We are immersed in the era of entrepreneurs, the era of people looking to move forward with their ideas. If you are one of these people, probably one of the fastest ways to achieve your dream is to create an ecommerce store.
In fact, in recent months, online sales have grown exponentially and in the coming years this trend will continue to grow. That's why we believe it's time to diversify your options. Whether you have a physical store and want to make the leap to ecommerce or if you are thinking of creating a digital native brand, here it is a complete guide with various options on how to create an online store.
Things you need to know before creating an ecommerce store
Having a physical store has always been synonymous with quality and reputation, but over time we have realised that creating a good ecommerce has a number of advantages that traditional spaces do not give us.
Listed below you can find a series of advantages that may help you to opt for this business model:
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The cost of implementation and maintenance is reduced. It is not the same to pay for the rent of a locale than for the services of a hosting or an online platform.
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Your potential customers will be able to reach your products and services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Geographic boundaries blur. Although depending on the volume of your business, it may be best to have a 3PL provider to help you with both domestic and international shipments.
- Marketing strategies are simplified. You will also have the option to reach a wider audience or to segment and reach the group you are most interested in.
It is also true that you have to take into account that in an online environment competition grows and the clients divide themselves among the possible options. That is why one of the best strategies is to work on brand identity and on online marketing strategy to form loyal and satisfied customers both with the product and with the payment options, shipping and possible return of the product.
How to create an ecommerce store - The most important aspects
Listed below you can find a series of simplified steps for you to take into account when defining your path in the online world.
Define the digital strategy
First of all, you must know that, as in all cases, the search for prior information is of vital importance. It is important that you know perfectly the market you want to access: if it is a crowded niche, which are the possible competitors, which are the consumption trends, etc.
Being clear about the objectives you want to achieve will help you to set goals, but you will also have to be very clear about the resources you will have to achieve the possible objectives. In addition, you have to keep in mind that depending as well on the objectives, the digital strategy to be carried out will also be different.
1. Choosing the domain of your ecommerce store
It may seem a simple step, but choosing a good name can be decisive when it comes to positioning your brand in the market. It is true that this step will be solved if you already have a business in operation; however, you will always have to check that the domain you want to buy is available.
As a recommendation, if the domain of your online store includes a keyword related to your market, it will always help you to position yourself better in terms of Google searches.
2. Choosing the right hosting or platform for your ecommerce store
One of the first things you will have to do is to choose the hosting where your online store will be hosted. In this case it is best to look for a quality one with 24/7 support so that you can solve any problem quickly.
Here are some considerations to take into account when choosing a good hosting company:
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It has to give you the possibility to choose between several server options.
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It has to be optimised and has to take into account the importance of loading speed.
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It has to make frequent backups.
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It has to offer support in your language.
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Currently, one of the best options is to choose an specific platform for the creation of an ecommerce; with this option you will skip the hosting step. These platforms are content management systems (CMS), but oriented to meet the requirements of all those who want to sell online.
Some of the most famous ones are:
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Shopify is the best known of the ecommerce platforms. It is perhaps one of the easiest to use, as it is configured in advance. This will be a relief if you want to save time or do not have too much technical knowledge; on the other hand, this also means less scope for customisation.
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Prestashop is a free open source platform. However, keep in mind that you will have to pay for many of the "premium" options.
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Magento is another of the most famous open source platforms out there. However, it may not be the best option if you are starting an online store from scratch or your company is not too big.
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Finally, there is an open source ecommerce plugin called WooCommerce, but this one is created specifically for Wordpress. The truth is that if you use this CMS, WooCommerce is a very easy option to install and manage.
3. Style and customisation of the ecommerce
This part will depend a lot on the platform chosen to create your online store. As we have already told you before, there are ecommerce platforms with more options than others and that allow greater capacity for action.
Anyways, what you do have to take into account is:
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The template for your online store.
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The layout and the information you will give about the products.
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If the page will be in one or several languages.
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The selection of the payment methods.
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4. Think about the logistics process
Perhaps this is one of the points that can generate more headaches when thinking about creating an online store. Some of the issues that you will have to take into account are:
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Warehousing - You will have to decide if you are going to have your own warehouse or you will work with a logistics operator.
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Stock control
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Picking
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Shipping costs
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Reverse logistics
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In addition, you will also have to keep in mind that today's customers are used to very tight delivery times: they often receive their order within 24 hours of payment.
At Lógicos 3PL we simplify this whole process and make your logistics tasks easier. Do not hesitate to take a look at all the options we offer.
5. Take into account the legal aspects
This is another essential step to be able to work with all the legal guarantees. First of all, you will have to decide whether to register as self-employed or create a limited company. In both cases, although you can manage it yourself, it is best to put yourself in the hands of a trustworthy agency.
Apart from having all the papers in order, the web page will have to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with the cookies law or with the specific laws of the electronic commerce.
6. Work on your online marketing
At the beginning we already told you that the best strategies to have a successful online store were to work on brand identity and online marketing.
Having a good product and a competitive price is no longer enough, now you will have to think about aspects such as:
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SEO - One of the best ways to work SEO is to create a strong blog with varied and optimised content to reach your target audience.
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Online advertising (SEM).
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Social media campaigns - Some options to work on this point can be to create attractive giveaways or to work with relevant influencers within your niche.
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Email marketing.
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If these strategies work, it will be the key to create a famous brand name within the sector. Also, don't forget to monitor the performance of each action to focus on the ones that work best for you.
We hope you find useful this article about the essential steps to create an ecommerce store. Do not hesitate to contact us if you need guidance on logistics, we will be happy to help you.
