The pandemic has forever changed how businesses operate and with consumers doing more online shopping, it might be time for you to move your brick-and-mortar business online. According to Channel Advisory and Dynata, 2 in 5 UK shoppers say they will make more online purchases after lockdown ends. Whether coronavirus is an ongoing threat or not, having an online business means you can get customers shopping at your store from across the globein the comfort of their own home.  We’re going to share steps for how to move your brick and mortar business online.

Domain

First, you’re going to have to pick a domain for your online store. A domain is the name of your website your own corner of the world wide web! Pick a name that reflects your current brick-and-mortar business, but try to keep it on the shorter side. Let’s say you own a sweets and homemade fudge shop on high street called Mary’s Sweets & Fudge. Now, maryssweetsandhomemadefudgeshop.com is a mouthful! Instead, try to go for a domain that’s easy to remember. Sweetsbymary.com is the right length and easy to remember. Also, try to go for a TLD or Top Level Domain. These are the suffixes at the end of every web address or URL. .com is the most sought after TLD, but if it isn’t available here are some others you can trythey might be cheaper too:

-.co.uk

-.net

-.shop

-.io

-.live

You can purchase your domain and check domain availability with services like GoDaddy or Namecheap.

Website

It’s time to design your online store, which we know can be a bit intimidating. It’s not a regular website or landing page. An eCommerce site is dynamic. You want to be able to offer different payment methods, but you also want to display your available products in a way that’s appealing to your customers and easy to use! There’s nothing worse for the customer experience than going to an online store and not being able to navigate it, or the mobile version of the website doesn’t display correctly on your phone. Just like your bricks and mortar shop, it has to be organised, tidy and with a bit of curbside appeal. You want virtual passersby to “stop in” your online storefront and have a nosey. And there are several services specially tailored to eCommerce.

Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix and Square Up provide pre-designed templates and they offer some great tutorials to walk you through designing your online store. Some of these services can integrate with Facebook so you can sell directly from your company’s Facebook page too. On top of everything, you want to make sure your website is secure and also has the appropriate legal disclosures, policies and privacy measures in place. Here’s what you’ll need to consider to give your customers and yourself peace of mind when it comes to legalities:

-SSL Certificate

-Privacy Policy

-Cookies Disclosure

-GDPR Policy

-Shipping Policy

-Returns Policy

Payment Methods

You will also need to explore payment methods. There are several payment gateways available, plus you should offer a few options. For example, you can use Paypal, Stripe, Apple Pay or Amazon Pay, then offer these payment options on your site. Please remember that these payment gateways also have fees. Here are some questions to think about when you’re picking your payment gateway:

-Is it secure and PCI-compliant?

-Is it easy to use?

-What are the fees per transaction or is there a monthly payment?

-Do they offer customer support?

Product Listings

It’s time to display your wares! Your products need to be clearly photographed and uploaded to your site with appropriate titles and descriptions. You’ll want to consider optimising this information to make sure it’s SEO friendly (Search Engine Optimisation). In fact, we recommend your entire site be SEO optimised. This is how people using search engines, like Google or Bing, will find your products. You’ll want to incorporate search keywords into the entire copy of your website (headings, meta, pages), but also your product descriptions.

Alongside your website building journey, you’ll want to think about your online marketing strategy. How will you find new customers? You’ll want to weigh your options and do some careful research and planning. Here are some questions you’ll need to ask yourself:

-Should I use PPC to generate traffic and leads to my website?

-What’s the difference between paid search and organic?

-If I start collecting email addresses, will I then market to my email list with special offers and promotions?

-Do I want to create social media accounts for my online business?

-If so, what should I post on my social media? How often should I post?

-Will I also implement paid advertising on my social media platforms?

There’s a lot to consider when moving your brick-and-mortar business online, especially if you want your online storefront to be successful. We can help you at any stage of the process, or just jump in to help with social media marketing. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or need our expertise, we can help! We have experience with building eCommerce sites and help with everything from design, to branding, product descriptions, SEO optimisation, strategy and more! We’re here if you have any questions.

How to Move Your Brick-and-Mortar Business Online

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The pandemic has forever changed how businesses operate and with consumers doing more online shopping, it might be time for you to move your brick-and-mortar business online. According to Channel Advisory and Dynata, 2 in 5 UK shoppers say they will make more online purchases after lockdown ends. Whether coronavirus is an ongoing threat or not, having an online business means you can get customers shopping at your store from across the globein the comfort of their own home.  We’re going to share steps for how to move your brick and mortar business online.

Domain

First, you’re going to have to pick a domain for your online store. A domain is the name of your website your own corner of the world wide web! Pick a name that reflects your current brick-and-mortar business, but try to keep it on the shorter side. Let’s say you own a sweets and homemade fudge shop on high street called Mary’s Sweets & Fudge. Now, maryssweetsandhomemadefudgeshop.com is a mouthful! Instead, try to go for a domain that’s easy to remember. Sweetsbymary.com is the right length and easy to remember. Also, try to go for a TLD or Top Level Domain. These are the suffixes at the end of every web address or URL. .com is the most sought after TLD, but if it isn’t available here are some others you can trythey might be cheaper too:

-.co.uk

-.net

-.shop

-.io

-.live

You can purchase your domain and check domain availability with services like GoDaddy or Namecheap.

Website

It’s time to design your online store, which we know can be a bit intimidating. It’s not a regular website or landing page. An eCommerce site is dynamic. You want to be able to offer different payment methods, but you also want to display your available products in a way that’s appealing to your customers and easy to use! There’s nothing worse for the customer experience than going to an online store and not being able to navigate it, or the mobile version of the website doesn’t display correctly on your phone. Just like your bricks and mortar shop, it has to be organised, tidy and with a bit of curbside appeal. You want virtual passersby to “stop in” your online storefront and have a nosey. And there are several services specially tailored to eCommerce.

Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix and Square Up provide pre-designed templates and they offer some great tutorials to walk you through designing your online store. Some of these services can integrate with Facebook so you can sell directly from your company’s Facebook page too. On top of everything, you want to make sure your website is secure and also has the appropriate legal disclosures, policies and privacy measures in place. Here’s what you’ll need to consider to give your customers and yourself peace of mind when it comes to legalities:

-SSL Certificate

-Privacy Policy

-Cookies Disclosure

-GDPR Policy

-Shipping Policy

-Returns Policy

Payment Methods

You will also need to explore payment methods. There are several payment gateways available, plus you should offer a few options. For example, you can use Paypal, Stripe, Apple Pay or Amazon Pay, then offer these payment options on your site. Please remember that these payment gateways also have fees. Here are some questions to think about when you’re picking your payment gateway:

-Is it secure and PCI-compliant?

-Is it easy to use?

-What are the fees per transaction or is there a monthly payment?

-Do they offer customer support?

Product Listings

It’s time to display your wares! Your products need to be clearly photographed and uploaded to your site with appropriate titles and descriptions. You’ll want to consider optimising this information to make sure it’s SEO friendly (Search Engine Optimisation). In fact, we recommend your entire site be SEO optimised. This is how people using search engines, like Google or Bing, will find your products. You’ll want to incorporate search keywords into the entire copy of your website (headings, meta, pages), but also your product descriptions.

Alongside your website building journey, you’ll want to think about your online marketing strategy. How will you find new customers? You’ll want to weigh your options and do some careful research and planning. Here are some questions you’ll need to ask yourself:

-Should I use PPC to generate traffic and leads to my website?

-What’s the difference between paid search and organic?

-If I start collecting email addresses, will I then market to my email list with special offers and promotions?

-Do I want to create social media accounts for my online business?

-If so, what should I post on my social media? How often should I post?

-Will I also implement paid advertising on my social media platforms?

There’s a lot to consider when moving your brick-and-mortar business online, especially if you want your online storefront to be successful. We can help you at any stage of the process, or just jump in to help with social media marketing. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or need our expertise, we can help! We have experience with building eCommerce sites and help with everything from design, to branding, product descriptions, SEO optimisation, strategy and more! We’re here if you have any questions.