Tips for starting up your own e-commerce site

Starting up your own e-commerce store is exciting. The idea of running your own business has a lot of freedom in it as well as enjoyment. You get to work at your own pace, set your own work hours and most importantly, anything you earn is yours. However, with all the excitement comes the stress, which is unfortunately unavoidable.

Ask anybody who runs their own business, there are plenty of ups, but there will also be several down moments - how you get through the low parts that matter. And that is done by being as prepared as possible and working hard.

Amid all the exciting tasks of setting up your own e-commerce site, like designing the user interface or sourcing products, the legal aspects of setting up a new business should not be overlooked. Online services like LegalZoom can offer help in this domain. Reading some legalzoom reviews could provide an understanding of the experiences other entrepreneurs had and help you decide if their services are right for you.

Part of being prepared is to do plenty of research before starting your e-commerce site. Consider investing in your website, creating a solid marketing strategy and ensuring you do not rush the launch.

To help you start up your own e-commerce site, we have put together our guide below.

Investing in a good website

Your website is the heart of your business. If you don’t have a good site, people won’t trust your site, instead leaving quickly to visit one of your competitor's websites. Ensure you put aside some good time to look into website developers and have several planning meetings to make sure it’s right for you.

If your budget doesn’t stretch that far, you could look into hiring a freelancer for you - they are cheaper than agencies and still create some very high quality sites. An alternative would be to use a website builder and give creating your own site a go, this is a lot cheaper but remember you run the risk of it not being as high quality.

Social media is important

In today’s world, social media is one of the most important tools for any business - whether new or old. It gives you the chance to reach out to new customers, re-engage with existing ones, share news about your company and it shows you are reputable.

There are so many different social media networks to consider. You can sign up for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Tiktok as well as many others. Which ones you sign up for very much depends on the type of business you run and the type of media you are going to produce.

For example, Tiktok is more about videos whereas Instagram images - When you are signing up for social media channels like Instagram, it’s important you add them to your website using an API for Instagram.

Blog posts are crucial

When starting up your own e-commerce store, make sure you make use of blog posts. Blog posts are ideal for bringing customers to your website from a different angle. You can write posts on topics that are linked to your business.

For example, a fitness e-commerce site may write about running in hot weather, or a car site, about the latest releases. When putting together a blog, create a content calendar which is realistic to stick to. This way you can plan what is going out in the coming months.  

Do not rush the launch

Starting up your own business is exciting, so much so, you may be tempted to rush the launch in order to get it out there and start selling. Try to avoid doing this, in order to plan and give yourself the best chance of success.

Ensure you take plenty of time to do your research and reach out to friends or family members who also run their own businesses. We always advise putting together a launch spreadsheet of all the things you should do before going live.

With a quick Google, you’ll find plenty available. Some of your research may find ways to expand quicker and more efficiently.

Finance packages

When setting up your new business, having a finance package in place is also important. This will enable you to keep track of your invoices, know how much profit you are making and keep up-to-date on your expenses.

There are plenty of finance programs out there that you can use. Our advice would be to read the user reviews of your favorite ones and arrange a meeting with the company to ask questions. You will need an accountant when starting up, for which they may have software they recommend people use.

What tips do you have for starting up your own ecommerce site? Which of the above tips did you find most useful? Are there any tips you think we should be adding to our list? Is there anything you would like to share that will benefit our readers? Let us know in the comment box below.

We would love to hear from you.