WebStoreSoftware^™

Here you will find some frequently asked questions from interested consumers. We wanted to share them with you to help you make the best buying decision possible for your situation and goals. We have permission to share the questions and have removed any personal identifiable data.

• Question: Why purchase ecommerce software when I can just join someplace like Amazon® or eBay® and sell my products there?

  Answer: It really depends on what your goals are. There is nothing wrong with selling items on sites like that and if they meet your needs then we totally support you in that endeavour. However, there are some things to consider if your goals are more demanding. This is why we also offer our hosted store service as well as the self hosted purchase option.

  The first is data privacy, ask yourself how being part of a corporate entity might effect your data privacy, and do they make money off of selling your information.

  The next is data ownership and controllability. If you have ever had your data on a server outside of your control then you know first hand some of the frustrations that come with such an environment. Owning and hosting your own data is very powerful and very rewarding. It is well worth the effort to learn if you do not already have the knowledge.

  And then consider the benefit that you get by creating your own brand awareness, rather than competing with many thousands of other merchants on sites like that which saturate the website and have the deep pockets to take the sales from you. Buying our software or really any software is not a cure all for anything, but it does provide an environment to where you can do something that really matters (that those sites can't offer you), and that is creating uniqueness and building your niche market.

  There are many more reasons that we can't discuss here without writing a book. Please contact us if you have questions, no obligation.

• Question: I am new to running an online store and my computer skills are lacking, am I looking failure in the eye?

  Answer: Remember that success has nothing to do with experience or computer knowledge, it has to do with your passion to succeed. If you refuse to quit on yourself then that is more than half the battle. You can be taught how to run a store and the computer skills, but no one can teach desire and passion to succeed, you have it or you don't.

• Question: What about my business startup. I hear alot about LLC. What is that and do I need a LLC?

  Answer: First I am not an attorney and we do not offer legal advice here, you should seek a qualified attorney for those questions regarding your unique situation. However, I can tell you about my own experience with LLC and what I was told about it when I first started.

  From my own experience, LLC stands for Limited Liabilty Corporation. It is a way for the average business owner to protect their personal property. As I understand it, if someone should ever sue a company that is a LLC, the judge may look at business operation documents to decide if the business followed their own operation guidelines and if they deserve LLC protection. If so then the personal property of the business owner is off limits and is protected and excluded from the case. If on the other hand the business did not follow requirements then the judge could decide that the business owners personal property is not protected and becomes part of the case as well.

  There are many factors involved and so again, please consult a qualified attorney if you have legal questions.

• Question: How do I get sales or find merchants to join my ecommerce marketplace if I buy your software?

  Answer: There are many proven ways to get exposure for your new store and brand name. The two most important things to remember is patience and content. Patience will get you through the growing phase, and content will build your brand name and customer loyalty.

  Don't let anyone convince you that eye candy (fancy widgets, colors, and graphics) will grow your site because they won't. The secret is content, the more content you have the more traffic you will get, the more traffic you get the more that search engines will pay attention to you. Remember that it is the search engines job to provide the user the best qualified results for their search. So if you are getting the traffic then the search engines ears will pop up and they will begin to put you on the higher search results.

  A perfect example of this fact is craigslist. It has no fancy theme, no special graphics, it is bare bones and simple. The reason they are successful and have passed the test of time is because they gave the users what they wanted "the right content". Providing the right content to your consumer market is how you can achieve similar or greater results.

  The answer is to know your market, know who your customers are in general and then focus on content to draw them to your site. Then the sales will come and merchants will follow because merchants want to be a part of a popular marketplace.

We will post more of these as we can. Please contact us if you have any questions.

WSS Team