Advanced Technology in e-Commerce and Web Publishing

Web technology has advanced a lot in the past few years. The advances can be divided into two categories: a) backend technology b) front end technology. Backend technology is the software humming in the background crunching data, handling user input and delivering data to be published by the front end software.

The front end software is, for example, what the user sees when he visits a Web site or uses its services. The backend system is the factory and the front end is the salesman. The two are equally important. A front end masterpiece is of no use if there is no system to send the orders to or handle the customers' requests. Combining the two elements together to create a successful e-Commerce Web site can be tricky and there are many pitfalls to avoid.

Every business wants to make an impression, especially in the eyes of the potential customer. An advertising agency is likely to show off their ability to create stunning graphics and flash movies, but doing the same for a client that sells consumer products could be dangerous business wise. One of the most common pitfalls an e-Commerce Web site can fall into is an overuse of Flash technology and multi media files.

There are reasons why mega Web sites like Amazon.com and eBay.com use simple layout and fast loading Web pages. They probably run more complex backend system than any other e-Commerce Web site, but still they rely on simplicity when delivering the backend data to their customers. If it works for them it will also work for your business.

It is amazing how much can be achieved with the use of Cascading Style Sheets or CSS. Using CSS for Web page and object layout can save a lot of bandwidth without compromising the look. CSS can also improve accessibility.

Here's a Web site that shows many examples and ideas of what can be done with CSS

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