So, you have had enough of direct employment and you are looking to set up a shopping cart website, which offers a lot more potential than being an employee. You will have a lot more motivation when working for yourself and in this short article, we offer some valuable advice for setting up an e-commerce business.
Choosing a product line
Whether you fancy starting an online adult store and selling vibrators or offering eco-friendly cleaning products, you need to do some serious market research to be 100% sure that there is adequate demand and that your chosen product range is of the very best quality. It might be that you have a special interest, a niche market is a lot easier to penetrate and your knowledge would be a valuable asset.
IT needs
You will require the following;
- Web address – You have to choose something that has not been taken and keep the URL short if you can.
- Shopping cart website – A web designer can take your concept and turn it into a functional and attractive shopping cart platform. Use professional images and description text for a slick-looking site.
- Web hosting package – A web hosting package is needed and we recommend you have high bandwidth to keep page loading time fast.
- Site management – If you have enough IT knowledge, you could manage your own site, otherwise, your web-hosting partner can administrate the site on your behalf.
The good news is that you can find all of the above at a single provider, which makes things so much easier.
Digital payment gateways
Of course, you need to set up online payment gateways, which should consist of the following;
- Major credit cards
- Direct bank transfer
- Bitcoin
- Line payment
The more secure payment gateways you have, the better, as your customers will have choices.
Cyber security
Your website should have a valid SSL Certificate, which your web builder can set up on your behalf; your URL should be ‘https’, the ‘s’ denotes secure and without it, your customers will be reluctant to give their financial details on a non-secure site.
Third-party logistics (3PL)
Hook up with a local 3PL company and deliver your products and packaging; when orders come in, you simply forward them to your 3PL partner via email and they pick, pack and deliver. They have a great set-up and can process high volumes of orders and you have the peace of mind in knowing your products are delivered promptly. You only pay for the services you use and there are no lengthy contracts to tie you to the provider.
Digital marketing
You need ongoing SEO services to get your site on page 1 of Google search results and we recommend contacting a leading Australian digital marketing agency and let them compile a dynamic digital marketing plan that will deliver results.
Much like any other business, you should put together a business plan that can be your guideline and the more time you spend on this, the better your preparation will be.
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