The entire industry of online sales is quite often referred to as Ecommerce. The reality is that ecommerce can mean any number of different things depending on the types of business, type of product and the goal of an organization. When you’re looking for an ecommerce website to help create an Omni channel solution for your brick and mortar store, make sure that you understand the type of ecommerce that you aim to do.
For instance, at Liquid, we focus on building local delivery functionality for websites. Many of our customers deliver feed, hay and other products that are difficult fit into a sedan or find a convenient time to pick up. The farm and feed stores we work with chose to have us develop a system where their customers can order products from the retailer’s website and be able to have that order delivered to their home, ranch, stable or business. This requires entering the product data differently, configuring delivery rates and zip codes into the payment process. It also means that the work flow at the store will operate in a different capacity. Thus, ecommerce with the purpose of delivery is very different than ecommerce, let’s say, for shipping. Which is the way that most people envision ecommerce when they consider it.
Compare what it might take from a technology and workflow standpoint to build an ecommerce website for delivery, versus one for in-store pick up. When you build a website so that it can take orders on the website for people to pick up at the store you have to build things very differently. In this instance, you don’t need a shipping portion for your checkout. Product weights and variations may not be as important. However, you will need a calendar so that your customer can decide which day they would like to pick up their order. Also, you will need to have blackout dates for holidays, hours and days of the week that your store is closed. One example of a retailer whose website is set up to handle both local delivery and in store pick up is Chestnut Vale Feed in Hicksville, New York.
Much like the other forms of ecommerce, international shipping will present another host of differences. When you ship internationally, you may be subject to shipping rates, tariffs and tax rules that your online checkout will need to be equipped to process. You need to make sure to transfer these costs to your customer if you hope to be profitable. Many independent retailers who set up an ecommerce store for their customers choose not to ship internationally due to all the complications associated with the process. Most likely, international shipping will require the help of a large logistics company in order to pull off effectively.
In even more complex situations, like at Dodo Case, your customers will need to be able to customize the product that they want to purchase on your website. If you have customizable product offerings, your website becomes even more complex.
In essences, ecommerce is often used as a blanket statement for online sales. However, the term doesn’t do justice to the level of complexity involved in setting up an online sales process that accommodates your goals at your store. So think critically about what the best fit is for your business when it comes to ecommerce, choose the structure that makes the most sense for your market, product offering and logistical capabilities.