Setting
up an online store can seem daunting at first, if you've never done
anything like it before. But once you do have everything up and
running, you'll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!
Check
out our 7 simple steps on how you can start selling online today...
1. Devise
your business plan
You
can't go head first into selling online until you've got a business
plan sorted. Your business plan will ensure you're hitting all of
your targets, and that you aren't going over budget. Think about how
much your online store is going to cost, take into account funding
from investors and map out a marketing strategy so you don't go off
course.
Ask
yourself:
How
much are my production and shipping costs?
How
much tax will I have to pay?
Do
I need to pay employee wages?
How
much will my domain name and web hosting cost?
How
much will I put aside for marketing?
2. Set
out to be different
So
chances are there will be plenty of competitors out there selling
similar stuff to you. What you need to do is stand apart from them.
Prove to your customers that you are different and give them a reason
to buy from you instead. There's no harm in checking out the
competition to see what they are doing and try to find that gap in
the market. Check out the
Texas
Beard Company
for an excellent example of being different. They've taken beard
grooming to a whole new level and it's worked wonders!
Ask
yourself:
Why
are people shopping with my competitors?
What
is so special about my product?
Can
my service be tailored to make it unique?
Does
my expertise make me stand out?
3. Test
the likability of your products
Before
you set up your online store, it's a good idea to see how people
react to your products on a low-cost scale. Think about selling your
stuff on eBay or Craiglist and then use customer feedback to find out
if you need to change anything. This is a great way to test the
waters before you go ahead and make a huge investment on your online
store. You can even set up a quick survey to find out more useful
information that will help you in the future.
Ask
yourself:
Who
is buying my product?
How
much do my customers want to pay?
Do
my customers have any negative feedback?
Can
I change my product to help sell more?
4. Choose
a domain name and SaaS Ecommerce platform
When
it comes to choosing your domain name, try and think about one that
is short and memorable. It doesn't necessarily have to relate to your
product, (Amazon being a fine example) but Google needs to be able to
find it so the name has to be good for
SEO.
Take a look at websites like
GoDaddy to
help you find out if your domain name is taken.
When
it comes to web hosting, you need to make sure the provider you
choose matches up to your specific needs. The last thing you'd want
is your sales to suffer, so be wise with your choice. As a SaaS
Ecommerce platform, we provide so many different tools, features and
benefits
- meaning we're fully prepared for the growth of your store!
Ask
yourself:
Does
my domain name work for SEO?
Is
my domain name memorable?
Does
the web hosting service offer space for business growth?
Does
the web hosting offer customer support in case anything goes wrong?
5. Choose
an Ecommerce platform
Choosing
an
Ecommerce
platform
is so important to the success of your business, so now would be the
perfect time to tell you that we can help with this! Have you checked
out our
features?
From custom design tools to match your brand, right through to
driving conversion and social engagement, we give you everything you
need to manage your online store. We also offer a dedicated customer
support team and our pricing plans have been created to suit every
kind of budget.
Ask
yourself:
Does
my Ecommerce software provide all the features I need?
Does
my store match my brand?
Can
I integrate with third-party tools?
Is
my ecommerce platform safe and secure?
Will
I need to run multiple stores?
6. Set
up a merchant account
This
is a pretty important part of setting up your store, as clearly
you'll want to be paid for your products! The most popular option is
to set up an account with a bank so you can process transactions
online through credit or debit card. And because payments are
instant, your customers can expect to receive their purchases
quicker! If you don't have a lot of money to spend on going with a
bank then independent sales organizations like PayPal. Or, if you
want the cheapest option around then check out our
merchant
services
!
Ask
yourself:
How
much will my merchant account cost?
Do
I have to pay annual fees?
Have
I researched independent sales organizations?
Do
I need multiple options that include PayPal as well as standard
credit cards?
7. Get
selling!
Ok
so once you have everything set up and ready to go then it's time to
get selling! Go back to your marketing strategy and think about how
you want to promote your store. Building up your brand on social
media and your blog is really important, and it will help attract
more visitors to your website. To get started, think about running
different
sales
promotions
to help sell your stuff. Another great way to bring more attention to
your brand is to run a competition and promote it on social.
Ask
yourself:
How
do I want my customers to perceive me?
Am
I regularly updating my blog?
What
types of promotions can I run?
Can
I afford to offer any giveaways?
Just
do it...
We
hope that our article has provided you with some food for thought.
Setting up an online store is an exciting adventure and as Ecommerce
experts - we'd love to help you along the way!
Don't
forget to share this article on
Facebook,
Twitter
and Google+
and let us know how you get on. Good luck!