It is now 2006 and nearly anyone can posses and carry out the skills necessary to become an eCommerce business owner and begin their amazing journey into entrepreneurship. All that is needed is to learn and develop the skills necessary to plan, setup, market and continually maintain an eCommerce site and business. The largest obstacles faced by new or up and coming entrepreneurs are self indecision and possibly even fear, basically, they are their own worse enemy, not any one thing related to the process of eBusiness.

In business there are risks, face it. That is how it has always been and that is how it will remain, Online or off. The thing you will have to remember is that risks in business, within reason, are OK to take from time to time. Reasonable risks may include trying something new or venturing into a realm you are not yet familiar with or maybe even having to overcome a certain learning curve. As long as the risks you take are reasonable, you shouldn’t doubt yourself or think to hard on the issue. Decisions only take a few moments to make, however the effects of a decision can last forever. The key is knowing yourself, proper planning and a pro-active attitude about your decisions. Expect a few things to fail or not work out like you thought, that’s OK too especially since the decision was within reason, right? Don’t get down on yourself or think of yourself as a failure when you make poor decisions, instead try to better the next time around and maintain your positive attitude about your situation.

As you journey through the world of eCommerce you will come to realize that success is great, but the mistakes you make, including the things you learn from those mistakes, will be your most valued lessons and will help you become a better, more successful entrepreneur. Many people do not realize that todays greatest successes did not come about without failure on some level.

Of course there will be the normal ups and downs that nearly all of us have encountered in life. The key is getting through those ups or downs and what you do after those times. You will need to maintain focus the entire time, never loosing site of your personal vision or goals, otherwise you’ll have a harder time keeping up and staying ahead of your competition, almost like a sport or athletic event. Well, if eCommerce is like a sport, it will be one of the most fun and exciting sports you will play, but it’s also very serious, as if you were a professional athlete. Remember one thing, all professional athletes have passion which drives them and helps them to continually improve. Once that passion is gone, it’s a lot more difficult to grow or succeed.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

Main Differences Between Online Retail & Physical Storefronts

• Display: By shopping at a brick and mortar store the customers are able to physically touch and handle items they are interested in buying. Online retailers are forced to display items using only pictures, graphics and text based product descriptions.
• Expense: Typically, there are major differences in the amount of funding or startup capital needed to open the store. Brick and mortar stores usually require a bigger budget since you have to lease space, rent property and pay for other location expenses. Online store owners do not usually have to worry about building leases or property expense.
• Location: Online retailers are not limited to one location and have no geographical boundaries like a traditional brick and mortar storefront has. Physical business locations can limit the amount of customer traffic and foot traffic from shoppers, especially if they are not in a bigger city or metro area. Online retailers have no limits and can typically service local, national and international customers.
• Communication: It can be harder to communicate with customers through an online store compared to the face-to-face interaction customers get by shopping at a brick and mortar store or physical business location. Online retailers may have a hard time getting information across to the customer and must be sure to answer all possible buyer questions through text and graphics on the site so there is no confusion during the purchase.
• Technology: Another main difference is the types and amount of technology needed to run each type of business. Most online store owners find that their technology is constantly changing and there is a bigger need for them to keep up and adjust as it improves. The technology used to run brick and mortar businesses has been around for years and rarely changes as often as it does in the online selling world.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

The ability for online merchants to multitask is crucial and can greatly effect whether or not an eBusiness venture will succeed or fail. It’s important to keep accurate records and maintain a working file system that you can continue to use as the business grows. Get as much as you can organized in the beginning so that as you get more issues stacked on your plate you have time to address them in a timely manner. Many eBusinesses online today have several separate departments to handle different aspects of the business. When you launch your business you will become the head of the sales department, shipping department, customer service department and, of course, the complaints department. In order to manage all these different business aspects you will need to be skilled in the art of multitasking. You may not feel that you need to learn how to multitask, or that it’s one of your strong points, but you will certainly need to develop those skills as they are crucial, especially in the beginning stages of starting a business. Quite simply, if you hope to own and operate a successful eCommerce storefront, you had better be good at multitasking.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

One major part of your potential success selling online is in avoiding the pitfalls that many first time merchants encounter upon starting a new venture. Don’t convince yourself that running a business online is any easier or any less time consuming than it would be for you to open a traditional brick and mortar business.

Expect:

• You are going to have to work hard to create a place for yourself within a particular niche and it won’t happen overnight.
• You will be a 24/7 business capable of servicing customers all over the world at all hours of the day.
• You will have to invest time and money to get the word out about your products and store brand.
• There will be times where your sales are through the roof and there will be times when you get no sales.
• You need to test different strategies, analyze data and refine your processes to bring your business to optimal potential.
• You will have to learn a lot about selling online and take time to continue your education.

Don’t Expect:

• To get rich beyond your wildest dreams the first time you attempt running your own online business.
• That you will have help and support from those around you during the setup and launch of your store.
• To bring customers to your store without putting in any work yourself and learning how to market online.
• Your customers to be any different than a typical customer or that they expect anything different from you.
• That you will not have to learn how to sell online and that you will not have to keep up with technology.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

When the store needs to be redesigned, you will be editing the files. When it comes time to pay taxes, you will be the one learning Turbo Tax. When you need to get the word out about your products or business brand, you will be learning how to market yourself online. If you are already an established merchant seller, you may already have the skills it takes to launch an eBusiness, but it’s a good idea to explore other useful skills, like management, so you can help the business to grow steadily and begin to oversee employees. The best way to succeed in recognizing the skills you need to be a successful online merchant is to perform a personal evaluation of yourself. During the evaluation be sure to note all of your strengths and weaknesses. Improve upon your weaknesses by learning new skills and expanding your personal strengths.

Nurturing Skills:

The most successful eCommerce merchants have great nurturing skills. Many of them even treat their Online businesses as if it were their child or a favorite pet. You’ve heard people refer to their car as their “baby.” The same should hold true for an eBusiness, it’s also your “baby.” This attitude is possibly one of the most important skills needed to start, manage and grow an eBusiness. If you do not love what you do, protect your investment and help it evolve you will have a harder time seeing success in the beginning. No one, other than you, will be that guiding force into greatness.

It always reminds me of that saying “If you want it done right, do it yourself because no one else is going to do it for you.” Now I am not saying you shouldn’t hire others to help you eventually, it’s just better that you have the attitude that YOU will be the one handling everything. It’s important as it will help you not to feel overwhelmed during the set up and launch process. Your new business venture will need constant nurturing including attention and protection as it gets off the ground, your guidance as it starts to grow and your wisdom to help direct it towards your overall goals.

Business Skills:

Although having some understanding of business and certain business skills can help you get your eBusiness up and running quickly, it’s not absolutely necessary as many of the business skills you will need can be learned as you go or shortly before you begin. Rather than becoming a business guru, it’s more important to become a rational thinker when it comes to managing your eBusiness. Develop a working understanding of all the daily, weekly and monthly tasks or aspects of running the company. The most critical elements of your business will deserve the most attention. Elements including client and customer follow-ups, budgeting, decision making and eCommerce laws including shipping and Online payment.

Here’s a list of business skills you may need when running an eBusiness:

• Basic accounting and bookkeeping skills
• Business communication skills (emails, fax, invoices)
• Negotiation skills (product sourcing, pricing)
• Filing and other office keeping skills
• Multitasking and organizational skills
• Good record keeping and memorizing skills

It can be hard for every eBusiness owner or entrepreneur to take interest in all the details of the business, however you should realize that it is still important to address them whether it’s physically you who does it or someone you trust such as a business partner or associate. There are many other aspects to running the business such as site design, maintenance and marketing. It can be easy to forget about all the other aspects, so be sure you remember to give attention to all the nooks and crannies of your new eBusiness.

Management Skills:

Being a good manager requires the ability to make good sound decisions about your business. Managing is basically the ability to make reasonable decisions and to execute them in the most efficient way possible to achieve maximum results. Although you may be the only employee at times, as your eBusiness grows you will eventually need some assistance.

Some questions you may want to ask yourself about management potential:

• How good are you at making decisions?
• Can you manage a group of employees?
• Can you objectively handle each situation?
• Will your co-workers respect you as their manager?

It’s important to always act professional and maintain a certain level of credibility and dignity with employees. Not only current and future employees, but also those you encounter during the course of your business. Being a good manager means being a leader. If you have leadership skills you have management skills. At the same time, good management is good leadership and a good leader is a benevolent leader. Although it’s important to maintain a professional attitude and sometimes you may have to discipline, employees who are happy with their boss are typically more productive and loyal workers.

Organizational Skills:

From the day you decide to start your Online business you will find yourself caught in a whirlwind of tasks and events that may require your immediate attention and follow-up action. As things come up, you will want to organize and sort the different tasks and events in the right order so things don’t get lost or become messy. In order to properly organize and sort your tasks you will need to understand the priorities of your daily events. You can organize sequentially or according to importance. Use some kind of filing system that works for you, employees and the business.

In addition to prioritizing, organization of files and unexpected or last minute task planning you will want to develop good time planning skills. Time planning skills help when making appointments and when attempting to meet shipping or order fulfillment deadlines. Having good organizational and time planning skills will help you keep everything neatly in order and can help to prevent chaos in your daily schedule. You may consider using a to-do list.

Starting up and continuing to build your eBusiness will be very exciting. There will certainly be times when it seems like your to-do list is a mile long and that you may never get to complete everything on it. Without good organizational and time management skills you will certainly become overwhelmed quickly. To keep everything in order, simply categorize your daily tasks by priority and make sure you address each one on the list, completing it to satisfactory condition before starting another task.

Communication Skills:

Although online business keeps you from from having to do a lot of face-to-face communications it doesn’t mean that you won’t need to be an effective communicator. eRetail businesses are still in many ways like a traditional brick-and-mortar business. In brick-and-mortar business you typically show customers the products you want to sell. By creating attractive displays and effectively showing your goods to customers you are also making your merchandise appear more appealing. It’s usually the same when selling Online. Your eCommerce site also has to effectively communicate everything you have to offer and the messages you are trying to get across to your buyers. You must first appeal to your niche and always remember not to overwhelm your visitors with too much product information.

Effective communication can require the following:

• Knowing your target market, niche and audience
• Using lingo and copy your audience understands
• Displaying your merchandise in an attractive way
• Creating a user-friendly site that’s easy to read

Try to deliver a message that tells your customer that purchasing from you and your store is the only way to go. Consider conducting market research in order to better understand who you are trying to communicate with. Other good ways to communicate via your site is to use high-resolution product images, detailed product descriptions and possibly a written guarantee in order to establish trust with your customers and other site visitors.

Technical Skills:

This is by far one of the most intimidating skills on our list. Many beginner merchants are overwhelmed by new technology and don’t even know where to begin as far as which programs to buy, who to use as a host, what shopping cart to use and much much more. I have seen many eBusiness owners become successful with basic technical skill and/or limited computer ability. Typically, if you can turn on a computer, point and click your mouse and send emails you have enough basic knowledge to get started in the world of selling Online. Obviously, the more technical skills you posses to begin with the quicker you will be able to get your eBusiness up and running.

Many of the programs you need will come with detailed instruction on how to use them or they will have a support outlet you can take advantage of (sometimes free, sometimes for a fee). If you need further support, you may wish to consult with an expert or perform research online to find out more. It will help if you already know and can understand some basic eLingo and are able to research through search engines.

Other ways to build technical skills may include:

• Using Online training tutorials and help exercises
• Using trail and error by playing around with your program
• Purchase manuals, utilize program support or visit forums
• Enroll in college class or continuing education institute

Don’t let technology barriers keep you from following your dreams of becoming a successful Online business owner. Chances are you know more than you think and will be able to pick up everything else as you go.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

eBusiness Pros:

• Lower start-up costs
• Ubiquitous Web presence
• International customer access
• Business conducted 24/7
• Quick response to customers
• Lower overhead
• Lower product cost
• Work from home or remotely

eBusiness Cons:

• No immediate customer visibility
• You can’t physically see customers
• Constant need to maintain sites
• Late nights and long hours
• Lack of customer trust due to location
• Lack of immediate health care benefits
• Disruption of business and family privacy

Keep in mind that these are intended as MAIN pros and cons and are not the only things to consider when starting an online business. Some of the pros can make things more complicated. For instance, international customer access means that you have a potentially global customer base, but it also means that you should be aware of the distinction between national and international shipping requirements. So some pros can actually be cons and vice versa, but knowing the difference between online business and traditional brick-and-mortars will help you maximize the benefits of owning an eCommerce storefront.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

The thing that sets most successful (personally and financially) eBusiness owners apart from the ones that have limited to no success is the characteristics that are developed and perfected along the way by individual entrepreneurs. These characteristics allow them to become innovative thinkers and managers in today’s fast paced, technology driven society. You may already posses some or all of the elements discussed in this article, but just don’t realize it yet because they come naturally to you. Remember to always reflect on your own values and personal attitudes so you can properly and fairly assess where you stand when determining which elements you should cultivate.

Desire:

When I first started out on the Internet and got into eCommerce for the first time, it became my number one priority, which I wanted more than anything in the world. It became my obsession and all my thoughts revolved around making the venture the best I could with the knowledge I had. Setting up the business and Online store consumed my mind twenty-four hours a day. It wasn’t enough to have the ideas floating around in my head I also had to take action and follow through, so I attempted to act on as many of my ideas as possible. After about six months of acting on my desire to be successful I sat back and assessed where those actions had landed me. After my assessment it was obvious to me that spending all that time and effort reflecting and acting on my desire payed off big time. I had turned a dream of mine into reality. Most people simply dream about what they hope to accomplish and never get around to doing accomplishing much. The true test of desire is turning the idea into physical reality.

Drive:

In the face of adversity, that driving force inside you will help you get through moments of uncertainty. Human drive takes away ambiguity and replaces it with the energy to see things through. When I first decided to learn search engine optimization and marketing I knew that I needed to learn everything there is about traditional advertising, sales, search engines, marketing, site design and business in order to accomplish all that I wanted. Part of what drove me was the need to get my ideas, brand and products out in front of the customers I wanted to attract. Another key aspect to drive is patience. It’s best to understand that making a profit doesn’t happen overnight and most eTailers don’t get rich the first time. I can’t count the times I have heard of an eBusiness owner giving up on their idea before it has even had a chance to turn a profit. A friend of mine sold his online store for pennies because it wasn’t making him much profit. The person who purchased the store from him now makes over $500,000.00 per year in sales just by continuing where my friend left off and not giving up. The most successful eBusiness owners have enough drive to solve their problems instead of simply giving up because things don’t go as planned.

Dedication:

When the day comes that you finally decide to dedicate yourself to running an Online business, it will require your attention, time and lots of energy. Try to reflect on your past and current work ethic. How well did you perform your last job? Have you had a good work ethic your whole life, or is it something you should work on developing? It’s far easier to be dedicated to something when things seem to be going well, but true dedication is personal work ethic plus perseverance. Dedicating yourself to your eBusiness means that you may have to sacrifice things and activities you have been used to doing in the past. Make sure that you are fully prepared for this. Make sure that your family, peers and loved ones are prepared for this. It’s important that those closest to you understand that your eBusiness is now a main priority in your life. When I first started consulting and running my own stores, it took nearly all of my free and personal time. My decisions to continue building my businesses meant I would have to forgo the personal time I had. It was only through practicing dedication that I was able to build many successful eCommerce businesses and I have seen others do the same.

Awareness:

Recognizing opportunities when they present themselves is one of the most important aspects of becoming a successful eBusiness owner or entrepreneur. Once you have made the choice to start a business online, you must become a keen spectator of your surroundings and practice predicting where your business will be in the future. You never know when or where your next big ideas will come from. You might be offered an unbeatable price or get insider knowledge about a new product supplier. Many times these ideas will come to you unexpectedly and you will need to be aware when they do. You do not always have to wait for opportunity to present itself to you. Many eBusiness owners become successful by creating their own opportunities and being proactive. Knowing what’s going on in your marketplace is important. Conduct research online to find out more, take a business class or one that relates to the product you sell, read trade publications and journals related to retail sales and about your product. Always be aware of future trends and always be aware of what competitors are doing to be successful.

Innovation:

Many eCommerce professionals try to think of different ways to accomplish things. Some of these individuals are also inventors who want to market and sell their own product or service. Others have found a product niche and have devised a savvy marketing strategy. Innovators are constantly looking for creative ways to solve new and existing problems in setting up and running an online business by thinking outside the box and by analyzing the problem in ways that have never been done before. Try to reflect on experiences you have had in the past and assess how you might have come up with a creative way to solve a difficult problem. Being innovative is about seeing ALL the possibilities and spotting solutions that others don’t readily see. You should be able to use innovative plans and solutions to make your eBusiness different from and better that your competition. A great way to set yourself apart from the competition is to study what they do right, and then attempt to do it better.

Motivation:

Motivation is a source of inspiration that helps you to act on plans, goals and following-up. Your dream to become an internet retail success and to make more money can be good sources of motivation. Motivation helps you to get out of bed in the morning. I remember certain days where I really just didn’t want to get out of bed and it was my extreme motivation that forced me to get up and continue working on my computer and phone. Without motivation, you will have a much harder time accomplishing your goals and following through on your ideas, which may result in a slower success rate or eTail failure.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

Remember, the merchants who have managed to become successful selling Online all got there by doing certain things correctly, not by some chance happening or miracle. Generally, the most successful merchants tend to work really hard, take time to understand their customers/business, they make use of cutting-edge technology and they have learned and follow suggested eCommerce guidelines.

Quick Top Reasons List Without Descriptions:

• Excellent Product Niche
• Usable Web Site Design
• Attractive Web Site Design
• Quality Customer Service
• Conducts Market Research
• Changes, Adapts or Grows When Needed
• Understands Customer Audience
• Keeps Prices Competitive
• Unique Marketing Ideas
• Establishes Word-of-Mouth
• Established Customer Trust
• High Product Price Margins
• Plans Well When Taking Steps
• Tracks Return on Investment
• Sells Quality Product Merchandise
• Multiple Shipping Options
• Multiple Payment Options
• Bleeding-Edge Technology Features

Detailed Top Reasons List With Descriptions:

Excellent Product Niche – Find products that are unique and fall within a particular niche market. Conduct product research to find out the demand and whether it’s wise to sell Online. Having an excellent niche product idea can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Usable Web Site Design – Create a web site that is extremely easy for any shopper/customer to use. Certain sites are more usable than others. Design a site that is clean, easy to navigate and easy to buy from. Having a web site that is usable can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Attractive Web Site Design – Build a web site using attractive colors, graphics and wording. Lure shoppers/customers in with clean, elegant designs that are pleasing to look at and use. Keep product images clean, high resolution is best. having an attractive web site can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Quality Customer Service – Provide quality, speedy and fair customer service to each shopper or custom inquiry. Answer emails immediately, offer phone and live chat support, display the contact information prominently and return messages. Offering quality customer service can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Conducts Market Research – Research products, potential customers and main competitors. Know what you’re selling, who you are selling to and who is competing against you like the back of your hand. Knowing everything there is to know about your niche including products, customers and competitors can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Changes, Adapts or Grows When Needed – Adapt to industry changes, technology changes and other changes that may affect the way you conduct business Online. Scale when the time is right, add useful tools or site features, upgrade technology as needed and keep up with your competition. Being able to change, adapt and grow at the right times can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Understands Customer Audience – Make an effort to understand you customers and their different searching, shopping and buying habits. Research customers, conduct polls, offer surveys, ask for feedback, be empathetic, talk to customers and start to foresee new issues during customer service calls. Understanding everything about your customers can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Keeps Prices Competitive – Price items according to standard market values. Use suggested retail price or higher if possible and keep margins within a higher range. Asking too little or too much within an Online retail site can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Unique Marketing Ideas – Create unique marketing ideas and implement those ideas into your marketing strategy. Offer promotions, sales, specials, coupons, email notices, newsletters, guides, articles, anything that can possibly increase buyer awareness and attract more visitors to the site. Using unique marketing ideas within a marketing campaign can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Establishes Word-of-Mouth – Attempt to establish word-of-mouth buzz surrounding your company, brands or product line. Use viral campaigns, social media and the power of the Web to increase word-of-mouth awareness about your business. Having an established word-of-mouth buzz surrounding a company,brand or product line can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Established Customer Trust – Implement and practice as many ideas or features to help establish trust with customers as possible. Use security banners and trust certificates, have an active SSL certificate in place, display contact information, create clear policies, use live chat and implement a quality customer service strategy. Establishing trust with shoppers/customers can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

High Product Price Margins – Keep your product price margins as high as possible and attempt to only set up relationships with product sources that offer the best price margins. Research vendors, distributors and manufacturers in an attempt to locate the best prices on products you hope to offer. Typically, the higher up the ladder you go, the higher your product price margins will be. Having a high price margin can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Plans Well When Taking Steps – Plan everything thoroughly before moving from one step to the next, especially large steps or steps that affect several different business processes or functions. Make a plan, write down the steps you need to take, work towards the steps one by one, implement the steps and track what they yield. Proper planning can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Tracks Return on Investment – Take the necessary steps and implement the necessary technology to track ROI across all channels. Use Web analytics, distinct phone numbers, tracking software, customer data management tools, email campaign tracking and any paid listing tracking solutions. Having a system in place to track ROI across a variety of channels can be the difference in success and failure in eCommerce.

Sells Quality Product Merchandise – Attempt to sell high quality items at affordable prices displayed through high resolution graphics on a web site. Research product sources, find the merchandise with the highest quality, not cheap, trashy or easily breakable items. having a store that offers high quality products can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Multiple Shipping Options – Offer as many different types of shipping options as available in the market in which you sell. Sign up with USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL and possibly even other local carriers. Having a variety of shipping options can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Multiple Payment Options – Offer as many separate payment options as possible, according to the common or available options within your market. Sign up with a merchant account provider like Authorize.net, use PayPal, Google Checkout and even options like Bill Me Later. Having the ability to accept a variety of payment options can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

Bleeding-Edge Technology Features – Employ and utilize as much new technology as possible. Keep up on technology trends within the market in which you sell. Always try to beat your competition to the next level of technolgy. Improve and expand the technology you offer. Having the latest bleeding-edge technology employed on your site can be the difference between success and failure in eCommerce.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

Remember, the merchants who have failed selling Online probably wouldn’t have had they known what to learn in the first place and what to expect from an Online retail business. Generally, the merchants who are not successful probably failed to either conduct quality market research, didn’t understand their customers, overlooked competitor researching or just didn’t learn very much about how retail Online works before jumping in.

Quick Top Reasons List Without Descriptions:

• Fails to Conduct Market Research
• Fails to Understand Customer Needs
• Fails to Research Competitors
• Fails to Understand Retail Online
• Fails to Change, Grow, Adapt or Expand
• Fails to Find Niche Products
• Fails to Design a Usable Site
• Fails to Design an Attractive Site
• Fails to Plan Financially
• Fails to Provide Customer Service
• Fails to Gain Customer Trust
• Fails to Learn About Legal Issues
• Fails to Develop Competitive Edge
• Fails to Commit Fully in Business
• Fails to Track Return on Investment
• Fails to Price Products Competitively
• Fails to Sell Quality, Unique Products
• Fails to Remain Passionate, Looses Focus

Detailed Top Reasons List With Descriptions:

Fails to Conduct Market Research – Perform as much quality research about your potential market as possible. Conduct research on competitors, consumer demand, product performance, target market and anything else you can think of that might give you an edge over your competition. Knowing everything there is to know about your market can be the difference between eCommerce success or failure.

Fails to Understand Customer Needs – In addition to knowing your target market, you’ll need to know equally as much about your customers’ needs. Understanding customers needs can be important if you hope to develop and improve your products or site to cater more towards a specific group or demographic of customers. Researching consumer markets and knowing about the ones you target can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Research Competitors – Knowing as much about your competitors as possible will help you to understand what you will need to overcome in order to remain in a certain market and sell competitively. Learn about their marketing initiatives, who they target, what makes them successful and anything else you can use to learn from their time selling Online. Knowing about competitors can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Understand Retail Online – In general, you’ll want to learn all you can about selling online, marketing online, designing a usable site, keeping customers happy, instilling customer trust, engaging customers, who your competitors are, who your customers are, legal issues, Online business issues, market research, pros, cons, success and failure factors and anything else you can possibly think of within your eCommerce niche. Understanding how Online retail works can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Change, Grow, Adapt or Expand – During any retailers time in business online there will be certain leaps and bounds that should be made. Industries change and grow, customer come to expect more, products change. As time passes, if a business fails to adapt to industry or niche changes it can affect later success and marketing efforts may even go to waste. Failing to adapt to changes or expand and grow when needed can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Find Niche Products – Some retailers experience failure right at the beginning by not finding a product niche or industry niche to sell within. Entering an already saturated market when first starting out can create a gap where more work is needed to yield the same type of return as if a niche had been established. Find niche products or a consumer niche to sell in. Not having a nich can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Design a Usable Site – Try to consider as many eCommerce design and usability best practices as possible. Create a site that is simply laid out, easy to use and easy to navigate. Display the items you customers want in the places they expect to see them and make it easy for them to buy from there. If customers cannot use your site, or if you design a site that is difficult to navigate, it may be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Design an Attractive Site – Once the site is usable, you’ll want to include aesthetically pleasing graphics and other design elements that make the site pleasing to look at and attractive to the customers you target. Use vibrant colors and branding elements within your design, keep up on new graphic design trends like gradients and reflections often found on Web 2.0 site designs. Not building an attractive site that looks pleasing to your customers can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Plan Financially – Over budgeting and spending too much of a budget in one place can cause many financial issues down the road. Many merchants will budget too little towards marketing and too much towards design, or vice versa. You will want to create a clear plan of where all your finances are to be used and when there will need to be additional finances set aside to continue any of your campaigns or steps. Consider using a financial adviser or someone who has a sense for sound financial planning to help get you started in the right direction. Not effectively planning out your finances can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Provide Customer Service – Many merchants succeed at launching their retail business but end up shooting themselves in the foot later by not providing adequate customer service. Some merchants do not plan the time required to deal with customer issues brought up during the Online buying and fulfillment processes. Leaving phone calls unanswered for days, not responding to emails and keeping customers out of the sales or shipping loop can be devastating to any Online business. Be sure to provide quality customer service from the very moment your store launches, it could be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Gain Customer Trust – Before you can properly service your customers they will need to trust your brand and the site they are purchasing from. Use an active SSL, trust certificates and security badges so that customers who visit your location Online are not hesitant to purchase products from your site. Respond to issues or complaints right away and keep customers in the loop regarding any orders or fulfillment. Not gaining the trust of your customers can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Learn About Legal Issues – Know where you stand legally. Learn as much as possible about federal, state, county, city or other jurisdictional laws related to your Online retail business. Research what you need to do to become fully legitimate and learn about special taxes or business structuring laws. Consider using a legal adviser or attorney who specializes in the type of law you require assistance with. Not knowing about the laws or legal ramifications about conducting business Online can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Develop Competitive Edge – Develop ideas and strategies that will enable you to build a competitive edge within your niche or industry. Formulate new ideas and campaigns that help you to stand apart form other competitors. You can gain an edge through marketing initiatives, branding ploys, linkbait, contests, prizes, special offers and more. Anything that can assist in gaining that edge over competitors is worth exploring. Not developing unique ideas to build a competitive edge in business can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Commit Fully in Business – You can’t second guess yourself and the decisions you make in business. Not knowing the answer and taking certain risks is OK, but the second you start wondering, if something is going to work, you’ll likely find it is already failing. Be positive and confident in your decisions, if something isn’t working refine it or remove it. Instead of saying to yourself, “is this going to work,” think of it more in a sense of, “when it works.” Having confidence in yourself, your abilities and your decisions can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Track Return on Investment – Track everything!! It’s a rule I will always preach and it’s pretty clear why. Without knowing what you are yielding off of spend you won’t know what is working and what needs to be eliminated. Use tracking tools and metrics for all your campaigns (especially marketing spend) so you know what you make off of what you spend on a given initiative. Track off site sales, on site sales, customers, emails, walk-in business, everything. Not tracking ROI affectively can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Price Products Competitively – knowing what your competitors are charing for the items you sell will help greatly when deciding on how to price the products you sell. Keep prices competitive, don’t overshoot and don’t charge to little. Use sources like comparison shopping engines and eBay to see what others are asking for the same types of items. Be flexible and consider changing prices during changes in the market trends or niches. Not having prices that are competitive in the market you sell within can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Sell Quality, Unique Products – In addition to finding a niche, you’ll want to be sure that the items you sell are indeed quality, unique products that are in high demand. If you sell items that are manufactured poorly and end up breaking upon delivery or first use, you’ll have a harder time becoming known as one of the best in your niche. If you sell the same thing as many others, in the same manner, within the same channel, you’ll find it harder to reach your selling goals. Selling items that are quality and unique can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

Fails to Remain Passionate, Looses Focus – The biggest reason why many Online retailers are not successful is that they fail to remain passionate about their niche, product or customers. In addition, if the merchant looses focus on the main goals of the business or gets side-tracked, it can be harder to overcome the difficulties of selling Online and may hinder any chances of future success. Stay positive, don’t loose focus of why you started the business, try not to let frustration get you down on yourself, remember others have dealt with the same issues. Don’t be your own worse enemy, stay positive and remain passionate about your business, products and customers. Loosing focus or passion can be the difference between eCommerce success and failure.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.

Many of todays brightest entrepreneurs all have something in common. They had a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish and set out on the path to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in business online or off. Before you personally decide to jump into eTailing head-first, let’s make sure you’ve got a clear image of where you are currently and where you want to go in the future.

You will need to access your current situation in order to establish what direction you should head or what steps you need to take in which order to get started the right way. Depending on your situation, you may need to take more or less steps than others who have tried the same things.

Like many entrepreneurs who have started an eBusiness, you may be in one or more of the following situations:

• You are a professional home-maker or stay at home parent.
• You aren’t satisfied with your current work environment.
• You work at a temporary job or unstable work situation.
• You are thinking of changing careers and the Internet is for you.
• You want to supplement income or create additional revenue.
• You know of a unique way to sell a niche product or service.
• You have invented something or thought of something to sell.
• You know of a great product source and want to take advantage.
• You have always wanted to be your own boss and make decisions.
• You want a flexible job that allows you to control more time.
• You want to challenge yourself by seeking a new endeavor.
• You want greater control of your future.
• You know you want to make a living doing something you love.

Once you have assessed your current situation, ask yourself the following questions to see if you have what it takes to become successful:

• How much time will you have to commit to this eBusiness?
• Do you have the financial resources to start-up a new eBusiness?
• Do you know about eCommerce, marketing, sales and technology?
• What level of desire do you have about starting a business venture?
• Are there personal obstacles that may interfere with the business?
• Are you passionate about it and will you remain passionate?

Asking yourself the questions above should help you to determine more about your current situation and can help put things into perspective for you. It may also help you establish which areas of skill or knowledge you need to improve before jumping into eCommerce head-first.

This article is one of several within our Getting Started eCommerce Guides.