Content

• Steps
• Advice

Opening an online store has many advantages over a regular one: you don't pay the rent and you can attract millions of customers from your own home.To be successful the first time around, you should spend as much effort making your online store as attractive as it would any other job. You need a great product, a friendly website and a complete marketing plan. Read the tips below to get started.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Developing a Product Plan and a Business Plan

1. 

   Decide what you want to sell. If you want to start an online store, you already have an idea of ​​the product to offer. Remember that some things are great for selling online while others can be harder to sell because they are not viewed directly by visitors. Either way, you must have strong faith in your product - otherwise, it will be difficult to connect with customers. Here are a few questions to consider:
   • Is it a tangible product that needs direct delivery or is it an intangible product that can be sent online?
   • Do you need stockpiles (more than one) for each item or are they unique (eg artwork, antiques)?
   • Are you planning to sell a variety of items or are you planning to focus on just one category like just selling t-shirts or books?
   • Are you making your own product? If so, make sure you will be able to meet the needs. Build a relationship with a reputable supplier.
   • If you don't make the product yourself, you'll need a good manufacturer. Search various companies to find the right one for your business idea.
   • Decide how you will deliver. Plan for home delivery efficiently or plan for storage and delivery from a warehouse. You can also consider non-stocking if your work is manufactured by a third party.
   • You intend to stick with your product or service. To be able to go viral and market your store, you need to get to know people in the industry. Make sure you can stick with the product for a long time.

2. 

   
   
   Look for a niche. Knowing what you want to sell is only part of building a successful online store. You need to know what sets your product apart from other products and services that customers can choose from both in-line and online. Why would a customer choose hand-knit sweaters from your store when they might choose from 100 other similar online stores?
   • Estimate the competition. Don't jump into selling a product until you've visited all of your competitors' websites. Find the main online market in which you intend to promote your product and test the competition.
   • Try to come up with unique things. If you're selling crafts or art, uniqueness can be a factor in your product identity. However, try to strike a balance between the uniqueness and appeal of the product.
   • Be very competent and knowledgeable. Perhaps, what sets your company apart from the rest will be knowledge of the product you're selling. For example you are a professional baseball player selling baseball gloves. Turn your passions and insights into the intangible value your customers receive when they buy.
   • Provide a friendly buying process for customers. Even if your product is very similar to the one found in other stores, you can still make a difference by creating a fun and pleasant buying experience. Make sure your site is easy to find and share. Respond quickly and provide great customer service that other stores can't have.

3. 

   
   
   Experiment with small sales first. In a traditional business, it is wise to sell your products through low commitment channels (consignment, flea markets, craft exhibitions, etc.) before starting to do the real thing and open a real store. . The same is true for online sales. Try to sell your items on eBay, Craigslist, Half.com and similar sites first. Here are some questions to help you evaluate a trial sale:
   • Who will buy your product? Give away a free coupon or gift if they answer your survey. Find out where they shop online.
   • How much are they willing to pay? Test at different prices.
   • How satisfied are customers? This is a good time to check out how you offer your product to your customers. Do you use eye-catching packaging? Is the delivery method reliable? Are they satisfied with the product you offer? Would you describe it well?

4. 

   
   
   Make a business plan. Before you start the online store opening process, take the time to build a business plan even if you are not planning to use it to raise more capital. A plan will help you build the steps you need to take to be successful. Calculate your operating costs and develop a marketing strategy. You will need to consider the following factors:
   • Production costs whether you are making the product yourself or contracting with the manufacturer.
   • Transportation costs.
   • Tax.
   • Employee salary, if applicable.
   • Cost of maintaining domain name and web server service.

5. 

   Please register your business at your local authority. When you are ready to make everything official, you need to have a specific business transaction name (legal entity) and complete legal and tax forms to register your business. advertisement

Part 2 of 4: Building an Online Store

1. 

   Domain name registration. Choose a name that's attractive and easy to remember. Choose domain names that are short, interesting and easy to remember. If not, then it should be a unique domain as well, because good domain names, apparently, are almost taken from before. Find a domain registrar and choose a domain name that will please you and have not used it yet.
   • If a name you like is already taken, create a new one. Add numbers, add text or a dash.
   • Domain registrar will suggest you some alternate names if the name you want is already in use.

2. 

   Select a web server service. Choose a good service because your website is the hub of your online store. If it is too fussy, customers will be afraid to buy and sales suffer. Free web hosting services are available, but since you are selling online, you need to pay for the necessary and quality services.
   • You will need enough space to grow if your business is running well.
   • Choose a server service that allows customization if you plan to develop it yourself.

3. 

   Design your website. You can do it yourself or hire a designer. The website's focus should be on displaying the product so that the customer can buy the product as easily as possible. Avoid making the site too flashy - the more direct, the better when shopping online.
   • The website should have an e-mail address collection feature so that you can send out promotional mails and special offers.
   • How can a customer need no more than two clicks to find a product.
   • Use only a few colors and fonts.

4. 

   Choose an e-commerce software. This enables customers to easily view products and securely check out the checkout process. Software will store customer information and financial information. In some cases, e-commerce software also includes a marketing feature because it can be used to send e-mail to customers. Taking the time to research a variety of software before making a decision is crucial because the software you choose will play an essential role in influencing the customer experience and the success of your company.

5. 

   Open an e-commerce account. You need to set up a bank account so that customers can pay with credit card. The cost of maintaining an account is quite expensive so many people use PayPal to save money. advertisement

Part 3 of 4: Use of an E-Commerce Package

1. 

   Look for a complete e-commerce service. If you don't have the motivation to design your website in the first place, then there are many services that provide a platform for you to set up your online store in a matter of hours at a very low cost. This way you won't have to learn to code or hire a web designer, you still have the tools to sell instantly.
   • Package services usually charge a fee for each sale you make.
   • These services have many benefits but also have limitations because you have to work within their system. Familiarize yourself with many systems before you choose one. If you can't find a service that matches your planned business model, consider starting an online store yourself.

2. 

   Explore general e-commerce services. Companies like Shopify and Yahoo! Stores will allow you to set up a very professional storefront when you move your own warehouse. E-commerce solutions can offer more like store interface design, payment security, servers, mailing lists, data sales, customer support. This is a great tool for those who don't want to program themselves.

3. 

   Consider reselling a product for a profit. Store affiliate services like Amazon's allow you to resell Buy.com products and other sites by writing product reviews and focusing on topics that make customers' lives easy. than. The Amazon stores allow you to do this quickly but do not allow you to have real stock.

4. 

   Take eBay to new heights. If you've sold something on eBay, and you can be confident that most of your customers will find you there, then you can "graduate" to open a store on eBay and save money fee.
   • If you haven't used eBay before, this method might not be for you as it is suitable for getting started with existing customers. Your customers need to know about the web to make it easy to use eBay.
   • Note that eBay tends to attract users looking for great deals and exclusive items (and bargain prices for these).

5. 

   Learn about Tips for selling. Tips is an online marketplace where you can upload an item or create a directory for free. You upload a few photos, description and price. You get free listing for several months without having to update the list. When the item sells for $ 35 or less, a 5% fee will be charged. If the item costs more than $ 35, the fee is 3%. Besides sales, you can embed videos, blogs about products and services, and connect your twitter account directly from the website for free.

6. 

   Check out Cafepress if you are selling custom items. Cafepress offers a great service if you are selling t-shirts and other things you can "stamp" with unique designs such as shifts, stickers and buttons. Customers will search your store and place an order. You can get started with the basic store plan for free and with a monthly fee while using more features.

7. 

   Make homemade sales on Etsy. Etsy is a preferred choice for DIY vendors. You are charged VND 4,500 (20 cents) for items posted and Etsy keeps 3.5% of the selling price if the item is sold. You are paid directly and are responsible for the delivery. You are charged (depending on what you sell) on a monthly basis.

8. 

   Try selling on Instagram. Instagram is a fast-growing social network with a high engagement rate and a great place to sell fashion, homemade, and home goods. Upload an item's photo to Instagram and sync your account at inSelly.com to create a personalized online store from Instagram photos. Payment will be assisted by PayPal and there is no membership or commission fee. advertisement

Part 4 of 4: Enticing and Retaining Customers

1. 

   Promote your store on Facebook and Twitter. Social networking is an important way to do business, especially online business, and for self-marketing. Start with an account and encourage people to click "like" and "share" your site to grow everywhere.
   • Get your customers to promote your store. You can offer a discount and give gifts to participants.
   • Always keep your account up to date with information about new products and purchases.

2. 

   Make a blog. Combining products with expertise is a great way to get customers to your site. If your product is fashion related, start with a style blog that describes the product. Try to engage in online chats related to the product you are selling.
   • A few package offerings offer a blog to appear as part of the "facade."
   • Describe the products of other companies on your blog and ask them to describe yours. This is a common practice for small online sellers.
   • Submit product samples to popular bloggers or product review websites.
   • Act as a guest and write articles on other people's blogs. For example, if you are selling homemade biscuits, recommend them on a reputable baking blog.

3. 

   Email the customer about the deals. Use an email program like MaiChimp to organize customer email addresses and send tons of beautifully presented e-mails about special sales. However, don't abuse this method to contact your customers - they can unsubscribe from you if you send emails too often. advertisement

Advice

• Make sure you take full advantage of the trial versions of all ecommerce software. This gives you the opportunity to test every aspect of the software at no cost. Also, if you don't see the trial, contact the vendor to install the trial. Usually they will give it to you.
• Pay attention to sales services / products that you don't have? They are often referred to as "stock sales" while in some cases they are real, most of them are scams. Even if the service is real, there is a low chance of success because you are selling what other people have already sold. You will need special marketing skills to make it effective in this case, so why not apply it to your product?