Posted on: 26 November, 2001
Author: Lee Benson.
Five years ago, people were surfing the ... years ago, people started to use the Internet to buyand sell goods. Two years ago, during the 1998 holiday ... 1 million AOL members bought at Five years ago, people were surfing the web.Three years ago, people started to use the Internet to buyand sell goods. Two years ago, during the 1998 holiday season,over 1 million AOL members bought at least one item online.This gave us a small hint of how big online shopping might get.In 1999's holiday season, e-commerce exploded in all directions,taking its toll on traditional malls and shops. This year, evenstores like Kmart and Walmart are spending millions to promoteonline shopping, bringing more people than ever on board theshopping wave of the future.Although all of us can see what's happening, only a smallpercentage of the general population is actually capitalizingon the Internet shopping revolution. E-commerce is here tostay. How long will it be before the rest of us get on board?Why haven't we joined the revolution?For many of us, the answer to that question is that wesimply don't know where to start or what to do once we begin.Most of us probably think we need to have expertise in theworld of web design and HTML, or perhaps an MBA. However,there are plenty of experts out there who specialize inbuilding web sites and making everything work. And youdon't need an MBA, all you need is a goal and a plan ofaction.To help get you started, there are some basic things youwill need. First of all, you'll need a professional-lookingweb site with a secure shopping cart and the ability toaccept credit cards. This is important, because most Internetshoppers are picky about security, and 80% of them preferto use their credit card.Once you have the web site, you need something to sell. Don'thave any ideas? Think about the things that you have purchasedonline, or would like to shop for without having to physicallygo out and look. Household items are among the best sellers onthe Net. Furniture, small appliances, electronics, andaccessories for the home are all easy to shop for online.This time of year, toys are huge sellers, as well as anythingthat people traditionally like to give as gifts: clothing,jewelry, personal accessories, shoes, even gift certificates.Now, most of us might not expect that the lion's share ofonline transactions come from business-to-business sales, butthey do. Expert services make up a big chunk, plus information,office supplies, airline tickets, and a myriad of other things.If you're a trying to cash in on the business-to-businessmarket, there are a few important things you need to do.First, start by providing free personalized advice. Onceyou have a good number of customers taking advantage ofthat, step them up to paid consulting. Along the way,you can sell related products and services.Most people like getting information via email, but willalso appreciate it if you're available by telephone as well.Get a toll free number that shows you're serious about beingavailable to all potential customers, and people will feelmore secure knowing that you're just a phone call away. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com