Implementing your core business functions is essential to your success. But this need not include battling servers, handling downtime and concerning yourself with download speeds. In E-commerce there are thousands of daily uploads you may need for your operation. Outsourcing with an E-commerce will permit you to focus on your core business functions.
E-commerce Hosting Essentials
Planning for your hosting needs ahead of time can save you costly time and resources down the road. Setting up your site once on a server that is equipped to handle your traffic and resources is advisable. One area where you can avoid a planning pitfall is with bandwidth. Some sites charge penalties for exceeding the contractual amount. In general, it’s better to overestimate your bandwidth requirements.
Your account must include most of the online tools you need to run an online business. When your primary tools are included in your account package, you need not worry about spending extra funds for add-ons. For E-commerce, some of the essentials you may be looking for are: a shopping cart, databases, mailing list functionality, SSL certificate, PHP, CGI and promotional capability.
Ensure that your prospective host can function with your existing resources. You probably already have one or more databases and a merchant account. What if your host does not support these essential elements? A host that does not support your payment gateway is of absolutely no use to you. The same is true of the shopping cart that is bundled with your server. It must also be compatible with your host’s shopping cart.
Third party hosting provides more advantages and leads to fewer administration hassles. It offers benefits like redundant data storage and simplified administration.
E-commerce Features — Order Management and Mobile Commerce
E-commerce platforms often provide detailed reporting and analysis. Managing orders and customers can be accomplished via an administration tool. Marketing features frequently include coupons, gift certificates, email and social media marketing integration.
Be on the lookout for sites that are also ready for mobile commerce. These may feature a single page checkout, and support user reviews. Don’t be surprised at the low price tags. Unlimited products can cost as little as $150 per month.
Functionality, Data and Security
You may use a website building tool, hire a professional designer or create your own site from scratch using Drupal, Magento, Joomla and/ or PHP. E-commerce hosting plans support PCI compliant credit card transactions and may include Rapid SSL cert and phone marketing. Databases such as MySQL and Microsoft SQL are also on hand.
If you are planning to store credit card information, you may want to seek hosts that support PCI-DSS compliance. They may provide necessary firewall configuration, enabling you to use password protection, encrypt transmission of cardholder data across public networks, provide virus protection and monitor cardholder data access.
Whenever you can find a host that maintains basic services, yet provides all the support you need for outsourcing E-commerce functionality, it makes sense to consider saving time on functions that do not apply to your core business services. Investing your valuable time on your enterprise goals rather than IT support will only enhance your productivity.
