Congratulations on your decision to open an online retail store! eCommerce is a great way to reach a larger audience with your products or services since overall sales have increased over the past years . But before you can start reaping the benefits of increased sales and exposure, there are a few things you need to do to set yourself up for success. Here are the three essentials of any successful online retailer.
Find Your Niche
Finding your niche is the first step to setting up a successful online retail store. What kind of products or services do you want to sell? What need does your target market have that you can fill?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have a clearer idea of what direction to take your business. Not sure where to start? Try brainstorming a list of potential niches and researching each one. When you’ve narrowed your options, choose the place you’re most passionate about with the most growth potential. If that’s too tough for you, consider using these strategies:
Look Up Amazon
One of the best ways to determine a good niche is by looking at what’s selling on Amazon. The eCommerce giant currently sells over twelve million products in over 175 countries.
Amazon lists all its pages in categories and sub-categories based on factors like top sellers, price and type, rating, etc. So, once you’re logged into your seller account, navigate to the page where you’d like to sell your product and check out what’s selling well.
Search for Keywords Online
Another way to find a good niche is using keyword tools like the Google AdWords Keyword Planner. This free tool helps you identify the most popular keywords related to your idea, which will help you find a target audience.
Whether you resell existing products or create your own, starting with a niche is essential for the success of your online store. Once you’ve found your niche, it’s time to start building your brand and marketing your business!
Create a Standout Website
Now that you know what kind of products or services you’ll sell create a website that reflects your brand and showcases your offerings in the best light possible. Start by choosing a robust eCommerce platform like Shopify or Magento. After that, ensure your website has these essentials:
Disability-friendly Features
Millions of Americans are disabled, and many prefer to shop online rather than in person. Therefore, your website must be accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities like low vision or hearing loss.
To ensure this feature, ask an accessibility professional to audit your website fully. If possible, use a tool like WAVE to test your website’s accessibility.
Mobile-Friendly Design
These days, most people shop on their smartphones or tablets, not desktop computers. Thus, your eCommerce store must be optimized for mobile use.
One way to ensure your website is mobile-friendly is by using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool, which will tell you if your website is mobile-friendly and what changes need to be made.
When it comes to building a successful online store, having a standout website is vital. If you don’t exactly know the elements of a standout website, feel free to get your core web vitals checked! A core web vitals service can look into your website’s speed, security, and performance to determine how your website fares in the online business world. Knowing these vitals makes it easier to understand what your website needs to grow and succeed. It’s also good if you’re developing a marketing plan.
Develop an Effective Marketing Strategy
Once your website is up and running, it’s time to start driving traffic with an effective marketing strategy. You can use many different channels to promote your business online. Here are three of the most affordable and effective strategies.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a great way to increase your website’s visibility and draw more traffic. You can optimize your site for Google and other search engines with the right keywords. This can put you on top of search results and drive tons of relevant traffic to your business.
Social Media Marketing
Another way to market your eCommerce store is through social media marketing. With the right strategies, you can reach thousands or millions of potential customers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other popular platforms.
Email Marketing
Finally, email marketing remains one of the most effective tactics for building customer trust and loyalty. This not only drives sales but can also help you create a loyal customer base that will return to your store time and time again.
Opening an online retail store is a great way to reach a larger audience with your products or services—but there are a few things you need to do first to set yourself up for success. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way toward building a successful eCommerce business!
