The global economy has been through many big changes in the last few years. Many people are looking for new ways to generate income or gain financial security and operating an eCommerce website can be a very profitable option.
Whether you are thinking of following a business-to-business service model or running a dropshipping company, you are going to need to know the basics of building your own eCommerce business. Here are five simple steps that can put you on the path to financial independence and online success.
Do Your Research
Having an idea and the will to realize it is not enough, you need to fully research the market you will be operating in and how to advertise your business and develop a customer base.
Start by researching different business models and finding one that suits you and what you want to achieve. Digital product sales, physical product sales, and business-to-business sales; there are plenty of options for you to choose from and a wealth of information is available about each one.
You need to learn more about digital marketing and how you can use it to promote your business. Without the right marketing, no one will know you are there and begin to use your site. There are many different strategies you can use to generate interest in your company, and each one will lead to more sales.
Build Your Brand
Modern consumers expect more than just a business name or a logo, they expect to interact with a brand that has a personality and an identity. Visiting your site needs to feel like visiting an old friend.
The language and content you use on the pages that make up your website should have a uniform tone. How your pages read is just as important as how they look, especially when the page highlights important products and services. These pages will help to define who you are in the minds of consumers.
When your website is built and ready to go live it will need to have your brand image crafted and its identity visible on each page, especially your homepage or welcome page.
Plan Your Paperwork
Starting a business requires a lot of documentation, with plenty of i’s to dot and t’s to cross both online and off. You may need a license to operate your business whether it is run from your home or a commercial property, and you will probably need some form of insurance to cover any liabilities.
Your online presence will require a lot of paperwork too, though this will mostly be online documents not physical papers in your hand. Registering a domain name is an important step and could influence the name of your company.
If the domain you want is already in use you may have to change the name of your business. Make sure you look online for available URLs before you decide on your company name.
Build Your eCommerce Store
The good news here is you do not have to be an experienced web developer to create a unique and engaging online store that will make consumers keep coming back for more.
There are many different platforms to choose from to use as the foundation for your site. Some are free, but for what they offer in value they lack functionality. If you are going to be serious about your business, you need to invest in some premium products to help you make the most of your online presence.
The big three are Shopify, Wix, and BigCommerce. They all have their own advantages and disadvantages which you should research to find out which works best for you. They can all be used to design, build, and test a unique shopping site that provides customers with a smooth and reliable user experience.
Design An Opening Marketing Strategy
With all the pieces in place to begin trading, you will need an opening marketing strategy to get things up and running and bring your first customers through your online doors.
Some consumers will find you through web searches for products, but you need to advertise your website if you are going to get a high volume of visitors. Remember, each visitor is not necessarily a paying customer, only a percentage of visits will generate a sale. You need to drive as much traffic as you can to your site so you can work on turning the traffic into purchases.
Using social media is far more effective than people realize, and gives you access to powerful consumer data analytics. Create a social media presence that compliments your eCommerce website and use it to market to consumers and engage with them.
With a plan anything is possible. Make sure you do your research and plan each stage of development. The eCommerce sector is booming so now is the perfect time to build your own online store and get your share of the action.
