The Microsoft® FrontPage® 2000 Web site creation and management tool makes it easier than ever for you to enable electronic commerce (e-commerce) functionality on your Web site and to interact with your customers in powerful ways.

Unlike many complicated Web development products on the market today, FrontPage 2000 can offer powerful e-commerce technology through the product’s simple interface. For example, the new form and database integration features in FrontPage 2000 enable you to collect information quickly and easily: FrontPage 2000 automatically generates the required server files needed to take requests with no required programming. If you require custom capabilities, a group of third party providers have developed a series of e-commerce applications that work directly with FrontPage to provide an additional layer of functionality.

Because FrontPage 2000 supports 100% HTML preservation, it is also possible to utilize and integrate FrontPage 2000 with many third-party e-commerce solutions not traditionally associated with the product.

The following paper examines common e-commerce issues and concerns and how FrontPage 2000 can support your e-commerce strategy. We will cover terminology, methods, security issues and third party integration.

Electronic Commerce

Since the Internet went commercial, a broad variety of companies have been using Web sites to generate revenue. From big names like Amazon and United Airlines to your neighbor next door, people have been conducting business and making money online for some time now.

Simply stated, e-commerce is the act of conducting business online. E-commerce encompasses a wide-range of activities that include the gathering of names and contact information for sales leads generation through extensive integrated online shopping experiences. The opportunities for e-commerce are varied and extensive and worth your careful consideration.

E-commerce is within the reach of anyone wishing to benefit from the opportunities that the Internet provides. The ease of use offered by FrontPage 2000 in the areas of design, integration and form functionality makes it an ideal product for developing and implementing an e-commerce strategy.

With FrontPage 2000, the implementation of e-commerce at your Web site is quickly achievable.

Terminology

Before entering into the world of e-commerce it is important to understand the terminology associated with the industry (listed in alphabetical order):

B2B (Business to Business)
Refers to e-commerce performed between two different businesses. B2B is usually done on a larger scale than most traditional transactions, and, when involving financial transactions, is often compared to wholesale in the offline world. An example of B2B would be Dell selling desktop computers to Boeing.

B2C (Business to Consumer)
Refers to e-commerce performed between a business and a consumer, the more traditional sales transactions. An example of this might be you requesting information about or purchasing a book at Amazon.

Digital Certificate
An electronic means to verify that a user sending a message is who he or she claims to be, and to provide the receiver with the means to encode a reply.

Encryption
A means of transferring data in an encoded format that is only recognizable between specific systems and looks like garbage to everyone else. Through encryption, sensitive data can be sent over an open network without anyone but the intended recipients being able to read it.

Forms
A formatted document containing blank fields for the user to fill with data.

Merchant Account
A merchant account is provided by a bank (for a monthly and a per transaction fee) that enables you to take credit card information and have funds transferred from the client’s account to yours. A merchant account is almost always required when performing credit card transactions over the Internet.

Payment Processing
The process of moving money from the account of the purchaser to the account of the merchant. Payment processing involves communication between banks or financial institutions.

Plug-in
A hardware of software module that adds a specific feature or service to a larger system. Also sometimes called an add-in.

Server
A computer on a network that manages specific network resources or programs. Can include mail, file, Internet or other services.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
A protocol for sending private encrypted documents over the Internet.

Methods of Electronic Commerce

Many people think of e-commerce only in terms of online shopping carts and credit card transactions. E-commerce is possible and profitable through a number of different types of online transactions, all of which are legitimate and should be examined when developing an e-commerce strategy.

Most electronic commerce methods fall into the categories of data collection through online forms and online shopping applications integrated into a Web site. We will examine the fundamentals of both categories in this section.

Online Forms

One important aspect of e-commerce is in the automated collection of data at a Web site. There is no need to spend the time and money to take contact information over the phone or by fax when the user can give it to you directly online. Be it name and phone number or zip codes and email addresses, a great deal of business can be generated through gathering such information online. On the Internet, data is collected through the use of forms, blank fields in a Web page used for collecting data. Using the form features built into FrontPage 2000, form processing is a simple task to undertake.

Any page in a FrontPage Web can be used for data collection by entering fields directly into the page and processing the data for later use. The form processing functionality on the server side provided by FrontPage server extensions requires no programming on the developer’s side.

Once form information has been placed on a Web page with FrontPage 2000, data can be easily sent to a specific e-mail address or appended to an already existing file. This is accomplished by selecting the appropriate action in the Form Properties dialog box accessible through a right-click anywhere on the form.

More information about the simple process of collecting sales leads or any other type of data online can be found at Office Update at http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/articles/fpSalesLeads.htm.

For even more power and functionality, form data can be integrated with a database. From the database, popular offline options such as the generation of mailing lists and address labels can be run painlessly. If you intend on doing business online, you also might want to examine integrating your data collection into your customer database. FrontPage 2000 makes this option an easy to implement valid consideration. More information on FrontPage 2000 and database integration can be found at the FrontPage Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage.

Another powerful use for forms is in the area of customer feedback. If you don’t know what your customers think of your products, services, or shopping process, your technology issues are not your biggest problem. Because collecting data online through forms is such an easy process, you will certainly want to somehow integrate it into your plan. Consider making customer feedback an important part of your e-commerce strategy.

If some of the more flashy features of an e-commerce site seem out of your reach, consider using FrontPage’s form capabilities to implement a simple data collection process that can collect valuable data from your visitors.

Online Shopping Applications

One of the most popular elements of e-commerce is online shopping. A Web store open twenty-four hours a day, reachable by most of the world with an Internet connection is attractive to many entrepreneurs wishing to make money online. Not having to stock your online store with costly employees or having to pay rent by the square foot for a retail establishment makes online shopping the key focal point of many e-commerce strategies. Like any retail endeavor, a Web site has obvious expenses associated with it, but when compared to more traditional options, many choose to take their store online.

The variety of functions provided by online shopping applications is significant because the needs of the seller vary greatly: While some might sell a single product, others might be working from an inventory of thousands of items. Also, one store might offer many variables on their product such as color and size while another store might not be able to provide instant pricing because of the individualistic nature of the product they are selling. In addition to the complexities of inventory requirements, the needs of an e-commerce venture could include additional considerations such as server and online marketplace integration. Online shopping applications need to be as unique as the store they provide functionality for.

Because there are so many different needs and requirements for online shopping applications, an approach that “does it all” is impossible. As a result, FrontPage 2000 does not come with a shopping application built into the program.

However, a number of third party applications have been written that supply online shopping functionality for FrontPage 2000. Some offer seamless integration within the FrontPage 2000 interface while others work with the product but run independently of it. Of the products that run independently of FrontPage, some have a Web-based interface, while others require an additional program to be installed on your machine.

Products that integrate with FrontPage 2000 automatically integrate with FrontPage 2000 during the product’s installation process. Functionality is then accessed through the FrontPage interface or a specific button integrated into the tool bar. You will need to refer to your product documentation for specific directions on how to use the program within FrontPage 2000.

It is also important to note that with FrontPage 2000’s commitment to 100% HTML preservation, almost any third party online shopping application could be used with FrontPage 2000.

Functionality differences for online shopping applications in the areas of inventory control, interface configuration, payment processing, security, recording and even payment options vary greatly between products and should be examined carefully before a final decision is made.

Because shopping applications that interface directly with FrontPage 2000 take advantage of an interface that you are already familiar with, the value of an integrated application should not be taken lightly. When developing your e-commerce strategy, consider the time spent learning a new application interface as opposed to working with a familiar one.

Payment Processing

In order to conduct online shopping, you will have to have the ability to take money in one form or another. This could be as simple as providing a mailing address for users to send checks or money orders to, or it could be as complicated as international bank transfers. Payment processing is, for many, the most complicated element of an e-commerce endeavor.

If you intend on taking credit card numbers at your Web site, you will need access to a merchant account. While some online shopping applications and services allow for the use of shared accounts, this is not the standard approach and, because of legal and liability issues, should be carefully considered.

One option in getting a merchant account would be to contact your existing bank. If you have a good history with them, they will often be able to provide you with a merchant account – often at a very reasonable price.

You should also shop around for other merchant account options on the Internet, as an entire industry has developed to provide such services to online merchants. Entering the term “merchant account” into any search engine will give you a long list to work with. Be aware that merchant accounts often require monthly fee payments even when no transactions are made and have terms that can exceed the lifespan of an e-commerce initiative.

When acquiring a merchant account, it is important to identify the types of transactions you will need to perform on the account and make sure that your pricing structure takes that into consideration. Many merchant accounts come with hardware for swiping cards and interfacing with the bank that you might not need if all of your transactions take place online. Other accounts charge different rates for transactions that are performed online (or in other instances where you do not make physical contact with the credit card). Often, additional equipment and services come at an additional price.

Another option in obtaining a merchant account is in working with your e-commerce software provider. Many have great relationships with specific merchant account vendors and can help you acquire an account for your e-commerce endeavor. Be sure to ask your vendor about these possibilities before you buy the product.

There are other payment processing alternatives including online checking, digital cash, micro payments and payment escrow services. They represent solid alternatives to payment by credit card and should not be disregarded. Many are often less expensive than traditional merchant accounts but tend to be less user-friendly to the buyer.

Whatever payment processing terms you end up implementing, you should make sure that your online shopping application supports them before making your application purchase decision.

Server Requirements

When considering an e-commerce shopping application, it is important to make sure that the service or product will integrate with your existing Web service provider. Be sure to contact both the application provider and your Web host if you have any questions about integration.

In addition to server integration, you’ll want to make sure that your Web host can provide the necessary security features for your Web customers. Most online shopping applications provide for encryption of data as part of the process. This normally requires that you purchase a digital certificate and work with a server that provides SSL encryption capabilities. Digital certificates can run as high as several hundred dollars a year. Not all Web hosts provide this detail of service and it will be important to find one that does. Make sure to check all of your shopping application documentation for server requirements. Typically, the costs associated with having online shopping at your site costs more than the traditional hosting arrangement.

You might want to consider contacting your existing ISP to find out if they support online shopping at their site and if they support or prefer one existing online shopping application over another. If they provide a considerable amount of server space for such applications they might be able to provide valuable insight on product functionality and experience. If they have a preferred vendor or product you might want to examine them as well.

Microsoft has developed a program that certifies Internet Service Providers to assure that they work well with FrontPage 2000 and understand the issues that a FrontPage user encounters. The Web site for the program can be found at http://www.microsoftwpp.com/wppsearch/ and is a great place to shop around for a server that meets your needs. There are thousands of providers in the program and the site lets you search specifically for ones that provide for e-commerce solutions. Be sure to take advantage of that powerful resource.

Finding the right server for your online shopping application is as important as choosing the right online shopping application. Solid research from multiple sources combined with a requirement of seeing examples of the product working live on the Internet is the minimal level of due diligence you should take when making your decision.

Some e-commerce products come in the form of server-based applications that don’t require integration with your existing host. As a result, the costs associated with hosting the electronic shopping elements of the site are part of the product cost (usually charged in a monthly or yearly fee). In some cases, this can result in a significant costs savings.

Costs Associated with Online Shopping

Online shopping can be an extensive undertaking. Understanding the costs associated with such an endeavor is key to developing a solid e-commerce strategy.

The first obvious cost is in the Online Shopping Application. Because the range in this area can be overwhelming, it is vital to make sure that you know exactly what it is that you want your product to do before you start the shopping process. Note that literally hundreds of companies offer such products so you’ll want to see examples of their product in use and look for references accordingly. Be aware that many online shopping applications charge monthly or yearly maintenance fees in addition to the original product cost. The price range for an online shopping application can run from nothing to serveral thousands of dollars depending on their capabilities.

The second cost is in your Payment Processing. If you hope to take credit cards at your Web site, you will need a merchant account with a bank that usually requires a monthly fee as well as a percentage of every transaction. Merchant account costs vary widely so be sure to shop around. If you do not expect to take credit cards and intend on working with alternative forms of electronic payments, there will be costs associated with these as well. A merchant account usually costs several hundred dollars a month in addition to a per-transaction fee and an additional charge ranging from 1% to 5% of the transaction.

The third area of costs will be in the Server that hosts your Web site. Costs in this area often include a digital certificate for your site so that you can provide encryption, a monthly hosting charge, and storage costs. Make sure you understand exactly what your ISP will be charging you for, as well as what additional costs will be incurred if you go over your allotted disk space or bandwidth allocation. Prices for a secure hosting environment that provides for payment processing and shopping applications start at around $100 and can go as high as several thousand of dollars per month depending on the amount of business done at your online store. As some e-commerce products come with server-based services, the costs of the server will be included in the price of the application.

Alternatives to Online Shopping

In addition to collecting sales leads online, a popular alternative to online shopping is creating a site similar to a more traditional catalog in that it contains product and shipping information, but relies on the user to complete the transaction by either emailing, mailing, faxing, or calling in the order form. Your Web site could contain the order form and the customer could simply print it off for their use. For some, a 1-800 number and a fax line/machine might be a better investment than an online shopping application.

Despite the many alternatives to online shopping, it is important to note that in many ways, the ease of ordering online is the modern version of the “impulse buy.” If you ask your customer to do anything more than “click here to buy,” the chance that they might lose interest and not complete the transaction is a valid one. An online shopping application might be expensive, though the approach can often pay off in the long run.

Don’t forget that if you do provide online shopping capabilities at your Web site, not everyone will buy something at their first visit. The other ideas mentioned in this paper should still be considered as well: It is almost always a good idea to collect leads for later follow-up.

Security Issues

The Internet is an open network. As a result, communication sent over the Internet is open and viewable on any part of the network over which the data travels. While the sheer volume of data sent over the Internet, coupled with the downright boring nature of most of it, keeps most information from being intercepted, it is important to understand that interception is a possibility. Sending sensitive data such as credit card information over the Internet requires cautious action. This is obviously important for anyone selling items or transmitting account information over the Internet.

The recommended solution is to encrypt the data so that it is only readable by the two parties that it was intended for.

While it is possible to encrypt email (or any other piece of data sent over the Internet), it is important to realize that very few people do. As a result, it is seldom a good idea to transmit sensitive data by email. For instance, if your Web site is an interactive catalog but does not have online shopping capabilities, be sure to discourage users from emailing their credit card information to you.

Most online shopping applications, as well as programs built for transferring sensitive account information, encrypt sensitive data as part of the product. All browsers from Internet Explorer to WAP Phones display a symbol or icon (usually followed with a message) to indicate that a secure transmission is in process and help give your site a visible differentiation through this indication. For example, when a secure transmission is taking place in Internet Explorer, a graphic of a lock appears in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

You will want to make sure that your online shopping application supports encryption.

In addition to the security requirements related to your Web site and the transmission of sensitive data, another important security issue is in the storage of the data. Credit card number theft is a common problem on the Internet and if you take credit card numbers through your Web site, it should be considered a very real threat. Storing credit card information on the server longer than you need to is simply a bad idea as it becomes a tempting reason for a cyber-thief to target your site. Once the transaction is made, consider deleting all credit card information from your records (on and off the Web server) as it is no longer necessary and can only result in potential problems were the numbers to get into the wrong hands.

Finally, there are a number of security issues associated with all areas of e-commerce that need to be considered. These all fall into the category of access.

Once you start collecting data of value at your Web site, the possibility that someone might be interested enough in your data to steal it becomes a real concern. Because of this fact, you need to be more concerned than previously about the people who have access to your Web site.

Who will have access to the inside information of your e-commerce Web site? Obviously, anyone with Internet access will have access to your online store but a number of people will, by the nature of the business, have access to your inventory information, credit card data, etc. You’ll want to limit that to as few people as possible. You’ll also want to make sure that there are no easy ways for someone to get into information that you don’t want him or her to see.

A good password system is crucial. Don’t pick logins and passwords that area easy to guess or figure out. If your ISP assigned your logins and passwords, find out how you can change them.

When implementing an online shopping strategy, many companies choose to bring the Web server inside the company so they can better manage the security issues described above. Bringing the server “in-house” gives you more control over the security issues described above. While this is certainly an option, the additional costs associated with such an endeavor should be considered: the cost of bringing an online shopping application in-house has a base price of around $10,000 dollars and can quickly rise depending on your requirements and physical location.

Site Design Considerations

When you enter a traditional retail establishment, it is often interesting to note the way the store is laid out. Sale and flashy items are often placed near the front to grab your attention while, often, the product you are looking for requires that you pass row after row of other products to find your prize. Also worth noting is that on the way out, through the cash registers, the store managers often place low-price items in an attempt to get you to buy even more. Any person in retail will tell you that the layout of a store if critical to its success.

The same is true for an online store. Site design considerations are vital and require as much thought as any physical location. Developing a Web site with a clear and consistent flow is especially important in e-commerce sites. Users want to feel that they are taking on a complete shopping experience and are often distracted or nervous when sites change theme and focus, especially when they are about to make a payment.

The Site Theme and Navigation elements provided with FrontPage 2000 can help you to create a site with a consistent flow and feel that can help ease the fears of a skeptical shopper. A great white paper about that very topic can be found online at the MSDN Web workshop at http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/languages/fp/2000/fp2kthemes.asp.

Integrated E-Commerce Options

Various companies have written a series of products for FrontPage that use the familiar FrontPage interface to bring a higher lever of functionality to their product. Many third parties have used FrontPage integration capabilities to develop and distribute a number of great applications. Below, you’ll find a few of the more major products and companies offering e-commerce solutions. Included in these products are a number of programs that provide specific online shopping functionality available through the already familiar FrontPage interface. A more comprehensive list of such resources can be found online at the Microsoft Update at http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/articles/frontpageassociates.htm.

Selected Online Shopping Applications with Direct FrontPage Integration

Microsoft makes it possible for third party designers to develop applications that can be integrated into already existing Microsoft systems. As a result, it is possible for developers to write e-commerce programs especially designed for use with FrontPage 2000 that integrate directly with the program. Once installed, these programs also can then be accessed through the same menu structure used for traditional FrontPage functionality. This, in effect, makes the functional possibilities provided by the FrontPage 2000 interface unlimited with the right complementary software.

The following applications (in alphabetical order) represent a sampling of online shopping applications with direct FrontPage integration. Each of these products are executables that need to be downloaded and installed on the computer system or systems you use to manage your Web site with FrontPage 2000. Specific documentation for each of these products can be found online at their respective Web sites, also listed.

o AddSoft StoreBot 2000 (http://www.addsoft.net/StoreBot/) is a database-driven shopping cart system with Web-based management capabilities. It claims to run on most Web hosting NT servers and is integrated with Microsoft ASP, Access, FrontPage and Office.

o bCentral™ Commerce Manager Add-In for Microsoft FrontPage
(http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/commercemanager.htm) allows
FrontPage users a simple way to add powerful e-commerce functionality to
their FrontPage 2002-based and FrontPage 2000-based web sites. The
Add-in integrates FrontPage with bCentral Commerce Manager service to
build a catalog of products online to sell in a FrontPage-based Web
site. The Add-in provides a way to manage sales and process orders
simply and effectively- all from within the FrontPage interface. An
article with more information on the product entitled, “Using the bCentral Commerce Manager Add-in with Microsoft FrontPage 2000” can be found online at http://www.microsoftfrontpage.com/content/articles/articles.htm.

o Boomerang Software’s Total E-Commerce (http://www.boomerangsoftware.com/Products/TotalECommerce/TECInfo.htm) integrates directly with FrontPage 2000. It includes merchant account tools, shopping cart, and automatic order processing as well as WebStore templates, online administration, and more.

o LaGarde StoreFront (http://www.lagarde.com) is a popular FrontPage 2000 shopping solution. The company claims to have more than 15,000 Web stores running their software and their product remains popular among Web developers.

o PDG Shopping Cart (http://www.pdgsoft.com/frontpage) is a popular shopping cart program with a Web based administration panel. PDG offers a free FrontPage 2000 component for their product.

o Rich Media Technologies’ JustAddCommerce (http://www.richmediatech.com/web/product/) is a plug-in for Microsoft FrontPage 2000 that adds shopping cart functionality to a Web site. JustAddCommerce integrates itself within FrontPage’s editor and is instantly available during the Web design process.

o SalesCart 2.0 (http://www.salescart.com) leverages Microsoft FrontPage by integrating directly into a product designed specifically for FrontPage. Also available are a Pro and SQL version.

Other Options Without Specific FrontPage Integration

There are a significant number of additional e-commerce options and tools available that do not integrate directly with FrontPage and are not listed at Office Update page mentioned above. Because of FrontPage’s support for 100% HTML preservation, it is possible to use almost any third-party product on the market today. The following is a small list of companies that provide e-commerce functionality that do not integrate directly with FrontPage 2000. These could also be examined as you develop your e-commerce strategy.

o AD Merchant Accounts (http://www.admerchantaccounts.com) help merchants located anywhere in the world acquire merchant accounts.

o Internet Technology’s SecuredForm (http://www.securedform.com/frontpage.htm) offers a simple and secured off-site solution for shopping web sites that offer only a limited number of products and do not require a shopping cart system. They offer direct support for Microsoft FrontPage 2000 designed forms.

o Mercantec SoftCart (http://www.mercantec.com/frontpage/) offers FrontPage users the chance to integrate with their popular browser based technology by using Mercantec’s Template Guide for Web Designers in conjunction with FrontPage 2000.

o PayPal’s Web Accept (http://www.paypal.com) offers their premier and business accounts the means to accept credit card payments from any Web site without need for a merchant account. The product generates HTML code that can be inserted into any FrontPage 2000 site.

o VeriSign (http://www.verisign.com) provides certificate services that enable Web servers to provide 128-bit encryption.

Obviously, we have not listed all of the e-commerce options that can work with FrontPage 2000. More companies and options are added to the list found at Microsoft Update at http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/articles/frontpageassociates.htm.

Summary

E-commerce is a vital part of the professional landscape today. Almost anyone wishing to do business in today’s economy will find at least some part of his or her interests online.

Microsoft FrontPage 2000 makes e-commerce easy: From simple form implementation to integration with complex shopping applications, it is a solid base tool for conducting e-commerce.

With FrontPage 2000, time is spent creating a site with the functions that you would like to see realized to perform the tasks you want it to perform – not in the complicated programming requirements required by other e-commerce solutions.

Because Microsoft encourages third party developers to create additional functional solutions for FrontPage that integrate directly into the program interface, the power available to the FrontPage user continues to grow as new solutions are introduced. As the feature set offered by FrontPage 2000 continues to grow, its interface remains simple and easy to use. As the product vary is capability and approach, you are free to select the one that works best for you.

A business Web site developed in FrontPage 2000 with e-commerce capabilities combines ease of use with programming power to provide your site with the e-commerce power you require.

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