Creating an online store is opening the doors to a business and, as with any new business, there are many doubts that arise before embarking on this digital adventure. If they are not clearly defined and clear, these doubts can play a trick on you in the near future. Data confirms that 80% of online stores do not survive more than two years. It is clear that before diving into the world of e-commerce, you need to familiarize yourself with some concepts, but you also need to
draw up a plan that sets out the objectives and ideas of your future online store. One of the biggest mistakes is launching into e-commerce without having
all the necessary information . Conducting a market study will allow you to know if your idea is viable or not.
1. Know your competition, only then will you be able to differentiate yourself
Look for online stores in the
same sector . Analyze their different strategies (social networks, SEO, marketing, etc.) and choose the best of them. Observing how your competition works will help you to have a clearer idea of what the
best practices are and which ones you should reject. Once you have analyzed the competition, think about how you can face it and look for some characteristic that
differentiates your business from the rest . Remember that competition on the Internet is much greater and, without a doubt, small details can make the difference. For example, give more importance to quality or, on the contrary, offer cheaper products. And above all, be realistic; you will only be able to achieve success with objective data that show which strategy may be more interesting.
2. Specify your objectives and your company's philosophy
Set a series of objectives to be met in
the short, medium and long term , not a single objective that you can only achieve in the long term. This can be discouraging. Ask yourself why you want to open your online store, what you are going to sell, how you are going to sell it and who you are going to sell it to. From there you can clarify your goals more. Before creating the product catalog, you must be clear about whether you are going to sell abroad or only nationally, think about the most important characteristics of the products to highlight them, etc. It is convenient for your company to have personality and
transmit it to customers . It is best to be clear from the beginning about the philosophy that your company will follow in all its aspects (customer service, social networks, ...), this will make your brand have a
unique identity .
3. Define your corporate image
Before you start setting up
your online store, have a clear corporate image . This will help you maintain
consistency in all subsequent steps and convey the message you want to be associated with your company much more effectively. Create an image that matches the product or service you offer. Don't limit yourself to just "like" - make sure it's attractive, easily identifiable with your business and not too complex. This procedure is the beginning of the design and aesthetics that your website will follow. Take the utmost care of it because it will be your
letter of introduction and your window to the world.
4. Define your target
Knowing who your specific audience is will help you when
planning your strategies . Your consumers are the most important part of your ecommerce, since you must adapt to their needs to offer them what they are looking for. And for that, there is nothing better than knowing who your audience is and what
segment you are targeting . For example, if your target is young consumers, don't forget to be present on the social networks they use the most, such as Instagram.
5. Think of an SEO strategy
As we have already mentioned on many occasions, being
visible in search engines is essential to
attract more traffic . Research which keywords will work best and which ones your biggest competition uses. If you are lost on this topic, you can always turn to professionals who will create a
personalized plan tailored to your needs. At Línea Gráfica we offer a
complete SEO positioning service to define the best strategy for your online store.
6. Choice of payment and transportation methods
Having a clear idea of the different payment and shipping methods will make our job easier. Thinking about these two elements in
advance means caring about our future customers, since your potential customers will compare the payment and shipping methods of the different stores they visit and this will considerably influence their final decision. The more payment options we provide them (Paypal, credit card or virtual POS, cash on delivery and bank transfer), the more likely we are to
complete their order . Likewise, shipping time,
service quality and price are key factors in ensuring you more customers. In
this post we already told you what was the best way to choose carriers depending on the product you sell.
7. Create lists with your store's features
Having several lists with the
characteristics of your store in its different aspects will help you to keep everything more organized and not forget any ideas. An online store covers many fields and every detail counts when it comes to achieving a good final result. You can create lists divided by the different sections of your new business: web design, products, corporate image, transport, social networks,... and write down all the ideas that occur to you during the analysis prior to opening your store.
8. Think beyond your online store
Don't forget that your online store goes beyond the website you dedicate to it. It is essential
to promote it on different platforms , because customers will not come by themselves. Nowadays it is essential to be present on
social networks , since our consumers spend a large part of their time there and in addition to being a perfect medium to attract new users, you will get to be close to them and transmit more confidence. And not only that, you will also want your store to appear among the first in
search engines . To do this, you must invest in SEO positioning, as we have previously recommended. There are many possibilities to find new opportunities for your store through other means, such as
email marketing , creating a
blog ,... Analyze all the options and decide which are the best for your business.
9. Calculate the budget
Creating an online store is not free. In addition to spending a lot of time, you will also have to invest money into it. Create a
budget thinking about all the tools you need to generate income from your store. As for income, don't have too high expectations at the beginning. Being
realistic will help you keep your feet on the ground and achieve your goals little by little.
10. Consider hiring a professional team
If you don't have much experience in e-commerce, it's best
to turn to professionals who will advise you and create a solution tailored to your needs. At Línea Gráfica we have different services to optimize your online store and develop it to measure (
online store design , SEO and
SEM positioning ,
e-mail marketing ,...). Take a look at our
website and the
projects we have previously carried out. Call us and tell us your idea!
To all this we must add
enthusiasm and a lot of perseverance , since the work never ends and there will always be things to improve or simply because they will evolve and our store will have to adapt to new trends, strategies, etc. Do you now have a clearer idea of how to start your online store?
