It’s the New Year and I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. So I thought I’d gather some resources together I thought would be of use if you’re thinking of selling online. (all the links below will take you away from this site).
The theme of this month is Ecommerce (it’s January sales season after all) so whether you are looking to launch your own online shop in the future or you already have one here are some blogs about the information you need to put on there.
Before you start you need to decide what you’re going to sell?
Do you have a product or a service? Is it a one-off item (for example like a handmade ring) or something that can be sold unlimited amounts, like card readings.
Perhaps you don’t actually have a product or service – what about choosing Dropshipping. This is a sales model where you act as the agent – create the sale and pass order information onto the wholesaler or manufacture for them to send out.
- Take a look at this blog on best dropshipping products.
What is the best platform for creating your shop/ website?
There’s so many out there I tend to use WordPress for my clients but if you’re doing your own you might be drawn to one of the others.
- Take a look at this blog on the best e-commerce platforms.
What features do you want on your site?
As well as just having product pages and good navigation so people can find their way around your site what other features do you want.
What about the ability to add reviews? A wishlist, photos or videos all great tools for a customer, just be careful that these additional features don’t slow your site down.
- Take a look at this blog on features for e-commerce sites.
How will customers pay?
Like in a brick-and-mortar shop where customers can pay by cash, voucher, cards. Selling online, most platforms allow you different methods of payment. At one point Paypal was “The Company to use”, but now the options are wide open, each platform offer a variety of different payment gateways and each one has different payment methods so you need to explore them all an find one that suits you.
- Read about the best payment gateways.
When you have your site how do you drive traffic to your site?
How do you tell customers about your site, products or services? Do you use social media, Google (SEO), email marketing?
- Take a look at this blog on driving traffic to your shop.
Pippas Web
I am Pippa and I have run Pippas Web - web design for small businesses for 13 years. I help small business owners find their bit of cyberspace. I provide the technical know-how, so they can get back to running their business. If you like what I write in my blogs, you can sign up to my newsletter for more tips straight to your door. All list members get a copy of "How to get your business seen online in 2021".