What if I don't have a web site yet?
You can build your own site or have a developer build one for you. If you need a quote, we suggest you talk to Alpha Internet Presence, our parent company, for an inexpensive solution. They have plans to allow you to build your own online store right from your browser!

Do I have to host my domain with Alpha Commerce?
No. In fact, Alpha Commerce does not offer domain hosting. However, Alpha Internet Presence, our sister company, has bundled our E-commerce solution with their domain hosting for one low monthly rate.

Is Alpha Commerce Secure?
Yes. Your customers will be able to enter their credit card information with confidence. Alpha Commerce uses SSL with 128 bit encryption with a site certificate from VeriSign. Instead of data being sent via http (hypertext transfer protocol) , it's sent via https (hypertext transfer protocol secure). VeriSign and https are the industry standards for secure Internet data transmission.

Does Alpha Commerce Provide the Merchant Account?
No, not directly. Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (ECHO) is the merchant account provider. They are one of the few that support direct Internet connectivity for verifications and work directly with our server side software.

What exactly am I buying from Alpha Commerce, if the merchant account is provided from ECHO?
Your buying the ability to collect information securely from your customers through our SSL certificate from VeriSign. Also, depending on the plan you choose, you may be purchasing automated and immediate processing of the credit card information over the Internet.

How does the system work?
Your customer will buy products or services from your web site and then "click" on a link to finalize their purchase at our secure server. Even though this is our secure server, the page your customer sees will show your name and logo. The order details will then be shown (quantity, price, shipping, tax, and total) and they will securely enter their credit card payment information. The customer will be prompted to confirm the order and payment information. Upon successful entry of the information, the customer will be redirected to a page on your site where you can thank them for their order and give them and estimated ship date.

You will receive an order confirmation via e-mail to you so that you can ship the order. You can manually process the credit card information at that time, or if you are using our Instant Payment Processing option, then the credit card information will already have been processed through your merchant account for payment to you.

What Shopping Cart Packages Does the Alpha Commerce work with?
Every Single One! You just post the total charge, the order/id number, and the redirect for success or failure and you are done. You will post to your own secure directory at https://www.alphacommerce.com/yourdirectory . See "How does the system work" below for more understanding.

Do you have a free shopping cart that I can configure?
Yes. Customers can configure their own simple shopping cart for use with Alpha Commerce. You just enter in the name, item number, price, and description, shipping charges of each of the items that you want to sell. If you can fill out an online form, you can create a simple shopping cart. Just create a link to your newly created cart from your current website.

What if I need a more sophisticated and customized shopping cart for my products?
Alpha Commerce can build a customized, simple to use, and economical shopping cart system for you to sell your products. Just contact us for a free quote.

Can Alpha Commerce support my walk-in or phone orders?
Yes. You'll have access to a virtual terminal that will allow you to process credit card transactions just as if you had a terminal sitting on your desktop.

What are the total setup costs, and what do I get?
That's simple. Just answer these 2 questions. Do you need a merchant account or do you already have one? Do you want the entire process automated, or would you like to process the credit card information manually? Once you've answered these two questions, please see our plans and pricing, and find the column that pertains to you.

If I already have a merchant account, can I use it with Alpha Commerce?
Yes. We'll need the contact name and number of your Merchant Account provider to see if they support direct Internet connectivity for verifications. If they do not, we still may be able to offer you the lowest cost solution, even if you're locked into a lease on your current equipment.

Additonally, If you do not require real time credit card processing, you would just choose plan 2 and then process your credit card transactions manually with your existing merchant terminal after retrieving your secure orders from Alpha Commerce.

Do you have a reseller/developers program?
Yes. Contact Tony Evers directly at (214) 987-0578 to discuss plans and pricing.