Look for an e-commerce solution that includes a Content
Management System (CMS). This allows you and your staff
to add product images and descriptions, create discount
codes and manage pricing.
Shipping and Sales Tax
An easy-to-use checkout process is also important. "Make
sure your platform will give customers tracking numbers,
allow them to view their order status and notify them when
the order ships," Smith advises.
You will need to decide how you want to charge for
shipping. Smith recommends offering free shipping or a fl at
shipping rate for all orders. You can also entice shoppers
to buy more with "threshold shipping," in which orders
over a certain dollar amount ship for free. Regardless of
which option you choose, let customers know upfront
how much shipping will cost them.
SkinCare Physicians' e-commerce platform automatically
calculates shipping costs and shipping labels, saving offi ce
staff time and minimizing manual errors.
"After a customer orders a product and their payment
clears, a staff member pulls, packs and ships the products,"
says Foley. "Nowadays, consumers expect online orders
to be expedited, so we added a note regarding our one-
to-two day processing time."
If you carry brand name product lines, you may be
able to set up shipping through the manufacturer, but the
practices we spoke with prefer and recommend in-house
inventory and shipping. "We want the products to be
packed properly so they don't get damaged, and we want
them to get to patients in a timely fashion, which we can
control if we do it ourselves," says Dr. Mauricio. "But as
42 JULY/AUGUST 2017
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