OVERVIEW

Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.

Thorstein Veblen,
The Theory of the Leisure Class

While some e-commerce operators will choose to handle all the tasks needed to build and design their website, others will choose to outsource some or all of those duties. And, to be honest, if money is no object, you should hire a consultant or web-designer to help in the building and design stages. However, most readers budgets can t accommodate the costs of outsourcing such chores and thus they must take care of the website design aspects themselves. This means that they are charged with the task of finding the best service or e-commerce software package to meet their budget and requirements. This chapter is written for that group, but even those with deep pockets should read this chapter to understand what their outsourcer(s) offers.

In the previous chapters we discussed the necessities of a basic website infrastructure, now its time to determine how to incorporate that infrastructure into a working e-commerce site. This requires some sort of e-commerce software. The application or program you chose must enable your website to provide your customers with the convenience of on-line shopping, i.e. provide your customers with the ability to view your goods, to add or to delete items from their selection, and to review their final selection prior to purchase.

Whether you are a novice or an expert, whether you are starting a new web-based business or giving...