You might have a great idea for selling online in your head. It could be something that your customers have been wanting for a long time. You have partnered with the right suppliers and manufacturers to source your goods. Most importantly, you have your target audience identified. What do you do next? Take your business idea to an online shop!
Starting an online shop can be a dream come true for many sellers. But there are more than a few technicalities involved. This being the reason, many sellers shy away from setting foot in the world of ecommerce. Since setting up an online shop requires a little investment of your time and efforts, a majority of sellers want to sell on a marketplace.
But, only if you knew the advantages of setting up an online shop, you wouldn’t shy away from it. With the right steps and tips at your hand, setting up your online shop is easier than ever. It is possible that you might have a couple of questions in mind.
- Where to sell?
- How to make sure that people purchase from you?
- What are the most effective ways to market your products?
- How should you receive payments from your customers in a safe and secure manner?
- What is the best way to save costs on logistics?
- How to provide the best customer experience ever?
These might seem like big questions, but don’t worry. We’re here to help you every step of the way as you create your online shop. Let’s get started!
How to Create an Online Shop from Scratch?
Creating an online store from scratch is an elaborate process. Most online sellers make the mistake of taking decisions in haste that ultimately hurt the business in the long run. In other words, if you have a lot of money doesn’t mean that you blindly start creating an online shop. Similarly, if you are not ready to invest yet, doesn’t mean that you can’t create an online store on your own.
The most important task in creating an online store is determining your customer’s journey. Start by understanding the real demands of your customers. If you feel lost, begin your journey by looking at your competitor’s online shop. Understand where they have placed their call to action links. If you can, create an account on your competitor’s store and understand their customer journey. Look carefully for the areas where they create an experience for the customers.
Moreover, also look at their logistics services, including the delivery timeframe and experience. E-commerce logistics forms an important part of the online shop. Imagine what happens when a customer places an order and then receives a package with a broken product. Even if the customer returns it and receives a refund for the order, there is no way that their experience is restored.
So, if you are worried about the customer experience, everything you do with your online shop must be carefully monitored. Here are the 20 steps that you need to create a successful online shop!
How to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform?
Choosing the best ecommerce platform can make all the difference to your business. For this reason the first thing that you need to do is pick an ecommerce platform to get started. An ecommerce platform is something that helps your customers make purchases from you. With an ecommerce shop by your side, you can streamline your orders. Moreover, you can also have a face for your brand when you sell on an ecommerce platform.
Your online shop is the face of your business. After all you need a tool to bring your business idea to life. In case you don’t want to deal with customer calculations later, you must focus on choosing the right ecommerce platform. There are several platforms in the market that can help you get started with your store instantly. All you have to do is look for a solution that values your customer and provides a reliable and customizable experience. This way you can design your store just like you want it to be.
You don’t need to have any technical skills to own an online shop. Using Dash101 you can create your eCommerce store from scratch and start selling to your customers without any delay.
How to Value Your Mobile Users?
When you’re running an ecommerce store, you need to know where your sales are from. A majority of customers shop from their mobile phones. For this reason, many ecommerce stores today have dedicated apps. This way the customers are engaged through the app and the regular updates that go out.
When you’re in the process of creating an online shop, you need to make sure that your mobile users are attended to. A successful mobile strategy starts with accommodating your design changes. Mobile experience is quite different from the desktop and you need to have the right options at the right place. When you have a mobile friendly strategy in place, search engines like Google rank your online shop higher than others. This way when customers look for a particular product, your store has a better chance of showing up.
You can check the mobile friendliness of your website on the Mobile Friendliness tool. All you have to do is input your URL and there you go!
How to Create an Amazing First Impression?
Your online shop lets you create a first impression with your customer. That is because it represents your brand. There is no way that you can create an amazing impression with your customer if you have a slouchy online store. Remember that the attention span of the customer is only a few seconds. And this is what you’ve got to make an impact. Right from choosing the website design to placing the call to action link and more, every little detail helps in engaging the customer. Make sure that you also choose the domain name right. The kind of products you’re selling must resonate with your online shop.
The importance of a first impression goes a long way with the customer. If you are not able to get on the right foot with the customer, there are fewer chances that they will ever try making a purchase from you. Choose pictures and your caption wisely, so that your customers get instantly hooked onto exploring more from you.
Why Optimize Your Product Images?
Product images can totally transform your business. Remember that shopping online is completely a digital experience. There is no way that the customer gets the look and feel of the product they are purchasing for real. All they have are your product images and descriptions to make their mind for the purchase. Make sure that you optimize product images to not lose a sale.
In case you have bad quality images or only a handful that don’t show your products clearly, it might hurt your business. Take high quality pictures of your products and make sure to include all angles of visibility. Make sure-
- You use a white background so that your product stands out
- The product size in the picture must be big enough for visibility
- Allow your customers to zoom images. Statistics suggest that 61 percent of the customers like to zoom in to see the product better.
- Hire a professional photographer or outsource this job
Your online shop must have a simple navigation. Your customers must be able to go through from one page to another easily. Moreover, if they want to find something on your website, they should have an intuitive experience. No matter what kind of business you’re in, user experience is one of the most important things. Step into your customer’s shoes and go through your online shop.
This is what your customers will feel when they go through your website. Make sure you offer them stress free navigation. This way they can buy things they want anytime. However, there are a few things that you can surely add to your website. For example, you can add a ‘What’s New’ column on your shop. This way, your customers will be easier to know about the new collection that you have. Similarly, you can have a ‘Bestseller’ section and others. These not only improve the navigation of your website but also engage your customers.
How to Make the Most of Your Unique Idea?
One of the most important things is your business idea. There is no point of your online shop until you have a great idea. For this reason, your business idea must be unique. If you’re confused about where to begin, start by analyzing customer personas. Pick a customer’s pain points. If a majority of customers in the market have a pain point, you’ve got to build your business idea around that. For example, you might come across that there aren’t any gardening websites in your area. So, considering the eligible buyers, you can create a store. And this will help you stand out as well as attract buyers instantly.
Start finding what is new and what creates a lot of buzz. This way you will be able to narrow down your research. Remember that you want to offer something that your competitor is not offering to your customer. This helps you build a unique reputation in the market. Moreover, when your customers have something that is unique, they would want to stick to it.
Why is Creating a Strong USP Important?
What is your unique selling proposition? Think about the things that set you apart from the competition. What gives you an edge in the market? Until you have the answer to this question, the idea of your online shop will not work. You need to stand out with the customer if you want to make sales. Maybe you sell apparels that are directly inspired by the runaway styles. Alternatively, you are an official dealer of a famous manufacturer.
Stand out and create a unique selling point for your business. This is what will keep your customers hooked to your business. Take a look at all successful online businesses. They have something to offer that sets them apart. This way if their customers are not purchasing from them, they are missing out on something. But, also make sure that your credentials fit as per your proposition.
Why Pay Attention to Your Content?
One of the best things you can do for your online shop is to start blogging. Make the most of your business by investing in your content marketing efforts. If you know the unique selling proposition of your business, you can channelize it in the content. Blogs are great to rank on the Internet. So, if you are investing on them, you are increasing your sales opportunities indirectly.
When visitors find useful content, they will also take a look at the products you’re offering. And because your content is wrapped around your product, you will have your target audience as visitors. For example, you might be a business that sells scarves. How about writing content such as-
- Best scarves for the summers
- Top 5 scarves that must be in your closet
- 10 ways to tie a scarf
- How scarves can add a great look to your outfit
Choose topics that are easily clickable. The idea should be to have visitors reading your content. Once they start reading the content, they’ll be interested in your products. Remember to publish frequently so that your relevancy is maintained in the market.
How Should You Create an ‘About Us Page?
Don’t underestimate the power of an ‘About Us’ page. Most customers when they land on an online shop for the first time, want to know more. So, it is only natural that they will want to visit the ‘About Us’ page of your website. For this reason, you must make it a mindblowing one.
Your about us page must be appealing and stand out. What is it that separates your story? How did your business come up with the products? Do you have a rich history of your products or brand? Whatever it is, make sure your page is the best. Users love to read a compelling story. Make sure you make your about us page an excellent opportunity to connect with them.
Long relationships are built on the foundation of trust and emotion. If you really connect with customers there is nothing like it. With your online shop, you have a perfect way to send across the message.
How to Develop a Successful SEO Strategy?
Search engine optimization lies at the heart of your online shop. If you don’t work on your SEO strategy, there is no way that you can make the most of your business. Statistics suggest that there are more than 2.2 trillion Google searches every year. Moreover, more than 90 percent of the users only click on the top three.
So, in case you don’t want to get found on the search engine, you’re just doing fine now. However, getting clicks through the search engine can make all the difference to your business. And that’s where the SEO kicks in. with the right keywords, you can optimize the product page. Once you have the right keywords and density, the search engine will know that you’re relevant to a particular type of search term by the customer. In other words, it increases your probability to rank. Make sure you avoid duplicate content.
How to Target the Right Visitor and Choose the Right Products?
Not every product will be loved by all your visitors. If you are selling apparels, some might some for women’s clothes, and others might be there for other necessities. The idea is as a business, you must be appealing the right products to the right customers. How do you do that?
The answer lies in personalization. If you are able to personalize your experience as per your customers, there is nothing like it. For example, if your customer has gone ahead and purchased a formal shirt, you can recommend them a pant. Product recommendations are a great way to tell your customers that you value them. And that you would like to present them with more options. With your online shop, all of this is possible.
Sometimes customers are looking for something but can’t quite find it. When you recommend them the right products, they can shop easily and add to your sales. Ultimately, as a business you get to make profits.
Why You Should Invest in Live Chat for Customer Experience?
Customer experience should be on the front of your mind at all times. A live chat can go a long way in enhancing your customer experience on the online shop. The entire idea of ecommerce has tried to replicate the in store experience. But, we clearly know that we are far from it. The most important thing that lacks in the online shop is customer experience.
Investing in a live chat can create all the difference to your business. Not only does it heighten your customer experience, but also takes the relation with the customer higher. Statistics suggest that as many as 44 percent of the customers love to have a live chat option on the online shop. Liev chat makes the customers feel that they can reach out to the business at any time. Moreover, it also establishes a sense of reliability in the eyes of customers. Make your live chat helpful and valuable for the customers. Leverage the tools that are available in the market to help you get started.
How to Provide Discounts?
Providing discounts to the customers can be quite tricky. You need to have a perfect balance of engagement as well as profits. This means that your discounts should sound convincing to the customers. At the same time, they must also help you make enough profits.
Your online shop must offer discounts to the customers. This pushes them to make a purchase. However, if you provide discounts for too long, they can do more harm than good for your business. You can choose to offer discounts in the following ways-
- Create ecoupon codes for your customers. This will help them feel exclusive
- Offer a site wide discount on certain items
- Provide a one time discount on new signups
- Create minimum threshold for discounts
- Add free shipping as a limited period offer
Statistics suggest that more than 75 percent of the buyers love to use coupon codes. Make sure you offer these on your online shop.
How to Improve Your Shopping Cart Experience?
Cart abandonments can hurt your business severely. It is when your customer puts things they like in their cart and then instead of making a purchase, leave it. They quit your website and move on. It’s like you almost had a sale. Not only does it hurt your business but also keeps you wondering what was wrong with it.
If you want to avoid abandonment, improve the shopping cart experience. Never ever try to add unwanted costs at the end of the checkout page. Most customers abandon carts because they find unwanted shipping costs or taxes added at the end of the cart. This destroys the entire purchase experience.
It is always advisable to have an all inclusive price listed on your website. Similarly, declare all other charges beforehand. This will smoothen the cart experience and reduce failures. Also, do not ask too many questions to the customers when they are about to purchase. If they want to check out as a guest, let them.
Why You Must Pay Attention to a Shipping Strategy?
Logistics holds immense power over your business. Imagine that you are doing a perfect job selling the best products. You pick and pack your products and hand it over to the courier. But, when the customer receives it, they find the product broken. All of this damages your reputation as a business. Make sure you choose the right logistics provider for your online shop. Otherwise you might end up shattering your customer’s expectations and losing them forever. Choose someone that provides a comprehensive solution for your online shop.
Make sure that you choose the best logistics solution. Dash101 logistics is your one stop logistics solution. It helps you ship to 26000+ pin codes at shipping rates starting Rs 23/500gs. Not only do you key a key account manager, but also a valued customer experience.
How to Ask for Feedback from Your Customers?
Feedback is what helps you grow. If you cannot take feedback, then you will have no way of knowing what your customers think about you. On the other hand, feedback is also something that you can add to your online shop. This way your new visitors can come to your website, they get to know about your prior purchases.
You can gently send emails to your customers about reviewing their purchases. Alternatively, you can also leave them a text asking for their feedback. Let them know that their experience matters the most to you.
Additionally, you can also offer some incentive to your customers as they submit their feedback. For example the brand H n M offers their customers with loyalty points for reviewing a product. This way your customers also have something to look forward to and will be participating in the review. Research indicates that reviews can also help you improve your overall rankings on the search engine. It just shows that people are talking about your brand and gets it tending.
Why Sending a Newsletter to Your Customer Helps?
When you remind your customers about your business, there are chances that they will spend time engaging with it. Maybe a little SMS, or a push notification can do the trick. But, the best of all are newsletters.
Newsletters basically tell the customers what your brand has been upto in the past days. Maybe you worked on a new feature. Or chances are you brought some new products for your customers. Highlight all these in the newsletter and let your customers engage with them. Spend time investing in designing your newsletters. This will help you send a strong and positive message across. Alternatively, it also represents your brand.
But, remember to adopt a more direct approach regarding your newsletter. Instead of telling stories, just tell your customers what you did for them. To increase your subscribers of the newsletter you can also offer some incentive to them. Try offering a coupon.
How to Make Your Online Shop Secure and Trustworthy?
Another important aspect of your online shop is safety and security. It is one of the most important priorities of you as a business owner. This includes having a safe and secure payment gateway. Remember that customers have to enter theri vital information on your website to make a purchase. If you do not have a secure website. Hackers can get through at any time. Moreover, they can also steal the customer information and cause damage to intellectual property.
To avoid all of this, you must have a secure website. Partner with reliable payment gateways. This will give you a good start. You must also make sure that you pick a strong SSL authentication. Keepa track of your orders. Another Important thing that you should also take care of is to not install any unauthorized third party software. When you have security as your USP, customers will trust you and prefer to make a purchase from your online shop.
How to Leverage Social Media to Promote Yourself?
Social media is one of the biggest platforms in the world today. They are not only a site for connecting with each other, but also for promoting yourself. Learn to leverage social media to promote your online shop. If you are selling apparels or handicrafts, you can create an amazing Instagram profile. With the help of shoppable tags on Instagram, your sales can be accelerated.
The idea is that customers would love to connect with you on different platforms. And the more platforms you are over the Internet, the more your visibility becomes. You don’t necessarily have to sell on every platform. But, even if you are able to make relationships on a platform, it will be worth it for your online shop.
Alternatively, try to establish a personal connection with the customer. If they are able to remember you, you are successful in your mission.
Why You Must Introduce a Referral Program?
Referral programs have a great way to convince customers to make more purchases. It can promote your brand like never before. It gives incentive to the people to promote your brand. The idea is that whenever your customer brings someone on the platform, they get some extra points. In case of your online shop it can be an added discount.
Similarly, the friend your customer is bringing gets an additional discount. While it might sound technical, referral has indeed many benefits. You can make sales and encourage customers to participate with little efforts.
Conclusion
An online shop is your entry to the world of ecommerce. It is a way by which you let your customers know about your brand. While you can still sell online using groups and marketplaces, none of these provide your customers the value your brand is built upon. An online shop or online store takes your journey as a branded entity forward. It is what differentiates your name in the market.
So, when a customer wants to shop from you, they know that you have a reliable and well-designed platform built for their convenience. If you want to build your online store hassle free, Dash101 is an excellent solution for you. The platform can help you get started with online selling in minutes. Moreover, you can also make the most of your shipping using Dash101 Logistics that helps you ship to over 26000 pin codes at the lowest rates starting Rs 23 per 500 gms. Say goodbye to online selling woes with your one stop online shop!