What you Need to Know to Start an Online Store from Consultant Candice V. Cunningham
It seems like everyone is opening an online store these days, and that is because there has never been a larger market of online shoppers. Additionally, with online store builder platforms, opening a store has never been easier; but if you have no prior experience with e-commerce, it can be tricky to make the right choices for your business’ specific needs. To give you everything you need to know about starting an online store, we teamed up with Candice Cunningham from Chicago, Illinois, an e-commerce consultant and entrepreneur who has successfully built and maintained over thirty online stores.
Candice Cunningham explained that one of the biggest mistakes that people make when starting an online store is not choosing the right platform. Four of the most popular platforms currently are Shopify, WordPress + Woo Commerce, Wix and Squarespace. These online store builders are user-friendly tools that make it easy for you to build a professional online boutique without knowing a single line of code. Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce solution that starts at just $29 a month. It is a hassle-free solution where you simply login and start selling. WordPress + Woo Commerce, however, requires some setup, but may be worth doing in the long run, as WooCommerce is the largest e-Commerce platform. Whatever you do, make sure you spend plenty of time comparing plans and bundles, to ensure that everything you need is included in the upfront monthly payment price. Be weary, as many of these platforms have additional options but they may cost you extra. Most of these platforms have a ‘free trial’ option, and we suggest you take it, because once you commit to a platform, it can be very difficult to switch.
Before you can start selling, you will need to decide whether you are going to drop ship your products or hold your own products. Candice Cunningham explains that while drop shipping has become very popular, it also has its own setbacks. The drop ship model means that when your customer purchases an item from your store, the order is then forwarded to your supplier where you pay wholesale, and they then ship directly to your customer under your name. Holding your own products means that you will be responsible for all the shipping and logistics, fulfilling orders as they come in. The benefit of this method is being able to be accountable for the quality and speed of your orders.
Think about what kind of payment you want to offer your customers before you open your store. In the world of ecommerce, accepting as many forms of payment as possible will be crucial in converting and increasing sales. From credit cards to debit to PayPal, the more options you allow, and the simpler you make it, the less likely it will be that there will be any abandoned carts.
With the hundreds of thousands of online retailers now selling online, we suggest taking every opportunity to stand out against the crowd. Whether you’re selling socks, soaps, or t-shirts, being able to offer your audience a unique, streamlined experience will leave them with something to remember. This can include anything from positive user-interface to engaging video content that sells your brands vision. Candice Cunningham highly suggests adding a chat bot to your website, as being able to deal with customer concerns as they happen will increase overall customer satisfaction.
More information on Candice V. Cunningham check out her blogs and interview.
