enable customers to order on line

Adrian Bathurst · External Since: Mar 29, 2007 Posts: 1

I am trying for the first time to build my website. How do I get or enable my
customers to order my products on line?
Please be gentle I am after all a first timer, we all had too start somewhere

Mike Koewler · External Since: Aug 29, 2003 Posts: 1239

Adrian,

What level of ordering do you want? A customer fills out a form, e-mails
it to you with a payment and you send it, or one where the customer
orders and pays for something then it is shipped?

If it is the latter, you will need to use something like PayPal or
another shopping cart/payment gateway, which you will have to set up.
Each shopping cart, such as Mal's or PP helps you create a code. Say you
want to sell Widget 1 for $10.00. You would put a picture of it, or just
text with a Buy Now or Add to Cart Button as part of a form. When the
customer selects to do that, the product name, cost, etc., is sent to
the shopping cart. You can also set up the form so that the customer's
name, address, zip code, state, phone number, etc., also are sent.

PP has what is called Sandbox where you can set up a practice site.

Mike

Adrian Bathurst wrote:

> I am trying for the first time to build my website. How do I get or enable my
> customers to order my products on line?
> Please be gentle I am after all a first timer, we all had too start somewhere

Tish · External Since: Jun 21, 2009 Posts: 3

Terrific and very specific response. Thank you so much for that clarity.
Since you wrote this in March 2007, I'm wondering if there are other shopping
cart sites that you'd now recommend in June 2009. I know there are many new
ones out there, but am not sure all of them are truly 'safe' for our donors
who are leary of using credit cards on-line. (We are a non profit foundation
wanting to process credit cards. Our Paypal link works great for us but the
ISP method of linking to PayPal is confusing and cumbersome for our users who
have requested a change.)

"Mike Koewler" wrote:

> Adrian,
>
> What level of ordering do you want? A customer fills out a form, e-mails
> it to you with a payment and you send it, or one where the customer
> orders and pays for something then it is shipped?
>
> If it is the latter, you will need to use something like PayPal or
> another shopping cart/payment gateway, which you will have to set up.
> Each shopping cart, such as Mal's or PP helps you create a code. Say you
> want to sell Widget 1 for $10.00. You would put a picture of it, or just
> text with a Buy Now or Add to Cart Button as part of a form. When the
> customer selects to do that, the product name, cost, etc., is sent to
> the shopping cart. You can also set up the form so that the customer's
> name, address, zip code, state, phone number, etc., also are sent.
>
> PP has what is called Sandbox where you can set up a practice site.
>
> Mike
>
> Adrian Bathurst wrote:
>
> > I am trying for the first time to build my website. How do I get or enable my
> > customers to order my products on line?
> > Please be gentle I am after all a first timer, we all had too start somewhere
>

DavidF · External Since: Mar 18, 2004 Posts: 3032

Look to your web host for what kind of 'shopping cart' solution they offer
and support. As with PayPal they will likely provide some script to insert
into your Publisher web pages via the insert > html code fragment.

DavidF

"Tish" <Tish RemoveThis @discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A673CE77-68C9-4EA4-B969-1A3FC9A5F7A4@microsoft.com...
> Terrific and very specific response. Thank you so much for that clarity.
> Since you wrote this in March 2007, I'm wondering if there are other
> shopping
> cart sites that you'd now recommend in June 2009. I know there are many
> new
> ones out there, but am not sure all of them are truly 'safe' for our
> donors
> who are leary of using credit cards on-line. (We are a non profit
> foundation
> wanting to process credit cards. Our Paypal link works great for us but
> the
> ISP method of linking to PayPal is confusing and cumbersome for our users
> who
> have requested a change.)
>
> "Mike Koewler" wrote:
>
>> Adrian,
>>
>> What level of ordering do you want? A customer fills out a form, e-mails
>> it to you with a payment and you send it, or one where the customer
>> orders and pays for something then it is shipped?
>>
>> If it is the latter, you will need to use something like PayPal or
>> another shopping cart/payment gateway, which you will have to set up.
>> Each shopping cart, such as Mal's or PP helps you create a code. Say you
>> want to sell Widget 1 for $10.00. You would put a picture of it, or just
>> text with a Buy Now or Add to Cart Button as part of a form. When the
>> customer selects to do that, the product name, cost, etc., is sent to
>> the shopping cart. You can also set up the form so that the customer's
>> name, address, zip code, state, phone number, etc., also are sent.
>>
>> PP has what is called Sandbox where you can set up a practice site.
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> Adrian Bathurst wrote:
>>
>> > I am trying for the first time to build my website. How do I get or
>> > enable my
>> > customers to order my products on line?
>> > Please be gentle I am after all a first timer, we all had too start
>> > somewhere
>>

Tish · External Since: Jun 21, 2009 Posts: 3

We may not be 'ready' to take this on but the reason question was being asked
was we were planning to host this on our own server. We'll do a Google
Search on Shopping Cart Solutions to see what's new and use the chosen
vendors html. Thanks for the input! And wish us good luck.

"DavidF" wrote:

> Look to your web host for what kind of 'shopping cart' solution they offer
> and support. As with PayPal they will likely provide some script to insert
> into your Publisher web pages via the insert > html code fragment.
>
> DavidF
>
> "Tish" <Tish DeleteThis @discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:A673CE77-68C9-4EA4-B969-1A3FC9A5F7A4@microsoft.com...
> > Terrific and very specific response. Thank you so much for that clarity.
> > Since you wrote this in March 2007, I'm wondering if there are other
> > shopping
> > cart sites that you'd now recommend in June 2009. I know there are many
> > new
> > ones out there, but am not sure all of them are truly 'safe' for our
> > donors
> > who are leary of using credit cards on-line. (We are a non profit
> > foundation
> > wanting to process credit cards. Our Paypal link works great for us but
> > the
> > ISP method of linking to PayPal is confusing and cumbersome for our users
> > who
> > have requested a change.)
> >
> > "Mike Koewler" wrote:
> >
> >> Adrian,
> >>
> >> What level of ordering do you want? A customer fills out a form, e-mails
> >> it to you with a payment and you send it, or one where the customer
> >> orders and pays for something then it is shipped?
> >>
> >> If it is the latter, you will need to use something like PayPal or
> >> another shopping cart/payment gateway, which you will have to set up.
> >> Each shopping cart, such as Mal's or PP helps you create a code. Say you
> >> want to sell Widget 1 for $10.00. You would put a picture of it, or just
> >> text with a Buy Now or Add to Cart Button as part of a form. When the
> >> customer selects to do that, the product name, cost, etc., is sent to
> >> the shopping cart. You can also set up the form so that the customer's
> >> name, address, zip code, state, phone number, etc., also are sent.
> >>
> >> PP has what is called Sandbox where you can set up a practice site.
> >>
> >> Mike
> >>
> >> Adrian Bathurst wrote:
> >>
> >> > I am trying for the first time to build my website. How do I get or
> >> > enable my
> >> > customers to order my products on line?
> >> > Please be gentle I am after all a first timer, we all had too start
> >> > somewhere
> >>
>
>
>