Database Characteristics

1. How flexible is the database upload feature? Can you use existing product data spreadsheets or databases?

2. Does the store use a brand name database product (Sybase, Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL, Oracle, etc.) or a proprietary database which may limit later customization?

3. How many products do you plan to sell eventually? How many categories and subcategories do you need? Will manipulating this number of products and categories be clumsy with this software?

Back Office and Store Systems

4. Does the software have a back office you can control with a Web browser?

5. Does the store software provide multiple navigation systems adequate to find your products? Search engine, browsing menu, product icons links, etc.?

6. Is the order form intuitive and easy to understand?

7. Is the shipping calculation system complex enough to meet your needs?

8. Is the tax calculation system complex enough to meet your needs?

9. Does the customer receive screen and e-mail confirmation of an order?

10. Are the page templates flexible enough to meet the needs of your graphic designer to give the store your company's unique look and feel?

11. How does the store track shopping carts? What is their back-up if cookies are not accepted?

12. How useful is the store's internal customer tracking system? Does it allow you to develop a customer database for later e-mail contact with sales and specials?

13. How easy is it to set up sales and specials? Does it allow percentage discounts to various classes of shoppers? Does it allow a percentage discount after a threshold purchase such as above $100?

14. Can you easily place the same product on multiple pages?

15. Does it produce static (real-time hard-coded HTML pages and indexable by a Web search engine) or dynamic (generated only when requested by a customer query) pages?

16. Does it provide a system to support cross-selling (offering a related product for sale at the same time)?

17. Does it have a simple back office interface that your assigned staff members can learn easily? There is a simple vs. flexible trade-off here.

Security and Hosting

18. How will you pick up orders securely: View and print out order, download order file, encrypted e-mail, or transfer from in-house server?

19. Is it (or will free upgrades be) SET compliant?

20. Will your server location be in-house or leased space on off-site Web hosting service?

21. Do Web hosting services which host this store charge appropriate set-up charges and monthly rates?

Systems Integration

22. Do you need real-time credit card processing? You will if you sell information or downloadable software. With other products and services you may be better off charging the account upon fulfillment.

23. Does the software support real-time credit card authorization? CyberCash, ICVerify, etc.

24. Will the store ordering system integrate with your existing accounting or order fulfillment system?

25. Will the store ordering system integrate with your existing inventory system?

26. Does this software have many common, open system elements, or is entirely proprietary? Will this store software chain you to a particular developer, consultant, or software company?

Software Company

27. Is the software company successful enough that they are likely to be in business in a year or two?

28. Does the software company provide adequate documentation?

29. Do they provide e-mail or telephone technical support?

30. How does the store software fare in recent product reviews?