Once you take the decision to start your own e-commerce business, the process of launching it can be confusing as well as time taking. In an e-commerce business, you have to take a lot of decisions, and putting your efforts in the wrong areas can lead to waste of your efforts. The more time you spend by getting involved with a complicated shopping cart, the less time you’ll have to focus on what really matters. You must create valuable content, interact with your customers and try your best to market your business. So make an easy-to-use platform as your first preference and priority when launching it. You can always bring changes and up gradation later if you need.
The best way for you to build an online store is to use a fully hosted and subscription-based cart. Such services can easily take care of all the hosting, payment integration, and technical details, allowing you to quickly get a site up and running.
Here are some of the points you must take into consideration while deciding to move your online store. These are:
4 traditional steps while moving your online store:
Moving your online store is traditionally a good step. But the question arises what do you need to know while moving your physical store online? How to transfer that web page into a friendly, fun and highly intractable online store? Here are some of the most traditional steps you must know to be successful as an online seller
Being a developer all you need is to host your online store on a content management system which is highly easy to maintain. The choice of your content management system depends on your store. So, it is a must for you to start mapping out your scale on your online stores as soon as you can.
- You have to be inflexible and pre-plan all your products. Other than this, you can use visual aids, spreadsheets, online tools etc. for whatever the job you need to get it done. Here are some of the different ways you can map out your e-commerce store.
- Always move ahead by making a plan for the future, although you start with a small startup online business. Also, try to picture out things into your mind about how and where can your business grow with the expansion in its categories.
- Keep certain things in your mind like your targeted audience and useful keywords. You must fulfil all the needs and demands of your customers. You must look after your own strategies in order to sell in a better way and earn more and more profit.
- You cannot change the way your customers research online so one thing that you can do is to use keyword research tool and Google trends to survey the market and you can easily get to know how people are searching for your product online.
- There are a number of options out there from which you can choose but you have to be highly selective for what you need actually for yourself.
- Always walk in such a way that you remain ahead always as the process of product insertion into content management system always take longer than what you actually expect.
1. Map out your digital brand
If you want you can easily go and buy a logo for your site for just about five dollars but is that all you need? Or is that the way you want your digital store to be managed? Definitely not! As your targeted audience will make a number of assumptions and judgments just based on the look and impression of your website.
- As we all know the first impression is the best impression. Your brand signature, soothing music, friendly stuff and a clear shop floor are the following first impressions that must be made on your online store.
- You must be sure about the type of product you sell and the overlook of your website and brand must have a similar connection between each other.
- The colour of your brand plays an important role, so better choose such a colour that suits you professionally. You must design your website in such a way that it can be used easily by everyone.
2. Conducting SEO and technical audits
Mostly, soft launch approach for a new online business is preferable as it allows SEO and developers to create magic.
- Although content management system of your website can handle many things but it is important for you to make sure and keep an extra check that your store is built in an SEO friendly environment.
- SEO has a great impact on the store success of your website, so it’s better for you to take an expert advice before taking any decision.
- Be familiar with web reporting functions so that you can get all the post-launch information easily. Be friendly with your data team.
3. Planning for a big launch
Such big planned projects mostly run overtime. But it does not mean that you will become unsystematic with your launch plans. Many of the projects run out of the steam by coming to the end. But you must have proper launch plans so that the launch of your project do not take much time or get delayed. You must have the capacity to deal with these big projects.
- You must take a test for the server’s response time, also make sure that your website has the capacity to cope up with the live contacts with your web users.
- Make proper plans for your social media strategies and big deals. Be prepared for everything, pre- write your content in advance.
- Try to create PR online as they are your best friends. This the time for you to create a relationship with bloggers and publishers so as to get your product and store featured. Seek help from the people around you into your business community.
- It is better for you to make your twitter card whitelisted. As it is helpful for you when nothing works or server crashes.
4. Map out your content calendar
Your content is one of the biggest weapons for selling your product online. If you want to promote your product online you must write the right sort of content for your site, plan out everything including your seasonal editorial calendar.
- Be prepared for your seasonal promotions as seasonal selling’s are mostly massive and you might miss them out on important leads and revenues.
- You must hire a number of copywriters so that this can be highly helpful for you to implement your content plans.
- Keep the sales balanced and copy with the content that is entirely focused on helping the users in solving the problems, try not to create everything about you but for them.
Building and transferring your own e-commerce business store is not an easy task. From choosing a product, evaluating viability and sourcing, to the building, launching, and growing sales. There’s a lot of puzzles to be put together. You can take help of the above-mentioned steps so as to transfer your store with ease.
About The Author:
Shara DJ, a mid-level programmer working for magento website development company, Pattronize InfoTech. My favourite playground happens to be Magento but I do like others as well. I write some technical topics in my free time. You can contact me on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.