I've worked in the Internet commerce field for over ten years and the most common complaint I've heard from prospective customers is something along the lines of "I've spent countless hours making my website look cool and informative. It is so much better than my competitor's, yet they are making a killing on the Internet!   Why do I only have a few sales a month...this is so unfair?!"
 
If the story of Craigslist can teach us anything, it would be that no matter how atrocious the Web site design is, it is the last thing consumers really care about.  Pretty pictures, cool fonts, search engine optimization, rich features, and other Web design tricks can help attract more users and make their experience better, but it will not turn your site into the next Amazon.
 
So, what exactly differentiates a successful eCommerce site from the rest of them?  Of course, there are those that can throw money at the problem. Many large companies hire all sorts of expensive employees and consultants to design their sites.  Then there are those that stumble upon the right approach by accident and you hear about them in the media -- they are usually called visionaries or geniuses. Thinking your site will be "the one" is equivalent to buying a weekly lottery ticket and hoping to hit it big!  So for those of us not yet ordained as a visionary or genius, a more methodical approach would work better. 
 
Obviously, an exact recipe depends on the industry, target audience, and a little luck. There are, however, certain myths that I would like to debunk here:
 

• Myth #1: "eCommerce will not work for my business".  I have heard this argument a lot during my career -- company owners look at their business models and decide that they can't really benefit from doing business online. They don't realize that eCommerce is not only about selling goods on the Internet.  I've seen successful online businesses built on ideas that nobody thought possible. Heck, fifteen years ago nobody thought selling airline tickets on the Internet would be possible because it's so complex. Now the entire travel industry has changed completely, thanks to that little idea.  What can eCommerce do to make your business or industry more succesfull?  Pretty much any business can be made successful online with the right approach! 

• Myth #2: "I can have a complete online business for $19.95 per month, everything included".  All you can eat buffets are a good value, but usually the food isn't all that tasty.  Just search for eCommerce on Google and hundreds of offerings will pop up pitching all sorts of "all-inclusive shopping cart services" for a very low monthly price.  While using these solutions may seem at a first glance as a great way of "testing the waters", it will not result in anything but disappointment unless you have absolutely unique products everyone wants and raves about, or you don't really want to do business online.  The problem is not with services themselves (they usually provide a decent value), but with your inability to provide a unique online experience to your customers.  In other words, all Yahoo stores look and feel exactly the same no matter what colors, fonts, or pictures they use.

• Myth #3: "My nephew can make a great online store for me".  I am sure every one of us working in the field has heard it at least once -- prospective customer saying that his relative or neighbor's kid is great with computers and promised to develop a killer eCommerce Web site for $400 in two weeks.  I am sure many of us react the same way to these statements -- wishing the prospect best of luck and ending the meeting as soon as possible to not waste everyone's time.  Unfortunately, unless your relative is eCommerce professional, the result will be very disappointing (and if she is, it will definitely cost you more than $400).  This is almost like asking your relative to do an appendectomy on you -- unless she's a surgeon, the result may not be quite what you hoped for.  In the present economic climate, a successful eCommerce strategy can be the difference between life or death, so choose your surgeon wisely... 

• Myth #4: "With this great software I can do a killer eCommerce system myself".  Even worse than asking your neighbor to do an appendectomy on you is trying to do it yourself.  Unless you are an eCommerce professional, the result of attempting to develop an eCommerce site will be more than disappointing -- not only will you not have a well-designed system, you will spend enormous amount of time that would've been better invested into something more productive for your business.  Vendors selling shopping cart software will vehemently oppose my viewpoint since their business models depend on you believing you can just do it yourself using their wundertools, but I personally have not seen a single successful eCommerce site done this way.

• Myth #5: "I really don't want to spend too much effort on this until it's proven to be successful".  Unless you plan to bet the farm on your eCommerce strategy, don't bother starting -- it is that simple.  Building a successful Internet business is very hard work requiring heavy investment of time and resources to develop and even more to operate on a daily basis.  Your eCommerce strategy is not a red-headed stepchild, it needs to be seen as a separate and important business channel.  Moreover, business rules are very different in the online world and you have to plan to become an expert in running your business there, which means both getting all the help you can and self-educating as much as possible.  From this perspective, it is always great to have someone help you devise an eCommerce strategy, not just develop your site for you.

• Myth #6: "This great consulting company will do it all for me".  Unless you have tons of cash, you need to find a partner, not a service provider.  This is probably the hardest advice to follow since there aren't many companies willing to really become your partner (especially if your company is small, medium-sized, or you are just getting started). Most consulting companies would prefer to just take your money and deliver some solution to you.  At the same time, this could be the single most important choice you can make in executing your eCommerce strategy.  You are an expert in your products and services, you know everything there is to know about them, so your partner will need to compliment your knowledge with their expertise in developing and running an Internet business.  Naturally, your two companies need to work together in developing and implementing your eCommerce strategy.  This may sound just obvious, but the vast majority of consulting companies claiming to be eCommerce experts will want you to clearly define what you want them to deliver and when.  The biggest problem is that business owners and managers usually don't have a clear vision of what the end result should be, so the requirements will most likely change as the project progresses.  This is the scope creep trap and if you work with a service provider instead of a partner, it will cost you dearly, both monetary and strategically.

To summarize, I suggest not trying to implement your Internet business strategy yourself or with help from half-professional handymen, if eCommerce is important for the future of your business, of course.  On the other hand, don't try to hire an expensive eCommerce development consulting company or staff, unless you have a clear vision and strategy.  If you have extremely deep pockets, first hire a business consulting company that will help you devise your Internet business strategy (and those folks are notoriously expensive), otherwise find an eCommerce company that will be willing to share risks with you, for example by taking percentage of your online sales to recover development and support costs instead of demanding payment for services.  This way they will be compelled to use all their knowledge and expertise to make your online business successful.  Most importantly, don't start your Internet business unless you are completely committed to making it successful, no matter what.  I hope these simple suggestions will help your business make it online!