Starting an ecommerce business is an excellent way to take your entrepreneurship to the next level. Among other advantages, it’s cheaper than opening a brick-and-mortar store, and it provides you with more flexibility and opportunities for faster growth. But in order to be successful in the long term, you must dedicate plenty of time and energy to your venture. Below are some fundamental tips from Oasis Consulting Group for planning, launching, and growing your first online store.

Planning Your Business

Let’s start with some simple ways you can lay a firm foundation for your online store:

• Conduct market research to identify unmet needs and see how you can make your online store stand out from the competition.
• Develop a detailed business plan that outlines your mission, core values, target audience, product descriptions, funding needs, financial projections, and more.
• Settle on a name for your business, and design a logo that reflects what you are offering customers.
• Form a legal structure (i.e., LLC, corporation, partnership, etc.) that will determine your level of liability, how you pay taxes, and other critical factors.

Launching Your Business

Few things are more exciting than a business launch. Just make sure your online store is ready!

• Build your store on one of the many ecommerce platforms, such as WooCommerce, Shopify, or Squarespace.
• Determine the channels you will use for selling your products, including your website and third-party sellers like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon.
• Settle on a shipping strategy and returns policy.
• Identify key metrics (e.g., website traffic, conversion rates, total sales, etc.) that you will use to track your progress after launch.

Growing Your Business

Things are just getting started once you launch your business. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for sustaining steady growth for your online store:

• Maintain a heavy focus on your marketing strategy, constantly looking for how you can reach more potential customers.
• Create or update your home office with upgrades like window repair or replacement to block out noise and let in more natural light.
• Along with using email marketing and social media, employ paid advertising and SEO tactics that will drive traffic to your site.
• Regularly revisit your business plan to monitor your progress toward your goals.
• Keep customer service top priority, as it will play a critical role in the reputation you build in the industry.

If you’re willing to put in the work and complete all the necessary steps, you can build an ecommerce business from the ground up that succeeds for many years to come. Along with following the tips above, keep researching other strategies and tasks you can employ to set your venture up for long-term flourishing. And remember to enjoy the ride!

Oasis Consulting Group lays out a blueprint of multi-channel campaigns and programs to help the needs of our clients around the United States, providing them with B2B and B2C marketing services designed to increase their customer base, loyalty, and profits. Reach out to us today!