You can sell anything online through ecommerce, from gourmet dog treats to yoga classes. And that’s why so many small business owners have an online store.
Global online shopping sales will surpass $6,3 万亿 2024. Whatever you’re selling, starting an ecommerce business is a fast and easy way to earn a dollar. Based on that number, it’s a great time to jump on the selling online train to promote your products and services.
资源: 政治家
The right ecommerce business platform will fit your website needs and your budget.
Before we dive in, look at your online store goals. What you need now to be successful online is different from what you’ll need later for your website. That’s normal. Think about how much you want your online business sales to grow before signing up for the cheapest offer.
Let’s get to the good stuff.
1. Pricing Plans and Payment Options
Choose the best plan for your ecommerce store platform.
Running a business successfully starts with a good budget. Most sites will try to distract you with fancy features and custom services. Nail down exactly what you need for your online store to avoid shiny object syndrome.
Pricing plans can be too good and still be true. But it’s a good idea to compare every price tier with your future online business goals. Then you won’t get stuck with crazy fees website down the road.
- Are there specific marketing add-ons you need?
- What features or services can wait until later?
- Which features cost money on one tier but not another?
- Will you need a website designer or market research tools?
- Do you need specific shopping cart features?
Choose the best customer shopping and payment experience
Now let’s look at the other side of the coin.
Payment is the last step for your customers. You want their transactions to be simple. Compare the shopping cart experience on each platform to see which one is the most user-friendly.
Losing a sale from a glitchy shopping cart is a bummer, but it’s easily avoidable.
- Do they allow all the transactions you need?
- Do you want a payment gateway?
- Do they offer payment through social media?
- Do they have fees to process payments?
- Do they offer the right shipping services?
2. Get Along With Other Online Platforms
Customers will come back to your online store if it’s user-friendly. That’s basically the whole point of how ecommerce works.
无论您在哪里开展在线业务，您都希望将您的产品或服务投放到哪里. 坚持目标受众常去的地方. 选择一个与您使用的一切相处融洽的电子商务平台. 这包括社交媒体和实体网站.
如果您喜欢在网站的幕后创建完美的自定义页面, 确保平台为您提供该过程所需的自由.
如果与软件打交道让你做噩梦, make sure you love the templates the ecommerce website offers. It should also be a snap to connect all of your social media, 市场, and retail sales sites.
Let’s not forget about the A-word: 分析. Even if you’re not sure how it works, it never hurts to have the information about your customer. See if the store includes analytics features to keep you in the know.
3. Show Up In Google Searches
93% of online activity begins with a search. It’s all about the keywords, my friend. You want customers to find you instantly. Built-in SEO tools are great to get you in the search spotlight.
It’s totally fine if the term SEO makes your brain hurt—you’re not alone. A lot of platforms have easy-to-use tools that walk you through everything step by step.
There are a few areas you need to ace on your site to show up in the search engine. And if you have the right website tools, conquering a Google search is easy.
One example of boosting your customers and sales is adding a blog to your site.
4. Mobile Friendly
The odds that you’re reading this on your phone are high. The odds that your customers are shopping on their phones are even higher.
It might seem like a no-brainer tip, but the mobile view gets overlooked a lot during the page design. You want an ecommerce system that makes your store look gorgeous on every size screen. But mobile screens are where most of your online sales come from.
Consider what mobile features you need based on your products or services. Buying and selling from your phone are here to stay, so make sure your site attracts customers on the small screen.
5. Five-Star Customer Support
It’s easy to get tunnel vision during the grand opening of your online ecommerce store. Providing your customers with high-quality service is key, but don’t forget about you.
A glitch in the system can hurt your sales, even if it’s not your fault. You want a store platform with 24/7 support in case of emergencies.
6. Transaction Safety First
You don’t want to look sketchy, and that starts by picking a safe ecommerce platform. It should follow all the rules to make your customers feel safe about handing over their credit card numbers.
Don’t forget the obvious. Keep yourself protected against software attacks. Businesses in the ecommerce industry also shouldn’t do things like sell your information or steal your identity. You know, basic nice human things.
7. Go For Ecommerce Business Success
Your ecommerce business future is bright, and you’ll want plenty of options to grow your store. Look for stress-free upgrades to make your sales future easier. Keep a few things in mind for when you’re crazy successful and need to expand your store:
- Does it have weird limits on how many products and services you can have?
- Are the data and software storage prices reasonable?
- Are there questionable fees to upgrade your site?
- Does it include email marketing tools?
- Is it extra to connect your business to other websites and social media?
Bonus: We’ve Got Your Back In The Ecommerce Industry
Whatever ecommerce website platform you choose, make sure you feel confident about selling your goods and services on it.
Since you’re here, we put together a list of services we offer to make your online store set up a piece of cake. If you sell actual cake, we’d love a slice.
Cool stuff you get with Ecwid:
- A Forever 免费计划
- Simple sync up with all the platforms, 社交媒体, and business websites you love
- Easy to use marketing tools like Google, 邮件黑猩猩, 和脸书
- 通过手机管理一切
- 始终提供实时客户支持
无论你选择什么, 我们希望您在电子商务中取得巨大的成功!
