The Internet does not stop growing and more and more SMEs and large companies create online portals to expand their businesses and also offer their products on the Internet. For experts in this field, opening an online store can be very simple. But for entrepreneurs who decide to launch themselves and create an Internet store without any experience, there are many doubts that assail them. Where do I begin? How do I get the products? How do I sell them? How do I send them to customers? These are some of the many questions that people who decide to start an online project usually ask themselves. Therefore, in this article, we tell you the most important keys so that you know how to create an Internet store.
Steps to follow:
Step: 1
Before starting with the steps to create an Internet store. It is important that you know that there are companies that are dedicated exclusively to the creation of this type of business. As in all projects, the first step is always to select the product that we want to sell online. This is one of the tasks to which you should spend more time to choose a good product, with enough demand and profitability. A bad idea will lead us to failure and we will lose all the money invested. So, look for successful online stores, and analyze the products they sell. And select the one that best suits your needs or that you think can be more successful.
Step: 2
Once you have selected the product, it is time to look for the brands that manufacture it and study them one by one to find out which one interests you the most. Probably you will not be the one who manufactures the product that you are going to sell. But you will buy it from the manufacturer, so you should investigate the companies that create it and choose the one or those that interest you the most. You must take into account the design of the product, the quality of its materials, the utility, and, of course, the price.
The best thing to do is to select several distributors and go one by one to negotiate prices and find out their purchasing conditions. Comparison is essential to get the best product at the best price. Experts recommend selling more than one brand to provide customers with product variety and be more successful.
Step: 3
Do not forget to define the audience you want to address. As this will determine whether you opt for one type of distributor or another. In this sense, it is essential to carry out a market study to analyze all audiences and choose the one that best suits you, observe and study the competition, and financing methods to set your objectives and make an estimated budget for the initial investment. This part is essential to correctly select suppliers, products, and the business model, so spend time on it.
Step: 4
Once you are clear about the product you want to sell, have done the market study, and selected the target audience and the manufacturers. It is time to start shaping your store project. To do this, clearly define the online business model you want to create and choose a good name. This last point is very important, it must be attractive, attractive and represent the content of your store.
Step: 5
To sell online you need to select the technological platform that best suits your business idea. Thus, if you do not have the necessary knowledge. You will require an Internet service provider to create the page and the platform to sell. Once you have the name of the store, the design of the page and the logo are very important aspects that you must take care of in detail. Put yourself in the user’s place and create a portal that is easy to access and navigate. It must be visible, understandable, attractive, and well-organized. It is important that you take into account the methods of web positioning to ensure that your page appears when users search for products like the ones you sell.
Step: 6
Now, you must choose the payment method that you are going to offer your customers to buy your products. To do this, contact the providers that offer these services and choose the one that interests you the most. PayPal is one of the safest and most used by users who buy online, in addition to being a public service that does not require real numbers to contract it, as a bank would ask you. Likewise, you have to select the shipping method. Through which company you will send the products to your customers, shipping costs for you and for the buyers, the time it will take to reach their homes, and where you want to sell.
Step: 7
As you can see, your online store is already taking shape but surely you are wondering: How do I promote it? How do I get people to sell online? To answer these questions it is necessary to make an online marketing plan. One of the best ways to promote your store is through social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. As they are increasingly important and users use them constantly.
Step: 8
Now that you know the design of the page, the logo, the products, the payment method, and the way to promote it. You have to calculate the viability of your online store. To do this, you must be clear about how much money you have and how much you are willing to invest. You have to calculate how much it will cost you to bring the first products and the possible sales. At this point, it is necessary to carry out a financing and treasury plan to know the profits and losses and if your project will require external financing.
Step: 9
Once you have all the previous points well tied, the page is ready and you have done with the first products. You can launch your store and wait for the first Internet sales. It is always recommended that you go to experts and consultancies in online stores throughout this process so that they advise you on which is the best option and what to do at each point.
Tips
Keep in mind that creating an Internet store requires time and dedication. So do not despair if it takes you several months to do so.
