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Copyright 2006 Mark Nenadic

Ecommerce website design embraces the idea of the Internet storefront. When it comes to operating a store on the Internet, taking money from customers should be as easy as it is when dealing out of a street front shop. Cash, checks, credit cards, and debit cards are all viable means to handle paying for services, goods or other. When it comes to ecommerce website design, this is an issue that acquires paramount importance.

The importance is highlighted when you acknowledge there are no cash registers or night deposit-drops on an ecommerce website design. Instead, these features must be incorporated into the design's capability. Whether the site is selling artwork, books, music or services rendered, there must be a functionality that allows users to not only add the items to a virtual shopping cart, but also total up the final price including shipping. At that point, payment should be rendered or the ability to render payment should be available.

Many ecommerce website designs do not limit their payment acceptance to just credit or debit cards, but also feature a way that customers can pay by check or money order. The power of plastic aside, the ability to accept a check over the phone or an address to send a check to is still the preferred choice for many Internet shoppers. Discounting these options discounts an entire class of Internet shopper.

So what goes into the ecommerce website design to increase the functionality of accepting payments over the Internet? A merchant account can be a tough call because unless a company possesses a proven financial track record along with a solid financial backing, chances are the merchant account could be expensive. However, a good relationship with a bank may compensate for that.

Barring the banking relationship, another alternative is to sign up directly with the credit card companies. Visa and MasterCard both have direct access, as does American Express. The official websites are packed with information for developers setting up their ecommerce website design. There are also other independent acquirers that can be used including Pay Pal. The drawbacks to independent acquirers are the fees and exclusions that the seller will have to cover. Pay pal is likely among the most simple of formats because the fee is based on a percentage of money received.

The age of the plastic web means that setting up an ecommerce website design has never been simpler. In the same breath, it also requires some intensive setup before the design goes live for customers. In order to make the best decisions during this phase of the ecommerce website design, check the fees associated with the merchant account or acquirer. For example, make a chart that compares the fees for application, setup, statement, discount rate, transaction and monthly minimums.

By breaking down these fees, the selection of merchant account will become easier. The determination of fees will also impact the way business is billed, including raising certain prices to absorb the cost of how payment is received. Imagine, for example, the service industry where the client is billed by the hour. If there is a 5% fee for covering their method of payment, that 5% must be included in the initial quote.

For standard ecommerce website design where the site boasts its own shopping cart and shipping calculator, the fee breakdowns would be rolled into the posted prices. That may mean a 5-cent increase across the board or it may have less impact than imagined. The research will prepare the developer of the ecommerce website design model that incorporates a pricing model.

If this all sounds confusing, it shouldn't. The process to go through in setting up an ecommerce website design should include the following steps:

* Identify Products/Services * Set Prices * Determine Shipping Vendor * Establish Shipping Prices * Research Merchant Accounts * Obtain Merchant Accounts * Give All Data to the Designer

About the author:

Mark Nenadic Mark is the director and face behind FifteenDegrees-North http://www.15dn.com , where you will find articles and resources to help with SEO, marketing and Web design.