What to Check Before Launching Your eCommerce Business

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You are probably excited to get your eCommerce business up and running! However, before you dive in, you need to check to make sure that you take care of a few things first. The following are some of the most important points.

(Please note that although this article primarily discusses selling products online, the same concepts apply to selling services online.)

Good product photos

If you display poor-quality images of your products on your eCommerce site, chances are very good that very few people will find them appealing, and most people won't consider buying them. So invest some time in taking some professional photos. If you’ve got skills with a camera, have a  photo shoot of your products. Make a fun day of it. If you are not comfortable with the camera, ask a friend with a good eye or hire a professional. Presentation is everything, and your product images are going to be your perspective customers’ first impression of your products. So, make sure that you show them in the best light possible. Helpful hint: Clean and simple is always better. You can get creative, but make sure that the setting does not distract from what you’re actually selling.

Good product descriptions

After a customer sees the wonderful-quality photos and you have gotten their attention, they are going to want to find out more. That’s where the product description comes in, and it is just as critical that this part is as close to perfect as possible as well. A product description shouldn’t just reiterate what a product is literally. People can usually figure that out from the photo. A product description is an opportunity for you to tell the product’s story: how it came to be, the thought process behind it. This will give the product more depth of character per se. Especially when it comes to art, having a little backstory goes a long way in getting a customer to invest in a product. The product description is also a place where you can share some different applications for your product that the customer may not have thought of immediately. You want to inspire your customer to use your products in fun ways. The more you expand the possibilities and the more you expand his or her mind, the better your chances are of making a conversion.

Get your keywords

Speaking of product descriptions, you should try as much as possible to fit in keywords that have to do with your product. This will enable search engines to find you better when someone searches for a product you carry. For instance, if you sale luxury shoes, you want to attempt to squeeze in the keyword “luxury shoes” where it would fit appropriately. Make sure to check what keywords people type in most for a certain kind of product, and do your reattach before deciding on your keywords. SEO can be a lengthy process but its rewards are worth it.

Check your inventory

Now that all of your products are looking very appealing and can easily be found by search engines, it’s time to make sure you have enough products in stock. If you are a beginner, you may be guessing, but you want to make sure that you are not over-stocking a product that has fewer chances of selling and not under-stocking a product that would sell out like crazy! It’s a balancing act that you need to master in time.

Payment options

So you’ve got everything else sorted, now you have to figure out how you want to get paid! A lot of eCommerce shops use PayPal. It’s safe, secure and universal. Head over to www.paypal.com to set up an account and integrate it with your store. There are also other fine payment options out there that offer competitive rates and great customer service, so do your research on what will fit you the best.

Conclusion

As a business owner, you have offerings in the form of products and/or services. It is critical that you have a way of selling those products and/or services in the smoothest way possible for you and for your customers. The easier you make it, the greater your potential for selling more of your offerings and if you can be successful initially, you will be able to expand and improve upon what you offer so that you can enjoy even greater success in your business.

Good luck and feel free to point out some of your checklist items in the comments below.

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Author

  • Mitko Ivanov

    Mitko Ivanov is a marketing specialist at Hop Online Ltd. with years of experience in Internet marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and eCommerce solutions.

    Mitko's interest in Internet Marketing and eCommerce Solutions has been increasing over the years and he has always welcomed a chance to learn from top notch people in the industry. Mitko learned a great deal about on-page and off-page SEO by applying it to his many affiliate sites. He is involved in applying advanced search engine marketing (SEM) methods and testing paid mobile traffic for wireless application protocol (WAP) and Smart mobile devices.

    Additionally, he is involved in a literature project and manages the Bulgarian Department of Cross-European Organization for Studying Abroad. Mitko can be reached at: mitcoivanov@gmail.com.

1 Response

  1. Andrew Jaffe says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Guerrilla Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

    Discussion: What to Check Before Launching Your eCommerce Business

    This is a sound list of business principles to check. Below is a checklist for legal issues I use for new e-commerce clients.

    1. Busines entity – Are you going to be a C corp, an LLC or a sole proprietorship?
    2. Terms of Service – This is your contract with your visitors and is the most important item for any e-commerce site. A little work here brings big dividends in the future.
    3. Privacy Policy – Every e-commerce site needs a privacy policy!
    4. FTC guidlines – The FTC has been regulating business advertising for almost a century. All of their advertising guidlines apply to e-commerce sites.
    5. Trademark – Start with a commmon law trademark "TM" and register your mark if you are successful.
    6. Copyright – If it is on the web, it already belongs to somebody. Did you buy a license for the images you are using? Do you have a DMCA notice on your web site?
    7. Do you need and have an EIN? You can get that for free.
    8. Do you have employees? – If so you need written policies regarding their authority and use of the internet.
    9. Do you know the difference between a "browser wrap" and a "click wrap" and which do you need?

    When I discuss this list with clients other issues arise. Finally, I always discuss with my clients their need for good accounting services. An accountant's advice as you start up can save you many dollars in tax that you might not save if you wait to speak to an accountant until your first tax return is due.

    I hope this list will give you pause to think about those issues for which you might need to seek professional advice.

    Posted by Andrew Jaffe