e-Commerce|Trends, Technology

Market Trends

According to the US Census Bureau, e-commerce sales have risen to over 2% of total retail sales in 2005. Is it that big of a deal? Retailers will sell over $90 billion online this year! That is a 25% increase from last year. With an e-commerce system retailers are able to keep costs low with less overhead and consumers enjoy the lower prices passed down to them.


How Do I Get a Piece of that $90 Billion?

If you are ready to make the jump to selling your product or service online, it may be easier than you think. You can easily add shopping cart functionality to your current website. Many vendors offer pre-built e-commerce software that can be added to your current site, or you can build your own. You can even join an online mall and allow another retailer to sell your products for you.


Do I Need a Merchant Account to Sell Online?

If you have a merchant account and can already accept credit cards, you are well on your way. If not, you can also start selling online just as easily. If you don’t want the hassle or expense of credit card merchant accounts, PayPal offers an easy to use online payment portal. Buyers pay by credit card, PayPal takes a small percentage, and you receive the rest. This option is especially helpful for organizations with low sales or those that are just starting out online. There are also alternatives like ClickBank.

Ministry Note: If you are a ministry or non-profit organization, you may want to look into the Amazon Honor System. Amazon will place a link on your site that allows users to donate at their leisure through their Amazon.com account. It may be a great way to increase online donations.


Online Shopping Cart Options

You certainly can purchase your own shopping cart software. Worthwhile has built an ecommerce system from scratch that can by tailored to meet your needs. PayPal, Verisign and others offer customizable shopping carts that can be modified to match the look of your site. There are also a number of out-of-the box shopping cart solutions. These are usually standardized additions to your current website.


Did you know?

Did you know that total online retail sales (e-commerce) in the will reach $90 billion in 2005, a 25% increase from 2004?

The Worthwhile Company offers shopping cart and other e-commerce tools to help you sell your products or services online.

How Important is e-Commerce Security?

Breaking News: Computer Crime Down But Caution Still Needed. Think about all you have heard in the media. All computer crime related news revolves around identity theft, spam, and consumer-related crime. In reality, computer crime is down – especially business related crimes. However, the average business cybercrime still costs $250,000 (down from $500,000 in 2004). Security is still very important.


Security Tips

Before you purchase anything online look for a web address that starts with “https” and a padlock symbol on the bottom-right corner of your browser. This means the site you are visiting is protected by a security certificate. For added security, Worthwhile invested in our own encryption algorithm to encrypt customer data on the site and after it is stored in the database.


Many scams are perpetrated through email. Invest in a top-quality spam and virus filter. This will catch most of the dangerous stuff before it reaches your inbox. If something suspicious does reach your inbox, delete it!