Online store

An online shop, eshop, e-store, internet shop, webshop, webstore, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or in a shopping mall. For customers it is not only because of the high level of convenience, but also because of the broader selection; competitive pricing and greater access to information. For organizations it increases their customer value and the building of sustainable capabilities, next to the increased profits

Product catalogue

This in order to create a cost-effective means to help customers and partners understand what the functionalities and usability of certain products or services are. This includes comparison of product features, advising related products and alternative products and services.

The product catalogue can be as a standalone program or as an addition to a Content Management System.

The development of online catalogues with multimedia capabilities, have opened completely new horizons.

Shopping cart systems

Simple systems allow the offline administration of products and categories. The shop is then generated as HTML files and graphics that can be uploaded to a webspace. These systems do not use an online database.

A high end solution can be bought or rented as a standalone program or as an addition to a Content Management System. It is usually installed on the company's own webserver and may integrate into the existing supply chain so that ordering, payment, delivery, accounting and warehousing can be automated to a large extent.

Other solutions allow the user to register and create an online shop on a portal that hosts multiple shops at the same time.

The shopping cart system can also be tailored to ones needs so that the shop does not have to be created from scratch. By using a framework already existing, software modules for different functionalities required by a web shop can be adapted and combined.

Payment

Online shoppers commonly use credit card to make payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as:

Some sites will not allow international credit cards and billing address and shipping address have to be in the same country in which site does its business. Other sites allow customers from anywhere to send gifts anywhere. The financial part of a transaction might be processed in real time (for example, letting the consumer know their credit card was declined before they log off), or might be done later as part of the fulfillment process.

Design

The main idea of online shopping is not in having a good looking website that could be listed in a lot of search engines and it is not about the art behind the site. It also is not only just about disseminating information, because it is all about building relationships and making money. Mostly, organizations try to adopt techniques of online shopping without understanding these techniques and/or without a sound business model. Rather than supporting the organization’s culture and brand name, the website should satisfy consumer's expectations.

Many researchers notify that the uniqueness of the web has dissolved and the need for the design, which will be user centered, is very important. Companies should always remember that there are certain things, such as understanding the customer’s wants and needs, living up to promises, never go out of style, because they give reason to come back.

Information and reviews

Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos, and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturer's packaging will be available for direct inspection (which might involve a test drive, fitting, or other experimentation).

Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations, or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice, or how-to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy.

Some stores even allow customers to comment or rate their items. There are also dedicated review sites that host user reviews for different products.In a conventional retail store, clerks are generally available to answer questions. Some online stores have real-time chat features, but most rely on e-mail or phone calls to handle customer questions.

Price and selection

One advantage of shopping online is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services with many different vendors (though some local search engines do exist to help consumers locate products for sale in nearby stores). Search engines and online price comparison services can be used to look up sellers of a particular product or service.

Online Shop Management System

• Easy-to-manage product catalog
  Present each product to its fullest! Add as many product images as you like, place one product in several categories to make it easier for a buyer to find. Adding and removing items, moving them up and down and from one category to another is as easy as dragging and dropping objects in your customary Windows Explorer.
• Featured products
  For each item your customer buys or studies, you can offer similar products and related products. A Promo Item option will come in handy for discounts and special offers - turn it on and off with a mouseclick.
• Editable product attributes
  For each product, you can easily add any number of attributes, including those with drop-down menus (such as a selection of sizes, colors etc.).
• Search engine-friendly URLs
  Static URLs are very improtant for seach engine tracking. Each page of your website, once created, is assigned an address that will always remain the same. It will help search engine to index your pages and boost up your search engine rankings.
• Order tracking
  At any moment, you can see the status of each order and help the customers experiencing trouble with online payments get what they need.
• Phone orders
  To keep the order information consistent and up-to-date, orders accepted by sales managers over the phone can be instantly added to the system.
• Multiple admin accounts
  You can create admin accounts with varying access rights, e.g., for store administrators and sales manages.
• Powerful search engine
  Our search engine will help your customers quickly locate what they want in your store by brand, category, price, or by keyword.
• Customer accounts
  Customers can create and manage absolutely secure accounts, edit user information, review order history, and create multiple billing and shipping addresses to choose from.
• Sales stats
  Information on purchases your buyers make can be automatically gathered for marketing reports and campaigns.
• Adjustable tax information
  You can edit tax information for different countries or states for correct calculations of delivery costs.
• UPS compatibility
  Customer billing and payment information page can be exported to a specific UPS file and sent to UPS right away.