Ask an Expert: Putting your business on the Web

— -- Q: With business slower than usual it does seem like a good idea to check out possibly getting into e-commerce. I certainly have the time! I was hoping you could give me some steps to follow. Thanks — Linda

A: There are so many great things to be said about e-commerce that I am not sure where to begin, but let's start with this one: E-commerce is, even today, a fairly new market; it has really been around for a little more than a dozen years.

Being able to tap such a huge market at the relative start won't happen again in our lifetimes.

There remains a world of opportunity and untapped e-potential. Other benefits include easy access to global markets, having an automated and additional profit center open 24/7, a low cost of entry, and the ability to compete with larger companies.

Here's how to jump in – in 7 Steps.

Step 1: Notice what works:Whether it is eBay, Amazon, or your own favorite, e-commerce sites that succeed tend to do the same things right:

• They are attractive, intuitive, engaging, and easy to navigate• They offer plenty of inventory• They are easy to shop and check-out• There are discounts and specials (coupons, free shipping, etc.)• They offer great customer service

Step 2. Consider the competition. Who else sells what you want to sell? Take a look at the players both big and small. Buy some merchandise from them and ask yourself – what do they do right, and wrong, and how can it be it be improved?

Step 3. Pick your products:If you are in business and have products that you already sell, then adding them to your online store is easy: Take pictures of them, add them to your online catalogue (see below) and write some great copy.

If you don't know what you want to sell, then consider your options. There are tons of wholesalers and distributors from which to choose. If you don't know of any, I would suggest you surf over to my site –MrAllBiz.com– and check out the wholesale product search engine we offer. You can find wholesalers for just about any product you are looking for.