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See Full StoryMost people think of Web hosting and marketing outlays when they consider launching an
e-commerce site, but a laundry list of additional costs are not apparent at first glance:
merchant account fees, liability and fraud insurance fees, maintenance fees and
transaction fees, and customer service, to name a few. "If you jump into it without
asking a lot of questions, it's like jumping into a taxi without knowing where you are
going," Aberdeen Group research director Kent Allen told the E-Commerce Times.
Re: The Hidden Costs of Running an E-Commerce Site
Posted by: dpolisi 2002-06-13 15:02:42 In reply to: Jennifer LeClaire
Your article is far too watered down.
There is the all-important pre-sale support and post-sale support which most ecommerce sites lack.
Pre-sale support: give your customers reasons why they should buy it, content is king and your content sells the site and the products - have resources that help them make better descions and why they should buy it.
After Sales support: Things like how to set it up now that they have it, instructions on the invoice that lead them back to the site for upselling, cross-selling and other things that support the customer.
There is so much more, but in my mind this is the hidden cost that most don't even see and spend the money on.
There is the all-important pre-sale support and post-sale support which most ecommerce sites lack.
Pre-sale support: give your customers reasons why they should buy it, content is king and your content sells the site and the products - have resources that help them make better descions and why they should buy it.
After Sales support: Things like how to set it up now that they have it, instructions on the invoice that lead them back to the site for upselling, cross-selling and other things that support the customer.
There is so much more, but in my mind this is the hidden cost that most don't even see and spend the money on.
Re: The Hidden Costs of Running an E-Commerce Site
Posted by: douginrrnm 2002-06-12 20:47:38 In reply to: Jennifer LeClaire
Some considerations not mentioned, and frequently ignored by business owners and management: The Customer Service Mgr. actually answering the dept. phone at least several times a day at random, in order to gauge the types of customers who call in (angry, questioning, cannot locate desired product, compliments, suggestions for improved service, etc.); senior store management monitoring visits to the storefront (URL/Home Page) and noting activities of potential customers on a regular and varied schedule; making the actual payment for selections easy and speedy; monitoring length of time required to complete download to customers of not only home page but subordinate sites; noting repeat visits and/or purchases by same customers and many other seemingly small but important activities.
So little attention is paid to the actual customers by management - one frequently wonders if they are even at all interested in the actual process of running a business.
So little attention is paid to the actual customers by management - one frequently wonders if they are even at all interested in the actual process of running a business.
