Online commerce is thriving. And there is no reason to believe that something will change shortly. Even conservative entrepreneurs recognize the need to enter the e-marketplace, and new business ideas are no longer conceivable without the Internet. Business on the World Wide Web is most often online stores. If you decide to create your own online store, you need to know a few important points.
1. Niche choice
Online stores that sell the same as you are potential competitors. Territorial proximity does not matter. Imagine that you open a shop with mobile accessories on the street where there are 10 more. The Internet for a customer looks the same. Before deciding on a niche, research the market. Find out the demand for the product, the ability of the market to swallow it. If the market is full and you do not have a place there, you should think about unique or rare products. You can lean towards a narrow focus. Then there is a chance to become a monopolist in the category and create a competitive business. This makes it easier to find customers, properly allocate the budget for advertising.
Top 3 niches for creating online stores:
- clothes, shoes, accessories — women love to look good and they are the ones who most often shop. Fast-paced fashion and the desire to be in trend influence big sales,
- home appliances and electronics — it is more profitable to buy online even taking into account the cost of delivery. It is cheaper,
- cosmetics and perfumes — products that tend to run out, so there is a constant demand.
2. Study of the target audience (TA)
Love your client and he will love you. But since love at first sight is a rarity or complete fiction, we need to get to know each other better. Who he is, what he enjoys, what he loves, what he worries about, etc.
The study of TA can be divided into 3 blocks; after analyzing them, you will get a complete picture of your customers:
- basic data:
- age
- gender
- place of residence
- social status:
- income level
- home ownership
- specialization
- marital status
- psychological factors:
- motives
- values
- interests
- way of life
And boom. Now you know who you are working with, what you can help with, what to offer. Knowledge of the target audience allows you to establish a contact in a language they understand, to anticipate their fears and needs. You make visitors happy, they make you rich.
3. Choose a name and create an image
To create not just an online store, but a brand, you need to be recognized. That’s why we need to introduce ourselves. First, you work on the name, then it works on you. Some rules will help in naming:
- uniqueness — to quickly find online and not to be confused with anyone. Make sure there is no domain with that name.
| The domain name (example: kovalweb.com) — the address of the site, consisting of the name (kovalweb) and location (.com) of the resource. |
- hitting the TA — you have learned what your target audience is like, use it to please them. If teenagers, use buzzwords, if the older generation — more conservative. If women — call positive emotions with the name, if men — be clear, specific.
- easy pronunciation and memorization — leave a mark in the minds of consumers. Memory works great with associations, so use words that somehow describe your offer.
To create a full-fledged image of the store, the name itself is not enough. You still need to pay attention to the descriptor and slogan.
Descriptor — concise information about an Internet resource, located under the name. The goal is to quickly explain what the company is, what it does, why it is worth paying attention to.
Slogan depicts the company’s philosophy, idea, concept. Also in short form. Occurs in advertising.
4. Ways to create an online store
The technical part of creating an online store is a process that includes:
- design development,
- writing code or using a website builder,
- filling with content,
- network promotion.
So here are three ways a novice online entrepreneur can go.
1st way. Web studio
This is when a team of professionals, working together, develops an online store.
Pros:
- performance guarantee,
- communication of specialists at all stages of creation, which improves the result,
- saving time compared to the work of one person,
- a site is created that belongs entirely to you,
- people who know their job well work on it (designer, programmer, copywriter, SEO specialist),
- individual approach.
Cons:
- expensive.
2nd way. All by myself
It is quite realistic even without knowing either design or programming. Now there are many website builders that allow you to make online stores without the slightest experience.
Pros:
- fast,
- cheaper than ordering a full site,
- simple.
Cons:
- requires personal involvement, effort and time,
- template look,
- advertising from the website builder,
- questionable prestige,
- the site belongs to you only partially. You depend on the website builder.
3rd way. Freelance
On the network, you are looking for a person who sits at home and offers online store development services.
Pros:
- savings.
Cons:
- no written guarantees,
- it is difficult to check the professionalism,
- if one person does all the work, it is most likely not high quality,
- if you hire several freelancers (designer, programmer, etc.), you will have to spend a lot of effort to coordinate the process.
5. Online store design
Main design requirements:
1. Convenience.
The visitor must get to the information he needs in no more than three clicks. It is required that he navigate the site intuitively, without delay. Otherwise, there is a chance to lose a customer. Use large call buttons, easy registration form, clear menu, the ability to filter products, a visible basket. Additionally, you can use the site map.
2. Beauty.
“Every man to his taste”, but there are trends. And trends dictate laconic and modest design. Use pastel tones, lots of space, clear fonts.
This does not mean that all stores should be the same and invisible. But you need to stand out not with bright colors, but with your style.
3. Images
They are like a magic wand. With their help, it is possible to cause the necessary emotions, to motivate to purchase. Clear pictures save time, and this is a very important resource. Visitors are more willing to look at detailed photos than to read the text.
6. The main elements of an online store
There may be more. But here are the main ones:
1. Home page
This is a showcase. The face of your business. It consists of several elements:
- header:
- main contacts,
- logo,
- basket,
- brief information about delivery, payment,
- registration or entry into the personal account,
- search bar;
- menu — for easy site navigation. All links are clearly signed, logically placed.
- goods — occupy most of the space on the main page. Here are the discount offers or the most popular ones.
- the left menu of the page — a place for creativity. Here you can place advertising banners, social media buttons, news, a registration form, etc.
2. Catalog of goods
- Clear structure — use subcategories and filters.
- The names match the search queries — necessary for SEO.
3. Separate pages for the product
- Photos that fully demonstrate the product.
- The text that describes the offer, benefits, motivates to buy.
4. Cart and ordering
The basket shows the selected products, their prices. It is also possible to remove something from the list or return to the catalog and continue shopping.
Making an order. Use only the necessary fields, do not ask to leave a lot of information, because there is a risk that a visitor will run away.
5. Page with information about delivery, payment, etc.
For the visitor not to have objections and fear of making a purchase, it is best to clearly describe in detail how the delivery will take place.
About payment. It is better when there are several payment options. Then the client will be able to choose the most convenient way.
7. Advertising and SEO promotion of the online store
Search engine results marked as ads, which are most often found at the top or bottom of the results page, are contextual advertising. One of the most popular ways to promote an online store. Contextual advertising is a kind of PPC (pay per click). This means that you pay for the transition — a click on your ad.
Pros:
- fast result,
- you can track the effectiveness of advertising,
- can be disabled at any time.
Cons:
- showing depends on competitors,
- works only with permanent funding,
- in order not to waste money, you need a professional,
- not every click is a sale.
Another popular method of online store promotion is SEO site optimization. This means that you work on the quality of the online store, its technical characteristics and content, and search robots show your resource in the top lines of search results. Specialists first conduct a technical audit of the site, find weaknesses, and then work to improve them. This is called internal optimization. And as for the external one, it is building links from third-party resources to your online store.
Pros:
- long-term effect,
- positively affects the quality of the store and behavioral factors,
- organic traffic that has already been looking for your offer.
Cons:
- long time for promotion,
- many factors that are changeable.
If you are interested in the topic of SEO, you can read more in the article “What is SEO”.
To open an online store, you need a clear plan and understanding of where to go. Conversion is affected by many factors: download speed, user-friendly interface, quality content, proper marketing analysis, fast delivery and more. This is a complex process, where the result is influenced by, at first glance, minor details. So, to launch your own online store, you need to have a large amount of information. Or you can entrust the work to professionals and enjoy the result.