1. What is eCommerce?

Electronic commerce, known variously as e-commerce, ecommerce or e-comm, refers to the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the internet and other computer networks. However, the term may refer to more than just buying and selling products online. It also includes the entire online process of developing, marketing, selling, delivering, servicing and buying products and services.

2. Why is eCommerce important to my business?

eCommerce sales on Cyber Monday increased by 33% from 2010 to 2011.
Forrester Research says online shopping has surged in recent years and is continuing to grow. U.S. online retail sales, which rose 12.6% to $176.2 billion in 2010, are expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 10% through 2015, the research firm reports.

3. How can eCommerce Arkansas help my business?

eCommerce Arkansas has created a unique streamlined ‘beginning to end’ process that allows small businesses to quickly and cost effectively enter and compete in the ecommerce market place. eCommerce Arkansas utilizes Arkansas based companies for web design, payment processing, marketing resources and customer support.

4. How does it work?

Our eCommerce Arkansas team will schedule an onsite consultation at your place of business. During our visit, we will ask questions to better understand your business. Knowing your customer base and how you are currently marketing your business will help us develop a strategy to start your selling online. We will take photographs of your products, write product descriptions, and determine product pricing and options for shipping. Finally, we will help you pick the best ecommerce template and secure your new domain name.

The product is a “turnkey” ecommerce solution for small Arkansas businesses. Your business controls all of the pricing of your products and pays no commissions to eCommerce Arkansas. The only merchant fees you are responsible for are normal credit card transaction fees. In approximately three weeks your website will be customized to meet your businesses needs. Your new store will be fully functional and your search engine optimized to drive website traffic.

5. What does it cost?

The introductory cost of a fully functional optimized ecommerce web store that supports two categories and up to 20 products starts at $500.00. This store will be completely customized to your business and feature your products with photos, descriptions and pricing. It will also be fully optimized so that search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo will find it. This start up fee includes the website development and optimization, your unique domain, photos of your products, pricing and descriptions. There is a store management charge of $50 per month that includes hosting, security, local support and complete reporting.

6.Do I have to sign a long term contract?

No, the initial term of our agreement is 12 months. After the 12 month period you may cancel for any reason with 60 days written notice.

7. Do I own the ecommerce store?

Yes the ownership of the store resides with the business owner.

8. Can you provide me with a more traditional web site with my business information?

Yes we can provide you with a traditional brochure web site with company information, products sold, hours of operation and contact information. The costs of these sites depend on the complexity of the web design.

9. How do I process payments from my site?

All of the payment processing functionality is included in your ecommerce store. You will need to create a merchant account to collect payments. We can recommend a merchant account program if you do not currently have one.

10. How do I market my new store?

We will help you market your new store utilizing printed material, social media, marketing specialties and merchandising.

11. Does eCommerce Arkansas take a percentage of my sales?

No, eCommerce Arkansas does not take any percentage of your sales. We are your partner to help you increase your sales.