Thousands of Australians are currently enjoying a millionaire’s lifestyle thanks to e-commerce, and if you would like to join them, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will outline the various processes to setting up a shopping cart website, to help you with your new project.
- Choosing your Products – In many respects, this is the hardest part and if you get it wrong, your chances of success are virtually zero, so do your market research to ensure that the products are in demand. Once you have decided on a range of products, the next step would be to investigate the competition, looking at quality and prices, which will tell you what kind of mark-up you can make. If you can find a reliable supplier that will send your customers products, you can eliminate your logistics entirely; all you have to do is email orders to your supplier and they will do the rest.
- Web Design & Hosting – You need to outsource this to a web developer, who can not only build your platform, they can also register your domain name and host the site. If you think you can manage the website, that’s great, otherwise the web developer would be happy to administer the site on your behalf. If you deal with a leading Australian company such as the one found at https://www.moveaheadmedia.com.au/services/seo/, who can provide all the above services, plus they can provide you with essential digital marketing services.
- Digital Marketing – This is not an optional extra, indeed, without SEO services, you will almost certainly be an ‘also ran’, mainly because the online consumer will not know of your existence. As mentioned above, you can find a single company to build and maintain your website, while also offering a range of SEO services. The one service that is essential is search engine optimisation, as this enables online consumers to actually find your platform, and the SEO company have all the tools to put your site on page one of a Google search. Do not make the mistake of thinking that digital marketing is something you can ignore, it is by far the most important service for your business, and it must be ongoing, due to the ever-changing nature of the Internet. Here is a great blog that outlines several effective ways that digital marketing can boost your business, which might prove to be invaluable.
- Logistics – A critical aspect of your business, your logistics start when a customer places an order, and the best solution is to outsource to a third-party logistics specialist. Third-party logistics (3PL) are geared up for high volumes of orders, and when you send them your products and packaging, then will pick, pack and deliver your orders as they come in. Using a 3PL provider enables you to fulfil orders very quickly, and the provider is very flexible, only billing you for a service you used. If you have seasonal surges, the 3PL provider is always ready to spring into action, and if you have a quiet period, you won’t need to use their services. Once you have joined forces with a leading 3PL company, you will never have to worry about order fulfilment, leaving you free to focus on improving the customer experience.
- Legality – Of course, you cannot sell copyright products without written permission from the copyright owner, plus you need to register your business, here is some government help regarding this. You will also have to create a returns policy, which states the consumer rights and your responses to returned products, and you will likely require some legal help when compiling your returns policy, to ensure that you are compliant with the laws regarding this.
- Accounting – If you start on the right foot, your bookkeeping will always be up to date, all you need to do is enter your sales and expenses into spreadsheets at the end of each day, while keeping all receipts. If you contact a local accountant at the very outset, they would set up a bookkeeping routine for you to record all transactions, and this will make it easier when it comes to paying your tax.
As you can see, there is a lot to organise and you are advised to start by creating a business plan that will outline your business and how you intend to penetrate the global market. Once you think your business plan is complete, ask a business guru to check it over and he will very likely find some issues that need to be resolved.
You are going to rely heavily on partners who handle your IT and logistics needs, so choose carefully, and with the right digital marketing, your e-store will surpass your highest expectations.
