Online shoppers have come to expect more service, support, features, information and options from the websites of online vendors than from traditional vendors at malls, shopping centers and stores. Here is a list of some features you will want to make sure your e-commerce site has:

1. Comprehensive Product Catalog:
   
   An easy to navigate product catalog with detailed information on each product, product photos, dimensions, options and pricing are essential. If you have categories of products these should be clearly displayed. A visitor should be able to click on a product category and be displayed a list of either sub-categories or product links related to that category. Some type of "Quick Search" should be on the home page to facilitate navigation for repeat customers.
   
   
2. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
   
   Frequently asked questions, no matter how mundane are essential to getting customers to like the experience of doing business with your company. They help to convey a sense of comfort to your customer and help to eliminate fears or reservations about your company's product or service by assuring prospects and customers that they are not the only ones with these questions.
   
   FAQs also help to promote the impression to your customers that your company is honest and forthright and that you are not hiding anything, therefore building trust.
   
   
3. Free Tips and Information:
   
   More than anything else the Internet is about information. Providing free information in the form of tips and articles is a great way to attract customers to your site and keep them coming back.
   
   Information that is provided free, at no risk to a consumer, is always appreciated and goes a long way towards building a solid, long-term relationship with the customer. The more free tips, articles and information that you offer on your website, the more prospects and customers your website traffic will attract. With an e-commerce website, steady traffic is critical for the success of the business and competition for that traffic is fierce.
   
   The least expensive way to attract that essential traffic is to provide free information to help your target market solve their problems.
   
   
4. Easy Navigation and Search:
   
   Streamlined, flexible, easy to understand navigation and searching capability is essential to forging a memorable customer experience on your website.
   
   You should provide an easy way to search the site or product database so that the customer can get to the product information that they want. A drop-down box of categories is a popular way to discreetly add the category "Quick Search" to every page in your site. The visitor should have to click no more than 3 times to find what they are looking for. This is especially important with respect to shopping carts.
   
   Customers must be able to easily view, add or remove products from the shopping cart. The customer's final activity is to check out and complete their purchase. This process should be straightforward and hassle free.
   
   
5. Items that are Special or Featured:
   
   Customers are always looking for value. Product specials are always a good idea to present to the customer. Specials should be prominently displayed in a fashion as to unobtrusively attract the customer's attention. Often, a comprehensive administration section should provide the ability to add and modify features or specials.
   
   Specials should not just be a discount, they should be an offer. For example, don't just discount your products for a seasonal special, require a specific action from consumers in exchange for the special price. The most popular offer is a volume discount. Lower your price in exchange for buying 2 or more.
   
   
6. Ability to Use your Customer Database to Market to Existing Customers:
   
   As you build your customer base you are acquiring very valuable information regarding their purchasing habits and preferences. Within your administration section you may wish to have the ability to search on various criteria and e-mail to selected groups of customers based on the results of these searches.
   
   The ability to bulk email all customers in your database may be very desirable. These customers are technically "opt-in" since they have purchased from you and had an interaction with your company. Opt-in customers may be e-mailed without the violating anti-spam regulations and you should keep your customers regularly informed about special offers, risk free opportunities and product availability.
   
   
7. Comprehensive E-Commerce Sites Should Have What Is Termed an 'Administration Section':
   
   An administration section should allow the website managers the ability to add and modify information that is presented to the customer during their experience with the website. Your administration section must be password protected to prevent mischievous hackers from modifying your site. The following sections are typical in an e-commerce admin system.
   
   
   • Add, Edit and Delete products and related product information (photos, specifications, options, pricing etc.)
   • Addition and modification of product categories and sub-categories.
   • Add, Edit and Delete specials, promotion of featured items.
   • Reporting and Analysis. A good administration section should provide the ability to generate reports from accumulated customer and purchase data such as sales, order, product, and transaction reports.
   • Selection of payment processing options and parameters. If you expect your site to take credit card orders you must select a processing gateway such as Authorize.net, Signio/Verisign, Cybercash, LinkPoint, IZIC, etc.
   
   
8. Ability for Customer to Manage Their Accounts:
   
   Prospects and customers should have the ability to register and log in to your e-commerce website in order for key information to be saved and to streamline the ordering process for the future.
   
   A "member" login should supply customer information automatically so that the checkout process should not require them to re-enter contact and shipping information. If this process is too lengthy a customer may be inclined to terminate completion of their purchase. A customer should have the ability to manage their account so that contact and shipping information can be easily updated.
   
   The customers' interactions with your website should be tracked and saved where possible so that future interactions with your company can be personalized.
   
   You may also wish to give the customer's the ability to login and view their order status. This is a convenience that you must determine for your website. Do your competitors have this ability? This may involve more resources on the part of your company's staff to implement and you must decide if this feature is worth it.