If you plan to develop your own business, you might have in mind creating an online store. Nothing would seem easier than this because if you are a sales person, you know how to present the services or products you are offering, and you will definitely have success. You have to be sure that the prices are affordable for the category of goods or services you are selling, and that you provide your customers only high-quality products.

However, you might have all of these, but if you do not know how to build your online store, you might never achieve the success you are planning to. Therefore, you might find a lot of guides about how you could create it by yourself, but it is advisable with Foxlet, for offering you some help, and transforming your idea into a great business.

It’s a lot to consider, but don’t worry—to figure this out, let’s look at five basic areas to help set your ecommerce business up for success:

1. Researching and validating your business idea so you know what’s likely to sell

Some ideas—however innovative—can fail if they don’t have customers to support them. As you zero in on product ideas, here are some prompts to help you make decisions:

  • What are the common problems people face in your industry?
  • Why are they facing these problems?
  • What products can you offer that will solve these problems?
  • What trends have you noticed in the world that you can capitalize on?
  • What activities do you enjoy? What products would improve those activities?

Answering these questions can bring you closer to finding a product people want to buy

2. Procuring products or sourcing them from reliable suppliers

Once you’ve figured out what you will sell, and who the products will serve, the next step is to find the right source for the products.

Good products will help your new online business thrive. The key is not only choosing the right product, but also the right source for products. Here are a few options for sourcing ecommerce products.

  • Resell existing products
  • Create or build products
  • Use dropshipping or print-on-demand (POD)
  • Work with a manufacturer

3. Choosing selling channels to connect products with shoppers

If you’re new to ecommerce, you may want to start small and scale up. Selling on your own domain is one option if you have the time, resources, and skills to customize a website, create a seamless online experience, and compete on the internet to get customers to your store.

Other options include starting out on an established ecommerce website, or selling through social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Whichever route you choose, keep in mind you can start with one and add other channels as you scale. You can also drop a channel if it isn’t serving your needs.

Sell on an existing ecommerce website

Selling websites that already have traffic can help you connect with customers, expanding your visibility and reach. Plus, this strategy gives you a chance to learn about what works for other sellers, get reviews, and generate revenue before investing in your own website.

Try social selling

Social selling is a way for entrepreneurs to share about products and allow shoppers to buy during a live show. Customers can see the products, ask questions, and get personalized product recommendations in real-time.

4. Setting up an online store and listing products

Once you’ve figured out what to sell and who you’ll sell to, it’s time to get your business up and running.

  • Building your online storefront
  • Creating competitive product listings

5. Marketing and promoting products to raise sales

  • SEO – Search engine optimization the process of making your site better for search engines.
  • Social media marketing – Does your audience hang out on social media? Adding one or two social media channels to promotions and outreach could help drive brand and product awareness
  • Invest in your brand image – To brand or not to brand? It’s a common question among first-time online sellers. At the beginning, you might not create a brand because you’re still testing product ideas. But once you find traction with products in a niche you enjoy, consider creating and registering your brand.
  • Create a plan for ecommerce fulfillment – When you start building your online business, consider how you’ll store, ship, and handle returns for products.
  • Capture and show reviews – Reviews can be a powerful ecommerce tool. Ideally, try to display reviews so they’ll be visible to search engines like Google, as well as customers who are shopping for products like the ones you offer.
  • Track business performance with ecommerce analytics – Analytics give you insight into how people engage with your store and products. Want to know who’s viewing items? Review the demographics.