If the events of the last few weeks have led you to consider create an online store to go out and sell to the digital world, start putting together your plan with the help of these tips.
Today, with the technological advances and the social context that we live in, when you sell your products or services through an online store, you reach more people and it is more convenient for many consumers.
What to do to get it? It is easier than it seems to be.
1. Invest time
Creating an online store requires a greater investment of time than of money. In fact, if you are willing to make a trial version, there are options that allow you to set up an e-commerce site for 3 months for free.
Now the matter of time is more important than this. Because once you set up your online store and get it up and running, although success does not come immediately, you will have to take care of many operations that will surely require your schedule.
For this reason, specialists recommend, “buying” time as a measure of anticipating what is to come.
According to this Shopify article, if you spend 30 minutes a week responding to customer emails, you’d better make the effort to spend 4 hours on your “frequently asked questions” and then redirect all those queries to that page on your website.
In this way, you reduce the number of unanswered questions and decrease to only 15 minutes a week to monitor this item, dedicating the rest of the time to more strategic and less mechanical tasks.
In addition, keep in mind that the way of buying online is constantly evolving, so it is super necessary that you keep an eye on e-commerce trends to sell more and better.
2. Take care of the logistics
An online store, whether it takes more or less time, will multiply your sales. Of course, as long as your product or service is good and you as the brand owner are aware of the needs of the clients. An e-commerce website will give you even more visibility than social media if you do it right.
For this reason, specialists recommend establishing the suppliers you are going to use -and testing their products or services- before starting to develop your virtual store. In the case of the community around the Rock Content portal, these suggest prudent consideration:
- If you will be the direct provider, that is, you do not depend on a third party for the availability of what is offered.
- If you will sell something that already exists and you will not have to manage inventories.
- Whether delivery charges will be under your responsibility.
Also think about the costs associated with both the providers and the dispatch service, in case you decide to deal with it, and the times of each item, which certainly have an impact on the offer of your business.
3. Concentrate on developing your online positioning
Sounds like the end, yet you’re just leaving. This includes from the web platforms and the possibilities that each one offers, to how to choose a good hosting company, the name of your online store, the dispatch service and even a CMS software.
To choose a platform, the same Rock Content community suggests various possibilities such as:
- Hire a web programmer, whose service is estimated at approximately US $ 1,500.
- Make your own development, relying on tools and tutorials of the “do it yourself” type, and whose trial prices vary in the range of US $ 30-150 per month.
- Hire hosting, that is, the space that your virtual store will occupy to operate. In the same way that a physical business requires paying a kind of rent, its online version must also pay a monthly amount according to the functions and characteristics required.
- Consider adopting CMS management software, especially if you want to sell without worrying about the technical.
Now, regarding the name of the store we suggests:
- Choose words that are easy to remember and write, as well as short and descriptive as possible.
- Consider that, if you also include a keyword, it will have a higher web positioning.
- Make sure it is a cl or com domain, especially if you will only sell in Chile.
4. Evaluate your dispatch options
In the event that your store sells physical products, your office can respond to two modalities, direct or indirect:
- The first is your own responsibility.
- The second is from a third party in the event that you had to outsource for the amount of sales you handle.
In fact, logistics technology company Shipit recommends that startups or startups that don’t have the resources to manage their own dispatches partner with an experienced and knowledgeable shipping provider that adds value.
There is also the drop shipping method, in case your own supplier sends the products directly to your customers, which is many times more convenient, especially if they are items that require greater care in their transport.
Get ready to sell!
Setting up a virtual business requires you to be aware of many functions and tasks simultaneously.
That is why we recommend that you adopt process automation early, saving time to dedicate yourself to what is really strategic, which is to reach more consumers and solve their needs.
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