Find a reliable web hosting vendor: The first thing you need to do is get yourself a vendor to host your website. Suppliers are dime a dozen, but not all of them are worth your time. Conduct a background check to ensure that the company you choose to work with has the necessary skills and ethical orientation. If you can talk to an existing customer, that's probably your best bet.

Cover all your bases before you sign up – server downtime, troubleshooting, scalability issues and customer service levels are the usual pain points. When it comes to deliverables, make sure you're both on the same page.

Get your website up and running: In order to sell products online, you'll need a smashing company website, which can draw in traffic. For that to happen, register your URL (that's “internet address” for the non-geeks) on all major search engines to make sure your site pops up quickly.

Concise, informative copy and pictures where necessary will help engage visitors' attention. Update the site frequently to keep the content fresh.

Set up an online store: There are thousands of web hosts that offer a free, built-in shopping cart when you pay them to host your site. Another alternative is to use Yahoo!'s shopping cart program and have them build and maintain your store for a monthly fee. This is an inexpensive way to sell products online.

Spread the word: It's all about grabbing eyeballs. There's no point in a great website if no one knows about it. Don't close the door on advertising. Look at cost effective media such as specialized print journals or internet banners.

Ensure security: When you sell products online, security must be a top priority.

Follow up: People who log onto your site for the first time might not buy right away. However, they might turn out to be valuable prospects. It is estimated that 80% of sales are generated after five or more “contacts”.
Back-end sales: Successful businesses make up to 80% of their sales from repeat customers. Experts reckon that the value of 'a lifetime customer' lasts about 3 years! Make a habit of reaching out to customers once every few months, and letting them know of important developments like new product launches.

Love it or hate it, but you simply can't ignore the Internet! E-commerce is here to stay and the scorching pace of growth in online trading reinforces that argument. The sooner you get on the bandwagon, the better!