STEPS on DEVELOPING WEBSITE FOR RETAILERS

DEFINITION
(source: wikepedia)

Retailing consists of the sale of goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store or kiosk, or by post, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser.

A Web Sites is a collection of Web Pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or more web servers, usually accessible via the internet.


Benefit of Developing a Website:

1. Build Customer Relationships
2. Increase Word-of Mouth Referrals
3. Allow Customers to find you through search engines
4. Offering Web-Only value added service
5. Organizing a universally accessible product database
6. Initiating customer feedback
7. Directly increasing sales revenue with e-commerce
8. Open new lines of communication with your colleagues
9. Expand your market
10. Economical advertising and marketing tool
11. Instantaneous updates and changes
12. Develop and increase advertising revenue
13. Receive up-front payments with credit card processing

STEPS ON DEVELOPING WEBSITE FOR RETAILERS
Step 1: Determines Your Website's Goals
everyone - including customers and acquaintances - is asking if you have a Web Site. It's a hurdle you haven't yet cleared for so many reasons.

1. Its unfamiliar territory and therefore difficult to add to your overall plan.
2. Having a Web site will cost money. How much money and how it will be recouped are questions for which you have no answers.
3. Finding someone to research and create the site is time consuming, and right now, running the store is more important.

These are all valid points. Anything that takes you out of your comfort zone causes alarms to start ringing. But there's another alarm, the one that tells you that an Internet Site may open new sales opportunities you never considered.

The Web is here to stay, and in time it will become more refined. Customers and potential clients will look for your products and services thought this technological tool.

It will produce additional revenue, much more than the investment cost. And just like learning how to operate a store, you'll find a comfort zone on the Web as you did with a traditional shop.

Ask staff members and customers for insight on what makes a Web Site a must-visit space. Also, look for sites that belong to local stores and competitors. Your mission is to view their strengths and weaknesses rather than copy their model.


Step 2: Register Your Domain Name

A domain name is the Web address that leads customers to your online store. This site's domain name is www.WebSitesforRetailers.com. The name was still available when I decided to purchase it, but what if it was not available? What if someone had purchased the name? What other name would I choose?

Now you must consider alternatives. Brainstorm on your own and with staff members to determine other names as secondary options.

Return to the domain registration site after the brainstorming session to determine if any of the secondary options are available. Once you find one that's available, register it right away so that the name is yours.

You can always register additional Web names for your site and, with the help of your Web site host (the company that allows the world to see your online Web site), make those additional names point to the main Web address (you'll learn more about this at my seminars).

Select a domain name and register it as soon as possible. Then you can spend more time deciding what to add to your pending Web Site.

Step 3: Choose a Web Host

Thousands of Web hosting companies exists on the Web, and they're all ready and able to host your site. How do you choose one?

Your first thought may be to work with a well-known firm, one that's been hosting sites for years with few problems experienced by Web site owners. That's a good start, and there are other hosts you may not know exist that provide great service just like the well-known ones to also consider.

As you search for a Web host, remember that services are just as important as cost. The yearly price for hosting runs the gamut, but is the prices on an apple-to-apple basis? Does the fee include a shopping cart for Ecommerce, or is that option an additional price?

If necessary, create a grid that documents each host's name, services, pricing, and a column for extra notes. From there, you'll be able to make a smart decision before selecting a host.

Step 4: Get Your Staffs Involved

You'll be pleasantly surprised at the ideas your staff presents to you when you tell them all about the new Web site.

Even if some of them don't have Internet access or have never touched a computer, staff will provide terrific support as long as you encourage their input. Your employees play a vital role in every aspect of your success but you're already familiar with that.

Step 5: Launch Your Website.

Now it's time for the last step: pressing the "publish" button so the world can see, visit, and bookmark your site to learn about in-store products, new merchandise, and events that keep them coming back.

When you press the "publish" button, all of the files associated with the Web site you created on your store computer is copied onto your Web host's specialized machines, and from there, the world is able to view your Internet site each time they return to your unique Web address.

source: http://www.websitesforretailers.com/retail-store-web-site.htm