#1 Evaluate what you are trying to sell
The location and type of store you need to build will depend on what you are trying to sell. If you have only a few items to sell you can get by with a small Web site, with simple pages to describe your products and HTML forms to accept orders. However, if you have a large range of products, you should aim for a Web store based on a database that is tied in to your current inventory management and finance systems.
#2 Consider what features you want in your store
Once you move beyond the most basic of Web stores, you will need to invest in software products that require a great deal of customisation and support. The more features you add to your site, the more sophisticated and specialised the software and hardware you need will be.
#3 Take stock of your organisation's skills
Where you chose to locate your store will also depend on the availability of relevant skills within your organisation. Take an inventory of the skills you can quickly access that cover the key areas of HTML coding, graphic design, server administration, programming, database management, marketing and finance.
#4 Expand an existing Web site
If your range of products is limited and you are happy with a simple store, one of the easiest of all Web stores solutions to implement is to offer goods or services for sale on a secured part of an existing Web site. Most commercial Web sites can be readily adapted for basic e-commerce by adding simple HTML forms to accept orders and then linking to a secure server to process credit card payments.
#5 Join a mall
Another alternative for those looking to implement a simple store is to consider setting up within a mall. The best malls allow you to create a basic store in a few hours using just your Web browser. You need to be careful however, as some malls deliver very low traffic figures to their merchants whilst levying high charges. Always speak with a number of existing merchants before signing up for a mall.
#6 Build an in-house Web store
There are many advantages to hosting a Web store on an in-house server, including the high degree of control and flexibility available and the improved ability to tie in to existing inventory management and finance systems. On the downside, it can be difficult and expensive to secure all the skills required and the cost of software, hardware and a high speed Internet link can be prohibitive.
#7 Outsource everything
At the other extreme, you could pay an ISP or consultant to design and host the complete solution for you. Whilst this does solve the skills issue, set up and running costs can be very high depending on the exact solution implemented. Another major disadvantage is the loss of an opportunity for you and your organisation to learn critical, new skills.
#8 A compromise solution
A good alternative is to implement something in between these two extremes. Typically, you could choose to design and host (either in-house or with an ISP) the bulk of the Web store yourself. However, once a customer has placed an order in your store they are seamlessly transferred to an third party service to authorise and process payment.
#9 Rent space in someone else's store
If none of these solutions seems right for you then an alternative is to seek a partner. Search through the Web for someone selling complementary goods to yours and offer to partner with them. In return for a sales commission, your partner manages the whole process from displaying goods through to processing orders and payments. All you have to do is ship the goods.
#10 You can start small and grow, but start now
Whilst the prospect of setting up an online store can seem daunting, the key is to get started now. If you don't feel the time is right to set up a comprehensive store, then at least "dip your toes in the water" by setting up a simple site to sell a limited range of goods.
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