Just like any business, starting an eCommerce business can be pretty hard work if you go in without a plan. There are many steps and decisions to be made along the way – get these right, or at least have a back-up plan if you don’t, and you’ll be up and running in no time.

Research your competition

There’s plenty to be gained by checking out the competition. It can help you understand what’s happening in the market, and learn from that knowledge. If you’re brand new to this, then it’s also useful to check that someone hasn’t beaten you to it! The good thing about competition is that it means there’s already a market – but can you compete with it?

If you can’t compete on price, can you compete in other areas such as quality, ethically sourced goods or charitable donations? All of these can be deciding factors when people choose to buy a product.

Choose your eCommerce platform

Another factor to consider is how you are going to sell your product. There are dedicated shop websites such as Shopify, and it’s also available as separate plugin which can be installed on a WordPress website. WooCommerce is great for businesses that already have a website; you can use their plugin to turn your website into an online store. If you need something a bit more heavyweight to cope with a huge product range, then Magento is worth a look.

Design your product pages

When it comes to the actual listings, it’s important to stand out. If you don’t have a lot of experience in designing product listings it may affect how the product sells. Everything is crucial when it comes to selling a product, that’s why it’s good practice to use a professional copywriter who can really make your product sell. Looking at professional photographers is also worth it. Professionally shot images will help your products and operation look more authentic, which will have a huge effect on conversions.

You might also be interested in:

Marketing your product to customers

Making use of SEO

Making sure your business is registered correctly

About The Author

Christopher Jones

Forensics graduate-turned copywriter and blogger. I love turning complex topics into easy to understand, yet engaging pieces of content.