Tony McGrath
14 June 2011
When ecommerce first came into its own several years ago, the products available online were primarily items that are easy to ship and do not go bad, such as books and electronics.
In a recent Auction Bytes report, contributing editor Greg Holden noted that certain fields that break that mould are now growing in popularity. One such sector, he noted, is gourmet and specialty food.
Holden noted even meat can be reliably sold online. Indeed, he and his fiancee regularly purchase grass-fed beef and free-range poultry from an online business, he wrote.
"The first thing you probably think about when you think about buying or selling meat on the web is, is it safe?" Holden wrote. "The second is probably, what kinds of regulations and rules govern the sale of meat online?"
Holden noted that, in order to sell meat across state lines in the United Sates, a company needs a sticker from the U.S. Department of Agriculture called a "legend". In order to acquire the legend, animals need to be inspected by the USDA, as do the plants in which they are processed.
Of course, a product alone is not sufficient for a successful ecommerce business. According to experts, an attractive and user-friendly website and a reliable online payment gateway are the key ingredients for online business success.
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