As more and more people turn to the internet for their shopping needs, it’s becoming increasingly crucial for businesses to have a solid online presence. Whether you’re an established brand or just starting, selling online can be a powerful way to reach new customers, increase sales, and grow your business.

In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explore some critical steps in setting up and running an online store.

 Choose the right eCommerce platform

An eCommerce platform is an all-in-one software solution that enables you to manage your website, sales, marketing and operations all in one place. Choosing the right platform for your needs is essential as it can help you deliver an engaging customer experience, allowing customers to shop whenever they want. This not only helps to build trust in your brand but can also help give you a competitive advantage.

The most popular eCommerce platforms to consider are Shopify and WooCommerce – both of which we use here at Zool. In our previous blog post, “WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which is better?” We looked at some of the differences between the two platforms, such as their approach to eCommerce, how easy it was to launch a store and how much control you had over your store once launched.

There is no clear answer to which is better, as it depends on your specific situation. We are

happy working with both platforms and assessing the better solution project-by-project.

 Set up your online store

Once you have selected the eCommerce platform you want to use, the next step is to set up your online store. This consists of four main areas:

  1. The domain name and web hosting. Your domain name is crucial as it helps to give your business credibility, so it needs to be part of your branding efforts. Web hosting is done on a shared server, with your eCommerce site provider providing specific bandwidth and storage space separate from others. This is best in terms of cost.
  2. Designing your website. Creating an eCommerce website differs from a landing page or a regular website. It must be easy to navigate yet dynamic and offer customers various payment methods.
  3. Product pages and descriptions. Product pages and descriptions are among the most important things to get right in your eCommerce store. Products must be photographed clearly, and your product descriptions should be easy to read and contain relevant keywords to help drive potential customers to your site.
  4. Payment gateway and checkout process. Nowadays, it is essential to offer customers a variety of ways to pay, including merchants such as PayPal, Amazon Pay and even Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), but fees may be involved. The checkout process should also be straightforward so as not to drive customers away before they finish their purchase.

 Optimise your store for search engines

SEO is a vital part of eCommerce as it is one of the main ways that people find your site, as it helps it to get to the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) and influences customer experience on the site. It starts with keyword research, a complicated process to find which words people use to search for your products. This research then becomes the foundation for the content on your website, including product descriptions and alt tags (on images).

Site speed and mobile optimisation are also crucial tasks that we can undertake. Site speed is critical to eCommerce success as it can affect keyword rankings, conversion rates and even influence repeat customers.

 Drive traffic to your store

Marketing is also a vital part of your eCommerce strategy as it will help drive customers’ awareness and encourage them to visit your online store. There are many different tools we can use as part of an eCommerce marketing campaign, including (but not limited to):

  1. Paid Advertising – such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
  2. Social Media Marketing- eCommerce websites are highly visual, so social media marketing is a perfect partner for this.
  3. Email Marketing – one of the oldest forms of marketing, but one that holds specific value in eCommerce marketing for post-purchase follow-ups or abandoned carts.

Convert visitors into customers

We can use SEO and other marketing tools to get visitors to your website, but once there, we also need to influence them positively for them to become paying customers. We can do this through:

  • Website optimisation. Focus on removing friction in the purchase pathway to encourage more people to purchase. Covers things such as menu navigation, layout and design elements used.
  • A/B testing. Determines which website design, content or functionality is most successful.
  • Cart abandonment strategies. Almost 70% of carts are abandoned before the checkout process is finished, but this is an excellent opportunity for eCommerce companies as it shows visitors are interested in buying your product, but that you need strategies to help win them back.
  • Customer reviews and social proof. These are necessary for eCommerce sites to stay relevant and trustworthy in the ever-evolving shopping journey.

 Fulfil orders and manage inventory

Customers have really high expectations, so efficient order fulfilment is critical to retaining them and, therefore, crucial to your profit margin. Sales are essential to your business, and order fulfilment is vital to sales.

Inventory management is also crucial as it tracks the location, amount, pricing and mix of stock available to your customers. You will also need to consider shipping and delivery options, as these will influence customer service and reputation.

In conclusion, the essential steps for selling online include choosing the right platform, setting up your online store, optimising your store for search engines, driving traffic to your store, converting visitors into customers, fulfilling orders, and managing inventory.

Partner with Zool, as we can help you ensure your eCommerce business is a success.

The Beginner’s Guide to Selling Online: Tips and Strategies for Success

  /  

As more and more people turn to the internet for their shopping needs, it’s becoming increasingly crucial for businesses to have a solid online presence. Whether you’re an established brand or just starting, selling online can be a powerful way to reach new customers, increase sales, and grow your business.

In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explore some critical steps in setting up and running an online store.

 Choose the right eCommerce platform

An eCommerce platform is an all-in-one software solution that enables you to manage your website, sales, marketing and operations all in one place. Choosing the right platform for your needs is essential as it can help you deliver an engaging customer experience, allowing customers to shop whenever they want. This not only helps to build trust in your brand but can also help give you a competitive advantage.

The most popular eCommerce platforms to consider are Shopify and WooCommerce – both of which we use here at Zool. In our previous blog post, “WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which is better?” We looked at some of the differences between the two platforms, such as their approach to eCommerce, how easy it was to launch a store and how much control you had over your store once launched.

There is no clear answer to which is better, as it depends on your specific situation. We are

happy working with both platforms and assessing the better solution project-by-project.

 Set up your online store

Once you have selected the eCommerce platform you want to use, the next step is to set up your online store. This consists of four main areas:

  1. The domain name and web hosting. Your domain name is crucial as it helps to give your business credibility, so it needs to be part of your branding efforts. Web hosting is done on a shared server, with your eCommerce site provider providing specific bandwidth and storage space separate from others. This is best in terms of cost.
  2. Designing your website. Creating an eCommerce website differs from a landing page or a regular website. It must be easy to navigate yet dynamic and offer customers various payment methods.
  3. Product pages and descriptions. Product pages and descriptions are among the most important things to get right in your eCommerce store. Products must be photographed clearly, and your product descriptions should be easy to read and contain relevant keywords to help drive potential customers to your site.
  4. Payment gateway and checkout process. Nowadays, it is essential to offer customers a variety of ways to pay, including merchants such as PayPal, Amazon Pay and even Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), but fees may be involved. The checkout process should also be straightforward so as not to drive customers away before they finish their purchase.

 Optimise your store for search engines

SEO is a vital part of eCommerce as it is one of the main ways that people find your site, as it helps it to get to the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) and influences customer experience on the site. It starts with keyword research, a complicated process to find which words people use to search for your products. This research then becomes the foundation for the content on your website, including product descriptions and alt tags (on images).

Site speed and mobile optimisation are also crucial tasks that we can undertake. Site speed is critical to eCommerce success as it can affect keyword rankings, conversion rates and even influence repeat customers.

 Drive traffic to your store

Marketing is also a vital part of your eCommerce strategy as it will help drive customers’ awareness and encourage them to visit your online store. There are many different tools we can use as part of an eCommerce marketing campaign, including (but not limited to):

  1. Paid Advertising – such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
  2. Social Media Marketing- eCommerce websites are highly visual, so social media marketing is a perfect partner for this.
  3. Email Marketing – one of the oldest forms of marketing, but one that holds specific value in eCommerce marketing for post-purchase follow-ups or abandoned carts.

Convert visitors into customers

We can use SEO and other marketing tools to get visitors to your website, but once there, we also need to influence them positively for them to become paying customers. We can do this through:

  • Website optimisation. Focus on removing friction in the purchase pathway to encourage more people to purchase. Covers things such as menu navigation, layout and design elements used.
  • A/B testing. Determines which website design, content or functionality is most successful.
  • Cart abandonment strategies. Almost 70% of carts are abandoned before the checkout process is finished, but this is an excellent opportunity for eCommerce companies as it shows visitors are interested in buying your product, but that you need strategies to help win them back.
  • Customer reviews and social proof. These are necessary for eCommerce sites to stay relevant and trustworthy in the ever-evolving shopping journey.

 Fulfil orders and manage inventory

Customers have really high expectations, so efficient order fulfilment is critical to retaining them and, therefore, crucial to your profit margin. Sales are essential to your business, and order fulfilment is vital to sales.

Inventory management is also crucial as it tracks the location, amount, pricing and mix of stock available to your customers. You will also need to consider shipping and delivery options, as these will influence customer service and reputation.

In conclusion, the essential steps for selling online include choosing the right platform, setting up your online store, optimising your store for search engines, driving traffic to your store, converting visitors into customers, fulfilling orders, and managing inventory.

Partner with Zool, as we can help you ensure your eCommerce business is a success.