Creating a web store has many advantages. You do not have to pay rent, and you can reach millions of customers from the comfort of your own home. To have a chance of success, however, it is good to know the steps necessary to create a web store that sells.
In this article we are going to show you 9 steps to create such a web store.
- Decide what you want to sell. Investigate a niche to know what people need and what you can offer them to help them. If your product is already invented and marketed, you can always make some adjustments and improve it.
- Make a business plan. Calculate the costs that will be required to create an online store, and make a good marketing plan to see how your business will go.
- Create an interesting name and register it. Choose a name that is easy to read, understand, write and remember for your clients. Visit a web hosting domain and find out if the one you have thought is not already occupied.
- Choose your ecommerce platform and create your online store that sells. Choose one that facilitates the task of creating and maintaining your online store and that allows you to worry about only getting customers and selling.
- Check with your bank and create a merchant account. Ask about the forms of payment they receive and install them in your online store. See also online payment gateways, such as PayPal; and courier companies for delivery.
- You can choose eBay as an extra sales channel. Adhere your online store to eBay, so you can advertise on it for a few cents per ad.
- Promote your store on Facebook and Twitter. Social networks are very effective methods of advertising and connecting with your customers, getting more traffic and building the reputation of your online store. Offer incentives to customers to promote your store. Make sure you keep profiles up to date with information about new products, news and offers.
- Create a blog. Join an informative blog that contains all kinds of information about your products or your sector. You can incorporate explanatory videos as a tutorial or opt for image galleries.
- Inform customers about promotions by email. Use an email program, such as MailChimp, to send emails and inform customers about special offers.
