What is eCommerce?

Generically speaking, eCommerce is the doing business over The Internet. The first step is setting up a Merchant account which allows you to process credit cards transactions online.

Is it expensive to start a business that is primarily or solely eCommerce?

No. The good thing about The Internet is that it is much cheaper to sell your products than it is in the physical world. You can literally start selling products over The Internet within a week our simple to setup template eCommerce Web Site packages.

What do I need to buy in order to sell products over The Internet?

Many businesses start out by only accepting personal checks and money orders. To start this all you need is a checking account; a web-site that displays your products and an order form that sends the customers' order information to you. However, for most businesses this limits the audience that you can sell your wares to, therefore credit card processing becomes the preferred method of receiving payment. To accept credit card payments it is necessary to have a Merchant account.

The fact is, 87% of Internet customers buy online with their credit cards. If you only accept credit cards by phone (or worse, you make customers mail you checks), you're losing over half of the sales you should be making.

Where do I obtain a merchant account?

There are several resources for obtaining a merchant account. Financial institutions, such as your local bank can provide you with a merchant account. Unfortunately, most of the time your local bank will require that you have been in business for at least two years, and will want you to guarantee a certain amount of transactions or else face a higher monthly fee. Another way to obtain a merchant account is through an independent credit card processing company. These are companies that specialise in providing ONLY credit and debit bankcard transaction processing. Alive OnLine has partnerships in place that can easily secure your Merchant account.

How much does it cost to open a merchant account?

We recommend two main providers for setting up your Merchant account. One is based in the US and the other here in Australia.

How do I get approved for a merchant account?
Unless you have previously had a problem using a merchant account you are virtually guaranteed of being approved for a merchant account. If for some reason you are declined your setup fee will be refunded.

How do I use my merchant account to process credit cards?

There are two ways to process your credit card transactions

• an automated real time transaction system online
• or manually processed credit card transactions

Both systems incorporate a secure online order form where customers enter information like: their credit card number, the expiration date, and the name on the card. The difference being that with the manual system you take all the orders that come through, verify them manually and then enter them into your bank account.

The automated system processes them in real time, verifies them and puts the funds directly into your bank account. This is a true eCommerce system, totally automated, you make money while you sleep.

What is a shopping cart?

Most people that have done any shopping on The Internet will know what a shopping cart is. It is the interface you use to place an order for something. Either by hitting a button that says "order" or by clicking boxes next to products you want to buy. Shopping carts also have a form that gathers information necessary to bill and ship the goods to the customer. Shopping carts also need to be compatible with automated credit card system that you are using.

See our eCommerce Solutions.

Or tell us what you need and we can create a custom solution for you.