Selling on the internet has the potential to open up new markets and business possibilities. With a few clicks customers' from anywhere in the world can order from your business. Selling on the internet, however, doesn't suit every business.

Have a Good Reason - The internet is a highly visual medium, it is very interactive and orders are placed immediately. But unless you give your customers a good reason for buying online it is unlikely to be successful. People are still very nervous about buying on the internet. By offering an incentive, such as home delivery or a discount, selling on the internet is more likely to be successful.

Questions to ask yourself in order work out whether your offline offering could be valuable to your customers online, you should consider the following questions:

Do your customers use the internet? MORI statistics show that only 33% of people use the internet at home or at work. If your customers are unlikely to be among them then it is best to stick to more traditional methods of selling.

Does it complement your existing sales channels? Consider how you sell at the moment. If you use direct mail or a catalogue the web could offer your customers a quicker option for placing their orders. But if you use a sales force the web doesn't have the same personal appeal.

How will people pay? You will need to be geared up to accept credit cards. One of the main benefits of online selling is that it gets rid of the need to fill in forms and send in cheques.

How will you deliver? Asking customers to collect their goods is out of the question. To sell online successfully you will need to deliver straight to the customer's door - which could be by post or by courier.

If it goes wrong? You will need to set up watertight systems to handle customer complaints and guard against credit-card fraud to ensure your customers can have confidence in the service.

How will you develop your internet site? You will need a specialist to design and create a website. Doing it yourself is likely to result in second rate website and a professional image that inspires confidence is very important on the internet.

Online is not the only option
Unless you operate in a very specialist market where all your customers are regular internet users, it would be unwise to make the web your only sales channel. Selling online works best if it is one among a number of options you offer your customers. And if your customers would never log on to a website in the first place, investing in an e-commerce website could be an expensive mistake.