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Mary Haggard
Program Manager
Microsoft Corporation
May 19, 1998
Download this document in Microsoft Word (.DOC) format (zipped, 6.79K).
The following article was originally published in the Site Builder Network Magazine "For $tarters" column.
Editor's note: With this month's column, Mary Haggard switches from Web basics to a new focus on getting started in e-commerce, with a corresponding -- if slight -- alteration to her column's title: For $tarters. Visitors looking for information on the basics of getting a Web site started should consult the For Starters archive or Mary's book, Survival Guide to Web Site Development.
Wow! It seems like you just finished that Beginning HTML tutorial, and now you've got to deliver a Web site that makes money. That's a daunting task.
How do you get your cut of the US$1 billion-plus e-commerce market? Where do you go to get the right resources to help you begin? That seems like a great direction to which this monthly column should turn, so here we're going to begin a several-column installment on getting started on e-commerce.
Here's what I'm thinking about covering:
We'll start by talking about which technologies you'll need to add to those you've already got running in order to get a commerce site up. I'll explain Microsoft Site Server 3.0 and its commerce features. Then we'll look at what makes Windows NT® a great commerce platform. We'll discuss client-side technologies, such as Internet Explorer and the Microsoft Wallet. We'll finish with some acronym soup, and why SSL and SET are important to you. I'll point you to some other key commerce tools to use with Windows NT.
For most of you, getting into the online-commerce business is going to be your most difficult Web task. To save headaches (and money), you need to do the right kind of planning before you start. In this column, we'll talk about the importance of demographic research to find out if your target customer is really online. Not all of us are Dell Computer, right? I'll help you learn where to find this information. We'll also talk about what it takes to transfer your traditional business model into the online world, including building online catalogs, how to track sales and other information, and making sure your fulfillment system can handle online demand. Most importantly, we'll talk about how to find the right business partner to help ensure your efforts are successful.
Building an online commerce infrastructure does you no good if nobody knows you're out there. Not only do you need to use all your traditional advertising vehicles to proclaim your new online offerings -- from your local newspaper to national television -- you also need to look at new online promotional channels. Online advertisements, listings in search engines, partnerships with other companies in online "shopping malls," and other electronic formats can get you some great publicity, and sometimes don't even cost that much. Don't discount the importance of promoting yourself on your own site. Also, be sure you are treating your customers (and potential customers) right.
Setting up an online product catalog is an important part of many online commerce efforts. We'll take a technical look at online catalogs and such issues as usability, organization, search, and photographs, plus an overview of the most common issues faced by folks moving catalog operations from print to online.
We all know that look a salesperson gives you when you return to one of your favorite establishments, and he or she doesn't quite remember who you are, or exactly what it was you purchased last time. One of the most powerful capabilities of e-commerce is the ability to store personal information that can help tailor the shopping experience to each customer's needs, thus building loyalty. Used right, this technology could become your best sales force. We'll talk about do's and don'ts of personalization, the technology to make it happen, and the future of personalization in e-commerce.
In key ways, running an online business is no different than anything else you do. Keeping customers happy and costs down are key. In this column, we'll take a look at some clever automation solutions that have helped many sites cut maintenance costs, plus some technology that can help. Then we'll touch on using the Internet for customer service and the right use of BBS, chat, and other customer-support technologies. Finally, we'll take a look at how to track users and usage of your sites, and reporting technologies that give you maximum flexibility, but are quick to learn and use.
For this column, I'm going to round up some folks who have built successful online businesses and talk with them about what businesses will succeed and why. What investments need to be made to help ensure success? How can a business remain competitive in the increasingly growing world of online commerce.
Finally, I'll spend a column addressing the concerns you've sent me in the course of this new series of columns -- either about any specific column, or about e-commerce in general.
As always, please let us know if you have other subjects you want added, or things you think should change. I'm excited about taking the column in this direction. Let's see where we end up!
Mary Haggard is the author of Survival Guide to Web Site Development (Microsoft Press). As a Microsoft program manager, she helped launch the Site Builder Network Web site and the Internet Explorer Channel Guide. Mary once worked in a paper mill, so she knows pulp when she sees it.
For technical how-to questions, check in with the Web Men Talking, the Site Builder Network's answer pair.
Did you find this article useful? Gripes? Compliments? Suggestions for other articles? Write us!
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
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