One aspect of e-commerce that makes exam day less nightmarish is that you can look over anyone's shoulder. Lots have gone before you and the result of their efforts are just a click away. How do they keep customers happy? What works and doesn't work about their design? Who have they partnered with and which partnerships work? This isn't cheating; this is research.
In the end, however, it is your business. What works for others will not necessarily work for you. And if there is one thing e-commerce has taught us so far, it is to look upon the "next big thing" with a jaundiced eye. E-commerce is just commerce: it's a pass/fail test in the end. Make more money than you spend and you'll already be ahead of half the big e-commerce "success stories."
Eamonn Sullivan is an editor for IT Week, a London-based computer
trade magazine.
