eCommerce Advice

Thinking of starting an online business and need some eCommerce advice?

eCommerce can be a complex subject that covers business to business (B2B) and/or business to consumer (B2C). There are many implementations of eCommerce, the most popular one is setting up a Webshop to sell products or services online.

Like any business venture you need to understand all the components that make a successful eCommerce Webshop, simply put does it make money. It is pointless being at the top of Page 1 on Google if you are not converting the interest into sales. Also, some people think that commissioning their webshop and populating it with products will guarantee success.

A Webshop should be thought of as a channel to market, and as such, it needs to be cost justified in terms of initial and recurring costs, likely return on investment, and over what period of time. Not understanding the typical costs and timeframes to achieve certain tasks can seriously drain your cash away.

Any new business, be it a traditional one or online, will take time and a serious amount of sustained effort to turn it into a viable business.

Some of the factors to consider when starting a eCommerce or Webshop project for your business:

• Who is the target market?
• What webshop / website design will suit the target market?
• What functionality will you need on your eCommerce Webshop?
• Will you need any bespoke work for your eCommerce Webshop, if so can you define it?
• What are the initial and ongoing costs for your eCommerce Webshop?
• How will you receive payments on your eCommerce Webshop?
• What Back Office functions do you need to manage Customers, Orders and Products?
• Do you need a product feed for your eCommerce Webshop?
• How will you know who is visiting your site, how they got there, and if they bought?
• How will you advertise your eCommerce Webshop, and what are the likely costs?
• What can you do to promote your eCommerce Webshop online, and offline?

There are more questions, but you get the idea, there is a lot more to eCommerce Webshops than just a piece of software being hosted.

If you would like to have a no obligation chat then please contact me now.