Build an eCommerce store and take advantage of a growing online industry.
Despite the proliferation of online businesses and more consumers making their purchases almost exclusively online, eCommerce as a whole is still a novel concept. In 2014, revenue from online sales alone reached $1.4 trillion. It is predicted to continue to grow into an industry valued at $4.5 trillion by the year 2021.
It is estimated that over 75% of Americans do their shopping online. However, how can you draw customers to your eCommerce website by way of traffic and get them to buy, by way of conversion?
Before we can uncover these daunting questions, it is best to lay the proper groundwork for your eCommerce store.
The Five Fundamental Steps To Build Your eCommerce Store
- Lay the foundation for your eCommerce business: There are many logistical steps to consider first before you can do anything else. Begin by:
- Determine and purchase a domain name for your website.
- Want a custom website? Seek a professional web developer who is reputable and knowledgeable about creating custom eCommerce websites.
- Get your legal documents in order to sidestep any mistakes that can cost you money down the line.
- Consider a third-party eCommerce platform to be the host of your website: If you are just getting started, you might not have the financial resources to create a custom website. No worries! There are plenty of eCommerce platforms that can facilitate setting up your store in no time at all. Here are two of the most popular:
- Shopify: This is a simple and affordable solution. However, just because it’s affordable doesn’t mean it holds back on important features. Furthermore, they are certainly not limited to serving newbies. Major brands like Red Bull and even Tesla use Shopify for their online stores.
- BigCommerce: Another budget-friendly solution, BigCommerce provides a secure site, product catalogs, and a shopping cart. Their reporting feature is a breeze to understand and their analytics help you to track the progress of your business. A big perk is that it requires no transaction costs or hidden fees.
These solutions offer an “out of the box” solution that gives you the ability to create your online store quickly. This way you can launch your business and begin promoting it.
- Determine your unique selling proposition: With 12 million eCommerce stores currently in existence, it is critical to ensure that you are offering a product with a unique selling proposition to draw in curious customers and boost repeat purchases. A unique selling proposition is how you inform your customers that your product is exceptionally better than the competition. You need to define why they should purchase your product. One of your values can be to offer “free shipping” to drive more customers to buy.
- Make some noise about your brand: Now is your chance to hop on various social media channels and whet the appetite of your potential customers for your offering. Get them excited and full of anticipation for the launch of your store. Once the website goes live, shout it among the social media rooftops and send the launch news to any contacts you have acquired before. This will draw in the initial traffic and can be used to move your business forward. Build a community and engage with them as often as possible.
- Join forces with an eCommerce marketing expert: The last step in building an eCommerce store is to partner up with an “automatic eCommerce marketing platform” to make the most out of lead conversions during every stage of the buying cycle. Working with these platforms will help you develop a “data-driven marketing strategy” so that you can continuously surpass your revenue goals.
You’re Ready To Launch!
If you follow all of the aforementioned steps, there is no doubt that you will be positioning your new eCommerce business for growth and success.