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TheTalkwebGuide tosellingonline

Starting up an online business seems to be a dream which many people

have these days. Being your own boss, avoiding the morning commute

and ditching the shirt and tie seem like irresistible benefits, but sadly it

is not all plain sailing; a successful online presence takes time, resources

and thorough planning.

We have put together this starter guide to navigate you through the pro-

cess of setting yourself up online and outline what factors need to be

considered before launching your store to the public.

eCommerce can be tricky, so be sure to ask for advice if you are unsure

about how to break into it. Contact TalkWeb on 012373 694770 or email

us at info@talkwebhq.com if you would like to call upon our expertise.

Best of luck,

TalkWeb

introduction£€$

test

ing t

he w

ater

Selling online is a whole different ball game from selling in the real world.

It does not have the luxury of being on a high street or having physical

stock which customers can inspect, it all depends on how you present

it. Some of you venturing into eCommerce may just be web enthusiasts

who have knocked together a few websites in the past. Don’t let this fool

you into thinking that opening a webstore will be just another website,

Before taking the plunge and creating your own webstore, try selling your

products through pre-established websites such as eBay and Amazon.

Get a feel for how you are going to present your items online and how

successful each of your products are.

test

ing t

he w

ater

By starting out on these websites, you can begin to understand what

works and what doesn’t. Remember, you don’t always have to go straight

for the obvious webstores. There are plenty of others out there, such

as Etsy for handmade items and iOffer for general selling. Listing your

items on these websites may help them from getting lost in the crowd

on larger stores.

If successful, your attempt at selling online could be a great educational

experience in areas such as customer service and product popularity.

Also, it could be a good indiction as to whether you should continue with

your eCommerce plans or pursue other ideas. Take into consideration:

• The time spent maintaining the store and handling orders

• The return on any money spent on products and handling

•How you found dealing with customers123

set up shopOnce you have tested the waters and established that you are still ready

to continue with your plans to sell online, the question is what do you

sell? This kind of decision is not limited to eCommerce, when establish-

ing any kind of business, you have to make sure your products are some-

thing prospective customers would be interested in buying.

Some product types, such as electronics and entertainment, are often

best left to the big boys as they can get the cheapest prices by ordering

in bulk. The best kind of product is something that would be exclusive to

your store, such as something you have created or have sourced locally.

Try to establish a gap in the market, where you will be able to thrive in

your niche rather than be constantly competing with others.

swot analysis

Once you have come up with an idea, try using SWOT analysis to deter-

mine it’s validity. SWOT analysis lists an idea’s Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities and Threats. For example, if you had decided to sell cus-

tomised t-shirts, a simple SWOT analysis could like a little like this:

• Strengths: Your customised shirts are exclusive to your store.

•Weaknesses: Customising the t-shirts by yourself could lead to you

falling behind on orders, leading to customer dissatisfaction.

•Opportunities: You could expand into other customised clothing as

time goes on.

• Threats: Other, more established services allow customers to create

and personalise their own t-shirts.

Your

solu

tion

When deciding how to operate your webstore, the first option to con-

sider is a service such as Zazzle and Cafepress. These sites allow you

to create your own store selling customised items such as mugs, cloth-

ing and accessories. Whilst this is an easy way of setting up your own

business as the creation and shipping of the items is all handled by the

website, you are dictated to as to what the minimum price your items

will cost the customer. Also, you are limited to selling what the website

offers, thus making this option inadequate for many eCommerce com-

pany’s needs.

The second option is services such as Create and Volusion, which allow

sellers to create a webstore at varying levels of functionality, according

to the level of monthly subscription paid. This is a great way for sellers

with little technical know-how to set up their own webstore whilst al-

lowing more advanced users to customise and fine-tune their storefront.£€$

Your

solu

tion

Finally, TalkWeb offer a complete eCommerce solution which includes

full hosting, custom design and connection to payment gateway. Also,

clients have access to consultations and a free training day to fully navi-

gate their new webstore. This option is the most comprehensive of the

selection, suited to those who really want to make a success out of sell-

ing online. Some factors to consider when deciding on an eCommerce

solution:

• An unprofessional looking site or technical errors will put customers

off from buying from your store.

•Will you be able to sell enough products monthly to cover the cost of

the proposed solution?

•Check that advanced features such as discount codes and customer

accounts are available in your package if required.

•Does the solution include a system for the organisation of orders and

shipping?

promote yourselfSocial Media

Set up accounts on popular networks such as Facebook, Twitter and

YouTube. Connect with possible customers and spread the word of your

new store. Share introductory offers and discounts with similar and re-

lated pages (without spamming, of course). If you need a little help with

Twitter, sign up to our Facebook page for a free guide to tweeting for

businesses. Guides to Facebook, social media strategies and LinkedIn are

to follow.

SEO and AdWords

When creating the webstore, be sure to engineer it with a clear structure

and with strong keyword placement for SEO. Being listed on the first

page of Google can make or break or company, never underestimate

the power of search. Alternatively, pay for ads through Google Adwords.

Magazines & Newspapers

Free local magazines and newspapers are a great place to start, wheth-

er contacting them to see if they would be interesting in covering the

launch of your website or by placing an ad. Then, move on to specialist

publications depending on the products your store supplies or even na-

tional newspapers

Sponsorship & Events

Most new eCommerce businesses won’t have the money to sponsor

TV shows or high profile products, so investigate into radio sponsorship,

sponsoring events or local sports teams. Start small, then grow as your

business does. Attend local trade events or events related to your prod-

ucts. Have some printed promotional materials created to make a lasting

impression.

promote yourself123

prom

ote y

ours

elf Blogs

If you ask nicely, perhaps including a deal or incentive of some sort,

bloggers may wish to feature your webstore in a future post. When ap-

proaching them, do not be ‘salesy’ or impersonal, take an interest in the

blog, have a read through of their style and perhaps comment on a few

of their previous posts. Building a rapport with bloggers can be handy not

only just for when you are launching, but throughout the whole lifecycle

of the store.

keep

ing i

nter

est

Don’t blow your whole marketing budget at launch, try to keep a steady

rate of advertising apparent for a prolonged period through both tradi-

tional and digital methods. eCommerce can be a slow burner, be patient.

Be sure to mention social network profiles wherever possible, on all

branded stationery and in e-mail signatures. Then, offer your followers

and friends exclusive contests and discounts, boosting fan numbers and

in turn, raising awareness of your site.

Lastly, customer loyalty is like gold dust for an eCommerce business.

Ensuring that the transaction runs smoothly, that the item arrives intact

and that you offer good value can be a tricky equation to balance. If you

manage to persuade a customer to trade with you again, be sure to

reward their loyalty with discounts, upgraded shipping or a more person-

alised service.

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