Thinking of starting an online shop? That’s great! Starting an online shop is a great way to sell products that you make or love and earn an income in the process as well. Plus, you don’t have to find the money to rent the shop or even decorate it!
However, setting up an online shop also requires careful thought before you take the plunge, so here is a quick list of things to look out to ensure that your online store is smart, successful and systematic:
Find What You’d Like to Sell
Always begin by finding a product or products that you’re absolutely convinced about and will have no problem recommending to others. Genuine passion helps to sell more easily and will be visible in your sales and communication with your customers. So, find a product you’d love to buy yourself, study the market to see if there’s a demand for it and then decide to sell it.
Get the Right Look
We all love walking into a shop that is beautifully set up and organised. The same is true for an online shop. Whether you choose to set up a store using Amazon, eBay or your own products, make sure the website is designed professionally, is easy to navigate and has product photos that highlight the best parts as well as product descriptions that are clearly and honestly written. Plus, you’d want to ensure that your website has an ‘about’ page that talks about you, the person behind the store, a ‘contact’ page for customers to reach you as well as legal information. (You can download a checklist of the features your shop needs here http://businessplusbaby.com/gb-online-store)
To boost customer engagement as well as search engine rankings, you may want to include a blog as well along with social media icons and website copy or text that is engaging and relevant.
The ‘right look’ will also include getting a logo and stationery that reflects your brand.
Have Systems in Place
An online store should run like a well-oiled machine or it will leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. So, before launch your shop, make sure you have systems in place for ordering stock and storing it properly, shipping and customer service. You wouldn’t want to start taking orders before you know how much postage to charge or how to deal with returns and refunds.
Also, setting up a mailing list is a good system to have in place to build your customer database. You can send out a monthly newsletter highlighting specials, new arrivals and sales to a captive, interested audience.
Invest in Yourself and Your Business
Finally, remember to invest in yourself and your business. The online business world moves fast, so you need the right skills, tools and knowledge if your online shop is to grow and develop.
Thinking of starting your own online shop? Download Helen Lindop’s step-by-step tutorial plus her website set-up checklist here: http://businessplusbaby.com/gb-online-store
Working online really is thee way forward you can even have online HR management now and it can save you just so much time and effort. Thinking outside the box really can give you freedom.
Online shops are great because virtually no overhead. The main capital that you need is basically just time, money only comes second. I think it’s important to note that you need to find the right selling platform to be successful, though.