If the events from recent years have taught us anything, it’s that online shopping is here to stay. And it’s no wonder that something you can do from the comfort of your home, on any device and at any time is only growing in popularity.
Whether you run a brick-and-mortar store and want to capitalise on the ease of online shopping, or if you want to take your business fully digital, setting up an online store can be a smart decision for your business.
Choosing an online store platform
Even if you’re not the most tech-savvy, setting up an online store or e-commerce platform is easier than ever with the technology and platforms already available. And, if the size and complexity of your store allows it, you can have your online store set up and running within days or weeks.
Using an online marketplace
An online marketplace provides many different retailers with a place to sell their products and there are hundreds of choices available, from bigger platforms like Bidorbuy or TakeaLot, to more specialised marketplaces. So, setting up your shop on an online marketplace can be a great place to start, especially if you are new to selling products online. With marketplaces around for all sorts of niches and products, you can be sure that whatever you want to sell, if you check around, there will likely be a specialised marketplace platform that’ll meet your needs.
There are many advantages to going with this option. For starters, it’s often quick and easy to get set up. Once you’ve fulfilled the requirements and have been approved as a seller, you just have to upload the products you’ll be selling and you’re in business. It doesn’t require a lot of time or technical knowledge, and if you get stuck, they’ll walk you through the process step by step.
Another advantage of these platforms is that they’re already bringing in a lot of traffic, so you’ll be able to get your products in front of your customers faster. As your success is also their success, since they take a cut from every sale, they may also provide a number of tools and resources to help you run a thriving business.
One thing to note is that you’ll be competing against many other sellers on these platforms, which can pose challenges since, unless you’re selling a product or service that has a smaller niche, you can’t always create a unique sales experience. However, working within the platform’s parameters, by optimising your product feed, writing attention-grabbing descriptions, giving detailed product information, and showcasing positive reviews, you’ll be able to stand out from your competitors.
With minimal investment, you can get exposure from a bigger brand, turning some of their customers into your own, so when you’re ready to take your store to the next level, you can apply what you’ve learned and apply it to an online store. And, since these platforms don’t often require exclusivity, you can continue getting exposure on the platform while operating your own online store.
Utilising e-commerce platforms
Building your own online store on its own domain allows you to provide that unique branded experience that’s near impossible to achieve on a marketplace platform. Though it does take more time and money, with today’s software there are some efficient and cost-effective ways to set up your online store.
Specialised e-commerce platforms operate like Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings which handle the functions of an online store. More popular platforms include Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce for medium to large stores, and for smaller stores, there are platforms like Wix, WordPress, and Squarespace.
With these platforms, you can create a customised, branded storefront connected to back-end operating functions, such as accounting, order and inventory management, and customer service, with some platforms even letting you run marketing campaigns via email or SMS. By having it all in one platform, it ensures you’re able to manage your business in one place.
These e-commerce platforms offer a number of options when it comes to design, functionality, integrations, and overall costs. To ensure you’re picking the e-commerce platform that is best suited for your store, you may want to do some research and comparisons.
Here are some things you’ll want to compare:
- Storefront design and customisation
- Scalability and bandwidth
- Monthly fees and pricing
- POS (point of sale), payment gateway, shopping cart integrations
- Social media integrations
- Takealot and Bidorbuy integrations
- Customer support and customer relationship management (CRM) integrations
- Marketing features (e.g. SEO and email templates)
- Ability to show customer reviews
- Mobile optimisation
- Analytics
- Checkout capabilities and plug-ins for fast checkout processes
- Ease of use
While there is a lot to consider, since e-commerce platforms have become a popular software offering, there are a number of comparison and review sites to help you with your research. You’ll also want to see examples of the sites already built on each platform; most will list the sites of their prominent customers so you can visit those sites. Another option is if you’re on a site you like, you can oftentimes find the design firm’s name in the footer, so you can visit their site to see what platforms they build on.
Building your own custom online store
By creating an e-commerce site from scratch, you can set it up exactly how you want, and create a brand experience you have total control over. It is more hands on than the other options, but even then, it’s not as hard as you may think.
There are many components that come pre-built, and by picking the best one from each category it means you won’t have to settle with what is included in an e-commerce platform package. To get your online store set up, you’ll need a web domain, a web hosting service, a dedicated IP address, a SSL certificate, a shopping cart system, and a payment gateway. These are often included in package deals by web-hosting services, so you can buy them all together.
Building your own online store does guarantee you’ll have total freedom and control, but it can be time consuming and more expensive when you’re getting set up. You may need to hire coders, designers, and writers so they can build your site from scratch, and when you decide to make changes in the future, you may need their help again. But, if you want to deliver a bespoke experience to your customers, then this could be worth the initial investment.
If you already have an established website, then you can integrate an e-commerce platform onto your site. This means you’ll have your store up and running in a matter of days, rather than waiting weeks or months before you start generating revenue.
Setting your business up for success
E-commerce has grown exponentially and is always evolving, which means it’s easier than ever to set up your own online shop, whether on a marketplace, on your own domain, or even both. So you don’t have to set up your store more than once, be sure to pull together a business plan and develop your brand before you start to build your business. This will get you set up for a successful online store that you’ll be able to profit from for a long time to come.
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