E-Commerce: The 5 Secrets to Make Money while Sitting at Home

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by TonyKau

Are you ready to start an e-commerce business and join the millions who are making money sitting at home in their pajamas? Almost anyone can learn the skills necessary to become an e-commerce business owner. As in any business, online entrepreneurship has many risks, but the rewards are more than worth it. The mistakes you make will help you become a better, more successful entrepreneur.

Online vending is different from selling in a store in a lot of ways. There are, however, many benefits to selling online compared to selling through a physical storefront. The biggest benefit is startup capital: brick and mortar stores usually entail a larger budget since you have to rent space and pay for other location expenses. Online retailers are not limited by location, and can service local, regional and international customers.

The beauty of e-commerce is that you don't have to manufacture your own product. You can sell what other people are making and still make money. Or if you do make your own products you don't need to mass produce. You can make them as and when you get fresh orders.

These are five different steps you need to put in place so you can run a successful e-commerce system:

* Decide what you want to sell online

Do you want to sell a skill? A product? A service? It's fairly easy to find websites that will resell items you've bought or products you've made. You can also use your skills to make money online: whether you're an accountant, a graphic artist or a piano teacher, there's a niche for you.

* Create a website to market your products, or have one built for you.

Your site must include a shopping cart if you want your site to produce a positive cash flow. Find a cart that will make the shopping experience easy for both you and your customer.

Get yourself merchant accounts rather than regular ones with online services that allow you to take credit card payments. These may have slightly higher charges, but will provide you with numerous options which you will find useful in conducting e-commerce.

* The actual delivery of the product is crucial to your e-commerce business.

E-commerce is mainly done online, but product delivery is an important determinant of customer satisfaction. Have a stepped checkout to show your customer how far along in the process he or she is, and always send a shipping confirmation email. Consider providing a shipping cost calculator based on zip code/country on the product page showing an estimated arrival date.

* Do some advertising and website promotional activities

Just as with selling from a regular shop, even in e-commerce you need to indulge in advertising and website promotion. This is to draw your potential client's attention to your site. This is to ensure that people know about your site and the product it sells. So the next time they want to buy it online they think of you.

* Enjoy your money as it starts to roll in.

Once you optimize your website with good design and premium content, and you advertise it properly, the next logical step is sitting back and waiting for profits. Now you too can sit at home in your pajamas, monitoring your sales and thinking of more and more ways to make money online.

About the Author:

Web and technology author Tony Kau founded Vanivo, a Portland web design firm, while he is also a web designer portland.