Traditional brick and mortar businesses have their benefits. They’re the original locus of commerce and they’re how people of older generations are used to sourcing products and services. However, nowadays, more and more companies are turning to E-commerce.
The main reason for this is that they’re just setting up and starting up a business online is much simpler and lower risk than setting up a tangible store. However, how do you test the waters of E-commerce when you’re already set up and thriving as a business? Here are the basics to get you started.
Why Try Out E-Commerce?
There are seemingly endless benefits to trying out E-commerce. So here are just a few for you to consider. First of all, the internet doesn’t have opening and closing times. This means that your business becomes accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Many people work for the usual store opening hours of 9-5, so you may be losing a lot of potential business by solely operating in person.
Selling online eradicates this problem. It also allows you to easily expand to a global market. When you set up online, your page will be accessible to people all over the world. All you have to do is to ensure that you offer international postage. You never know where your biggest market might be…
E-commerce may put you in touch with your next biggest source of profit. You can also tap into online advertising with direct links to your site. Online advertising is one of the best, as it can be directly targeted to people with particular interests or web browsing search histories.
Setting Up a Site
The first step towards setting up online is to establish your first ecommerce website. This can seem complicated if you are unfamiliar with the process, however, with the right help it should be simple and fast. Your best bet for a professional finish and the best navigation is to collaborate with a professional web designer. They will be able to take care of the basics, such as securing your web domain, creating a themed layout and linking pages to one another effectively.
Remember to include necessary pages, such as terms and conditions, shipping details and (if you are selling clothing) sizing details. Remember that there’s no need to start entirely afresh. You can incorporate your current aesthetic into your E-commerce site. Build things around what you already have: match your page’s colour scheme to your existing logo.
Product Photography
To show your stock off at its best, you’ll want to invest in professional product photography. Keep backgrounds plain and lighting as natural as possible. You can keep more adventurous and creative ventures for your advertising campaigns or showreels on your home page.
These are just the basic first steps to take when venturing into the world of E-commerce. Get started sooner rather than later. After all, there are plenty of benefits to be taken advantage of, so why wait? You’ll grow more confident with operating online as time goes on and you get more used to how things work.