The key difference between today and Internet commerce in the late 1990s is, in a word: infrastructure. That means now there are simply more new types of online services, technologies, and marketplaces that make it far easier for the average person to start an e-commerce business. Just think of all the things that didn’t exist when e-commerce first began: blogs, pod casts, search engine marketing, WiFi, RSS feeds, social networking, and the list goes on.
Here’s a quick survey of some of the latest trends driving this hotbed of e-commerce today:
- Vast Online Marketplaces - eBay, Amazon, Overstock, and other online auction sites have spawned millions of businesses—from the home-based, do-it-yourselfers (DIY) to larger enterprises—buying and selling everything imaginable. These sites make it easy to learn the ups and downs of e-commerce with less risk.
- Turnkey E-Commerce Solutions - Now online sellers can sign up with robust e-commerce platforms or services to help them configure and operate online stores, handle shopping cart transactions, credit card processing, and publicize your site on multiple online marketplaces.
- Safe Electronic Payment Services - One of the pitfalls of early e-commerce was the specter of online fraud and spotty payment methods. PayPal and other electronic payment services have paved the way for safe, painless online transactions.
- Search Engine Marketing - By placing ads for your online business with popular search engines and choosing key words or phrases that match with your products or services, you can drive more traffic to your site and dramatically increase revenue. You can also sign up for affiliate marketing programs on popular sites that steer shoppers to products and get fees.
- Web Site Traffic Reports - This may sound complicated, but it’s really using simple (and free) tools to see how many visitors come to your site monthly, get a handle on what they’re buying (or not), and which search terms they’re using to find your site.
In addition to these trends, online sellers today are using other new tools like blogs, social media (LinkedIn, MySpace, Face book), and photo sharing (Flickr) to reach out and connect with potential customers all over the world.
Other benefits of e-commerce include:
- Increased sales
- Access to new sales channels
- Better brand awareness
- Increased efficiency with new technology
- New partnership and cross-selling opportunities
- Optimization of merchandise
- Instant customer feedback
- Happier customers
So what are you waiting for? Get started…
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