e-Commerce:
Buying and Selling on the Internet

The Internet and Selling
How has the internet changed the way that items are bought and sold?
How can farm business owners take advantage of the internet for buying or selling?

What We’ll Cover
Selling on the Internet
Buying on the Internet

Selling on the Internet
Unless they have done it before, few know how to use the internet as a sales tool.
There are different ways to use your website for sales.
You may also use a third-party site to make sales

What steps are necessary to make a sale in any format?

Selling on Your Website
Conceptually no different from any other sales outlet
– Display products
– Answer questions
– Provide price information
– Allow customer to make the purchase
– Accept payment
– Provide product & receipt

To display your products, you should have a “catalog” that provides photo
& written description with price
Thumbnail photos (Database or static interface)
Electronic Publication (Can print & view offline)

Facilitating the Transaction
Two basic options
• Traditional sales options (phone, fax, email…)
• Online “shopping carts”

Traditional Sales Options
Phone
Fax
Email
“Snail Mail”

Online Shopping Carts
• View order details
• Change order
• Provide running total
• Process sales tax if applicable

An Example Shopping Cart from Amazon.com

Online Shopping Carts
• You could buy or develop your own shopping cart technology
• Most use a third party’s services
• See “A Primer on Shopping Cart
Technology” in text.

Considerations for Making the Sale
1. Don’t ask the buyer to do too much!
2. Security is vital!
3. Shopping cart technology also facilitates order processing

On-line malls – similar to consignment shops, most provide
– Tools to build & maintain your shop
– Credit card processing (with security)
– Advertising for the mall
– The ability to easily interface with on-line auction services
– Flexible fee structure, depending upon your needs

• Perform research before determining which products are right for you
• Be sure that the purchase is secure!
• You may be able to track your order
• You should receive an electronic receipt
• As you make purchases, note what you like and what you don’t like.

• Selling on the internet can be beneficial
• There are several different ways to make sales on the internet
• When buying, make note of good and bad items. Incorporate the good into your own selling interface.