One of the main questions we get for the new Web Design Grant from the BC Government is “What are the technical requirements to receive a web design grant in BC?”
The answer to this question is below, and we will provide clarification as much as possible.
Mandatory online shop features -> These are required, and generally standard features of any e-commerce site.. meaning you can’t go and build a music blog with the funds, it has to be an actual e-commerce site.
At the end of the 12-weeks your online shop will need to have:
- Customer registration and information security features
- Shopping cart and order management capabilities
- Payment processing options including taxes and shipping costs at time of ordering -> You will need to create an account with the third-party payment provider of your choice. This can take 2-3 weeks so it’s best to be prepared for this as much as possible (make sure your business is registered and you have a business account at a bank). Read blog post here.
- Product catalogue, search and inventory status -> This is a setting that you need to turn on from the back-end.
- Website analytics and reporting capabilities -> Tons of options for this these days, available for free.
Mandatory online booking system features – -> These are required, and generally standard features of any online appointment booking site as well.
At the end of the 12-weeks your online booking system will need to have:
- Customer registration and information security features
- Schedule navigation and reservation management capabilities -> This is key, the customer needs to be able to make changes to their booking.
- Payment processing options including taxes at time of ordering, if applicable -> You will need to create an account with the third-party payment provider of your choice. This can take 2-3 weeks so it’s best to be prepared for this as much as possible (make sure your business is registered and you have a business account at a bank). Read blog post here.
- Automated replies and reminders -> Standard in all booking systems.
- Website analytics and reporting capabilities -> Again, lots of options for analytics these days, available for free.
Hope that helps guys! The best platform to use for building your e-commerce or online booking website for the BC Grant, I recommend working with WordPress. WordPress development allows for lots of customization and configuration that will allow you to be more competitive. And it’s future proof, meaning it will grow and evolve along with your business.
Contact us for more details!