It does sound kind of easy; you just put a website together, stick a few product images and some product description, add payment gateways and away you go! You don’t even have to buy any stock, at least not until you make a sale, your store is open 24/7 and you don’t need to employ any staff, and this makes for a very attractive proposition. A low-investment business that offers potential, but does it?
Digital Marketing
For the e-commerce entrepreneur, digital marketing is absolutely essential – it is the only way to drive potential customers to your product pages – which is obviously the goal. The art of making a shopping cart website prominent in a Google search is called search engine optimisation (SEO) and this is one service you cannot afford to be without, as this will make many potential customers aware of your existence. Check out the wide range of SEO services offered by the leading UK provider, https://www.moveaheadmedia.co.uk/ who have all the solutions and tailor their services to suit your business. The SEO company would carry out an online audit of your business, which will reveal strengths and weaknesses, and only then are they in a position to make recommendations.
Logistics
This is a major part of your business; from the moment a customer clicks on ‘order now’, the sale is being processed, and the time between the placing of the order and when the customer has the goods in their hands needs to be as short as possible. You are advised to forge an alliance with a third-party logistics company (3PL), who would have the resources to pick, pack and deliver all of your orders, and they can handle very high volumes of orders. If you are going to carry out your own logistics, this will require a whole heap of resources, and it is cheaper to outsource to an industry expert, which guarantees great customer service.
Payment Gateways
You are advised to set up the following payment gateways:
- PayPal
- Credit Cards
- Direct Bank Transfer
- Cash on Delivery – Depending on your products.
There are other gateways, including Bitcoin, which is certain to be the strongest of the digital currencies that are soon to replace cash, and the more payment options you have, the better.
Product Suppliers
This will be your most important business relationship, as you are very much at the mercy of your supplier, and you really need to do your homework on any potential company, with a factory visit and a review of their history. The ideal supplier is reliable, efficient and able to handle large orders, and the Internet can help you find the best supplier for your chosen product lines. Most wholesalers will give you 30-days credit, which is great, as this gives you time, and if you have a good relationship, they would offer other benefits like free delivery.
Setting up a successful e-commerce store demands a range of services, and if you’ve done your homework and found the right products, digital marketing will put your goods in front of the right people and your venture is a success.
