| One of the problems that online businesses face is | | | | better option is almost always the first one: that |
| the problem of product shipping. (If your business | | | | way, you can figure out exactly how much it |
| doesn't deal with physical products, skip to the | | | | typically costs to ship a product (with tracking |
| next section.) It's one thing to sell a product in a | | | | paid for) and charge customers only that amount. |
| store, of course--the customer sees it, looks it | | | | This protects you from charges of "hidden costs", |
| over, buys it, and takes it with him. But selling | | | | makes sure that you're not losing money on |
| products online introduces a whole new range of | | | | product shipments, and simplifies your ultimate |
| concerns: how can you make sure that the | | | | accounting procedures--instead of having to |
| product remains undamaged from your | | | | determine what percentage of each transaction is |
| warehouse to your customer's door? How will you | | | | devoted to shipping, you can simply deduct the |
| handle shipping costs? And how will you | | | | shipping fee from all products when you enter net |
| communicate with your shipping employees (if | | | | revenue into your accounting system. (For |
| you have some) whenever you get a new sale | | | | overseas orders, make sure that you deal directly |
| so as to minimize the amount of time between | | | | with customers on a case-by-case |
| the customer's order and the receipt of the | | | | basis--overseas shipping is wildly expensive, and |
| product? | | | | there's simply no way to program even the most |
| The first concern is more a function of the | | | | complicated commerce system to take into |
| shipping method you choose than anything else. | | | | account variable rates to every country on Earth. |
| Choose a reputable carrier and be willing to pay | | | | Make sure that overseas customers know to deal |
| any necessary money for secure shipping if your | | | | with you directly by mentioning it on your main |
| project is in any way fragile--furniture or | | | | page before the customer even clicks the |
| hand-blown glassware, for example, need an | | | | purchase link--don't waste their time by making |
| extra level of security that something like a CD | | | | them start the transaction and then cancel it once |
| or a new hammer doesn't. Whatever the fragility | | | | they realize the prohibitive overseas shipping |
| of your product, you'll always want to pay | | | | costs.) |
| whatever it takes in order to track your | | | | The problem of communicating each new sale to |
| shipments as they make their way to your | | | | your shipping department is obviously easy if |
| customers. | | | | you're the shipping department. If your business is |
| The key to online commerce is trust: trust that | | | | large enough that you have an actual warehouse |
| your product is valuable to customers, and the | | | | or shipping employee, however, you'll need to |
| customers' trust that you'll give them value for | | | | make sure that they're notified as quickly as |
| their money--and that you'll get the product to | | | | possible of each new sale as it gets processed. |
| them in a timely, secure fashion. It's inevitable that | | | | One solution is to set up an automatic message |
| problems with shipping will happen from time to | | | | forwarding system to send all order receipts from |
| time, and the more successful your business | | | | your commerce system to your shipping |
| gets--the more products you ship--the more likely | | | | department as soon as they come into your |
| it becomes that you'll fall victim to one of these | | | | mailbox--or simply to make all order receipts go |
| shipping problems. So pay to track your | | | | directly to the shipping department, who are then |
| shipments--make sure that if the worst happens, | | | | responsible for forwarding them back to you so |
| you can find the product, get it back on track, | | | | that you can do the accounting. There are other |
| and maintain that level of trust with your satisfied | | | | methods, and the one you choose will depend on |
| customer. | | | | what works best for your specific business |
| Handling shipping costs is another important | | | | organization--but it's crucial to have some method |
| matter. Many online commerce systems give you | | | | for communicating orders to the right people as |
| the option to automatically add shipping costs | | | | soon as they happen. It improves the overall |
| onto any order, either by adding a flat fee onto | | | | efficiency of your business, makes customers |
| the purchase price of any product or by adding a | | | | happier, and in the long run allows your business |
| percentage of the total price of the product. The | | | | to grow. |