This practical course helps you add products, integrate the system plus PayPal to take online payments, and learn ecommerce essentials including adding correct terms and conditions and basic trading law.

Add the capacity to sell a potentially large range of products or services online, necessitating a searchable catalogue and enhanced functionality to your websites.

The course covers background and trading essentials and the free use of an existing simple database and shopping cart system to speed up implementation.

Delegates can also gain professional qualification credits towards a University Certificate of Professional Development or degree from De Montfort University.

Overview

The course covers the following areas :

• Exploring the basic processes of online trading
  • Looking at existing online trading sites to explore models of product presentation and order and payment processes
  • Identifying factors that make for a good online experience and relating them to the students own business needs
  • An introduction to the different levels of online trading
• Introducing the ecommerce template
  • Exploring the functionality
  • Planning and writing product information for the database
• Hosting the site
  • Hosting requirements and choosing a host
  • Setting up the database
  • Uploading the template
• Working with the template
  • Setting the configuration variables
  • Entering product information
  • Tailoring the template pages
  • Integrating with an existing web site
  • Adapting the style sheet to enhance page appearance
• Working with PayPal
  • An introduction to what PayPal offers online traders
  • Setting up live and test accounts with PayPal
  • Configuring and testing the template's PayPal module
  • Enhancing PayPal's payment pages
• Managing PayPal accounts and order flow
  • Learning how PayPal handles orders, payments, refunds, etc.
  • Planning and writing a scheme of workflow to handle these

Overview cont.

• Following good online trading practice
  • Looking at terms and conditions policies of existing sites
  • An introduction to the Data Protection Act and exploring its implications for the student's own business
  • Creating a 'Terms and Conditions' page
• Planning for future site development
  • Determining the limitations of the site in relations to the student’s business needs
  • Looking at options for improvement
  • Writing an action plan

Who is it aimed at?

Individuals and business staff who want to add an enhanced eCommerce facility to a website. This course is somewhat technical in nature but is aimed at business owners, entrepreneurs and aspiring web designers rather than technical staff web developers.

Entry requirements

Although there are no formal qualifications required to attend this course, Windows and Web familiarity is required, plus basic Adobe Dreamweaver familiarity or similar. You should have a simple functioning website which you can develop on the course as the basis of your online shop.

Delivery method

The course is a 5 day fully trainer led course. To help reduce the effect on your business of losing a member of staff for 5 days, this course runs 1 day a week over 5 weeks. Delegates then have the time needed to absorb and implement the information gained during these intensive training days.