The e-commerce handbook for small and medium-sized companies
Anyone setting out to build an online shop will find advice online for every individual topic – and no answer to the question of what order to work in, or which decision locks in which other one. That is the gap the book closes. Across eleven chapters it goes from the business plan through the choice of software and hosting to search engine optimisation and marketing, in the order the questions actually come up in a project.
It was written by Yannik Süß, founder and managing director of Intent GmbH, and published by Springer. It is now in its second edition, as a paperback and as an e-book.
The book is written in German. An English edition does not exist. The description below is here so you can judge whether the German original is worth it for you – and because the chapters describe how we work.
Who it is written for
The book is aimed at owners of small and medium-sized companies who want to build up or expand online sales – and at anyone responsible for such a project internally without coming from a technical background.
No prior knowledge is required. What is required is a willingness to engage with commercial and legal questions before anyone talks about colours. If you already run a shop and are developing it further, most of the value sits in the later chapters on payment, shipping and marketing.
What the book is not: a manual for one particular shop system. Click paths go out of date faster than a book can be printed. What is described are the decisions that come up regardless of the system – and the criteria by which you then choose the system.
Contents
- Idea, concept, budget. Which conceptual steps are necessary before launch, how a business plan comes together, and how to plan budget and revenue.
- Software, technology, hosting. Choosing the system is one of the most consequential decisions when founding a shop. The chapter compares the common solutions and covers server choice and encryption.
- Logo, design, corporate identity. From the logo through the layout to a consistent visual identity – and why that is more than a matter of taste.
- Usability. Structure and operation have to be understandable without explanation. The chapter covers where that fails in practice.
- Implementation and legal questions. How a project runs, with a service provider or in-house, and the legal requirements a sales floor on the internet has to meet under German and EU law.
- Payment process. How a checkout has to be built so that it neither loses customers nor breaks regulations.
- Shipping. Sold is not shipped. This part of the process generates the most complaints – and the most customer loyalty when it runs well.
- Search engine optimisation. How a shop becomes accessible to search engines without the structure turning against its users.
- Marketing. Email, social media and affiliate marketing compared, with the instruments that are realistic on a small budget.
Book and practice
The topics in the book are the same ones we deal with day to day. If you would rather proceed with someone alongside you after reading it, the project workflow is described under online shop development.
The reverse holds too: the book is useful even if you carry the project yourself. It is written explicitly so that afterwards you can decide which parts to hand over and which to keep.
Publication details
Author: Yannik Süß
Publisher: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-38664-1
Language: German
Questions about the book or a project?
If you want to ask about a chapter, or you have a concrete project in front of you, drop us a line via the contact page. You can also book a slot directly there.