Ecommerce. Taking online payments is the sure way of closing a sale and ecommerce is just that. It is about websites that take online orders and credit card payments.

Put simply, there are two types of ecommerce solutions. One is a simple 'buy now' button and the other is an ecommerce solution.

If you are selling 20 products or less then a simple 'buy now' button may just do the trick. This solution is very cheap because the web designer just copies and pastes the 'buy now' button code into your website. Costs are usually £50-£350

If you sell more than 20 products or you expect 1000's of buyers then you should really consider an ecommerce solution. An ecommerce solution encompasses all the functionality you'd expect from an online shopping experience:

> Customer account creation
> Basket facilities or wish lists
> Login for returning customers
> Invoice, reporting, stock control
> Shipping functions
> Multiple payment options
> Email newsletter
> And much more

These solutions range from £400-£3000 and could rise depending on the functionality and involvement of the web designer.

When budgeting for a ecommerce website you must remember that web hosting and a domain name (www address) will be required. This is an annual fee and costs around £100-£400 per annum. Complex security or reporting may cost more.