How to open your own online store?
How to open an online store?
In the era of new technologies, to have your own e-store is simply easy! First, you should choose the product you want to sell. Then make sure you have stable internet access. Also, set up a company. Finally, book your domain, select software and configure the online store. Deciding on the Offerer platform you get an advanced tool for managing your own store and eBay, along with professional Customer Service.
The advantages of Offerer are:
- 14 days completely free trial,
- Payments on a monthly basis,
- A lot of customizable functions and configuration of your own online store,
- Free store template creator,
- Efficient and stable software,
- Integration with over 209 online wholesalers,
- Integration with couriers, payment systems, price comparison websites,
- Extensive reports and statistics,
- 24/7 technical support,
- Software stability at 99.98%
You don’t have to spend a lot in order to start! Even with a small budget, our simple and easy-to-use platform gives you the opportunity to bring your ideas to life and to immediately start selling. We provide you with the necessary tools for you to concentrate on your goals and passion.
So where do you start? How do you set up an online shop? What will your online shop sell? Follow just a few simple steps and you’ll be on your way to achieving your entrepreneurial dreams.
Ideas for online store
Think about your passion, what you are interested in and what you want to sell. Find out what are the market trends, what other online stores offer and what is a great business opportunity. It’s very important to analyze the competition in order to be able to offer your future customers something your competition can’t.
Or maybe you can offer your clients something innovative or unique? Any products that can be sent by mail or sent by courier can be sold online. Think carefully- if you hit a niche, you may have a winning ticket!
It is worth deciding at this stage whether you intend to buy goods and store them in a warehouse, which would allow you to sell your products to the customer much faster, consistently, while controlling the availability of goods and planning deliveries on time. But wouldn’t it be even better to do all of this without the costs or responsibility of maintaining a warehouse? This is now a possibility.
You’ve just read about the first step of how to open a store online, more can be found below!
Computer and Internet access
Henceforth the computer will be the most important tool of your work, as well as access to the Internet. All this will allow you to make changes in the e-store and fast contact with the customer.
Remember that your store is open 24 hours 7 days a week. However, you do not have to spend so much time in front of the monitor-information about new orders will be sent to you by e-mail.
Domain and name of the e-store
Think about the name of your online store. Your domain must be catchy, it’s also worth associating with your company’s activity – so that the client will remember it and easily enter it in a browser. Check if the domain with the name you have chosen is available.
Software for your online shop
Are you wondering how to build an online store? The easiest and fastest way to open your own online store using the services of a company that provides the right tools. Choose a good online platform, especially if you are not a programmer yourself. You will reduce learning from mistakes – your failure could quickly discourage customers – start immediately with proven solutions.
There are many software option on the market to run a store, some companies offer access to a fully working demo version of the store and an administration panel. Often, you can There are many programs on the market to run a store, some companies offer access to a fully working demo version of the store and an administration panel. Often, you can set up a trial version of the store for a limited time. You can check the Offerer software for 14 days for free and without any obligation!
Remember that our administration panel is simple and intuitive to use. In addition, there is a hint system in it, which makes navigation much easier. Our goal in creating the Offerer software was to combine functionality with usability.
While setting up an online store, take into account the choice of software that will allow you to integrate with couriers, and all types of payment systems, while being affordable. This will help you to manage your online store in a simple way.
Graphic design of the e-store
Your site should first of all be useful and transparent. If you have an original idea that stands out among others, it is definitely worth taking a risk. Remember that all graphical elements from colors, menus, access to promotions or leading products should encourage the visitor to shop.
If you feel that you need help with the design, you can contact us and we will prepare an individual project for you. In addition, a shop template creator is available at Offerer, and it’s included in the subscription price. Thanks to this, in a simple way, based on the available modules, you can design the visual setting of your online store.
You can learn about The Offerer store template creator in the following video.
Fill virtual shelves with goods
Regardless of what you plan to sell, you must do so by responding to your customers’ needs. Your e-store should be attractive and well-equipped.
Before you invite people to your shop, make sure that your products look desirable. Good-resolution photographs, as well as interesting descriptions, will be essential. Remember: your customers are not able to touch the goods, so the more information they receive about them, the better. Also, do not forget about the price of each product and updating the product availability.
Sort products in your online store so that it’s easy to find them. Suggest goods that also might be interesting to your customers – this may encourage them to continue shopping.
Many wholesalers offer integration with stores and with better software these days, easy integrations between these two groups make setting up an online shop faster. The Offerer store platform offers an integration module with all wholesalers. This system, in addition to price and inventory updates, allows you to automatically download photos and product descriptions.
Try to ensure that EVERY product has a comprehensive description – this will also be essential for search engines. There is nothing worse than products without descriptions. Search engines, such as Google, treat such subpages as local Duplicate Content (subpages do not differ except the name and price) and remove from the index. As a result, your entire store may disappear from Google.
If your preferred warehouse does not provide a mechanism for updating the product database and you do not want to change the warehouse, look for information about paid databases and product descriptions.
How to send products from the e-store?
You can invest in a van, but it will certainly be easier and faster if you work something out with shipping companies. Cooperation with couriers will certainly pay off with la arger number of shipments.
If you have the option of creating a delivery point at the company’s headquarters, it is a good idea to provide customers with the possibility of the collection point. The customer will save money on delivery fee and you will gain precious value: closer contact with the client, which may have an impact in the future.
Payments in the online store
The more payment options you give to the client, the better. You can decide to send packages on delivery, activate the option of transfer to your account or pay with a credit card, as well as using electronic payments. Remember that when it comes to money, the security of customers who trust you is extremely important. Take care of it.
To provide customers with a sense of security, install an SSL certificate in your e-store.
Currently, a very good solution is signing a contract with PayPal, which offers a number of different online payment methods and almost every store software has integration with this system.
Promote your online shop
How to gain customers on the internet? You can order marketing activities from an advertising company or take care of it yourself. Traditional advertising still works well, but if you want to get a network, you should pay special attention to: positioning on Google, advertising on internet portals and social websites, whisper marketing, links to the store on other websites, price search, online catalogs, paid advertising in Google search engine (AdWords) or newsletter. New clients will also be attracted by promotions and contests that are worth organizing.
If you will be positioning the store yourself, remember that the store’s software must be search engine friendly (just like the Offerer) and the product descriptions should be rich, lack of it is unacceptable.
You should also create your brand and communicate your values clearly so your customers can identify with your company. Thanks to this, you will build a community around your online store and create a group of loyal customers. Remember that they will provide you with a steady income.
Profits from the Internet
If you have already done each of the above steps and you keep an eye on the business, making profits is just a matter of time. Remember, it’s not a sprint–it’s a marathon. It will not happen in a month. The end of the calendar year is considered as the best period to start with an e-business. It may take up to a year or two before you build a solid customer base who love your brand and product offerings.
We hope this article will help you consider opening your first online store. Do you need more information? Read our blog and you will learn the secrets of e-commerce!