eStores
What are template-based e-stores?
There's a good reason why only a limited number of New Zealand retailers offer online purchasing – until recently, online stores (e-stores) have been expensive to build and even more expensive to maintain.
On the other hand, entry-level packaged solutions lacked functionality and scalability, making them a poor choice for any company with ambitions of growth. Upgrading basically meant starting from scratch.
Now, transacting online no longer requires a huge investment by retailers, thanks to developments in template-based e-stores – online stores based on packaged applications that are themselves delivered over the internet.
Template-based e-stores are low-cost ecommerce websites made available to retailers by an internet application service provider (ASP), either directly or via another organisation that has an interest in offering a value-added service to small business customers (for example, telecommunications companies, banks, government enterprises).
How template-based e-stores work
Nearly all the functions required of an e-store are identical to those of other e-stores: catalogues, order baskets, payment processing, content management and member management, for example, are common requirements. It makes sense for all those components, or applications, to be created once, and shared by all stores – each store effectively "renting" its own copy of the applications.
The one area where it's important for e-stores to differentiate is their look and feel, and naturally retailers feel very strongly about their business branding. So the ability to create a unique "skin" for each site is an important part of a template-based e-store offering.
Using the latest internet application technology, each store can have its own website with a customised look and feel, while sharing the common transactional applications. With the newest e-store products, individual sites can be created within minutes of the retailer selecting a template and supplying graphics such as logos.
The best e-store applications offer a catalogue structure that is highly flexible and easy to change, since the structure chosen on day one may not be appropriate as your business grows, or new products might require a different catalogue structure. Once the catalogue has been created, it should be possible to do bulk uploads of product information, and for changes and updates to the catalogue to be made offline.
With the latest e-store technology, retailers can also update the look and feel, along with other site information, themselves, using simple editing tools, on a daily basis if necessary.
Benefits
Because the applications are shared, retailers pay only a small rental charge for an easy-to-use online store – sites might be made available for as little as $160 a month Retailers require no specialist hardware or software, other than internet access.
With the technology issues already addressed, retailers can focus on what's really important in their e-store – designing the catalogue structures and loading product information into the site.
Individual e-store sites are easily updated and maintained as often as necessary by non-technical people, from the convenience of any internet connection.
Because the core applications and data structure are shared, upgrades and technological enhancements are available to all sites immediately.
Who should consider template-based e-stores
Anyone who wants to sell products and services over the internet, or who wants customers to be able to research their purchases on the internet before buying from a physical retail outlet.
Ecommerce sites are for all retailers, not just specialised e-tailers like Amazon.com. With e-stores available from just $160 per month, they should be a standard part of the promotional and advertising mix for every business, along with other tools such as Yellow Pages, newspaper advertising and signage.
The above material was kindly complied by Adele Gautier on behalf of Viatx
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