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Starting a business is a dream for many people, and with the current boom in online retail, an e-commerce business seems like a great opportunity. But how do you go about setting yourself up in this sphere? Follow these steps, and you will soon be reaping the rewards.
Choose your niche
You will want to find a niche of retailing that will get you good sales, based on the products that you have to offer to your customers. It could be that you already have something in mind, perhaps a product that you make yourself, but you can also source any kind of product you like from overseas in order to sell it in your online store.
Dropshipping is also an option. This is a new kind of retail that carries little risk for the seller. You don’t have to keep any stock, but rather you sell items at a small mark-up on the supplier price and then ship them direct from the supplier to your customer. If you’re interested in this kind of e-commerce, you can find out more about the topic and how to find a great drop shipping niche elsewhere.
Set up your site
No matter what you might be selling, you need to have an online storefront where people can get access to it. If you don’t have this, then you will be hard-pressed to make any sales! This requires you to have a website which allows for the sale of goods, and an ordering system so that you can find out what you have sold.
First you will need a domain name, so you need to choose this – and your business name at the same time. They should ideally be the same, to minimise confusion for your customers. Once you have chosen your domain name, you can purchase it and get it connected to a site after you have purchased your hosting.
WordPress is one of the most popular ways to set up a website, as you can get your site set up quickly and easily through a template. It also offers plugins which you can use to create a store, where you take payment from your customers and can even save your details.
Shopify is another example of a sales portal that you can use online, either with WordPress or with a site you’ve created yourself. Format is another web template site that offers the chance to set up a store page. There are lots of options out there, so be sure to do your research, as your site is very important.
Build hype
Before you launch, be sure to spend some time building hype. You want to make sure that people know your shop exists! Spread the word on social media, start building a mailing list for people interested in knowing when you launch and get as many fans as possible ready for launch day.
When you have a great online presence, half the work of the sale is done for you. Set up a great site and get the promotion wheel spinning for success!