The boom of eCommerce is certainly changing the way companies conduct business. Online eCommerce sales are growing from $335 billion in 2006 to $711 billion in 2010. According to IDC Research, more than a billion consumers will spend $1.2 trillion shopping online in 2012. And B2B eCommerce will be ten times larger, totaling $12.4 trillion worldwide in 2012.

Either Get On Board or Get Left Behind

Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Commerce reports: “Organizations no longer view eCommerce as a risky investment; instead, it is considered a strategic customer growth-and-retention competence and a competitive advantage in a tough economy.” In other words: eCommerce is a proven and vital tool for businesses! Are you holding out on an eCommerce implementation? Why? Your competitor might already be there. Don’t lose any more ground.

An Intimidating Process

The implementation of eCommerce software can be a large undertaking. From internal buy-in and project organization to vendor selection and technical requirements, there can certainly be many cooks in the kitchen. A great eCommerce vendor can guide you through the process, taking your business objectives and goals and creating a roadmap for your success. But what questions do you ask in the process? Where do you begin?

Ask Questions, Questions, Questions

Ask plenty of questions in the discovery phase of your project. Make sure the vendor bidding for your project has a proven track record in eCommerce implementations. Some critical questions include:

• What are some existing eCommerce implementations your team has done?
• Do you provide a performance dashboard so we can check how much the needles are moving?
• Will our website stay online during traffic spikes and the holiday season? Is your infrastructure robust enough?
• Can your product integrate with our existing Content Management System and Analytics platforms? Do you provide CMS and Analytics tools that complement the eCommerce software?

The Power of Integration

That last question is an important one. If the eCommerce module can integrate with Web Analytics, Content Management, Marketing software and other applications, then consumer behavior can be measured and analyzed in a tighter time frame. This information can then be used to improve website KPIs. If you’re in the research phase for an eCommerce solution, we’ve recently released a whitepaper which contains seven critical questions to ask.