5 Ideas to Keep in Mind with an eCommerce Business Model

[This article was written by Hannah Boothe.]

If you are thinking of launching a new business, you also need to plan your accompanying website. This is an area where knowledge of how e-commerce works and what it can do for you will come in handy. In this article, we’ll share five of the most important ideas to keep in mind when launching your e-commerce site.

1. Go All the Way – No Half Measures Allowed!

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that a successful practitioner of e-commerce in Canada or wherever your target audience is located, is one that knows how to commit all the way. E-commerce is not an activity that can be conducted by half measures. You will need to commit fully to e-commerce as an ongoing process that comes with a learning curve.

Doing so will give you the “skin in the game” that you need to be able to adapt to a whole new business model. The benefits of doing so are enormous while the associated risk is nearly nonexistent. It’s an excellent idea to find a fully qualified and well-experienced e-commerce website provider to help you along the way to success.

2. You Need to Know Exactly Who You Will Be Selling To

The next step of the process should be to define your target demographic. This is the group of people who are most likely to become your customers. Once you have identified this group, you will then want to narrow it down even further. You want to separate the likely one time buyers from the ones who will be your most loyal long term buyers.

The key here is to identify the audience that you will want to direct the bulk of your online advertising, as well as your website and social media content, to. If you find that the majority of your buyers spend time on Instagram but not Twitter, it’s obvious where you should be spending most of your advertising money.

If your audience prefers video to blog content, you can safely deemphasize (but not completely ignore) the latter in order to concentrate on the former. Whatever the majority of your customer base likes best is what you need to be providing for them.

3. Always Use the Correct E-Commerce Software

Believe it or not, there are different types of e-commerce software that can be used in different situations. This is not a “one size fits all” proposition. You want to be able to pick the platform that satisfies your needs without costing you a lot of stress when it comes to maintenance or cost of operation.

4. Keep Your Operation as Simple as Possible

Your e-commerce operation doesn’t need to be overly complex. A simple set up will do you a lot more good than an overly complex one. Basically, what you need is a program that will conduct and record sales while giving you a few other details, such as time of sale, location of the customer, and so on. The simpler it stays, the better.

You want to include certain features, such as an online shopping cart and an option to join your e-mail list. You also want to be able to send your customer an instant confirmation of your order. It’s a good idea to give them access to info that will allow them to track their order. All of this will enhance your e-commerce operation.

5. Get Testimonials from Your Satisfied Customers

One of the very best things you can do is to collect testimonials from your customers that can be posted on the web. The more verified reviews your business can collect, the more credibility you will have. Offer rewards and incentives for customers to leave plenty of these valuable testimonies.

The main thing for you to keep in mind when debating whether or not to establish an e-commerce site is the fact that your rivals have already done so. All you need to do is log on to the web to see the evidence that they are making profits. If you want to give your business a shot in the arm, you need to establish your own e-commerce site.

Author Bio:

Hannah is a graduate of the University of Washington in Marketing and English. With dreams of becoming a professional novelist, she also enjoys taking care of her dogs and helping out on her parent’s farm. She loves to read and enjoys cuddling up to a good movie.