So one of your New Year's resolutions is to start making money from your Web site with e-commerce. How do you get there from here?

All e-commerce programs or "shopping carts" include a way to manage and display multiple products, calculate shipping and tax, and include a private "back-end" portion of the Web site where the owner can log in to manage orders. Beyond these basics, the features can vary greatly. Some are stripped-down basic programs, others are loaded with many more features than you will ever need to use.

1. Decide on the features you want and need.

In your regular course of business, you may be accustomed to offering different kinds of discounts (volume discount, percentage off sales) to certain customers to win a sale, or you may have different types of customers, such as wholesale and retail. To continue these practices online you will need to seek out software that specifically delivers the features that meet these needs.

Of course you don't want to simply move all your current practices to the Web -- there is so much more you can do with an e-commerce program. For example, you can easily send e-mail newsletters to your customers who request it, you can suggest cross-sales (also recommended -- i.e. the correct batteries or accessories with an electronic item), automatically show a list of the best-selling items in your store, and let customers know that people who bought items in their cart also bought this other item." Think of the all things you can do on Amazon.com; many of these features are available in very affordable e-commerce programs.

It's easy to get giddy with the possibilities -- there are many thousands of add-on features available -- but remember you must learn how to operate each one. It's better to learn to operate your store well with a few exquisite add-on features, then expand them as you have time to learn.

TIP #1: Make a list of your current sales and marketing practices that are important for you to continue to offer in your store, such as discounts or coupons, add new practices you want to start, for instance, e-mail newsletters and cross-selling, and seek out programs that deliver.

2. Decide what type of cart you want to use.

There are hundreds of shopping carts available today. While there are no hard and fast rules about each type, most carts generally come in these flavors:

• Free software programs -- often stripped-down versions of for-fee programs. The company may make its money by selling support, or by convincing you to buy the full program.
• Open Source (free to use and modify) -- created by volunteers, and which may or may not be free. Some are sold with a year of support included.
• Proprietary software -- created by one company which licenses a copy to you, normally you pay initial cost and updates.
• Hosted solutions --"rent" for a flat monthly fee. They take care of security, updates, even the payment gateway.

The first three types of carts are downloaded and installed on your own Web server or Web host. They typically include many features for managing your Web site such as e-mail lists, discounts and coupons. The fourth type is offered as a service rather than as a product, so you simply sign up for the service and begin uploading your products.

TIP #2: A hosted solution is best for new users or low-volume stores, and may not be as customizable as an e-commerce program that you own.

3. Decide on a budget for the first year.

The first thing to be aware of is that free is not necessarily free. Often support is included with a for-fee program, and that support has a great value to you especially when you are new to a program. Expert technical support by the hour is often valued at around $100 an hour or more.

The true annual cost of a "free" program if you need 20 hours of support a year is $2,000. But if a program that includes a year of support costs $250, that means you pay only for 2 1/2 hours of support and the rest of the year is free. The $250 program is a far better deal than the "free" program.

All e-commerce programs have periodic software updates. Like desktop software programs, these can vary from nice to critical. Security updates are critical -- you must install them or you may be at risk for hackers who exploit them. While these updates are generally free, most store owners must pay a consultant to install them because they often include database changes. Be sure to check that the first year's upgrades are included. If not, see how much their support team will charge per upgrade to do it for you, and add in one or two upgrades for the first year.

TIP #3: Budget for the true annual cost of the first year by including the program, support and upgrades.

4. Compare apples-to-apples with information from the vendor's Web site.

The Web site of each e-commerce program should include a complete list of features, technical specs, examples of live stores, a demo and pricing of the program and/or support. Proceed with caution if any of this basic information is lacking. Test the manufacturer's support by submitting a support ticket if possible and gauge the quality of their response.

In addition, most have a forum where users can ask and answer support questions. The forums are a great place to talk to actual users and get the real scoop on questions such as:

• Installation: Is it easy to install? Many require a technical pro.
• Speed: Do pages load quickly regardless of the number of products?
• Security: How secure is it? Are there special requirements to make it secure?
• Updates: How frequently does the company release updates?
• Stability: How stable is this program?
• Ease of Use: Is the program easy to learn, or complex?
• Platform: Does it require a specialized Web host?
• Scalability: Will this program grow with me as I add products and features, or is there a limit?
• Customization: If a feature I need is not available in the basic program, how easy is it for a programmer to customize?
• Support: Does the maker provide the level of support that they promise?
• Other: What common complaints do end-customers have about this program?
  

TIP#4: Check the data available on the vendor's Web site and talk to actual users in their support forum to help narrow your choices.

5. Check formal reviews.

Many unrelated Web sites offer reviews by experts and/or actual users. If you find reviews on the program in which you are interested, be sure the reviewer has the same skill level as you. For example, an advanced user can offer a scathing review of a program saying it is too easy and has too few features, but that program may be perfect for you when you are just starting out. Other, less scrupulous marketing people may post fake reviews, though they are generally easy to spot. Some so-called reviews or blog sites are actually paid for or made by a manufacturer. User forums are more open and spontaneous and may provide more specific data related to your needs, so compare and contrast the information available between the two.

TIP #5: Check the formal reviews and compare them to what you find out in the support forums.

6. Take some free test drives.

Now you have your list down to a few programs and it's time to do some driving. Take advantage of the free hands-on demos on the programs you are considering. An hour of driving a program will let you know how intuitive it is for the way your mind works, and whether there are extra steps required to perform your most frequent tasks, such as adding a product or processing an order.

To do a full test drive, you will log in to the demo store with the username and password that the vendor supplies. Open another browser window (CTRL-N) to view any changes you make to the store. In the Admin window you should be able to add or edit a product, make changes to the demo's home page, and view the orders section. In the store window you should be able to sign up for a customer account and make a fake test purchase. Return to the Admin window to see your test purchase. Continue switching back and forth between the windows playing customer and store owner until you are satisfied with the demo.

Note that some of the features in a demo may be limited to prevent hacking or misuse, and any data you enter may be erased or re-set each hour, often on the hour, to keep the demo clean.

TIP #6: Try a few demos before you buy to be sure the Administrative back-end is user-friendly to you.

7. Sign up for a short-term trial if available.

Give yourself an extended test drive with a trial version of the programs on your list of finalists. This will reveal flaws that you may not encounter in a demo and allow you to try the features that were disabled in the demo.

There are several different ways to get a short-term trial:

• A hosted version of a program as a service: Simply sign up for the service for the minimum period, often month by month.
• Programs available through a Web host: Many Web hosts advertise e-commerce programs available through Fantastico or SimpleScripts' one-click installation. Sign up for one month of hosting to access them. Note that security features are not automatically enabled in these one-click installations; talk to the Web host about how to secure your store.
  Web hosts that offer free installation of a program: Sign up for one month of hosting, and request installation of the program.

TIP #7: Sign up for a short-term trial to be sure this is the program of your dreams.

Remember, as you gain experience with any e-commerce program, your needs will grow and change. Start with a simpler program while you learn. After you have the experience of your short-term trial, go all-out with the program of your dreams, confident that you have chosen the right one for you.

Kerry Watson is a regular contributor to ECommerce-Guide.com, as well as a consultant and author of 14 books in the eCommerce industry. Her Web sites are osCommerceManuals.com and pithyproductions.com. Follow her at http://twitter.com/kerrywatson.