The e-commerce market of US alone is all set to touch a staggering figure of $327 billion by the end of 2016. According to Forrester Inc., product selling websites will be a big hit in 2016 since online consumers will increase their spending by 62% this year. Therefore, every person is trying to create an e-commerce store, either all by themselves or by availing e-commerce solutions services. So, how to create an e-commerce store?
There are six steps to creating a successful e-commerce store:
- How to develop an online store?
- How to choose a payment system for the store?
- How to deliver top-notch customer service through the web portal?
- How to promote the store once established?
- Why a return policy for the store is required?
- How to understand the performance of an e-commerce store?
Let’s have a detailed look at these points.
- How to develop an online store?
For people who don’t have any experience in development, they can hire a developer or an organization for the task.
While hiring a developer, it is important to understand the difference between a developer and designer.
- A designer is a person who helps in creating the look and feel of your website. He is your guide regarding the layout of your online store and in creation of mockups. The designer also has to understand objectives of the client’s business and add relevant CTAs.
- A developer uses the mockups created by the designer to come up with a functional website. He is the one responsible for providing a practical output to the client.
Additionally, you can ask your developer to build your website on one of the following e-commerce platforms.
- WooCommerce
- Magento
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
- Wix
- How to choose a payment system for the store?
Online stores need to have a payment system to allow visitors to purchase the items being sold on the website. There are various options which are known for the provision of safe and secure online transactions. The following online payment systems can be used and integrated with an online store.
- PayPal: The most popular one amongst these payment systems is PayPal which is used by famous e-commerce companies like eBay. It is easy to use, provides secure payment system and its service is available in most of the countries across the globe.
- net: This system is considered cheaper than PayPal. It costs $0.3+2.9% per credit card transaction. Its setup cost is $45 and monthly expense is of $25.
- Worldpay: With the help of this system, an e-commerce store can pay on the go (2.75% + 0.20 pounds).
In addition to these systems, you can give the option of cash on delivery or payment through bank deposit to your customers.
- How to deliver top-notch customer service through the web portal?
- The perfect solution to this problem is the use of a reliable customer relationship management tool (CRM). Like other services, e-commerce vendors also sell CRM services which result in the provision of top-notch customer service.
- Another way to improve or integrate customer service is to get a toll free number for your company. Toll-free number enables provision of dedicated customer service. Your website visitors can call at your number and get information about your product or services.
- One more way is to integrate the option of live chat on your online store’s website. With the help of online chat, you can address the needs of your visitors promptly. Though it requires the availability of chat option for 24 hours a day, it is an efficient way of providing customer service to visitors.
The next three points will be discussed in the second part of this post. Stay tuned.