Your online store means freedom, money, and only success… Yes, but only if you play in a movie with such a scenario. Don’t get me wrong. Your online business will make you want to get up in the morning and conquer the world! However, it is worth considering all aspects of this type of project and remembering that it is not a piece of cake.
Verify that you have adequate knowledge to get started and not bounce off the wall of technological or marketing limitations. This post will guide you on how to open an online store, what to pay attention to and what competencies are worth having.
Online store – where to start
To create your online store, you need to prepare yourself well. It is a business after all. A proper analysis of every crucial issue will help you to build a profitable business. What is worth analyzing:
Products
A suitable selection of the product range will make it easier for you. Choosing the same assortment as several hundred other companies already did doesn’t make sense. What will be your unique value proposition?
Aim at niches and try not to compete with the lower prices, because it is a short-term solution. Stand out, and build an assortment around the selected community and its needs.
Target group
You need to know where your potential client goes, what he likes, and what is his age, gender, or language. It is crucial. It will depend on whether you know how to reach such a person with your message. Spend enough time on it, do not use generalities such as women aged 25-30, because it is not enough.
Strengths and weaknesses (SWOT analysis)
I am not an advocate of creating extensive business plans, but it is worth considering the strengths and weaknesses of your idea and yourself. Be aware of the risks and potential opportunities that lie ahead. Such a view from the side helps to prevent crises but also broadens the horizons in terms of development.
Knowledge
Running an online store requires at least a basic knowledge of many different areas. It is worth spending time on self-education for this reason alone to not expose yourself to a situation in which someone strongly bends the facts.
Sales funnel
It is a magic recipe for organizing the entire marketing and sales process. It will allow you to look at your business wider. This topic requires a separate article.
Online store – necessary competences
How to create an online store? We are entering an area that is difficult for many people to jump over. A potential entrepreneur often asks: “I want to sell shoes and know what to do. Why do I need knowledge about the technical aspects of running a store?”
I’m not saying that you should learn programming to check if your store has any bugs in the code. However, I believe that you need to know if this is the service you need. Does the specialist in Google advertising write stupid things in his reports? Is the SEO agency doing something to get your content high in the search results?
As an entrepreneur, you should have general knowledge about all aspects of the business. You don’t need to be a specialist in all fields, but to have universal knowledge in several key areas.
Marketing and sales
A fairly obvious area where you should have at least a solid foundation. What opportunities do we have to promote our business, their advantages and disadvantages, and the related costs?
The world doesn’t stop with Google and paying for clicks. There are tons of other channels that can work great for your business as opposed to mainstream solutions. Read our articles about the principles of digital marketing and how to make an internet marketing strategy. You need to know at least essential tools like Google Analytics and be able to conclude what you see. It will allow you, for example, to quickly exit from unsuccessful marketing investments.
Finance
You do not need to take an accounting course. You should outsource a certified public accountant, but the knowledge about the tax system, what you can and what is worth throwing in costs, and what to avoid is necessary for you. It will allow you to function calmly without worrying about conflicts with law authorities.
Technical issues
The same like with finance. You don’t need to be an IT expert, but knowing certain things will allow you to avoid bad choices and unnecessary expenses. The minimum is basic knowledge: hosting and a domain, and an SSL certificate. What to choose a SaaS or Open Source eCommerce platform? What does it mean to install a script on hosting?
You need to be able to answer these questions. There are many more of these various areas, though.
Online store – where to set up
How to open an online store
Nowadays, we have a lot of e-commerce solutions. From the entrepreneur’s point of view, it is very beneficial, because you can choose the best solution. On the other hand, such a large selection can sometimes discourage and inhibit starting your online store for fear of making a wrong decision.
So how do you find yourself in the maze of offers and related information?
Subscription store (SaaS)
It is a service of lending you the online store software by its creator in the form of a subscription. You use a store such as an email on Gmail. You can freely sell, add products and use all the functions of such a store. This solution is quick and cheap to start. The downside is that such a store is not and will never be your property. You only use the software for as long as you pay for the subscription.
You cannot make many changes, you have limited options in the area of SEO, and you pay every month.
Open Source Online Store
It is a platform based on a script. This store will be entirely yours. Hosting, domain, and scripts such as the popular WooCommerce, PrestaShop, or Magento – together they turn into an online store. Such a solution means high start-up costs, but gives you total freedom of action and full ownership.
The good news is: there are hosting providers, who will help you with technical matters. With a good hosting provider, you can set up your eCommerce Online Store quickly and easily.
Dedicated shop
The red trail for professionals. The unique limitation is your imagination and your ideas. The software house will create the online store from scratch according to your vision. Costs will be extremely high and implementation time very long, but the output will be perfect.
Conclusion
It is impossible to list all the details about a such sophisticated topic in a single article. You can find the comparison of eCommerce platforms in another article. You can also check the 5 best online store platforms, both Open Source, and SaaS.
I hope I didn’t discourage you from opening your online store. Step by step you will expand your knowledge on this topic and act successively to reach your goal. We indeed care a lot about your success.
We are ready to support you technically and promise to do our best. Sign up and choose eCommerce Hosting, and we guarantee that we will help you install the best eCommerce platform.
Your store will run perfectly on our servers, no matter where you or your clients are. We have servers all around the world. You can purchase a domain with us. Here you will find many articles about running a business, marketing, hosting, or WordPress. Join the group of UltaHost customers and let’s achieve success together!
