Forum Moderators: buckworks
Me and my brother is planning to setup our own online business and we were hoping to purchase the Commerce Server 2007 of Microsoft. I have been working for 3 years now for an Online Company as a Marketing Manager and I have been inspired to put up my own company. I heard of the Commerce 2007 but haven't really found the right articles/sites that offers intensive information regarding its functionality. Also, I was planning to attend training programs for the platform but apparently training is hard to come by.
If there is anyone out there that is well-versed with the subject matter, i would like to ask for your help regarding its marketing functionality.
For example, if I use it, what marketing strategies can i do to maximize its functions.
I would really appreciate if anyone can give me any ideas how to go about it.
Thanks in advance and God Bless to All! :)
and welcome to the WebmasterWorld!
I personally have never heard of Commerce Server 2007 before.
After I have studied its functionality overview, I can conclude that this product can be usable if are a big corporation and already have sophisticated company infrastructure, to integrate this new product into.
Info: [technet.microsoft.com...]
Particularily: "Connect seamlessly to internal and partner applications and systems such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, JD Edwards".
Are you sure you have SAP in your start-up? Are you deep-pocketed enough to hire developers that have experience with Commerce Server programming? Do you need SOAP or know what this is? Why pay for "Clustes support"?
There are plenty of shopping carts around -- that provide you with much more focused functionality. Browse this forum -- there is plenty of discussions in that regard.
I personally would have never started a business using such a product, beacuse:
1. If you cannot get information you need when you are shopping around, are you sure you get the info you need when you start using this product? If you are a big company, unsatifying support won't kill you. If you are a small start-up, it certainly will.
Yous site can be down, when you'll be trying to persuade the MS support of importance of this problem for you.
They're big, your're not. Your problems are not their problems.
2. Starting a business is not like working for a big copmany. It might take several years before you get profitable (if at all!). Why start investing heavily into something you don't even know ever turns profitable?
Learn fail cheapier. Do not invest into infrastructure at early stage of your startup -- you are not Google -- at least, yet :-).
Invest into attractive site design, usability and marketing.
About marketing strategies... a big, big topic. Depends on your niche, resources... Eveything that is cheap and measurable probably is good.
MS describes: "Content targeting, upsell and cross-sell capabilities, advertisements, e-mail campaigns, discounts, coupons".
That's all good things you can look for while shopping around for a shopping cart.
>> Learn fail [to] cheaper.
Excellent advice. Until you've had time to acclimate to what it takes to run an ecommerce venture it's better to invest only what you can afford to lose.
also thanks for the advice. really practical :)
