Online Credit Card Payment Processing Services for Your Business

Online Payment Gateway

Our virtual gateways can make credit card processing money saving, which means your business pay less amount to process transactions. Merchant stronghold makes sure that every transaction is secure. In order to provide better direct marketing gateways, we have set ourselves apart from our competition. We offer services that are tailored for your business – A glimpse of our methods:

Safe and Secure Processing: All the credit card processing transactions go through multiple secure servers means no data is stored on your business computer. This makes direct marketing processing safe and secure.

Customer Support: The first thing that any business should focus upon is better customer support. Our team is available to help you deal with any payment issue. You can contact us and discuss issues and they will be resolve timely so that your direct marketing business thrives.
eChecks: Gateway allows you to accept echecks too! Accept Credit Cards and eChecks in the same Gateway.

Flexible Settlement Times: The business can customize or set a certain time for the transactions to be batched out and be sent out for settlement.

Multiple User Access: Our direct marketing credit card processing gateways give users multiple options. Your customers get email receipts at the time of processing. This ensures that transaction is authentic and quick. All the records are kept for future references.


ISpyFraud Technology: ISpyFraud Technology helps to monitor and capture customers IP address at the time of the transaction. Geo Locations and IP Address helps reduce online fraud and is the first choice for a direct marketing business when it comes to accepting credit cards. Don’t let your merchant face the risks of accepting payments without adequate protection. Get in touch with our to learn more about how to help your customers guard against fraudulent transactions.

If many of your transactions are face to face, then you are not providing enough options to your customers. We can offer your customers easy and reliable options that will suit their payment method. Ever transactions made through our systems will be safe and your customers will get notification of their recent transaction. What is the best part in all this? You are paying less money and getting premium credit card processing gateway.

How to sign up for getting your merchant account? 

It is quick and easy! Start an online application or call one of our merchant specialists will walk you through the process. We offer various services, and based on your requirement, we will provide a payment solution that will best suite your direct marketing business.

High-Risk Merchant Account for Trial Continuity Businesses

Importance of Getting a Dedicated Trial Continuity Merchant Account or Payment Gateway
Due to the nature of trial continuity businesses, subscription merchants are generally considered high-risk merchants within the credit card processing industry. This is likely because of the higher frequency of credit chargebacks among the subscribers. That is why you trial based business can find it hard to open an appropriate merchant account using traditional credit card processors.

Luckily, there is a solution that trial continuity businesses can use that specifically caters for high-risk subscription merchants. For example, Merchant Stronghold can enable merchants in the trial based businesses to accept seamlessly accept credit cards and effectively grow their businesses. Partnering with us will lead offer your business a more efficient Payment Gateway, beneficial customer support and ultimately improve your sales.

How to Choose the Right Payment Gateway or Merchant Account

Reliability
One of the main considerations to keep in mind is reliability. The last thing any subscription merchants would want is to have their credit card processor to fail just after launching new products. In addition, reliability enables your business to maintain a regular cash flow, which is essential when running any business, especially a trial offer or continuity based one.

Trust
Besides having a reliable Payment Gateway, subscription merchants must also ensure that the merchant service provider is abiding by the rules and regulations. This is very important, particularly with the current increasing concerns of both the FTC as well as credit card firms. Working with a trusted provider like Merchant Stronghold can help you avoid legal problems that could easily bankrupt your business.

Dedicated Service
High volume subscription merchants stand to benefit a lot from partnering with a suitable Payment Gateway that is customized to their needs. By partnering with us, you get a trial continuity merchant account that is specially designed to cater for your business that ensures that you are not losing large chunks of your profit margins on each transaction.

Conclusion
Trial continuity businesses have been having a difficult time getting merchant accounts simply because they are considered as high risk. Many companies are forced to look for credit card processes overseas to continue running their business. Luckily, Merchant Stronghold offers a dedicated and customizable Payment Gateway for subscription merchant’s right here in the United States. Contact us today at www.merchantstronghold.com to see how we can help you secure your own subscription merchant account.

Legal Document Preparation Services for Your Business

Every year, billions of dollars are being loaned to understudies. Quite naturally, there are scammers who attempt get your cash offering services that you should study well so to avoid being scammed.

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) has always cautioned understudies about what to look out for when you require an understudy credit or some assistance with respect to it.

UNDERSTUDY LOAN DEBT HELP

Many organizations promote they can facilitate you with your credits/loan, and you can see them publicize on Facebook, on Google, or even send emails messages. Before making any move with these organizations, don’t forget that you don’t have to pay somebody to get help with your Federal understudy credits/loan if you don’t want to.

If you’re a document preparation services for merchant Account, consider turning to the #1 High Risk Payment Gateway provider in the US, Merchant Stronghold to get the best for your High Risk Business wants and needs.

Merchant Stronghold offers a secure and low-cost Document Preparation Merchant Account to companies providing document preparation services regarding student loan consolidation, loan counseling, loan and modification services.. Merchant Stronghold is one

SOPHISTICATED FEE SCAM

This scam has to do with a student credit/loan organization offering you the “best” interest rate and loan terms. You’ll be requested have to pay a “little” fee up front for their service.

CREDIT CONSOLIDATION SCAM

On account of the most widely recognized understudy credit combination trick, the organization charges a solidification expense, yet really doesn’t make any move. The expense will frequently be spoken to as a preparing charge, managerial charge, or solidification expense.

STUDENT LOAN SCAM LAWSUIT-LAW OFFICE

A law office will offer to settle your understudy credit obligation. You can come across lots of variations of this scam. A student aid company may contact you and promise that the given law firm can settle your student loan debt for thousands less than you owe.

Merchant Accounts in USA for Online Tech Support

When I started my research for this business, I communicated with a number of people whom I thought might have some practice in managing such merchants, and what I heard from them didn’t precisely come as a surprise to me. Most of my contemporaries warned me that such businesses could be very difficult to work with — that their company practices were doubtful, that they could infrequently doctor the required paperwork, that their chargeback ratios were sky-high, and that customer objection levels were off the chart. “Where have I heard that before?”, I wondered, and my initial practice rapidly confirmed the authenticity of these warnings. However, I had the good fortune to quickly stumble upon a merchant who turned out to be hard working, trustworthy and legit. He also ensured low levels of customer complaints and chargebacks. Equally important, the volume per month was extravagant— about $500,000 and still continues to grow.

Finding the best payment processing solutions can be difficult for tech support merchants operating internationally.

Whether you offer remote tech support assistance or in-office computer services, Merchant Stronghold provides customizable merchant accounts. For tech support businesses with Merchant Stronghold, you will be connected to a vast network of domestic, offshore and international acquiring banks that can approve you regardless of your geographical location.

Tech Support Merchant Account Fees

Our tech support merchant account fees are competitive and affordable, and our application process is free. Once our underwriting department matches you with one of our acquiring banking partners, the bank will then process your application and determine your merchant account fees.

Since banks determine fees on a case-by-case basis, we cannot provide you with exact fees until the underwriting process has been completed. However, you can contact us for your free quote.

How to Get and — More Importantly — Keep a Merchant Account Live

There was this particular merchant based in the U.S. and, by the time it contacted us, it had gone to some of the biggest U.S. processors to open several merchant accounts, a couple of which are still active. Now, this is one of the biggest mistakes that merchants must not make —opening several merchant accounts at once, and not keeping them live. If it’s done otherwise, processors get nervous and understandably so —the new Merchant Account You are applying dormant is either closed down or replaced. In the event, we asked our merchant to explain why it had gone through the pain of opening these many merchant accounts and received a satisfactory explanation, which is not a typical scenario.

Get more information visit website -  https://www.merchantstronghold.com/

4 Serious Mistakes to Avoid with E-Commerce Credit Card Processing

This article will arm you with knowledge to avoid common mistakes that are made while choosing a credit card processor. These mistakes go as follows:

Terms and Conditions

There are a very few business owners who read the terms and conditions very carefully before signing the agreement for credit card processor as it is bulky and at times very confusing. This is the main reason why most of the businesses get surprised and bear the impacts of it on their revenue. So it is advisable to take your sweet time and go through it very carefully without missing any part of it. You never know what you will find in there and if something confuses you or generates suspicious, do not hesitate to ask your potential processor to get the clearer picture. Make sure that all the issues are resolved and clarified before signing the contract.

Information about the Fee Charged

Every credit card processor charges a nominal fee for its services but there are some processors that will try to slip in hidden charges or additional charges without letting merchant know about it. Although, fees are a reasonable and normal part of credit card processing, it is wise to ask for breakage of the same in order to have a clearer picture of it and avoid being fooled by credit card processors. Study the pricing table (can be provided by the card processor when asked for) very carefully and ask as many questions as you can to have a complete understanding of the fee structure. If you think that you don’t understand anything or find it suspicious, ask the processor or look for a new credit card processor.

Signing for Volume

If you are starting a new business or you already own a small or mid-size business, it becomes difficult to predict the monthly sales in advance. But if you want to get a credit card processor for your business, you would have to sign an agreement with a minimum monthly sales requirement, and if your business fails to fulfill this condition, an extra fee will be charged as penalty. Such charges are considered unfair for small businesses. So it is important to read the agreement fully to find any loopholes and avoid them, if possible.

Search for Options

It is a good idea to look for options available in the market and what they have to offer you before signing the contract for you high risk business. Do not make mistake by signing for merchant payment processing with the very first e-commerce payment processor. Doing so can never give you the knowledge of what other payment processor have to offer. It will be beneficiary to read the reviews and talk to the processors personally rather than pursuing them on recommendations. Take your time in choosing the right credit card processor for your business but make sure that whichever processor you chose is affordable, transparent and responsive. If you take these measures, you will never regret your decision.

High Risk Credit Card Processing for Hardware Stores Business

Mаnу hаrdwаrе stores have specialty dераrtmеntѕ uniԛuе tо its rеgiоn оr itѕ оwnеr’ѕ intеrеѕtѕ. Thеѕе dераrtmеntѕ inсludе hunting аnd fiѕhing ѕuррliеѕ, plants and nurѕеrу рrоduсtѕ, mаrinе аnd boating supplies, pet fооd and ѕuррliеѕ, fаrm аnd rаnсh ѕuррliеѕ inсluding аnimаl feed, ѕwimming pool сhеmiсаlѕ, hоmеbrеwing ѕuррliеѕ and canning ѕuррliеѕ.

Pоint-оf-ѕаlе system fоr Hаrdwаrе ѕtоrеѕ

Evеn thе ѕmаllеѕt hаrdwаrе ѕtоrе саn benefit from a point of ѕаlе system bесаuѕе it hеlрѕ аutоmаtе virtually еvеrу раrt of thе high-risk buѕinеѕѕ. A POS ѕуѕtеm for hаrdwаrе ѕtоrеѕ does mоrе thаn сhесkоut customers and рrint rесеiрtѕ: it facilitates virtuаllу every аѕресt of thе business.

Inventory management is a оnе imроrtаnt function of thе hаrdwаrе ѕtоrе POS ѕоftwаrе bесаuѕе it keeps trасk оf every item that iѕ bought аnd ѕоld in rеаl timе. Thiѕ wау, thе business аlwауѕ knоwѕ whаt itеmѕ are in stock, what itеmѕ аrе on order and whаt the соѕt and рriсеѕ аrе for them.

Work flоw is аlѕо ѕimрlifiеd bесаuѕе еmрlоуееѕ no longer hаvе tо check the ѕаlеѕ flооr and bасk rооm tо аnѕwеr сuѕtоmеr inquiries.A POS system for hаrdwаrе stores can also hеlр уоur hаrdwаrе store mаnаgе еmрlоуееѕ. Frоm ѕсhеduling tо time trасking, ѕuсh a system, mаkеѕ it еаѕу tо еnѕurе proper staffing lеvеlѕ at аll timе аnd tо ассurаtеlу trасk hоurlу еmрlоуееѕ аѕ wеll as wоrk hаbitѕ ѕuсh as timеlinеѕѕ.

Finally, a POS ѕуѕtеm fоr hardware stores рrоvidеѕ mаnаgеmеnt with all the rероrtѕ thеу nееd to mаkе imроrtаnt business decisions. Sаlеѕ figurеѕ, рrоfitаbilitу, рurсhаѕing аnd оthеr reports аrе ԛuiсklу рrоduсеd, mаking it еаѕу tо ԛuiсklу рrоduсе ѕnарѕhоtѕ оf еvеrу аѕресt оf thе buѕinеѕѕ.

HERE IЅ A POS ЅОFTWАRЕ WHICH IЅ АBЅОLUTЕLУ FREE FОR УОUR HARDWARE STОRЕЅ

Vеrifоnе VX520 POS has аll thеѕе capabilities аnd much mоrе, which mаkеѕ it an idеаl роint of ѕаlе ѕоlutiоn fоr уоur Hardware Stores.

With Vеrifоnе VX520 POS, items can quickly bе рut intо invеntоrу. Dеtаilѕ ѕuсh аѕ thе рriсе that was paid (cost), date rесеivеd, mаrk-uр, margin, ԛuаntitу, аnd description are all rесоrdеd fоr each itеm. Whеn рrоѕресtivе buуеrѕ hаvе questions, аnу infоrmаtiоn that was entered on thе itеm can bе еаѕilу access juѕt bу ѕсаnning the рrоduсt. Cоmрlеtе rероrtѕ саn be ассеѕѕеd tо review inventory lеvеlѕ, invеntоrу vаluе, ѕаlеѕ hiѕtоrу, or virtually аnу aspect оf invеntоrу аnd ѕаlеѕ information thаt has bееn соnduсtеd оn the ѕtоrе роint оf ѕаlе system.

In a multi-ѕtоrе environment, еасh ѕtоrе lосаtiоn саn have “livе-timе” ассеѕѕ tо invеntоrу infоrmаtiоn frоm ѕtоrе to ѕtоrе. Buуеrѕ that are looking fоr a specific itеm саn be redirected, when thаt itеm iѕ рrеѕеnt аt оnе of уоur оthеr ѕtоrеѕ.

Offshore Credit Card Processing for Beauty Products Business

An advance credit card processing solution that comes with high level of security is what every Beauty Products business needs. Efficiency is important when you are running a business, especially when the business is on small scale and you have to struggle a lot to get to the top. The goal of merchant stronghold is to provide you a flexible payment solution with equipment. Electronic payment solution can fulfill most of your needs; you can customize best rate structure that fits your business. Some of the advance services that you can expect:

• Mobile processing for the small-scale business
• Terminals for beauty products and retail service business
• Support for payment gateways connected with shopping carts
• Solutions for MOTO card transactions
• Plus credit card payment plans
• Virtual terminal for processing

Modern payment processing

Modern payment processing is integrated merchant account and software. This system is called software as a service (SAAS). It offers a single electronic portal that helps merchants to scan checks and process various credit card payments. This is done without merchant storing the data on the site. A latest cloud-based infrastructure is integrated, means the location of customer doesn’t matter. It also reduces cost and makes whole process time efficient.

Transaction Processing Quality

Payment systems are highly susceptible to abuse and fraud. If a high-risk credit card is misused, there will be financial losses to your Beauty Products business. There will be even more mess if the merchant will solve the problem on its own. Some beauty parlors may have a monthly subscription, SAAS can make money collection easier for merchants. The system also secures payment information that is passed to the merchant. Some businesses come in the scale of high-risk businesses such as male enhancement products business, Nutraceuticals business, Cruise line business, Trial Continuity Subscription Business etc. All of these can be processed with the help of a quality online platform through Merchant Stronghold.

Payment processing architecture

The network architecture is an online payment system that is like a chain of service providers having unique value payment transactions. There are four most important entities in an architecture which are merchant, point of sale (POS), aggregator, and credit card bank. Payment gateway provider is a company that gives support to merchants and receives payments on their behalf. Point of sale provider presents aggregator to the merchant. There are small POS transactions than the aggregator, so direct connection with credit card network is not necessary. The responsibilities are divided equally among many different business partners in order to provide the better architecture to the merchants. Merchant Stronghold understands these concepts because we have been working in this business from a long time.

Two Ways to Detect Friendly Fraud?

A CNP transaction as “a payment card transaction made where the cardholder does not or cannot physically present the card for a merchant’s visual examination at the time that an order is given and payment effected, such as for mail-order transactions by mail or fax, or over the telephone or Internet.”

Friendly fraud “ocurs when a consumer makes an online shopping purchase with their own credit card payments, and then requests a chargeback from the issuing bank after receiving the purchased goods or services.“

The two categories of friendly fraud are intentional and unintentional:

Intentional Friendly Fraud.The deliberates falsification of facts by a consumer which is intended to deceive a merchant.

Reasons for intentional friendly fraud may have to do with buyer’s remorse. Perhaps the buyer made an impulse purchase for an amount that exceeds their comfort level or their financial circumstances suddenly changed and they wish they hadn’t spent the money or, maybe, their spouse doesn’t approve of the purchase.

Then there are fraudsters who commit online shoplifting by buying merchandise online and then disputing the transaction after the merchandise is received. In this way they can enjoy the merchandise for free, just like shoplifters at brick-and-mortar stores.

Unintentional Friendly Fraud: When a buyer mistakenly disputes a legitimate transaction without the intent to defraud a merchant.

Typically, unintentional friendly fraud is the result of forgetting about a purchase, not recognizing the transaction details shown on their credit card or bank statement and not knowing about a purchase made by another cardholder on the merchant accounts.

Online businesses collectively lose billions of dollars each year due to friendly fraud, making it crucial for merchants to take necessary steps to help prevent fraud before it happens, such as:

Cross-checking cardholder information.

Making sure IP addresses for orders match delivery locations.

Confirming order details with customers should anything look suspicious?

Get more information about Merchant account, Credit card processing, eCommerce Gateway, Offshore Merchant account, High-risk payment gateway, you can visit website – https://www.merchantstronghold.com/

Six Step to Starting an eCommerce Website

With new eCommerce sites popping up every day, online shopping is becoming the easiest and most convenient way to purchase products and services. But, not all entrepreneurial ventures into the online market have been successful. The biggest contributor to eCommerce failure is lack of knowledge.

Let’s look at a few things every aspiring eCommerce entrepreneur should know when launching a new online store:

Simple User-Interface (Website) Design: A website’s look and feel is the first impression a customer gets of an online business. Neon signs in the window of a brick-and-mortar store might attract customers, but a flashy website design with all the latest bells and whistles meant to impress visitors may not. The more complicated a website the more difficult it is for a customer to find a product.

Market Research and Target Audience: Before launching an eCommerce website, get to know your competition and target audience. Competition for a local business may be limited to other stores in the same neighborhood, while competition for an online store can be worldwide. Make sure there is a market for the products or services.

Business Model: B2B and Retail: Business-to-business (B2B) is the sale of goods, services or information to businesses instead of consumers. It is predicted that B2B sales will soon exceed sales to consumers. Of course, online sales to individual consumers, called e-tailing, will continue to be a popular choice.

Website Marketing: It’s surprising that some people still believe the myth that, “if they create a website, people will automatically find it.” This worked in the 1989 fantasy sports movie “Field of Dreams” when a farmer heard the words, “If you build it, he will come.” And, it works to some extent for brick-and-mortar stores in attracting the attention of passersby on their way to somewhere else.

Online Inventory Management: Just like traditional businesses, eCommerce businesses need to keep track of inventory for the products displayed for sale on a website. Using an automatic inventory system keeps product information and availability up-to-date 24/7.

Customer Service: It’s nearly impossible to ignore a customer when face-to-face in a brick-and-mortar store, but easier when the only contact is via phone or email. Plus, communicating over the phone and through email can feel more impersonal. In all situations, merchants need to make sure their customer service departments respect and treat their customers well by being open and accessible, responding quickly, fairly and honestly, and providing solutions to complaints and inquiries.
Get more information visit website - https://www.merchantstronghold.com/

How does an echeck Payment processing work

Understanding and Process Flow of ECheck Processing..!

If you have been executing a business for some time, the chances are high that a client has asked for to make payment utilizing an e check. Merchants frequently let their payment processors handle the details. Also, when disputes emanate later, the merchant is left with little to do, other than accept the processor’s requests.

As an entrepreneur (who starts a business alone),it is compulsory to have at least little grasp of what goes on when a customer pays through an e check. Be that as it may, to start with, let’s answer the obvious question: what is an echeck Processing?

What is an E check processing?

An electronic check is a type of payment process where a client’s assets are deposited into a merchant’s account over the ACH (Automated Clearing House) network. To process such payments, a merchant requires an e check processing, through which payments made by e checks can be pulled back straightforwardly from the customer’s bank account.

E-check processing merchant account for High Risk Business

If your business already accepts credit and debit cards, your present Merchant account Provider might be willing to incorporate ACH preparing to your effectively existing system. Organizations, for example, Merchant Stronghold offers the both cards and e check Payment Services to online businesses.

Once you’ve recognized a processing account that concurs with your requirements, the time has come to fill out the application. The data required will incorporate your evaluated processing volumes, and in addition the years your business has been in operation. The application process is normally quick and simple, and approval typically takes a couple of days.

How e check processing works?

In some ways, echeck processing is like paper check handling, although it is faster and more efficient

E check Payment Processing generally takes place in the following steps.

The purchase is Approved To approve the purchase, a client can either round out an online form or converse with the merchant specifically through a recorded telephone call. Simply, after the approval the merchant can pass the check data to the payment processor.

Payment is Completed The payment processor supervises the immediate withdraw of the funds indicated by the check from the client’s bank account, and prints out a receipt.

Businesses that charge clients settled expenses at each finish of a specified term should, therefore, embrace e checks as an essential payment technique.

POS FOR FOOD STORE MISC. - Merchant Provider

Food Store- MCC-5499

A fооd ѕtоrе is аnу kind оf ѕhор or rеtаil ѕрасе which ѕресiаlizеѕ in расkаgеd or ѕеlесtаblе fооd оr drink products, mаinlу for consumption off the premises.

Unlike gаѕtrоnоmу usages, Food Store- MCC-5499 uѕuаllу ѕеll rаw or unрrераrеd itеmѕ, whiсh mау or mау nоt bе rеаdу fоr consumption.

Standards belonging to ‘food store’ includes; bеvеrаgе ѕtоrе, butcher ѕhор, сhосоlаtе, fооd bouquet, grосеrу ѕtоrе, herbalist, рhаrmасу, ѕuреr-mаrkеt, wine ѕtоrе.

Benefits оf a Pоint-оf-Sаlе (POS) Sуѕtеm fоr fооd ѕtоrе

Buуing a Food Store- MCC-5499 ѕуѕtеm may seem like a hаѕѕlе аnd аn unnесеѕѕаrу еxреnѕе, but if you look сlоѕеr, уоu’ll find сlеаr gains.

THЕ BЕNЕFITЅ OF РОINT-ОF-ЅАLЕ ЅУЅTЕMЅ ARE:

Aссurасу: Sсаnning iѕ mоrе accurate thаn рunсhing in numbers frоm a ѕtiсkеr, оr expecting thе cashier tо rеmеmbеr what еасh item соѕtѕ.

Analysis: POS systems lеt уоu mаnаgе invеntоrу, flag itеmѕ for rеоrdеr, аnd analyze ѕаlеѕ раttеrnѕ.

A point-of-sale ѕуѕtеm is, at hеаrt, a саѕh rеgiѕtеr — but bесаuѕе it’s bаѕеd оn a PC, it ореnѕ uр a nеw wоrld of data аbоut уоur buѕinеѕѕ.

A роint-оf-ѕаlе (POS) tеrminаl саn bе nеtwоrkеd tо оthеr tеrminаlѕ, аnd tо a server in thе back rооm or at аnоthеr location.

IT CAN BЕ ЕXРАNDЕD:-

With handheld dеviсеѕ wirеlеѕѕlу linked tо thе main system. Yоu can uѕе it tо can trасk a number оf ореrаtiоnѕ in useful wауѕ аnd сuѕtоmizе it аѕ уоur nееdѕ сhаngе оvеr timе.

Thе mаin аdvаntаgе of a computerized POS ѕуѕtеm оvеr a cash box оr a cash register is thе ѕорhiѕtiсаtеd and dеtаilеd ѕаlеѕ rероrtѕ it provides. Thе ѕоftwаrе lеtѕ уоu аnаlуzе ѕаlеѕ in diffеrеnt wауѕ, ѕuсh аѕ bу SKU (itеm ѕоld), time periods, promotions, bу ѕtоrе if you hаvе mоrе thаn оnе.

It also helps уоur invеntоrу manager to buy in the right number оf cartons оf tissue рареr with imрrоvеd timing. And hеlр your сhеf calculate hоw much cheese to оrdеr fоr thе coming wееk, taking intо ассоunt аn uрсоming holiday. It саn аlѕо help rеduсе employee ѕhrinkаgе.

Get more information visit website – www.merchantstronghold.com

Six Things to Know Before Starting an eCommerce Website

With new eCommerce sites popping up every day, online shopping is becoming the easiest and most convenient way to purchase products and services. But, not all entrepreneurial ventures into the online market have been successful. The biggest contributor to eCommerce failure is lack of knowledge.

Let’s look at a few things every aspiring eCommerce Gateway entrepreneur should know when launching a new online store:

Simple User-Interface (Website) Design: A website’s look and feel is the first impression a customer gets of an online business. Neon signs in the window of a brick-and-mortar store might attract customers, but a flashy website design with all the latest bells and whistles meant to impress visitors may not. The more complicated a website the more difficult it is for a customer to find a product. One important rule to keep in mind is “the fewer clicks it takes a customer to get to what they want, the more satisfied they will be with their shopping experience.” On the technical side, many times fancy website design options don’t perform well and may cause visitors to become confused or irritated.

Market Research and Target Audience: Before launching an eCommerce website, get to know your competition and target audience. Competition for a local business may be limited to other stores in the same neighborhood, while competition for an online store can be worldwide. Make sure there is a market for the products or services.

Business Model: B2B and Retail: Business-to-business (B2B) is the sale of goods, Merchant Services or information to businesses instead of consumers. It is predicted that B2B sales will soon exceed sales to consumers. Of course, online sales to individual consumers, called e-tailing, will continue to be a popular choice.

Website Marketing: It’s surprising that some people still believe the myth that, “if they create a website, people will automatically find it.” This worked in the 1989 fantasy sports movie “Field of Dreams” when a farmer heard the words, “If you build it, he will come.” And, it works to some extent for brick-and-mortar stores in attracting the attention of passersby on their way to somewhere else.

Online Inventory Management: Just like traditional businesses, eCommerce businesses need to keep track of inventory for the products displayed for sale on a website. Using an automatic inventory system keeps product information and availability up-to-date 24/7. An inventory system is best integratedinto a website during the planning and design stages and must have built-in protection from fraudsters and hacking attacks.

Customer Service: It’s nearly impossible to ignore a customer when face-to-face in a brick-and-mortar store, but easier when the only contact is via phone or email. Plus, communicating over the phone and through email can feel more impersonal.