Just going to toss in my $1.50 w/inflation :-)
1) integration with accounting packages such as Quicken
Define an API, but don't specifically choose an accounting package. Deal with what the "use cases" are, rather than what Quicken expects. Quicken is nothing like what most companies use, with a full double-entry ledger system
2) secure transactions
Ah, there's the rub, this is a much more complex thing to do than it first appears. SSL is easy, but dealing with storage of credit-card information, and more so, delivery of goods via electronic means, is much more complex.
3) many of the features in packages such as Intershop
The first thing to tackle is whether this is US only or not, if not, then your tax issues just went through the ceiling. (I've had to deploy 3-4 instances of Open Market and Netscape Commerce Server) Taxation alone can require a HUGE database to back it up to do it correctly. Just wanna make sure you know how big the box is before you open it. Having said that, I'd love to see something down this road. Chris -- | Christopher Petrilli Python Powered Digital Creations, Inc. | petrilli@digicool.com http://www.digicool.com