The basics you need to sell online are: A domain name, web hosting, ecommerce software, payment gateway and optionally an internet merchant account.
We provide solutions for any number of products. Solutions may include PayPal, eWay, VPASP, Magento, Gravity Forms, WooCommerce and others. Our responsive ecommerce websites will work on tablets and mobiles. We consider SEO and AdWords right from the beginning and can assist with ongoing promotion. If you like to be hands on we can provide support services or we can design, build and maintain your site for you. Integration with ebay and social media is available.
We offer both domain management and web hosting but are happy to use your existing setup if it’s compatible.
eCommerce Software
We have built eCommerce sites in VPASP, Magento, WooCommerce and many other packages.
Our current preferred eCommerce solution is WooCommerce. It integrates with WordPress, picking up it’s great base SEO, ease of use and huge availability of extensions. It’s a new comer to the eCommerce market which is why you might not have heard about it. Don’t be misled by the popularity of the older eCommerce packages. Many of them are using outdated technology and are in decline whereas WooCommerce is growing. The base software is free, you only pay for add-on functionality as needed and the add-ons are very reasonably priced. If you would like to see a demo let us know and we will install a base configuration for you.
Payment Gateways
Our preferred Payment Gateway solution is eWay. We have used it for years and found it cost competitive, reliable and most importantly – Secure. eWay’s support is second to none. We also do PayPal and are happy to look at any other options.
For most Payment gateways you will need an Internet Merchant Account from your bank. This is not the same as a regular merchant account. Note your bank will also have fees for running an Internet Merchant Account. Most banks also have payment gateway options which they will try to upsell you when you apply for an Internet Merchant Account. Internet Merchant Account and gateway product are separate products but the banks might imply they are one product.
The purpose of payment gateways is to comply with legal obligations and protect the shoppers. Merchants sometimes mistake the security feature as protection for the merchant. eWay does offer additional fraud protection services as part of their service but the onus to validate the sale always falls back to you as the merchant.
There are a range of third party payment solutions that do not require an Internet Merchant Account. PayPal is the best known. They make their money by taking a percentage and fixed amount from each sale. You should compare PayPal’s fees with eWay Payment Gateway pricing. Depending on the cost of your products and the volume of sales you expect services like eWay can be cheaper than PayPal. Contact us if you would like more detail or information.
You can offer your customers multiple payment options including, phone payment, direct deposit, cheque, PayPal and Credit Card.
Australian Compatibility
Shipping – There are range of options available including Australia Post calculators. Let us know what you need and we’ll discuss the options with you.
Tax – GST and international tax options are all available.
Stock – Stock management is integrated with most eCommerce solutions and can be turned on or off as needed.
Security – A base default install of WordPress/WooCommerce is not secure. We take additional setups to harden and protected all websites we build. We have a range for Security Certificates (SSL) available starting at $99 per year and also recommend products like WordFence Pro.
Contact Appleby Design if you want to know how to sell online.