Setting up your own ecommerce store takes time and effort. It consists of several steps that build on each other to ensure flawless execution.
But first, have a strategy. Anticipate all the needs and challenges your business will face. All successful businesses start with a clear and sound strategy, so you shouldn’t skip planning and strategizing.
Now, if you already have a strategy in place, the next steps will help you move toward your goals. Read on!
Choose a Domain and Platform
A custom domain offers a lot of benefits if you’re planning to sell a wide variety of products and expand your business further. People will recognize your brand by your domain name. You’ll also have a professional email address where customers can contact you.
After coming up with a domain name, select an ecommerce platform that’s flexible and easy to use. If you have an existing site, the ecommerce platform should integrate with it easily. Or it should allow you to create an online shop from scratch with ease.
Set Pricing and Payments
Setting up pricing and payments boils down to three factors:
- Your pricing of the products
- Payment methods the customers will use
- Transfer of those payments to your bank account
When pricing products, consider the cost of materials per item, shipping fees, web hosting, taxes, and similar factors. As for payment methods, you’ll likely need third-party services such as PayPal and wire transfers for receiving and transferring payments to your bank account.
Design Your Online Store
After setting up a plan, buying a domain name, and ironing out pricing and payments, it’s time to create your actual ecommerce store.
Custom ecommerce development takes time. Search for developers with the experience and skills relevant to your project. You may get references from other websites that the developer worked on before.
Also, consider design elements such as color schemes, artwork, photos, animations, and others. Polish the website based on what your customers need and want to see.
Market Your Business
The next step is more about reaching out and interacting with your existing and potential customers. A solid marketing plan brings the right customers to your ecommerce store.
At this stage, SEO plays a huge part. For instance, you research keywords customers use and that your competitors rank for. Then, you use those keywords to plan your social media, content, and email marketing campaigns.
Lastly, you build your domain authority by having relevant and authoritative websites link to your store.
Measure Your Performance
At this point, you’re already running the store and growing it. It’s time to measure your performance and see whether you’re getting the results you want.
Measuring your performance means measuring analytics like:
- Site Traffic
- Conversion Rate
- Cost per Acquisition (CPA)
And other details such as clicks, comments, subscribers, and social shares. Keeping close tabs on these items will give you an idea of how well or badly your website is performing.
After measuring the performance of your website, you’ll know in what ways you can improve and grow your business. You’ll also get more valuable data about your customers and what they want.
