There was a time when the conventional way to shop for and purchase merchandise was to go to various stores. Customers paraded through each store of interest, checking out the merchandise and products, and when they needed help, they enlisted a salesperson’s aid to inquire about more details. While on their shopping sprees, they experienced a sense of security because stores employed security guards to prevent thefts and other criminal activities. When a decision was made, customers went to the checkout counter so the cashier could add up item prices for payment, and they would then leave with their items.

Today, there’s a whole new dimension to shopping. The arrival of the internet has opened the doors to lucrative online business operations. To run a successful online business, merchants must construct a website that encompasses the features and benefits that will allow customers to shop in the same way they would when shopping in stores. Therefore, a solution is required to enable the full integration of the buying and selling process between merchants and customers. To accomplish this, merchants must set up an eCommerce website using an e-commerce hosting solution that provides a foundation for online businesses. With hosting solutions, business owners can run their businesses completely online.

Important Features to Look for When Seeking an Ecommerce Hosting Solution
When setting up a merchant website, the owner must choose the correct web hosting provider. The service must be dependable, and of course, functional. Merchants should look for an e-commerce hosting package that employs the functionalities that will fulfill all their needs. For instance:

• Customers enjoy shopping online because of the convenience of being able to shop whenever they want. Therefore, for maximum profitability, merchants need a service that operates 24/7, 365 days a year. Interactive customer support via telephone, email, and/or live chats should also be available at all times;
• to create innovative and compelling websites, merchants must have access to high-quality templates or design codes and expert design consultation;
• merchants have to be able to create multipage websites to house all of the products and resources necessary, and they must be able to update their sites with added or changed content and features;
• the e-commerce hosting solution has to run fully on autopilot, requiring no interaction between the merchants and customers. However, if intervention is required, the 24/7 customer service operator should be available to answer any questions or resolve any problems;
• providing several electronic payment methods, like credit and debit cards, or PayPal, contributes to a satisfying shopping experience for customers;
• transactions drive the very life of online businesses. Hence, payment gateway integration (part of the payment system used) has to provide for safe transactions on a secure site that offers fraud protection:
• having marketing tools like the generation of newsletters, gift certificates, coupons and discounts, and the setup of affiliate programs that allow others to sell products for the business will further increase sales; and
• having access to video tutorials for guidance is an enormous help to customers, especially since tutorials can be invaluable to customers new to online merchandising.

Good merchandising techniques that make the entire process a seamless operation while giving customers the ability to interact with the site is critical. For example:

• color swatch tools that allow the customer to see the product in different colors;
• side-by-side product comparisons; and 
• when customers are ready to purchase, it can be done simply using a shopping cart with a one-page checkout. 

A good e-commerce hosting solution will integrate this entire process so that merchants can operate their online businesses with confidence. The entire process has to be user-friendly from beginning to end, virtually eliminating frustration for customers while doing their online shopping. Through the internet, merchants who run innovative and highly functional online websites have the ability and potential to attract an unlimited amount of people and, therefore, to maintain a successful and profitable business.

Merchants new to this field should search for web hosting providers who can offer guidance and instruction on selecting the most suitable hosting packages for their businesses. While affordability is an important factor, it should not outweigh functionality as a priority. Ultimately, the important thing is to get the business up and operating on a consistently reliable foundation, and sometimes this means paying a little extra to guarantee dependable service. A simple yet memorable domain name must be chosen as a title for the business for maximum impact. This name should be unique and original enough to stand out in customers’ minds. SEO content (good use of keywords, keyword placement, and keyword density) to help higher search engines is necessary. Still, the site’s content must also make sense, be engaging, and be straightforward so that it immediately captures the attention of potential customers.

Even if a business owner operates out of a store, opening a website on the internet can be an added plus contributing to their business’s prosperity and exposure. A good e-commerce hosting solution can even out the competition by allowing the small business owner to experience the success and profitability that allows them to endure many of the business’s giants. This is possible because the internet generates another dimension of visibility to businesses that present the opportunity to develop a presence domestically and internationally.