Ecommerce businesses have exploded in popularity over the last few years and show no signs of slowing down going into the future. The internet has made starting an online business easier than ever and ecommerce has provided numerous opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to become self-sufficient.
However, if you have ever considered launching an ecommerce store and selling your products online, there are certain things that you should know first. When starting your business, it’s important to hit the ground running to avoid struggling at the most crucial stage.
Here are our tips for launching your ecommerce business:
Start with a solid foundation
Before diving head-first into your business launch, it’s important to plan accordingly beforehand. This means thinking about everything from the products you sell and your target market to your business/domain name and website design.
Once you have a solid business plan in place, it will be much easier to get started. While you will undoubtedly encounter many hurdles on your journey, proper planning will help you conquer them as they come.
Find your preferred platform
After drawing up a sound business plan, it’s time to start looking for the platform you want to use to sell your products. Luckily, this process can be fun and quick as there is no shortage of great options to choose from.
Here are a few we recommend checking out:
Shopify
One of the most popular ecommerce platforms, Shopify provides greatly simplified inventory control with the ability to upload a limitless number of products.
Magento
Magento is another fantastic option with many great features including dynamic product management, flexible pricing and a highly customizable interface.
BigCommerce
A slightly pricier choice, BigCommerce nonetheless offers many desirable things such as unlimited bandwidth and file storage, gift cards and reports to keep track of your operations.
Think about packaging
One of the most important – but often neglected – factors in a successful ecommerce business is the choice of packaging design. Your online store front isn’t the only thing that needs to be visually appealing to your potential customers.
Many entrepreneurs underestimate the importance of providing a memorable unboxing experience after your customer receives a package. Branded packaging helps implant your brand identity in customers’ memory and fosters loyalty in the long-term.
Have an SEO strategy
Once your online shop is up and running, you’ll need to attract consumers to make sales. One of the simplest and most effective ways to do this is to have an SEO strategy.
SEO will bring traffic to your website based on certain strategic keywords that are related to your products. If you don’t have the time to learn the basics of SEO, you can always hire an expert to do some of the legwork for a modest price.
Conclusion and more tips
Some other things you will need to think about before launching your ecommerce business are the payment systems you offer, customer service, content marketing, mobile responsiveness (this can be done automatically with certain platforms) and the social media platforms you want to use to promote your store.
With the right amount of planning and research, ecommerce can be a lucrative side business that eventually even replaces your 9-to-5. That said, it’s important to tackle this endeavour effectively in order to see continued success and have a competitive edge.
