The internet heavily impacts our lives. Whether it’s socializing, working, infotainment, or research, we seek help from internet resources. However, internet use for shopping has dominated the other usages. As per a report, Currently, 43% of shoppers use the internet and social networks to research products before purchasing. Also, by 2024, eCommerce revenue will be worth $476 billion in the USA.
If you are a retailer, you cannot afford to stay away from eCommerce business models. To reach customers, you have to be on the digital canvas. Remember that eCommerce websites reinforce businesses to explore and gain new markets. If you are starting a business, an e-commerce website can offer you global reach and brand recognition, even before you open a physical store.
So, without any further ado, let us walk you through how to develop an eCommerce site to start selling online.
5 Things to Remeber before Developing Ecommerce Site
1. Choose A Name and Get Your Domain
Your domain or URL is your web address. This is your business’ “home” on the internet. Here, the shoppers will enter the browser bar to search for and visit your website.
Picking a good domain name is key to your branding and success. Therefore, choose a business domain name that resonates with what you sell. Your clients can understand what you sell by inculcating key phrases or descriptive keywords into your domain name. Plus, a business-friendly domain helps get your site ranked well in search engines, which is crucial to your SEO strategy.
Once you gather ideas for a domain name, you can buy it using domain name services like Bluehost or GoDaddy. Now, pick one of these sites and enter your chosen business name. You will get to know whether it is available or not.
A domain name typically costs between $12 and $25 per year, depending upon the service and add-ons you choose. You can also find an e-commerce platform to build your website that includes a free domain, which brings us to our next point.
2. Pick Your E-Commerce Platform
The place where a website “lives” online is known as the e-commerce platform. You get many options for choosing the platform. There are various free platforms with limited features and almost free stores developed on WordPress. Adding e-commerce features is also possible in popular website builders. Also, you can go with a dedicated e-commerce platform that can support unrestricted growth.
Following are a few top e-commerce platforms you can consider:
Dedicated e-commerce platforms
These are among the easiest ways to launch a feature-rich e-commerce website. These eCommerce solutions are robust and expandable. Moreover, you can deliver power-pack built-in functionalities like delivery labels, secured e-payments, email marketing, and sales support.
You can also pick any agency and develop custom ecommerce website. Nevertheless, below are 3 top dedicated e-commerce platforms to consider include:
· BigCommerce: A renowned eCommerce custom site development platform for multichannel sellers. It is arguably the most expandable business e-commerce channel for small businesses. Plans start at $29.95/month.
· Shopify: A reliable yet popular dedicated e-commerce platform. It is perfect for drop-shippers and startup businesses. Shopify plans start at $29/month.
· Shift4Shop: Shift4Shop is another top-tier dedicated e-commerce platform. It provides a budget startup plan for only $19/month.
Website builders with e-commerce features
Popular site builders such as Weebly and Squarespace offer e-commerce functionalities. If you have a website on any of these platforms, you can connect online features by moving to an e-commerce plan.
· Weebly: Like Wix, you can quickly and seamlessly create an aesthetic eCommerce site on Weebly with e-commerce features for USD 25 a month.
· Squarespace: E-commerce features start at USD 30 per month. You get hundreds of design template options here.
E-commerce Plugins for WordPress
WordPress drives over half of the e-commerce websites on the internet due to its affordability and expanded customization options. Moreover, you can insert e-commerce store functionality to any WordPress website with the following e-commerce plugins:
· WooCommerce: A free plugin that offers complete e-commerce functionality to WP sites.
· WP EasyCart: Similar to WooCommerce, WP EasyCart offers a full suite of online store features.
· BigCommerce: This dedicated e-commerce platform can be plugged into WordPress. Therefore, you can combine their multichannel features with a brand-developing blog.
3. Plan and Construct Your E-Commerce Site
You will have to gather the following information and elements to create your business site:
Brand and logo imagery
All e-commerce platforms allow you to create a simple logo, or you can seek help from a third-party platform like Canva to design your logo through free logo templates.
Product descriptions, photos, and data
Use the following checklist to include on your eCommerce website. These will help you market your products effectively:
Enticing product photos
You can catch eye-catching product images with a bit of creativity and a smartphone camera. Make sure to take pictures from different angles and show products in use.
Product videos Real-world videos work as sales tools. You can capture these with your smartphone.
Detailed product descriptions
· Write image-building product descriptions and cover every detail.
· Include your products’ weight, size, and other details and address frequently asked questions.
· Implement keywords in product descriptions and titles where it makes sense to achieve search engine ranking.
Pricing:
Several e-commerce platforms offer you group and single-item pricing options and discount pricing. Some platforms let you track your product costs too.
Item weight and volume:
E-commerce platforms use item weight and size to establish real-time shipping costs for label printing. This is optional but can save you time and automates your shipping hassle.
Stock:
Add a stock amount for each item, and your online platform will track your store as products sell down.
4. Set Up Shipping and Marketing Tools
This step continuously varies depending on the e-commerce platform. Panacea solutions like Shopify and BigCommerce offer built-in payment, shipping, and marketing tools. Most others need to integrate a few outsourced services to tackle these tasks.
Shipping setup
You can integrate shipping software with your platform to align the order fulfillment process. Integrated shipping seamlessly connects orders to shipping software so you can select carriers and shipping methods, print labels, and automatically notify customers when their orders are shipped.
Shopify and WooCommerce offer built-in shipping. Thus, integration is not needed, and setup takes only a few minutes. Other platforms demand to connect a third-party solution like ShipStation or ShippingEasy to trigger customer notifications. These integrations function well with most platforms, but monthly costs can go high.
Email marketing and social media setup
Similar to payments and delivery, some eCommerce platforms offer seamless built-in marketing tools. The platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce provide full marketing toolkits. You can build and exploit email lists to connect with customers, send promotions, and sell products across your social media accounts.
Other e-commerce websites need a bit more work to set up marketing features. For instance, it is possible to connect WooCommerce to top-tier email marketing services such as MailChimp through free plugins. However, paid plugins still require linking your products to social media pages for social commerce.
5. Launch Your E-Commerce Site
The final step in developing your e-commerce website starts with processing test orders. Every e-commerce platform oversees testing from different angles. However, all allow you to run some pre-launch orders through the system. These orders link with your payment processor; however, you don’t need to charge your card. Once you have successfully sent a few test orders, you are ready to start selling your products.
Bear in mind that your e-commerce website’s launch doesn’t mean instant sales. Search engines require time to find and index your new eCommerce store. To speed things up, you can verify your newly opened store in Google’s Search Console and upload the sitemap, which e-commerce platform
Last Word
A good e-commerce site is more than an online place to offer products. It’s a platform where you can create a business from scratch. You can give an experience that strengthens their brand, connects new customers, and converts window shoppers into loyal customers. Choosing a feature-rich eCommerce platform and implementing a proven marketing strategy can put you ahead of your competitors..
