E-commerce refers to buying and selling of goods and services using the internet. It’s an online portal that facilitates the online transaction of goods and services, transfer of money, and data as well. In light of the current pandemic, E-commerce is the only way to assure the continuity of several businesses. Consumers have shifted their preference to online platforms. With relaxations in the lockdown, it is still not safe for people to go back to their lifestyle before the pandemic. Ecommerce will play a major role in the “new normal”. Here’s a 9 step guide – On how to build your eCommerce Website from scratch?
While deciding where to sell products online, the biggest choice to make is between whether you should sell on a marketplace or create your eCommerce websites. Both of these options have their pros and cons that you need to keep in mind while you make a decision. Firstly, try to understand why you need an e-commerce website. It can be a tricky but befitting choice for you.
Finding A Perfect Niche For Your Website
Creating an e-commerce website from scratch is quite an easy task but it is important to find the right niche. New sellers often make the mistake of trying to sell already popular and established product. This is not the brightest idea mainly because products that are already established in the market are extremely competitive. There are a lot of factors that you need to consider while you try to find a reliable niche. Selling what you know thoroughly is essential. You need to have complete knowledge of your product. Devote time to learn the plus points and the drawbacks of your product. Why is this important? It is important because it helps you to solve problems that may arise in the future. Hence, familiarity with our product is necessary, it increases your chances of being successful.
Why eCommerce is Important for Your Business?
It is a known fact that an e-commerce website is instrumental for the growth of any business. a small business or even a giant company benefits from having their site. E-commerce assists in increasing your reach and in carrying out tasks that cannot be carried out due to the need for physical presence. Other than just buying and selling digital products, the fact that many other intangible activities can be carried out through e-commerce makes it a very flexible platform.
Merely having a website is not enough, web development plays a major role in influencing the purchase decision of customers. A well-developed website impacts customers subconsciously. It creates a larger impact than you think it does. Having an e-commerce website is just an added advantage to kick start a new business or boost sales for a more established business.
How To Build Your eCommerce Website From Scratch?
Now that you have reasoned the need of an e-commerce website for your business. The following below is a guide on how to create a website right from scratch!
Purchase a domain name
The very first to begin with is buying a domain. Why? A domain is a mere requirement for building an e-commerce website. Your domain name helps users to find your product online. The domain name can be anything as long as it is available online and concerning your business. buying a domain name also ensures that your website remains unique. How? You need to find a reliable hosting provider for your domain name. The rates may differ as per the extension you choose for eg.com,” .biz”, “.in”, “.co”, “etc”. It is always better to use ”.com” in comparison with any other extension. You also need a hosting provider to make your website live.
Select an ideal platform for e-commerce
Choosing a reliable e-commerce platform can be a tough decision for most business owners, mainly because we are spoiled by so many options. Figuring out what is necessary to keep the momentum of your store up, keeping up with trends can be quite the challenge but it is definitely worth it
Site layout
Every website needs a well-designed and user-friendly website layout. The development of a website is crucial because it can make or break your website.
Having an attractive and user-friendly website grabs a lot of attention from users to your website. Using clear and good quality pictures of your product is also essential. Make sure that your website is well organized and the subcategories are arranged properly.
Trust-mark
Displaying Trust-mark logos helps consumers to build trust and loyalty to your business.
Product details
All the details pertaining to the product must be displayed clearly and briefly. Use a suitable title to target and provide a brief description. The details that you provide are the only way that your product appears to your customer.
Using Testimonials
Reading testimonials and reviews of real users can impact the purchase decision of a product. Research has shown that the ratings and reviews positively influence the shopping behavior of the consumer. It also boosts their motive of purchase.
Payment Gateways
The mode of payment that you decide to go ahead with must be flexible. You need to make sure that your website is catering to all different audiences. Choose secure payment modes. CODs are a preferred mode of payment while some other customers may prefer making payments through credit/debit cards.
Website Speed
If your website loads at a slower pace then you must focus on improving the site speed. Recent studies show that people abandon or leave websites if they take more than a minimum of 5 seconds to load. This may result in the loss of potential buyers. This issue can be tackled easily if the technicalities are looked into.
CMS Platform
CMS (content management system) is a software that is used to manage, create edit, publish web content. With so many platforms out there, it’s important to keep a lookout for the best one. Identify if your website will be a simple brochure site, multiple or an inter-connected site, if or not you require a third-party software integration, etc. based on your choice of the type of website you want, choose the CMS platform. Choosing a CMS platform solely depends on the priorities of your business. Several CMS platforms cater to different needs.
Factors to consider for your CMS Platform:
Budget
You need to prioritize where you want to allocate resources. If you are a new business, you are more likely to invest more bucks on driving traffic to your website rather than spending a lot of money or just hosting it. If CMS is the backbone of your business, then you may want to spend more money on a good CMS platform that will fulfill your needs.
Security
Your eCommerce website is now your own valuable asset. You need to ensure that it is well secured. You need to know in instances of hacking, what would the CMS company do? What measure that they would take to curb such problems when they arise? It is your job to see what security features are in place. Invest time in doing your research. See what real users have to say about their experiences.
Scalability
Scalability provides the option of adding necessary plugins and extensions. This is done to enhance the functionality and size of your eCommerce website.
Mobile-responsive
Check if your CMS system has features to build responsive devices. Most people surf the internet on their mobile phones.
Choose The Best Shipping Partner
It is difficult to meet all of your needs by just using one carrier service. It can be a tough decision to find the best and right one for your business. Not all shipping carriers cover all items and all pin codes. Therefore, you need to be careful and select the shipping partner that suits your needs the most.
These are some of the basic steps that you need to consider when you create and develop an e-commerce website. E-commerce establishes and strengthens your brand. You can learn about your audience directly by using available tools on the internet for it. Having your own website gives you the liberty to make your own rules. You also have the freedom to get as creative as you wish to. It is an important piece of your e-commerce strategy.
Now that you have created your eCommerce, website and haven chosen the right shipping partner, go ahead and market your eCommerce website.
Dash101 is your one-stop-shop that caters to all your shipping needs. With Shopify channel integration and a wide range of courier integration, you are sure with an effective eCommerce shipping solution. Dash101 is not just your shipping partner, rather a business partner.
