VLE ECOMMERCE FAQS

What is E-Commerce?
E-Commerce stands for Electronic Commerce. Just like e-mail stands for electronic mail, it is a general term for any type of business, or commercial transaction, that involves the transfer of information across the Internet. Refer to the ECommerce Glossary

What is a "Shopping Cart Program" and where can I get one?
A shopping cart program allows you to offer products to your clients with an easy to use interface that generally allows them to go to different pages within your site and select items to put in their virtual "Shopping Cart". When they are done, they check out and the shopping cart program calculates the total. There are hundreds of Shopping cart programs available; it will be up to you to choose the one that is right for your products.

What is SSL?
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and uses encryption along with a Digital ID to provide the ability to transfer data securely over the Internet. Below is the definition of what a Digital ID is, found on VeriSign's web page:

Digital IDs are the electronic counterparts to driver licenses, passports, and membership cards. You can present a Digital ID electronically to prove your identity or your right to access information or services online. Digital IDs, also known as digital certificates, bind an identity to a pair of electronic keys that can be used to encrypt and sign digital information. A Digital ID makes it possible to verify someone's claim that they have the right to use a given key, helping to prevent people from using phony keys to impersonate other users. Used in conjunction with encryption, Digital IDs provide a more complete security solution, assuring the identity of all parties involved in a transaction.

For more information please visit their homepage at http://www.verisign.com.
You can also find SSL purchasing information at http://thawte.com, or www.geotrust.com

How do I use secure server?
A secure server is physically not a different server. It is the same server you have your site on. The difference is in how you access them. The only thing you have to do is use a different URL to access it. You can use the same files you already have, the only thing that changes is the URL you hyperlink to.  Our shared servers use an anonymous https:// address for your privacy.

To make your web pages secure, just replace your normal URL:
http://www.your_domain.com/your_form.html

with the following URL:
https://nashville.serversecured.net/~your_domainroot/your_form.html

What's the difference between using VLE Hosting secure server
and getting my own Digital ID?
There are several differences. For starters, the URL is different, if you use our secure server with our Digital ID, the URL will look something like:
https://nashville.serversecured.net/~your_domainroot/your_form.html
If you decide to purchase and use your own Digital ID, the URL will look something like:https://your_domain.com/your_form.html

Cost is another difference. If you use our Digital ID, you will have no extra costs. However, if you decide to purchase your own, there will be additional costs involved. 

Will SSL allow me to accept credit cards?
SSL will provide you with the secure environment to transfer the actual credit card information from the browser to the server, you will then be responsible for getting the credit card information from the server to you, one common way to do so is to use a system called PGP (encrypted e-mail). You can find out more information about PGP from the financial institution you will use to process the credit card information. You will then need to process the credit card information. You will also be required to obtain a Merchant Account from an accredited financial institution, which you will use to process the credit card information. There are several options available to you for processing the credit card information once it is on the server. You can use a company like Authorize.net, which enables you to securely process credit card transactions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What IS a Shopping Cart?
Online program consisting of a products database that displays information based upon the user's requests. It automatically tracks the number of items placed in the shopping basket and itemizes all costs at the end of a purchase. Shoppers can "add" or "remove" items as they please.  It calculates the total of the customer's order, including taxes and shipping costs. Then, when the customer is ready to make a purchase, the cart passes all of this information over a secure site for holding or processing the payment information. The shopping cart then:

• Generates a customer receipt and e-mails it to the customer, then
  
• Sends you an e-mail about the order so you can fill the order. 
  

• A collection of your product descriptions and prices organized into categories. It is best to type them out in advance so they can be copied into the store.
  
• Product images. Prints can be scanned, or preferably digital photos can be used.
  
• A plan for how you will ship your products and what you will charge.
  
• A plan for how you will bill your customers for their purchases.
  
• Information to welcome your customer and introduce the store.
  
• Information to describe the store or yourself in the About Us section.
  
• Information to describe your customer service message.
  
• Information to describe your store policies, such as shipping, returns and privacy.
  
• A computer, Internet connection and Web browser to manage your store and retrieve your orders.
  
• Your logo, choice of colors, and design styles.
  
• Business Bank Account
  
• Merchant Account
  
• Online payment Gateway
  
• Secured Socket Layer (SSL)
  

• You can use a template design option to give your store a visual identity if you do not want to hire a designer or learn HTML yourself.
  
• You can receive payment through the mail via check or money order if you do not want to setup a merchant account for credit card processing. Or use a service like PayPal, in order to accept credit cards without your own merchant account.
  
• If you have a merchant account, but don't process a large volume of transactions, credit card capture with offline manual processing can be used to accept credit card payments
  

• Manual entry/card swipe on a small machine.
  
• Software that dials into the bank after credit card information is entered into a computer.
  
• Automated real-time transactions using a software protocol or gateway on the Internet to check the credit availability of a potential customer, and approve or decline the customer. All three payment-processing methods debit the funds from the user's credit card account and transfer them to the merchant's bank account when approved.
  

• Increased Market Reach - The Internet can offer retailers a global online marketplace that extends well beyond the traditional geographic markets serviced by their physical stores.
  
• More Customers Driven to Existing Channels - The Internet can be integrated into a retailer's overall marketing strategy in a way that helps to increase customer traffic at existing stores.
  
• Improved Customer Service - Use of the Internet can contribute to highly effective two-way communication between retailers and customers, and can serve as an extension of existing customer service programs.
  
• Enhanced Market Research - The Internet can serve as a market research and product development tool for retailers through the use of online surveys, chat groups, and feedback forums which enable retailers to obtain data on their customers' preferences, ideas and attitudes.
  
• Reduced Costs - Depending on the nature of a retailer's existing operations, the Internet can provide retailers with potential cost savings through lower: inventory, transaction, customer service, administration, and/or communication costs.
  
• Mass Customization - The Internet can provide retailers with a more efficient and profitable means of processing orders and configuring products so that each product suits the specific needs of each customer. This, in turn, allows retailers to optimize their inventory management practices.
  
• Development of One-to-One Marketing Relationships - The Internet can enhance a retailer's ability to target customers with specific marketing messages in order to better interact with them on an individual basis.
  
• Value-Added Applications - One of the most powerful features of the Internet is the ability to capture information in a relational database that can be used to provide value-added services to customers. Suggestions can be made for other related products or services based on a customer's particular preferences, for example, or links can be provided to other Internet sites that may be of interest to a customer.
  

• Convenience - The ability to purchase products and services over the Internet provides an attractive alternative to conventional shopping practices. Internet shoppers can research and buy products and services online according to their individual schedules. The Internet offers consumers the convenience of being able to shop 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and in the privacy of their own homes, for products and services from around the world.
  
• Price Competition - The Internet puts comparison shopping at a consumer's fingertips. Studies have demonstrated that products in certain retail categories, especially mid-to-high-priced commodity-oriented items, sell for lower prices online than in traditional stores.
  
• Selection - Purchasing products and services over the Internet offers consumers the opportunity to find a much broader and deeper selection of items. For example, a well-known Internet retailer, Amazon.com, is able to offer consumers millions of book titles by shipping directly from various publishers. By comparison, a typical retail bookstore usually stocks less than 25,000 titles at any given point in time.
  
• Customization - Purchasing on the Internet provides consumers with the opportunity to customize products to their individual needs or desires. A good example is the Dell Computer Internet site that allows shoppers to custom build their own computer hardware and software configurations. In addition to consumers being able to select exactly what they want, retailers also benefit by custom building or ordering products, thus optimizing their inventory management practices.
  
• Information - Many consumers use the Internet as a source of product information before they buy, even if they don't actually make a purchase on the Internet. The Internet provides retailers with a low-cost distribution channel for disseminating all types of business information. As a result, Internet consumers are often able to access information that would not otherwise be available to them.
  
• Entertainment- In a recent survey of consumers who have made a purchase using the Internet, 25% stated that they purchase on the Internet because it is more fun than traditional shopping. This ranked as the fourth most popular reason, behind convenience, selection, and price. In addition, the use of multimedia technology, and the novelty of discovering a new way of doing things are unique qualities that make shopping on the Internet a unique experience.
  
• Customer Service Level - The Internet serves as a communication tool between consumers and retailers, through the use of e-mail, or other online feedback mechanisms. With Internet retailing this dialogue does not need to stop at the end of the transaction or even at the time of product delivery. These feedback mechanisms allow a retailer to maintain an ongoing dialogue with consumers in order, among other things, to ensure that they are fully satisfied with their purchase.