The phenomenal growth of the internet is predicted to quintuple in usage within the next five years. Industry sources state that on a worldwide basis, the average annual growth rate is 103 percent. Within the U.S. alone it is projected at a whopping 61 percent. With that growth, comes the increase in the amount of online transactions. ZD Net states that consumer purchases will jump from $4.5 billion in 1998 to $3 trillion by 2004.

So, let’s find out more about e-commerce and what’s available to you. As the field grows, so do the options available and this article will cover some of the more popular.

We are all familiar with visiting sites offering order processing/secure transactions, a shopping cart, method of contact, and product descriptions/pictures. What else is available?

Since customer service is so important, and studies have shown that around 75 percent of customers abandon their shopping cart during the online purchase cycle mainly due to lack of customer support — features have been developed which make it very easy to maintain good customer support. There are more available, of course, but here are the top three.

Humanclick (www.humanclick.com) provides live customer support for your site. When you are online you will receive a doorbell sound notifying you that a customer wants to speak to you. You can then reply interactively. When you are not online, your site will simply state that fact. Best part, it’s free!

Groopz (www.groopz.com) is another live support available with the cost varying from free to paid. It requires some form of software. In the case of Click3talk (www.click3talk.com) your visitors contact you through your existing phone line while they are online. Special software and a cost are involved.

You don’t have a merchant account but want to accept online payments? A very popular method is offered through Cybercash (www.cybercash.com). The downloading of the software is free, but you will need to pay for a merchant account with a financial institution handling Cybercash transactions. Paypal (www.paypal.com) is another popular online payment method. Your purchaser’s funds are directly deposited into your bank account. This choice involves submitting your banking information over an encrypted site. There are many more online payment sites and you can either do the research or ask your website designer or developer. They are experts in online business affecting your website.

A wonderful way to get your point across is by using streaming media. For instance, a local real estate firm has a 3-D presentation of the interior of the houses for sale. You can get an up close view without actually going there. Or, recently I saw a cooking class presented online utilizing both video and audio. Very informative. Hold a class, charge admission, and have the student attend - all online. Offer a certificate upon graduation. There currently are online sites offering continuing education. One pays online, takes the exam online, and prints up a Certificate of Completion. Couldn’t be more convenient.

Try having music playing in the background while visitors check out your site. Visit local Web designer Becky Wiles’ site at www.2amazing.com for an example of this. The ideas and uses are endless for the fantastic feature of streaming media.

Other features available can include offering your customers the chance to pre-register or place a special request for an item. Have them fill out a online questionnaire to provide you with a way to gear e-mail news to them. Also, help them locate an item by having a search box on your site. Locally owned Performance Signs Products (www.performancesign.com) makes use of this feature.
Another feature you could have is to perform site analysis and reporting on your website to help you with your sales and customer information. A “honesty counter” tells you how popular your site is by counting the number of visitors.

Once again, for any of these features — consult your web developer, if needed. They can provide you with wonderful insight and know-how.

Having just touched upon the vast amount of features at your disposal to help your e-commerce site — let’s explore the legal aspects of e-commerce, and in particular, digital/electronic signatures.

As with any form of commerce, there must be laws. The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act of 1999 (UETA) was enacted to provide guidance in the electronic commerce field. With the increasing amount of transactions occurring online, the Act states that “the effect of any electronic record or signature must be determined from the surrounding circumstances, including the intent of the party creating the record or signature, applicable laws, and commercial practice.” In other words, real life law exists.

There is not much differentiation between transactions online and offline. When one clicks on the “I Agree” after reading various online sites’ “rules and regulations,” one is in effect “signing” or agreeing to the contract. The Act further provides that a signature may not be deemed unenforceable solely because it is in electronic form.

The UETA broadly defines electronic signatures to mean “an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to...a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.”

The exemptions to the UETA include any statute, regulation, or law regarding:
• Wills, testamentary trusts, estates
• Adoption, divorce, and family law
• Court orders or notices, and official court documents
• Notice of cancellation of utility service
• Any notice regarding an individual’s rental of their primary residence
• Documents required for transporting hazardous materials
• Notice of recall & notice of health or life insurance cancellation 942

What about notarization? The UETA states that “if a law requires a signature or record to be notarized, acknowledged, verified, or made under oath...the requirement is satisfied if the electronic signature of the person authorized to perform those acts....is attached to the record”. The obtaining of the notary seal is left for other laws (according to UETA).

The use of electronic/digital signatures has sparked strong pros and cons. That could be an entire article of its own and will not be covered here.

To quote Bill Gates: “There’ll be two types of businesses in the year 2000: those online and those out of business.” It’s an exciting world ready for another player — you and your business.

(Editor’s Note: Marie Buckner is a freelance writer who has over 15 years administrative experience in performing research, both online and off-line for business owners. Contact her at (360) 613-1085.).