According to Paul Boisvert, the Director of Product Management for Yahoo Small Business, many e-commerce businesses mistakenly try to sell all their products to everyone. In this interview with WebProNews, he said businesses should, instead, embrace their passion.

In other words, businesses should focus on their core product in order to send a message of authority and authenticity that reaches their niche markets. This method will better persuade consumers to make a purchase. For example, Amazon has hundreds of thousands of products but has expert employees over specific topics. When small businesses apply this model, their sales will likely increase.

Another area that businesses often struggle with is the shopping cart. As Boisvert explains, businesses need to have their contact information and, if possible, a live chat located beside their shopping cart. He said this gives reassurance to customers and reduces their fears.

Although businesses also worry about the number of steps in the shopping cart process, Boisvert believes this argument is overblown. He goes on to say that the number of steps should depend on the value of the product. For instance, a low-valued product could have a single-page process, while a higher-valued product would be better matched with a more detailed process.

In addition, Boisvert discussed the latest news with Yahoo’s small business division. The company recently announced a partnership with Unbound Commerce, which will allow all orders to be maintained in one place. Also, the company launched a customer registration system that leverages OpenID.