The development of digital technology in our society and the "boost" it got from the crisis of the COVID-19 means that a number of peoplewant to get into e-commerce. For many, it's a way to supplement their income; for others, the "nirvana" to make money quickly — a means to earn money fast.
However, creating an online store is not that simple. It requires skills in web marketing, customer relations and communication. You need to be something of a "community manager" and master website creation and search engine optimization (SEO).
Running a website e-commerce is a job that requires the ability to be in many places at once… But if the motivation is there, you will find real satisfaction in this professional activity.
In this article, Codeur.com I give you some keys to successfully get started. If you need help developing your e-commerce site, call on a developer specialized in e-commerce!
What is e-commerce?
E-commerce goes by several names… electronic commerce, online sales, or even online store. It's a way of selling via the Web. The transaction between the seller and the buyer is entirely digital.
From order to delivery, you never meet anyone physically except (perhaps) the delivery person!
Online selling is carried out in different ways. Either directly from a website e-commerce, or from a showcase site with an extension to an e-commerce page or through marketplaces, and social media.
The different forms e-commerce
You find the same forms as in physical retail, starting with B2B sales. Business to Business is a form of trade aimed at professional clients. Companies use delivery service providers, for example — that’s B2B. B2C is a commercial exchange between consumers and businesses.
Business to Consumer is a form of commerce that we encounter in most cases. Supermarkets, clothing stores and of course all online businesses that offer services or goods to consumers.
C2C is a form of commerce that takes place between individuals. We see this type of transaction in home services, but also with Airbnb, and platforms for selling second-hand products like Le Bon Coin.
The different business models
There are several ways to approach your commercial development. Different sales models are possible. Here are a few:
Sell the products you make
Rather aimed at those with a talent or a skill in an artistic or craft field. It’s also an option for those setting up in an industrial area.
Sell via dropshipping
This is a trend that has been developing for several years. It is selling without stock. You act as an intermediary, in a sense, between the supplier and the customer. In the process, you take a margin that pays for your work as a seller.
Sell through affiliate marketing
For example, with Amazon. An affiliate site is an e-commerce site that allows you to sell Amazon products to earn money in the form of commissions. Like dropshipping, there is no stock.
Sell on a marketplace
Amazon and Cdiscount are marketplaces. You list your products on their site and benefit from these giants' reach to grow your business. However, you must give a percentage of your margin to the chosen platform.
Sell your services online
If you have a talent, a skill, or a qualification that allows it, you can offer your services online (private tutoring, coaching sessions, yoga classes…)
The advantages of e-commerce
An online store can sometimes be complicated to manage and may not always meet all the expectations, but launching an e-commerce business will help you establish yourself as an entrepreneur and, above all, give you the ability to extend your reach beyond the local area.
You will be able to offer your products and services nationwide and beyond.
For many of you, physical materials and premises won’t be necessary. That’s therefore a considerable cost saving.
Marketing tools as well as Digital tools give you the ability to process promote your business quickly, more precise and less expensivethan with traditional methods.
Technological tools give you 'monitoring' capabilities that are very advanced and allow you to stay as close as possible to your target. It’s a considerable advantage for growth.
Another advantage to consider: your business is open 24 h 24 hours a day and all week. Your customers have thus the possibility of buying any wherever and at any time.
12 tips to develop your e-commerce
1. Define your offer
It is important to define what your offering will be. Know that it is not good to spread yourself too thin… Indeed, if you offer sports coaching services, you can also complement them with natural products intended for muscle care or for weight loss, for example.
But people will probably trust a beautician less if she also tries to sell you jars of jam. You need to remain “logical” and offer an activity or service that belongs to a specific sector. Consider studying your market to highlight competitors, analyze their offers and try to stand out either by price or by service…
2. Choose your domain name
You are going to start in e-commerce. You must so very likely create a website. Your domain name will be your identifier on the internet. The way you determine it will be very important. Example of a domain name: Codeur.com
To help you choose yours, here are some tips:
- Choose a short name so it's easy to read.
- Preferably, your domain name should indicate your brand or be related to your product or service offering. For example: nike.fr, mcdonald.fr or even gerermesfinances.fr
- Good of course Your name should be unique. You can check it on search engines.
3. Analyze the competition
When faced with 157,300 French e-commerce sites, you must analyze your strengths and weaknesses to implement a different and effective strategy. It’s your best chance to succeed!
4. Choose the e-commerce solution suited to your needs
WordPress, Magento, Prestashop, Wizishop, ZenCart…
Platforms for create your online store are plentiful! Carefully study all the tools at your disposal, their advantages and disadvantages, to select the one that best matches your needs and your web development skills.
5. Choose or create your website design
Your site will reflect your business. The design must be adapted and chosen in relation to your products or services. You can opt for a very trendy look, or a more retro one. Emphasize the “luxury” side or choose a more natural atmosphere… To successfully match your business’s style, you should start by creating a visual identity aligned with your target audience and the marketing strategy you will established use to develop your e-commerce. Think about colors, typefaces…
6. Showcase your products
There is a real difference between in-store shopping where where you can touch and see the product and online shopping where the only reference points are photos and descriptions. It is therefore essential to choose your visuals carefully and to provide as many details as possible in your descriptions. Present your catalog as well as your products in a way that facilitates the purchasing process. For that purpose your products should include these four elements:
- The name
- One or more photos
- Its price
- A detailed description of the product.
7. Organize your SEO and marketing strategy
From the start, you must find the communication angle suited to your business.
Depending on your target audience and the products you sell, you should develop an editorial line that integrates SEO concepts and a commercial angle.
Defining your editorial strategy starts with keyword analysis used by your customers.
You need to find the terms they will type into search engines to discover targeted phrases that will bring qualified traffic to your e-commerce site. Also consider long-tail keywords (phrases of more than three words), as they are often less competitive and attract higher-quality visitors.
Once you've defined the terms you want your store to rank for, you must write the pages and the product pages of your e-commerce site. Remember to include keywords in strategic places such as the title, subtitles, images, etc.
Finally, the selected expressions should also appear throughout the different posts on your blog. In fact, the blog will bring you the most traffic and help boost your visibility in search engines.
8. Grow your community
Why wait until your e-commerce site is online to communicate on social media?
The earlier you will ensure communication about your project, the faster you'll generate revenue. Start now by creating profiles on social media and publishing articles on collaborative blogs to raise awareness of your name and upcoming products.
At the time you open your online store, you will already have acquired some customers.
9. Create a blog to talk about your project
Check with your web developer so they can quickly enable your blog section.
You will be able to publish interesting posts regularly about the start of your venture.
This will help you grow your communitybut also raise your site's position in search engine results. Indeed, the blog will influence your organic search ranking and by the time your online shop officially opens, you will already be ranked for strategic keywords.
10. Collect email addresses
Prepare a prospecting list in advance by offering your readers the opportunity to subscribe to your newsletter.
To ensure the success of your official opening, you can send all your loyal subscribers an email announcing the site's launch and, why not, offer a discount code to thank them for their support during your project's implementation.
11. Check the 50 points on our checklist
In another article, we offered 50 points to check before opening your e-commerce store to internet users. So it's time to check out this great checklist!
12. Find a provider to create your e-commerce site
To be sure your online store is operational and brings you profits quickly, entrust its creation to a specialist.
On Codeur, you'll find You'll find many e-commerce developers professionals ready to build the shop of your dreams. Post your ad quickly with the main points of your brief and find the ideal freelancer!
Our tip for launching your e-commerce
Thanks to these 12 tips, you know how to approach your e-commerce project at a high level.
After finding a web partner to help you in this incredible adventure, such as an agency or a specialized e-commerce developer, you will be able to start promoting your upcoming venture and then launch your business successfully!
If you have any other tips to share with future web entrepreneurs, the comments are waiting for you!
