Are you considering setting up an online shop but are not really sure
about the details of how to do this? The aim of this article is to
outline a list of things that you will need to consider for setting up
and running your store.
1. Getting You Stock
Find out where you are getting your stock from and whether you need to hold stock. With some suppliers you might not need to physically hold the stock, instead when you get an order you can arrange for it to be shipped from their depot.
However if you do need to hold stock you will need to calculate how much you need to hold and the cost to purchase this. As well as the cost of buying the stock, think about storage costs, can you fit it in your house or will you need to rent somewhere to store it.
Once you are aware of the stock costs and whether this is within your budget you can then move on to getting your website created.
2. Getting Your Website
When you get a website, one major thing to think about is that this is your shop. If you were getting a unit in a shopping centre you wouldn’t try to cut corners and do things on the cheap and so produce a shoddy looking outlet. The same principal should be applied to your website. You want something that is professional looking and also reflects your brand. After all there are so many places to buy most things you have to make yourself stand out.
Consider using a company that will use a graphic designer to create your site, that way you will get something original to you. Always make sure you are supplied with a content management system so that you can update your site and product lines immediately.
3. Payment Methods for Your Website
You can either set up a merchant account and process payments directly on your website or use PayPal to process your payments. Both methods have pros and cons so research it before you start and pick the method that is best for you. Your web developer should be able to give you some advice on this.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Set aside a budget for this, whether it be employing a company to do it or the time for you to do it yourself it is vital. If you don’t appear in the search engine rankings you might as well not have a website. The best way to think about it is imagine you have a shop. If it is on a back street with virtually no people walking past you will not be very successful without a lot of effort. If you are on a high street then you will get a lot of people walking past and coming in with little effort. Being high in the search engine rankings is like being on a high street.
Your budget for this should be at least as much as you spend on your website but probably more to ensure you get the maximum effect for your efforts.
5. Other Forms of Marketing
You should consider other ways of marketing, for instance magazine adverts and distribution of flyers. You need to consider as many ways as possible to get people to know about your website.
We have covered most of the major considerations for your ecommerce project and getting all of this right should help you to be successful and make a profit. Obviously there is no guarantee that your product will sell so make sure you research before you start and ensure you are selling something that people want.
1. Getting You Stock
Find out where you are getting your stock from and whether you need to hold stock. With some suppliers you might not need to physically hold the stock, instead when you get an order you can arrange for it to be shipped from their depot.
However if you do need to hold stock you will need to calculate how much you need to hold and the cost to purchase this. As well as the cost of buying the stock, think about storage costs, can you fit it in your house or will you need to rent somewhere to store it.
Once you are aware of the stock costs and whether this is within your budget you can then move on to getting your website created.
2. Getting Your Website
When you get a website, one major thing to think about is that this is your shop. If you were getting a unit in a shopping centre you wouldn’t try to cut corners and do things on the cheap and so produce a shoddy looking outlet. The same principal should be applied to your website. You want something that is professional looking and also reflects your brand. After all there are so many places to buy most things you have to make yourself stand out.
Consider using a company that will use a graphic designer to create your site, that way you will get something original to you. Always make sure you are supplied with a content management system so that you can update your site and product lines immediately.
3. Payment Methods for Your Website
You can either set up a merchant account and process payments directly on your website or use PayPal to process your payments. Both methods have pros and cons so research it before you start and pick the method that is best for you. Your web developer should be able to give you some advice on this.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Set aside a budget for this, whether it be employing a company to do it or the time for you to do it yourself it is vital. If you don’t appear in the search engine rankings you might as well not have a website. The best way to think about it is imagine you have a shop. If it is on a back street with virtually no people walking past you will not be very successful without a lot of effort. If you are on a high street then you will get a lot of people walking past and coming in with little effort. Being high in the search engine rankings is like being on a high street.
Your budget for this should be at least as much as you spend on your website but probably more to ensure you get the maximum effect for your efforts.
5. Other Forms of Marketing
You should consider other ways of marketing, for instance magazine adverts and distribution of flyers. You need to consider as many ways as possible to get people to know about your website.
We have covered most of the major considerations for your ecommerce project and getting all of this right should help you to be successful and make a profit. Obviously there is no guarantee that your product will sell so make sure you research before you start and ensure you are selling something that people want.
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