled web developers to help them meet this deadline. A former very happy client of MDA Technologies referred the founders to us. We captured all of their requirements and designed the site to meet their immediate needs in one week!
Next, we completed the e-commerce section of the site and configured an administrator control panel for content management.
"Working with MDA Technologies has been a breath of fresh air."
James Bach
Chief Operating Officer, Organic Fred
We can help build a stellar web and e-commerce presence for you too. Call us at 703-730-9444 or Email Us to find out how.
Ice Cream Social Another Big Hit!
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Tim Jackson congratulates lucky cruise winner Jim DiModica of APT Impact, Inc. at our Ice Cream Social. |
Thanks to the 65+ who joined us for our Ice Cream Social in May, part of the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce’s “Business After Hours.” Jim DiModica was the lucky winner of a drawing for a 5 day/4 night Carnival Cruise to Cozumel and Key West.
MDA Technologies in the News
Acuity Care Technology Spotlights MDA TransQuest in recent article: “It’s 11 a.m.—Do you know where your patients are?”
Health Data Management Features MDA TransQuest in its June 2007 issue on page 14 in an article “Hospital Uses PDA App For Patient Transport.”
Virginia Business Magazine Covers MDA Technologies on Fantastic 50 List
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MDA Technologies’ Tim Jackson quoted in Potomac News
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The Gainesville Times Covers Top 50
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Participation in Technology Fiesta
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MDA Technologies’ Chavonne Outerbridge is joined by Pat Donahue, Supervisor of Instructional Technology and Ginny Carrigan, Instructional Technology Specialist with PWCS at last month’s Technology Fiesta. |
MDA Technologies recently participated in the Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Offices of Instructional Technology and Information Technology Services’ Fifth Annual Technology Fiesta. The event featured displays of technology strategies and resources for integrating technology and instruction. The Fiesta was an opportunity to share classroom projects and displays with teachers, parents, and the community.
Upcoming Event
There are no events currently scheduled. Please check again for updates.
About MDA Technologies
MDA Technologies helps bring the innovative ideas of our customers to life—through custom applications, databases and web development. Our mission is to help organizations like yours manage information, improve workflow, share data more effectively and make the most of their web sites. Learn more at www.mdatech.com or call 703-730-9444.
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