Despite the relative low cost of going online, many small businesses and entrepreneurs have discovered setting up their own virtual store on the Internet is still cost-prohibitive. Several Web hosting companies offer free e-commerce solutions to help businesses with small budgets and little technical know-how establish an online presence.
One company is SimpleNet [http://www.simplenet.com], which deals solely with Web hosting. SimpleNet offers an entry-level product for companies or individuals looking to build an electric storefront. The product is called SimpleShop and is free for customers who purchase domain Web accounts from SimpleNet.
SimpleShop offers basic e-commerce necessities such as customizable site design and management through a simple series of point-and-click steps. Users can create a catalogue of up to 10 products, safely accept credit card information, review shipping and pricing information and access new and archived orders.
“Our customers are now able to develop and operate their own e- commerce sites without investing the time and money they might expect,” said Robert Bingham, president and chief executive officer of SimpleNet. “We are eliminating the barriers that typically preclude an electronic commerce solution.”
Another Web hosting company, Virtualis [http://www.virtualis.com], offers all of its development tools for free to anyone who hosts their site on one of Virtualis’s servers. Small business owners can have multiple e-mail accounts, autoresponders, and even become their own ISP. Virtualis also offers a unique tool called CartSnap that allows its clients to build entire shopping carts online for free. CartSnap features include templates, several mailing/billing scenarios, different payment plans and multi-cart options. According to Virtualis, CartSnap is so easy to use that a new shopping cart can be setup in less than five minutes.
Amazia [http://www.amazia.com], an Internet content and solution provider, developed a product called MarketPlace that can be used by individuals or resold by Web hosting companies. MarketPlace offers a total e-commerce solution to small business owners with little technical knowledge.
MarketPlace offers various features that include searches by product name or price, automated order confirmations and reports with which users can analyze sales, products and profitability. In addition, the company provides free lifetime e-mail support. MarketPlace resides on servers in Microsoft NT Environment and uses secure order processing methods with industry-standard SSL encryption.
Amazia offers Web hosting services to small business that opt for their MarketPlace product. However, according to Amazia, they hope to focus on reselling MarketPlace to Web design or Web hosting companies.
“To build a storefront on the Internet still costs several thousand dollars, which is beyond the reach of many small businesses. As yet, there is no easily affordable and user-friendly total e-commerce solution for this market. MarketPlace fills that gap,” said Nick Uresin, president of Amazia. “MarketPlace requires no further development; you can sign up and build your store in minutes.”
