E-Commerce with webonline

What can webonline offer?

You are welcome to setup an e-commerce website on one of our hosting plans, but there are a few things you will need to do. First of all you will need an e-commerce provider who will provide you with an Internet Payment Gateway (IPN). There are a number of these in South Africa, including Iveri ( http://www.iveri.com/ ), PayFast ( http://www.payfast.co.za/ ) & MyGate ( http://www.mygate.co.za/ ). Depending on what e-commerce provider you select and which payments you want to be able to receive, you may need to get a merchant account with the bank linked to that e-commerce provider. Dont worry, you do not need a bank account with that bank though.

What do I have to do and how long does it take to set-up?

Each payment gateway has it own process to follow so it will be best to contact them directly for more information. You do not need to be a "mega-business" with a million Rand's plus worth of turnover to qualify for the service! The only restriction is that many banks will not issue a merchant number to a company or sole trader that has a judgment against their name. You are even able to apply for a merchant number on your own name without having a registered business.

So, what are the cost implications?

Your e-commerce provider will generally charge you a monthly service fee, and the bank linked to your merchant account will usually charge you a percentage of the transaction fee (this is usually a standard speed point fee). You will be able to negotiate a better fee if you are already a merchant with a large turnover. The typical costs are therefore made up of the following: Your hosting contract with webonline, your service fee from your e-commerce provider, and a levy on all transactions (this is usually a standard speed point fee). Some e-commerce providers do levy a set-up fee which varies from provider to provider.

I want a SSL certificate on my site, what costs apply?

If you need a SSL certificate on your website, we will be able to provide you with one at a price of $ 125.00 per year. This certificate will be issued by Comodo. You will also need a dedicated IP address. The dedicated IP address will cost you R100.00/month. To host the SSL certificate will cost you R175.00 per month.

What do I get from webonline?

We provide a starting point and information, and the rest will be up to you and your web designer. Once you are set-up with an e-commerce provider, you'll then select your own shopping basket if you require one. webonline is unfortunately not responsible for the integration of your shopping basket.

I want to E-Commerce enable my site, so how do I get started?

Decide which e-commerce provider you would like to use, and contact them to register an account. They will also provide you with the rest of the information you require to implement the e-commerce payment solution on your website.

I would rather use another E-Commerce provider!

You are more than welcome to make use of any provider you prefer. There are so many options available that webonline had to offer one "Turn-Key" solution and we happen to have listed a few of the more prominent ones above.

Who else provides payment gateways in South Africa?

We are currently aware of the following providers:

• iVeri - http://www.iveri.co.za/
• MyGate - http://www.mygate.co.za/
• PayFast - http://www.payfast.co.za/
• PayGate - http://www.paygate.co.za/
• SetCom - http://www.setcom.co.za/
• Virtual Card Services (VCS) - http://www.vcs.co.za/
  

Additional Information!

There are a number of free online shop e-commerce solutions, such as osCommerce, which is well supported, easy to install and there are even many payment gateways that offer plugins for osCommerce! You may find more information on the osCommerce website here: http://www.oscommerce.com/

Alternate Methods

An alternate, simplified method of joining the e-commerce community without having a payment gateway would be to accept orders online, and then send your client an email giving them instructions on how to make an EFT or direct deposit into your bank account, and once payment is verified you would then dispatch the goods.

Still not 100% of what's involved?

Please contact sales@webonline.biz should you have any further questions.