Have you been thinking about launching your online store for some time now? It can be difficult to figure out where to start- especially if you are getting into it for the first time. Fortunately, opening an online store is made a lot easier with advanced tools available today.
If you want to bring in some extra income, opening up an online store is a perfect way. No matter if you want to start an Amazon FBA business or a Shopify store, the process is almost similar.
Do you know that e-commerce sales will make around 17.5% of global retail sales by 2021? Still, a majority of businesses don’t have a website. Thus, now is the right time to gear up and start your online store. Whether you are already operating a brick-and-mortar store or looking for ways to get into Amazon FBA business to expand on digital media, this guide is for you.
How to start an online store in 2021?
When you are starting your online store, the first and foremost thing that matters the most in getting your first sale is marketing. Yes, you have read it right. The ways you choose to market your online store will determine how much money your business will make. Thus, you should get the marketing right to ensure that everything is on the right track. Get the marketing wrong, and you end up selling no items even after years. No matter if you are a Shopify or Amazon FBA seller, marketing is the stepping stone of success.
For this very reason, we will show you how to start an online store as well as how to market it. Here is a five steps procedure to help you with building, marketing, and optimizing your online store.
Devise An Efficient Marketing Strategy
Devising a marketing strategy should be your first priority. Even before choosing a log, building a website, or finding a customer, you should have a solid marketing strategy beforehand.
Suppose you ask an e-commerce pro about one step that can make or break the business, regardless of the fact that you are operating as an independent business or as an Amazon FBA Seller. In that case, their answer will be an ingenious marketing strategy.
Thus, you need to choose your marketing strategy wisely. Although it is not rocket science, you still need to make it in advance. The majority of the online stores use one of these three marketing strategies:
- Paid marketing – paying for placements or audience building
- SEO – focuses on content and link building
- Platform marketing – focuses on winning the search terms
Platform marketing can be your best way if you have opted to start your Amazon FBA business or want to work on Shopify.
Find the Right Product Niche
After you have done with your marketing strategy, the next step is to pick your niche. Take some time to do solid research. The huge mistake that you can make in this step is to jump into your hobby categories. Though being interested in a category might be of great help, this shouldn’t be the sole criteria for choosing your product niche.
You might choose a category that won’t have enough business scope or doesn’t support a thriving business. If you have picked up the wrong niche that doesn’t have high demand, you won’t get success no matter how much effort you put in.
You should take the following points into consideration before picking up a niche:
- Avoid picking a category that is too unique
- A moderate price can be the game-changer
- Ensure your products are in demand
Pick up a compelling name for your brand
This step can work as a bombshell for faint-hearted persons. You should always try to find a unique and attractive brand name. Though the best names have already been trademarked, you will still need to rack your brain to find a unique name. Don’t ever settle for a less-than-ideal name.
You should take into account the following points while choosing the brand name:
- It should be easy to spell
- It should be three words long or fewer
- It must get the .com domain (Don’t apply if you are working on another platform)
- There shouldn’t be any trademark conflict
Open up the online store
This is a crucial step for those who are just getting started with online stores. The quality of your website and store should be high enough to attract customers. If you have decided to work on an e-commerce platform, you can easily find the guide to set up a store there. For instance, Amazon FBA for beginners or how to sell on Amazon guides will give you a detailed insight into the whole process.
A 60-day marketing burst
If you are starting an online store, you are more likely to start small. Since you will be going through growing pains, a small bit of momentum can cast huge effects on your business.
The first page that ranks in Google, the first review from the buyer, the first purchase from a paid ad- all of these can be life-changing.
Don’t worry about the scalability, systems, or doing things perfectly. Instead, take a look at the momentum that you can probably get. You should analyze your marketing strategy every 60 days.
Final Verdict
After going through these steps, you might have an overview of starting an online store. So, what are you waiting for? Plan a killing marketing strategy, think about a compelling name, choose your product niche, and start your business right away. It can be easy to start Amazon FBA for beginners, as the platform has an already built client-base and offers tremendous benefits to the affiliate sellers. However, if you want to set up an independent store, patience and time are the keys. Things will take some time, but you will get success ultimately if you continually look for pitfalls and try to overcome them timely.
Kevin David is a known name in the online industry. He is a self-made entrepreneur who changed his fate from working as a corporate employee to running a multi-millionaire business. Kevin is an eCommerce expert and started his entrepreneurial journey by becoming a leading Amazon seller. With his online Amazon FBA course, he is now inspiring and helping hundreds of thousands of people all around the world to start working for themselves and achieve financial independence.