With so many customers shopping online now, you need to be there if you want to remain competitive.
If you delay launching your online shop, you could be missing out on sales.
Launching your first online shop can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s how to start selling online in a few simple steps. Thankfully, there’s still time for you to create an online store and start selling before Black Friday.
Create your online store
Before you can begin selling your products online, you’ll need to build an ecommerce App. The ecommerce solution you choose should give you the ability to:
List your products, complete with photos and detailed product descriptions
Safely process payments from your sales thanks to SSL encryption
Creating shipping information
One of the easiest ways to get an App that provides all these functions and more is using a drag-and-drop App builder with ecommerce features, such as Appily App Builder.
You don’t need to have any technical skills or be capable of writing code. Instead, you’ll simply answer two questions, choose from the prebuilt stores the builder presents to you and then build your App with the drag-and-drop editor.
A site created with Appily App Builder will look and work great on all devices, and include a fast checkout process that minimizes swipes and clicks. Additionally, Appily App Builder allows you to build an ecommerce store at a fraction of the cost of hiring an App designer to do it for you. This makes it a good option for small businesses that want to get on the App Stores quickly and affordably.
Add your logos and branding to your App
Once you’ve created your ecommerce App, you’ll need to focus on branding. Once you have your logo, add it to your mcommerce store. This will allow your customers to easily recognize your business when they shop your online store.
Make product listings
Now that your App business branding is complete, you’ll need to create product listings to showcase your products to potential customers.
As you’re creating your listings, think up names for your products. You’ll also have to write product descriptions, which means adding information such as:
Size
Colours
Quantity
Weight
Pricing
Shipping times
You’ll also need to add high-quality images of your products. As you’re creating your product listings, you also need to ensure that they’re properly organized. Use categories and menus to organize your product listings, so that your customers can easily find what they’re looking for.
If your store isn’t organized, it can seem cluttered. You may even lose out on potential sales if customers aren’t satisfied with the overall shopping experience your online business is offering.
Set your prices
Your online store is almost ready to launch, but first you’ll need to set the prices for your products.
If you’ve been operating a business for a while, then pricing your products should be easy.
However, if you’re new to pricing products, then you’ll want to spend some time considering things such as:
Competitor pricing
Direct cost
Industry markups
Shipping costs
Once you’ve set the regular prices for your products, you’ll want to revisit your pricing regularly to ensure that your pricing is competitive and profitable for your business. When you’re setting the prices for your store, don’t forget to research the shipping cost. Your sales could cost you money if you’re losing money on the cost of shipping.
You may want to consider a discounting strategy as well, especially if you’re planning a Black Friday and/or Christmas sale.
Launch and promote your App
Before promoting your new App to your customers, you’ll want to test it yourself. Go through it carefully, clicking on every link and submitting an order. You’ll want to make sure that everything works smoothly and there are no glaring issues that could result in lost sales. To launch it and begin promoting it to potential customers. There are many methods you can use to promote your business like:
Paid advertising: This is a great way to get potential customers to your App. You’ll need to set aside some funds for this option, but it’s worth the investment if done correctly.
Content marketing: This includes things like blogging and social media marketing. It can be a great way to draw attention to your brand, especially if you’re offering unique products.
Email marketing: If you use email marketing, you’ll have a better chance of building up repeat customers. It can also help with establishing yourself as a brand people trust.
Net Steps:
With Black Friday and Christmas around the corner, many businesses are about to experience a significant surge in business. However, those that are likely to benefit the most are the businesses that have online stores.
So many customers shopping online now, you need to be there if you want to remain competitive.
Ready to start creating your ecommerce App with Appily App Builder?
GET STARTED
