2. The Internet and Selling
How has the internet changed the way
that items are bought and sold?
How can farm business owners take
advantage of the internet for buying
or selling?
4. Selling on the Internet
Unless they have done it before, few
know how to use the internet as a
sales tool.
There are different ways to use your
website for sales.
You may also use a third-party site to
make sales
6. Selling on Your Website
Conceptually no different from any
other sales outlet
– Display products
– Answer questions
– Provide price information
– Allow customer to make the purchase
– Accept payment
– Provide product & receipt
7. Selling on Your Website
To display your products, you should
have a “catalog” that provides photo
& written description with price
Thumbnail photos (Database or static
interface)
Electronic Publication (Can print & view
offline)
8. Selling on Your Website
Facilitating the Transaction
Two basic options
• Traditional sales options (phone, fax,
email…)
• Online “shopping carts”
9. Selling on Your Website
Traditional Sales Options
Phone
Fax
Email
“Snail Mail”
10. Selling on Your Website
Online Shopping Carts
• View order details
• Change order
• Provide running total
• Process sales tax if applicable
12. Selling on Your Website
Online Shopping Carts
• You could buy or develop your own
shopping cart technology
• Most use a third party’s services
• See “A Primer on Shopping Cart
Technology” in text.
13. Selling on Your Website
Considerations for Making the Sale
1. Don’t ask the buyer to do too
much!
2. Security is vital!
3. Shopping cart technology also
facilitates order processing
14. Selling on Other Websites
On-line malls – similar to consignment
shops, most provide
– Tools to build & maintain your shop
– Credit card processing (with security)
– Advertising for the mall
– The ability to easily interface with on-line
auction services
– Flexible fee structure, depending upon your
needs
15. Buying on The Internet
• Perform research before determining
which products are right for you
• Be sure that the purchase is secure!
• You may be able to track your order
• You should receive an electronic receipt
• As you make purchases, note what you
like and what you don’t like.
16. Section Wrap-Up
• Selling on the internet can be
beneficial
• There are several different ways to
make sales on the internet
• When buying, make note of good and
bad items. Incorporate the good into
your own selling interface.
Editor's Notes
Ask the audience to answer these questions. You may want to write responses on a flipchart or white board.
We will focus most heavily on selling, although the business owner can learn a lot about how to sell their products based upon their experiences in buying things on the internet
The steps in selling on the internet are different from other outlets. Understanding them will help the business owner to establish a useful interface for selling goods or services.
We will cover several methods for using one’s own website. These range from very high-tech to relatively low-tech.
We will wrap up the section on selling with a review of how other sites can be used to facilitate a sales transaction.
This question will lead into the discussion on the next slide.
Displaying a product allows the buyer to see it
Some questions can be answered with a verbal description. Others may need to be addressed via email or some other sort of communication.
Shoppers should be able to see your prices as well as your shipping rates.
The buyer must initiate a transaction.
Once the buyer initiates the transaction, then the seller must be able to process the payment, either by credit card or cash (including checks)
After receiving payment, the seller must provide the product and a receipt of payment
There are essentially two types of catalogs commonly used. The first is a series of thumbnail photos and the second is “published” catalog.
This slide is meant to introduce the discussion on the next few slides.
Ask the audience about the pros and cons of each of these options. What makes them attractive or unattractive?
The more a buyer is asked to do, the less likely they will be to make the purchase from you. Will they fax or call an order in?
Online malls may be useful to you, although not many agricultural business owners use them. They tend to be targeted more to larger scale food manufacturers. However, if the seller is able to locate one that may be useful, they can be a low-cost substitute for developing a sales mechanism on one’s own website.
Reiterate that research is a key attribute offered by the internet.
Online security is very important. Unless you are sure that the purchase is secure, do not make the purchase.
Many sellers use technologies that will allow you to track your order as it is shipped via, UPS, USPS, Fedex, or some other shipper. This is a very nice feature that allows for easy resolution of issues that may arise with customers or shippers.
The seller generally provides an electronic receipt in the form of a special screen that can be printed and/or an email sent to the buyer’s address.
As the business owner makes purchases, they should take notes about what they like or dislike about the process. Incorporating those things that make the purchase easier into one’s own selling interface is a good idea.
