For modern businesses, e-commerce is the common mechanism by which products and services are made available to a worldwide marketplace. Deploying the best e-commerce solution for your business will require a thorough examination of your current business needs and a clearly documented assessment of features and tools. These guidelines and the accompanying Excel tool will help guide and document your decision-making process.

From the guidelines:

In a competitive global business environment, where the marketplace is defined as anyone and everyone with an internet-connected device, effective e-commerce capabilities are a necessity for every successful business, regardless of size or industry. Businesses that do not have an efficient and effective e-commerce presence operate at a distinct disadvantage.

In general, e-commerce is defined as the sale of products and services using network connections provided by the internet, including the electronic transfer of money and the data necessary to complete the transaction. A successful transaction requires the exchange of personal data, financial data, and logistical data, as well as access to fulfillment systems, customer service software, inventory management, and appropriate security protocols.

E-commerce systems, services, and software have evolved well beyond mere access to an electronic shopping cart. Modern e-commerce systems often provide marketing and discovery services, logistical coordination, and content management tools. Finding and deploying the best solution for your business will require a thorough examination of your current business enterprise needs and a clearly documented assessment of each vendor’s set of features and tools.

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These guidelines will help your IT staff and business decision makers systematically assess and document each e-commerce service vendor’s features and tools to determine which is the best match for your current business requirements.