In the world of ecommerce, there are always pressing deadlines. Everyone wants the latest, hottest products on their website as soon as possible. But when you jump into running your own business. Without a strategy for how to put in place these changes and launch, it can be quite the nightmare.
Having a checklist will help you in many ways. Especially, to ensure that all the necessary steps are taken before you jump into your eCommerce business. It is a list of items that has helped many others get started. In setting up their own website and their own online store.
With our checklist in mind, you’ll avoid some typical mistakes that cause frustration, for new ecommerce entrepreneurs and make it easier to get started with your business today. Have courage! We know that if you stick to this list and make these changes properly from day one, your e-commerce business will boom!
Plan a business structure and model.
Getting started with an e-commerce business can be daunting, and even deciding on a plan will require careful consideration. To get started as quickly as possible, try out the following checklist to map your way from idea to reality.
Select a Product or Service to Sell
The following are the key factors to consider when selecting a product or service to sell:
The Budget
Your budget is one of the first things you should consider when choosing a product. You’ll have more options if you have a big budget, but even with a small investment, there are plenty of products and opportunities available to wade through. The total costs can include sourcing, packaging, marketing, and promotion, etc. Before selecting your product, it’s important to take all these costs into account because they will impact how much money you can make when selling your item.
The niche markets
There are thousands of niches out there for eCommerce sellers, so it’s important to choose one that matches your interests or expertise. Consider whether the niche has long-term viability and is not at risk of becoming obsolete in the foreseeable future; for example, it wouldn’t make sense to invest in selling vinyl records as new technology like CDs and digital downloads/streaming makes this niche less relevant over time (thanks for reminding us about this one, Grandma). Additionally, look at the demand for items in that niche, is there enough interest from consumers that will allow you to build your business around it?
Choosing a Business Name and a Domain Name
The naming process is an important one. Choosing the right name for your business will set you up for success in the future. It’s a huge part of your brand identity and will probably be one of the first things people remember about your company!
First, make sure you don’t choose a name that is too alike another business. You don’t want to get sued, for it! It should also be memorable, easy to pronounce and spell, and meaningful. You can use free domain suggestion tools like NameMesh or Lean Domain Search to see what’s available and get some inspiration.
Establish a social media presence
It should be no surprise that social media has become an integral part of business promotion. Social media can help you build a community, find customers, and promote your brand.
Before you start posting on social media, it is important to have a plan (you can read more about this in our post How to Use Social Media Marketing for eCommerce). If you don’t already have one, start by creating a Facebook page for your business; after all, Facebook is the largest social network in the world with over 1.3 billion users. You’ll want to include relevant information about your product and links to your eCommerce store or website on the page.
Once you’ve established a presence on social media, using it can be a great way to start a dialogue with potential customers. According to Econsultancy, 72% of people who complain about brands through Twitter expect a response within an hour! It’s important that you are responsive when customers reach out via social media. So they don’t feel like they’re being ignored. And so other prospective customers see that you care about good customer service!
Launching an eCommerce website.
Launching an eCommerce website. Your website needs to be fast, easy to use and mobile-friendly. You want your customers to have a simple experience when they visit your store. As well as when they are checking out. If you’re not a technical person, don’t worry. There are many ready-made solutions which make it very easy for you to set up a great-looking store in just a few hours.
And this where One Day Digital could help you with. Check out our services, and let us help you to launch your cool eCommerce website.
Selling and Listing Your Products
There are two different approaches you can take to selling your products:
- Using an e-commerce platform, where you’ll have a storefront that you create and curate, so people can browse your inventory, see descriptions of the items, decide what to buy, and pay for their items.
- Selling your goods on a marketplace, like Amazon or eBay, where you’ll list each item and let shoppers find it by searching keywords. You’ll also be competing with other sellers.
- This step is all about figuring out which approach appeals most to you! Here’s how it works on some popular platforms:
- On eBay and Etsy, there’s no fee for listing products but once something sells there’s a fee on the sale price and payment processing charge (eBay). Additionally, Etsy charges a small transaction fee for each listing that sells.
- To sell on Amazon, visit their Seller Central website and get started.
- For Shopify, if this is the route you’re taking you’ll have to choose from three pricing plans based on how much traffic your store gets: Basic Shopify ($29/month), Shopify ($79/month), or Advanced Shopify ($299/month).
Promote Your Brand and Ship Your Products
Your eCommerce business needs two things to succeed: sales and shipping. Once you have those, you need customers. Once you have customers, you need more sales and shipping. In this section of the guide, we’ll cover how to use various strategies to get your products in front of shoppers, encourage them to buy from your website and ship their orders promptly.