PrintBuilding an e-commerce site is more difficult than you might imagine. So-called "back-end" services, such as database integration and programming, require experienced developers and special software. This is especially true if you want to tie an e-commerce site to existing product databases, fulfillment systems or accounting software. Although many software companies promise that their e-commerce servers will work off-the-shelf, it's best to assume that you'll need to do at least some custom work to get your online store working properly.
Once you've got the back end working, however, you still have to make the "front end" work for your customers. This means designing an online store that's enticing and easy to use — tasks that even some of the largest e-commerce sites have yet to master. If a customer has to waste several minutes hunting for a particular product, or if they wade through the whole checkout process only to discover that a product is out of stock, they're much less likely to come back again.
There's yet another piece to the e-commerce puzzle: security. Computer security experts constantly discover online stores that reveal customer credit card numbers, personal data, and other compromising information. Most Web servers and e-commerce packages provide all the security you need, if they're properly configured. Don't take chances — find an experienced developer to build your online store, or rely on a trusted third-party service to run and maintain it.
