How will your fulfilment center let the system know that an order has shipped?
Do you need to let the system know? Is there a shipping number that needs to
get attached to the order? Does shipping status need to be updated more than
once, if at all?
Do you want to enable customers to look up the shipping status of their order
online? Do you want to provide UPS, FedEx, or USPS tracking numbers?
Would you prefer to be proactive and email changes in the order status to the
recipient? Do you want to send messages upon acceptance of the orders?
Should you send another when inventory is confirmed or a back order needs to
be authorized? Do you need another when it leaves your dock and enters the
shipper's vehicle?
Do you plan to provide online support materials for the products you sell? Is
technical support a product or service in and of itself? Does it need to be
processed as an order?
Do you need to support multiple languages? Multiple currencies? Regional pricing
structures?
What types of policies and disclaimers do you need to make available to your
customers? What are the terms and conditions of a sale? What is your return
policy? Do you offer a guarantee or a limited warranty on purchases? What
should customers do if they need to return items? Are there any locations
where you cannot legally sell your products and services?
What expectations do you want to set for your customers regarding fulfilment?
Will you ship same-day for delivery the next day? Will you charge a premium for
such services? What is the cut-off time?
What metrics will you use to manage the site? What reports will you want to see
regarding your customers, orders, online merchandise, site traffic analysis, etc.?
You can get access to hits and visits, but how will this information answer what
you really want to know?: "What did I do that generated the most sales last
month? And why?" Do you want to measure response rates to advertisements and
