Have
a Business Plan
-
Define your niche market. - Develop your business identity. - Write
brief mission statement. - Have a reliable source for your product-
manufacturers/suppliers. - Have a reliable source to deliver your
product- direct delivery or drop-shippers.
Address
your Web Logistics
-
Choose a web hosting provider. - Address costs, liability and your
plan on how to handle service interruptions, denial of service, or
risks associated with the products and/or services you offer. -
Designing your e-commerce site: Will you contract a web designer
and/or graphic designer? - Address web-marketing & Search Engine
Optimization for your website and products - How will you ensuring
that your clients find you on the web?
Address
your Business Logistics
-
Establish your phone & fax service. - Establish PayPal/Google
checkout accounts or a merchant account (direct credit card
processing)? - Create your business procedures, fees and dispute
mechanisms. - Information Security: Determine what services are
offered/needed to establish security for payments and/or the personal
information of your customers/site users. - Contract with a preferred
shipper: set up shipping provider accounts; establish fixed &
discount shipping rates. - Purchase shipping supplies. - Contract
with suppliers/vendors.
Legal
Issues
Create
the Terms & Conditions of Use for your website: - Consider
disclaimers & limitations of liability. - What state's laws will
apply? How and where will disputes be litigated? - How will you
require customers/users to read these Terms & Conditions and make
them legally binding? Warranties/liability for products, services,
content: - charge backs, consumer disputes, procedures for returns -
responsibility for shipping and handling costs - Liability for 3rd
party content (product descriptions, endorsements, comments) -
Liability and use of copyrighted materials/trademarks- Will you
monitor copyright issues and complaints? Safeguarding Privacy: -
Establish procedures for safeguarding certain non-personal
information. - Determine marketing practices: Will you sell website
user information? - Certain industries and certain information
require privacy notices. - Ensure compliance with applicable Federal
and state laws (particularly if kids under 13yrs use your site).
