Sell Products Online
The way people shop today has largely moved online.Any business that sells products from a storefront now will benefit from selling products on a website as well. Selling through an online store is an easy way to increase your market and get more sales from customers who value convenience.
And anyone starting a new business can save on upfront costs and work by making it an eCommerce store. The costs of building a website are much lower than what you’d spend to rent space and staff a physical store.
Selling products online is a much easier and more affordable way to start down the path of entrepreneurship.
1. People spend money online.
While some shoppers certainly still make a routine out of heading to their local shopping district or mall, many now skip the trip and do a lot of their buying while sitting at home.
If your competitors make their items available to them there and you don’t, you’ll lose that business.
2. Online shopping provides convenience.
When you’re tired, busy, sick, or just feeling a little lazy – you probably don’t want to spend time driving somewhere and browsing a store for the items you want to buy. People have a lot going on and sometimes there just isn’t room in their lives for a trip to the store.
3. An online presence gets your products found in search.
85% of people turn to Google for product discovery and shopping. Without an eCommerce website, your products have no chance of showing up when potential customers start looking for what you sell online.
4. The growth in mobile means people can buy from anywhere.
Mobile shopping makes it possible for people to make purchases at the exact moment they decide they want something. Whether they’re at a dinner party, strolling through the park, or lounging on the beach – if they think of something they want, they can make the purchase right then.
How to Sell Products on a Website
The reasons to start selling your products online should be clear at this point. If you’re convinced, here are the main features you need for an ecommerce site.
1. Choose your website hosting.
For your website to live on the web, you need hosting. One of your first steps is therefore to research what type of web hosting you need and select the right plan and web hosting provider.
2. Pick and register your domain name.
Your domain name is essentially your address on the web – it’s what people type in to reach your website. You want it to be something easy to remember that people will immediately know to associate with your business.
3. Get your SSL certificate.
How many news stories have you seen about business data breaches? By now, most consumers have learned to take basic precautions when handing sensitive information over to a business.
4.Set up a merchant account.
To sell products online, you need a way to accept payments. A merchant account is a business bank account that enables the processing of credit card payments. Any merchant account you create will charge fees for the payments you process, but the specific fee structures they offer vary.
5. Figure out your pricing.
Now that you know how to get paid, it’s time to figure out how much. Setting the pricing for your products is often one of the hardest parts of doing business. If you charge too much, consumers will go to your competitors. If you charge too little, you’ll leave money on the table and may not make enough profit to stay afloat.
6. Take high-quality product photographs.
Many people are image driven. And for many types of products, being able to see what you’ll get plays a big role in the decision to buy. So your product photography needs to be effective.
7. Write effective sales copy.
The photos will tell consumers part of what they need to know, but you need the right words to fill in the rest. This is another area where you’d benefit from hiring a professional. Sales copywriters know the best strategies and techniques to get visitors to take action.
8. Create a plan for packing and shipping orders.
Online shoppers expect to get their orders fast. You need to be ready to package them and ship them out soon after they come in. Make sure you have a system in place for this. Buy the packing materials you need. Create a system for storing your products that makes it easy to find the item you need at the moment you need it.
9. Promote your website.
Building an ecommerce website isn’t enough to start selling products online. Now you need to help people find you.Online marketing is an important part of any business website’s success. Look into the tactics available to see which ones sound right for your business.