It’s 2022 and online stores have become an essential property for businesses fighting tooth and nail to enhance their digital presence. Before the pandemic struck, online stores were a luxury, but after the world adapted to an online first approach, businesses have understood the importance of having an online presence to enable a smooth shopping experience that is safe and simply convenient.
Is An Online Store Only For Big Businesses?
Absolutely not. An online store is the ideal solution for any business that sells services and products that matter. The post-pandemic has seen the rise of online stores of all calibers and niches. Small businesses are fairing well and thriving as are big businesses. The key is to build a store that makes shopping a seamless and user friendly experience.
Starting An Online Store
With an offline business already at hand, incepting an online store can seem like a monumental task. Firstly, talk to an expert if you need help kickstarting your online store, but if you want to start your business online all by yourself, here is a step by step guide to help you get started.
Step-By-Step Guide to start a Virtual Store
GET THE BASICS RIGHT
- Business Name: While most businesses maintain a cohesion between their online and offline identities, it is important for businesses to make a call on the online business name they want to be known by. Picking an online store name this is easy to remember will ensure your customer comes back time and again without much hassle.
- Target Audience: Identify and define the target audience to the T. Understand their likes and dislikes, buying behaviour and additional interests to build an online store that will make shopping a breezy experience for them.
- Products & Services: Curate your products and services based on the preferences of your audience. Think out of the box, try online only collections and exclusive offers on certain products and services. Make your online store an enhanced experience, one where you add extra value.
ZERO DOWN ON YOUR PLATFORM
Pick a platform that will suit your needs and your business. The number of options available on the market are endless, but there is only one platform that will make it.
- Wix eCommerce – Best for getting an online store up in minutes
- Shopify – Most customizable ecommerce site builder
- Magento – The best for large scale businesses with 10k+ products
Once you figure which platform is right for you based on the size of your business and other factors, figure the domain and hosting details with a service provider and get your store up and running.
GET YOUR PRODUCTS UP
Once your Online store is up in phase 1, the next step is to list your products. As a rule, make sure to follow standard guidelines while listing your products.
- Have high quality images of your products
- Have atleast 4-5 angles to let the consumer know what the product looks like
- Showcase the product title and description
- Add size guides and usage charts
- Include additional information that your customer would like to know
OPTIMIZE YOUR STORE FOR SUCCESS
Use SEO to your advantage and optimize the content on your product page for search engines and users.
Content pieces to optimize:
- Title
- Description
- FAQs
- Images (Yes, you read that right)
Benefits of using SEO-rich content for your product page
- Dependable traffic streams meaning solid revenue for your business.
- Search traffic has the highest volume of traffic
- Search traffic is enormously profitable.
- The intent to buy is always the highest with search traffic
MARKET & REPEAT
Make a noise on your social media and other channels to drive traffic and get people aware of your online business. Use marketing tools like SMM, paid marketing, email marketing, referral marketing and influencer marketing to firstly generate awareness and then build on various marketing techniques to drive sales.
Building an online store can seem overwhelming, but really isn’t. If you are looking for a digital partner to help get your business up and running, reach out to us for a free consultation.