From Prepping To Pickup: How To Start An Independent eCommerce Business

Most people are hesitant to start a new eCommerce business because of the hurdles that they imagine they will face. Sourcing products and transporting them seem like complex challenges that are hard to deal with. But these days, using a shipping app makes it easier than ever to have your products delivered to your customers. ECommerce businesses nowadays have also been relying on the services provided by third party logistics companies for order fulfillment. Aside from picking, packing, freight shipping, and returns, a third party logistics company can store your inventory for you. With these logistical hurdles largely out of the way, the only things left to do are to open your actual business and test your ideas out.

Not sure where to start? Let’s look at some of the steps involved in starting an independent eCommerce business.

Have A Great Idea

Choose the right product or set of products to sell. Your business will either find success or be washed away based on the usefulness and attractiveness of its products. These products will all be the product of your own ideas. To make sure that your ideas are good ones, discuss them with your business partners or people who you trust to make sure that you are on the right track.

Do Some Market Research

If you want to be sure that you are not wasting your time, conduct plenty of market research before you open a new business. Making sure that your idea has not already been done is important. It is also necessary to correctly time your entry into an industry. If the economy is not doing so well and your competitors are suffering, it is likely not the best time to open a new eCommerce store in the same market.

Write A Great Business Plan

You will need to convince some people that your business has great potential. The easiest way to do this is to prepare a formal business plan. Business plans outline all of the essential aspects of your business: what you will sell, how you will sell it, who you will have on your team, and what your goals and values are. Distilling this information into a coherent document will not only be useful for potential investors, but it will help you clarify these things in your own mind before you start your business.

Brand Design

Businesses need a brand narrative to build relationships with customers. You will need to think about what you want your brand to represent and the values that you will bring to the table. Business is not always about the products. It is best if you have some overarching social purpose or need that you are filling that can be distilled into your brand messaging.

Creating a brand generally implies coming up with some attractive and unique designs. Your web presence will need to be carefully thought out. Have a professional graphic designer help you come up with a few ideas for your web pages. Coming up with a logo that fits within your industry but is also memorable is another important step.

Think About Marketing

These days, digital marketing techniques make it possible for you to implement a marketing plan totally on your own. However, if you are just starting out, it can be hard to know how to get the most value for your money when you are trying to spread the word about your business. If you are new to the world of SEO, for example, make sure to work closely with a digital marketing agency that will give you some help in this area. Another aspect of marketing an eCommerce business to keep in mind is ensuring your product photos invoke the urge to purchase from visitors to your site. Editing photos inhouse can take a lot of time and create frustration. Utilizing a bulk background removal service and photo editing company can help you save money and time while driving sales. 

Choose The Right Sales Platform

As an eCommerce business, you will want to make sure that your sales process is seamless and user-friendly. Any glitches or bugs need to be sorted out quickly. Otherwise, any interested customers may be lost forever. Make sure to choose the right transaction platform and try to accept as many different forms of payment as you can. This makes it easy for your customers to say yes to buying from your business.

Start It Out Right

These tips will get you started down the road to opening a new eCommerce business. Follow them closely, and you will be able to take your great idea and turn it into a successful enterprise.