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How to Start an E-commerce Business

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Are you thinking about starting your own business? Excellent! We will tell you about the steps – how to open an online store from scratch with examples and additional materials.

E-commerce is suitable for those who are testing themselves as an entrepreneur for the first time, and for those who already have business experience. The creation of an online store can be divided into several steps:

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Step 1: Choose a niche – decide what to sell in an online store

This is the most important stage. The success of the entire enterprise depends on what you trade. There are two aspects here: you choose a popular direction – you won’t be left without profit, but you will get crowds of competitors clicking their teeth, who have long and firmly established themselves in the market. Choose little-known or new direction – there will be almost no competitors, but you will have to invest in advertising to promote your product in the market. So think about it. 

However, there are several gaps. If you choose the first way – take a narrow theme. For example, not women’s clothing in general, but specifically dresses. Yes, not simple, but, handmade. So you will attract more customers. The second gap – if your budget does not provide for advertising costs, use the social direction. Engage your friends, give bonuses and discounts for good reviews – in short, make people talk about your store.

The most popular niches where online stores usually open:

  • Clothes;
  • Shoes;
  • Electronics;
  • Household appliances;
  • Goods for children;
  • Foodstuffs;
  • Auto parts;
  • Household goods;
  • Sports goods;
  • Cosmetics and perfumes;
  • Office supplies;
  • Furniture;
  • Building materials;
  • Underwear;
  • Jewelry;
  • Books;
  • Medicines.

Step 2: Studying TA – target audience

A portrait of the TA is very useful for you: if you don’t know who you are working for, you have a great chance to fail. For example, selling home goods to crazy teenagers is useless. The older generation is unlikely to be interested in tricked-out gadgets, and the residents of the city have no need in goods for the garden.

What characteristics of the TA you need to know:

Sex – goods mostly in online stores bought by women. And in the offline, to be honest, too. Men make orders only in extreme cases: when it is necessary to make a gift or a surprise, or if there is no woman who will choose everything and make it herself;

Age – each generation has its own priorities and behavior on the site. The older generation chooses thoughtfully, afraid to overpay, and in general, does not trust the Internet.

Financial situation – low-income people choose what is cheaper, looking for sales and promotions. People with average income pay attention first of all to the quality, and then to the price.

Step 3: Finding suppliers

Next, you need to find suppliers of goods with whom you will cooperate in the future. Finding is not a problem: you type in search engines and study offers. But finding a good supplier is harder. The following requirements are important:

Location: If you are in San Diego and your supplier is in Boston, you are unlikely to be comfortable waiting for goods to arrive across the country;

Product quality: Many suppliers are not working in good faith: they buy defective batches. Yes, the price is lower, but there will also be more problems with customers. For the recently opened online store, even one negative review can play a bad role;

Working conditions: Many suppliers work only with wholesale: if you are just untwisting, you may not be able to pull large batches;

Purchasing price: Don’t be fooled by too low prices: free cheese can only be found in a mousetrap. It’s not going to be too expensive either – remember that you still have to make your own markup to make a profit.

Look for a middle ground, read reviews about suppliers and, if possible, try to meet in person before you sign a contract.

Step 4: Choose a name for your online store

So, you’ve decided which products you want to sell in the online store. Now you need to find a name for your store. Shop on the Internet all remember on its web address (domain name). Domain – the address of your site on the network.

When selecting a domain to consider the following recommendations:

Domain should be easily perceived by ear;

The domain should not be very long;

The domain should be easy for people who do not know English;

Do not use complex transliteration in the domain;

Use words that are close to your field of work.

Step 5: Create an online store website

Once you have selected a name and an assortment, you can go directly to opening an online store online.

I would recommend that you consider the Magento e-commerce platform. Today it is one of the most global and stable platforms. Combined with Mageworx extensions, you will be able to create a really convenient website for both you and the customer.

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