There are many different things to think about when you want to setup an online store. We address some of the main questions in this article.

What Should I Sell Online?

There are so many different products available. Sell something that you are knowledgeable and passionate about and that there is a large and growing demand for. Some items that are popular and that you can sell online include auto parts, nail polish, kitchen and dining room furniture to name a few. If you create your own unique items, selling online can be a great way to distribute them to the world.

What Online Store Software Should I Select?

It is best to find if possible, store software that suits your business niche, as those companies that focus on one niche usually have better software for that niche.  If you want to setup an online store there’s a few different things to consider and one is what exactly are you going to sell? The next thing is how many different products are you going to sell? Another consideration is what markets are going to sell too. We think that would be the starting place of setting up an online store and once you kind of figured that out then it is time to do some research to figure out what different stores are out there and what they’re doing so you can position yourself well in the marketplace.  

The most popular online store software includes Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce. They all have different advantages and disadvantages. Shopify allows you to quickly set up an online store which will be handy for small shops or shops that don’t require too much flexibility. Magento on the other hand is an open software that you can freely modify, and is better suited for larger number of products and bigger companies. WooCommerce is also flexible and runs on the WordPress platform.

Can I Sell Online Using a Mobile Application?

For most people who want to setup an online store it means setting up a website to sell online although that is not strictly the case anymore as it can also be sold through a mobile application.

How Much Does It Cost to Setup an Online Store?

So what does it cost to sell set up an online store? That’s the first thing and that’s really a big question it’s hard to nail down exactly how much it might be. It depends right if you want something like Amazon, we are talking millions or billions of dollars. If you want a smaller version of that may be millions or know just if you want to simply set up some PayPal buttons it could be less, then a thousand. An online store can have many different products, or it could even have just a few. For example, let us say you had a pen or a hat that was a promotional item that you were selling through your store to promote your business you might have something just a small number of items. You might also have millions and millions of items it really depends on what you want there is no minimum number of items that you could have in your online store.

What Does it take to Setup An Online Store?

Key ingredients for your online store include search engine optimization so your website can be found easily in search. Online advertising is also important for the same reason. If you want your site to be as visible as possible you want people to see it several times so that they come back and they do make a purchase. Social media marketing is also important. Creating great content as well as sharing it online will draw business and traffic to your website. Make sure your site is attractive and easy to use. You may want to hire a marketing agency like us. We know most people do not have all the skills that are needed to create a great site, so that is why that is often necessary.

What Is The Best Merchant Account to Get?

There are many different merchant solutions. The most common is Paypal. Paypal definitely can work for you although there are some different restrictions with using that. We also have experience using Stripe. There is a huge variety of choices out there but these are two good options. Moneris is also a great third choice.

What Maintenance Does The Store Need?

In addition to responding to customers and adding and removing products, there are many different potential items including adding new features, graphics, specials, updating the store software, and maintaining security which you may want to hire an outside company to help with. There is also ongoing search engine optimization to maintain visibility in search, and running ad campaigns online.

Conclusion

Now is a fantastic time to invest to setup an online store as people continue to adapt to new technology such as eCommerce and especially during the pandemic, it helps prevent the spread of disease since people are more reluctant to go into the stores or they are closed entirely. Get in touch with us to get started!