Comments on: What You Need for an Ecommerce Website

By: Mark.Jones

Mark.Jones — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:39:36 +0000

That is an interesting article. In our experience website owners find it difficult to understand visitor behaviour even with good systems such as Google Analytics.

We have recently come across an excellent piece of software that not only allows them to monitor individual user behaviour in real time, but also facilitates direct engagement between visitor and user. This has been increasing conversions by an average of 15% in the websites we have implemented it in.

It seems that the individualised data gives a more enlightening perspective.

By: Brett

Brett — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:23:48 +0000

I really need to put e comm on my site. My webmaster has giving me a quote that I can’t afford right now. How much is the norm for adding e comm?

By: realnfo

realnfo — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:24:02 +0000

Are the dedicated IP and the SSL good for the whole domain (including additional subdomains) or would you need a separate one per domain name?

Why does the LunarPages site come up with an issue re the certificate? When I click on the CPanel after logging in I get a message indicating:
There is a problem with this website’s security certificate.

The security certificate presented by this website was not issued by a trusted certificate authority.
The security certificate presented by this website has expired or is not yet valid.
The security certificate presented by this website was issued for a different website’s address.

Security certificate problems may indicate an attempt to fool you or intercept any data you send to the server.
We recommend that you close this webpage and do not continue to this website.
Click here to close this webpage.
Continue to this website (not recommended).
More information

If you arrived at this page by clicking a link, check the website address in the address bar to be sure that it is the address you were expecting.
When going to a website with an address such as https://example.com, try adding the ‘www’ to the address, https://www.example.com.
If you choose to ignore this error and continue, do not enter private information into the website.

For more information, see “Certificate Errors” in Internet Explorer Help.

By: Tiara

Tiara — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:06:06 +0000

Liz: I will try to write up a bigger article based on your question for next month, but as a simple rule, the only real benefit is perception. PayPal secures their website, so you don’t need the SSL. Your customers will be redirected to PayPal to pay, whereas if it’s on your own website, you MUST have this technology to secure and encrypt the payments as well as to assure your customers that the transaction is safe. Andy’s also right that PayPal can be reeeeeeally slow and Valerie’s comment about the “guidelines” in PayPal is also something to look into. They have their own rules and regulations, so reading the fine print is a good idea to make sure it’s the best solution for you.

Will Byron: What do you mean by tracking affiliates using a shopping cart? If you’re looking to earn affiliate commissions from Lunarpages, visit http://www.lunarpages.com/affiliate/ for more information. You’re also welcome to email me at affiliate@lunarpages.com

By: TJ

TJ — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:31:43 +0000

Paypal has worked very well for me, but if you are selling on a large scale, I strongly suggest going a different route. Paypal will typically side with the buyer and I have been burned on some very large transactions. For example I sent a digital camera that turned out to be bought with a stolen credit card. I shipped it and saved proof of shipping, but since it was a stolen credit card and there was some weird loop hole in paypal’s seller protection I had to eat the $280 and never got my camera back.

By: WIll Byron

WIll Byron — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:02:43 +0000

How can I track affiliates using one of your shopping cart softwares. Can you provide links to add ons if available

By: Valerie

Valerie — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:35:02 +0000

One of the biggest problem of using PayPal (I’m not familiar enough with google’s checkout to comment on that), is that PayPal is not a bank and you are bound by their policies which have no oversight by banking regulators or anyone else for that matter (they can play god). For instance, if someone files a claim against you (real or not), they can, at their option, freeze your entire account until they feel it’s resolved. Normally, I think they are reasonable, but I’ve known people that have been under their thumb. A bank could never do that, they could freeze the amount under question, and not a dime more.

Additionally, while it is easy to move money you receive from your PayPal account to your regular bank account, it takes several days (even though it only takes seconds for them to withdraw it from your account!).

On the plus side, there aren’t monthly fees, and for small operations it’s very affordable. I have one client that I set up with PayPal, and it works fairly well. The cost of a merchant account and gateway can otherwise be prohibitive.

I personally use PayPal for all of my ebay transactions, and while I don’t agree with all of their policies, they are still the best option.

By: andy

andy — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:00:35 +0000

I have been using PayPal as a gateway for several years now. They charge a flat percentage of all sales. While it is a sliding scale, basically unless you sell thousands of dollars worth, the percentage is around 4% (I forget the exact amount at the moment).
It works rather well. I’ve seldom heard complaints from customers. Occasionally, I get a dummy that can’t figure it all out, but the checkout is really not much different than any other checkout. Occassionally I hear from a PayPalphobic person, or a PayPal-hater. And then we just work something else out (e.g. sending me a check!)

The downside is that whenever you need help at PayPal, you will have to have the patience of a saint. On their website they say they’ll email responses “promptly”. That has turned out to be as much as 72 hours (3 days). And then as often as not, the response will be some sort of weird non-sequitor that has nothing to do with the question that you asked. You can call in for help, but expect a long hold time, and then a basic idiot that doesn’t understand what you’re saying. On the upside, at least you get a response! )

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:10:07 +0000

What are the pros and cons of the merchant account SSl route vs PayPal and Google as a Gateway?

By: Schoolboy

Schoolboy — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:02:39 +0000

Even if you decide to use a remote payment gateway (PayPal / Google Checkout) it is STILL a good idea to have a dedicated IP and your own SSL.

The Reason ??? CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE.

Credit card data is just one form of data that needs security in transit. Personal data (names, addresses and tel numbers) are ALSO keen targets for ID fraudsters.

Then, there’s the psychology of the online shopper. More and more people are understanding the significance of SSL, and have a far greater degree of trust in online merchants who visibly and proactively display their website’s security credentials.

New web browsers now help people with SSL issues – again, helping people be confident about where they so their online shopping.

I have been hosting most of my e-commerce sites with Lunarpages for several years, and for a couple of dollars, the dedicated IP address and dedicated SSL has probably been responsible for thousands of £ of additional business – all from customers who may have abandoned the site if it had not been made clear to them that it was fully SSL secure!

Don’t try to save a couple of dollars at the expense of successful business. Get a dedicated IP and a dedicated SSL.