Ecommerce websites come in all shapes and sizes. From the behemoths like Amazon and iTunes to the lady on the corner baking her own cup cakes and taking orders online, everyone with a product or service to sell seems to now be doing it on the Internet. And why not? An ecommerce website is low cost, reaches a worldwide audience, is cheap to maintain and manage it represents a range of fantastic sales opportunities. If youve yet to take full advantage of the benefits of it, then its time to get involved!

Your business website
If you've decided that you want a piece of the online retail action then the challenge you will face is how to get your website up and running. Exactly what do you need to do when mapping out the best ecommerce solution? Should you have one made specifically for your business or are there options out there that will fit the purpose? When it comes to things like discounts incentives, payment terms or refunds, will you have to change the way you do business? What about your accounts system? Do ecommerce websites mould themselves around your requirements or will you be expected to change the way you do business to accommodate?

All singing, all dancing websites

As with most things the answer to all these important questions is 'it depends'. You can quite easily spend a fortune and end up with a bespoke system that covers far more than your key requirements. This is likely to take longer than you'd hoped to deliver and to cost more than you were ever hoping to spend on the website - it will likely do the job to the point of overkill. Heck, you've paid for it so you may as well have it!

Cul de sac ecommerce websites

At the other end of the scale there are plenty of cheap and cheerful websites for you to choose from. The problem with these is that it's often too easy to outgrow their functionality. As you become familiar with the potential of your online store, you will soon want to extend what you can do. If you've gone in too low at the outset with your ecommerce website you may find yourself hitting dead ends and being forced to scrap the whole thing as you migrate to a system 'man enough' to cope with your needs. Your business requirements are bound to mature over time and your website will need to be able to evolve to exploit the full potential of ecommerce.

Profitable ecommerce websites

Ideally you will identify a partner with the technology, experience and ability to be able to help you grow your business online in a way that suits you. A partner who can add the functionality you need when you need it. Technology applied appropriately, that won't cost you the earth. Choose a partner with clear, real world know-how to support your online retail efforts over the long run.