What is Ecommerce?

Ecommerce is considered a way to handle your websites online buying, selling and trading business. Websites that offer ecommerce usually sell high volumes of merchandise or goods. Ecommerce stands for Electronic Commerce; this means a commercial transaction that carries information across the internet. Ecommerce allows websites and consumers to buy, sell and trade with no barriers to time or distance. The website must be able to protect consumers private information regarding, name, address, phone number, and any type of payment method including credit card and check. Ecommerce hosting is required to maintain this level of privacy.

What is Ecommerce Hosting?

Ecommerce hosting is where one company provides online business or individuals web servers and web hosting solutions. This often includes private hosting services and software that will enable websites to offer the means of taking payment information over a secured server. Ecommerce hosting is a great way for small medium and large businesses to expand web presence.

Ecommerce hosting handles all the technical confusing ends of creating and maintains the commercial website. Ecommerce hosting provides the space on its server along with internet connectivity called a data center to the client. Many time ecommerce host design companies’ websites, front end store, and allows the website the means of shopping carts and inventory tracking within the website.

What do you look for in an Ecommerce Hosting Company?

On of the first things you need to look at when finding an ecommerce hosting company is whether the company is reputable. Check the company out extensively before purchasing. Ecommerce hosting companies offer many different services, so the first thing you will need to do is make a list of what your website needs. Make this list as efficiently as you can, so that you may be able to compare all the advantages and disadvantages of the ecommerce companies you will be checking into.

1. Web site design Software : Do you need site design, if you don’t know what your doing, having a ecommerce company design your site or provide you with the software you need may be fruitful for you to explore this option

2. Shopping Cart- By having a virtual cart, this allows your customers to browse your many items and add each product they wish to buy into the cart and pay for all items at one transaction. Just like going to the grocery store

3. Payment & Merchant accounts – This allows your customers to actually pay for the items where ever they are at, without leaving their comfort zone. Merchant accounts provide many payment options, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, check, and even check by phone. The merchant account acts as a online banking account.

4. Secure Socket Layer – SSL encrypts data like payment information and private details so that it is not visible as it goes over the internet. Without SSL, your personal details would be visible. Make sure your ecommerce hosting company provides you with the proper SSL You can opt for shared SSL, or private SSL, private SSL you will probably pay a fee and will need to have a dedicated IP address.

There are a few other things to think about before you choose your ecommerce hosting company.

1. Cost- Make sure your budget can afford what ever package you chose

2. Traffic- How much traffic do you think you will have

3. Functional- Make sure that you are able to navigate your website, and that it is user friendly

4. Tech Support- Make sure that whatever company you use has 24/7 tech support

5. Upgrades- You may need to upgrade if you find that you have outgrown your package

6. Ecommerce back up- In the case of a crash how do they back up data

Many of these services can be purchased individually or as a package deal. Many even come free. Do your research to make sure you get what you need, know what you need and chose the package that is most cost effective for your site. No matter how good the ecommerce site looks to be, if they don’t stand behind what they offer, it will and can affect your growth.