Launch of online commerce
Launching an online store
The main thing is to decide beforehand what kind of online store to open. There are many options, and it is very important that the idea pays off. Here are the basic steps you will need to take.
Selecting an idea
Trading the most popular product at the moment is not the best option, if you have not yet begun to master this category. As a rule, big earnings are made only by those people who think ahead about the turnover of products and start offering them among the first.
Beginning of development
Having decided on the idea, you can order professional development services. Without skills, special knowledge, programs and techniques to create even a one-page website to promote certain products online is not the best idea. It is better to go straight to the professionals. This way you will be sure that the business will be attractively implemented on the site and will most likely recoup the investment.
If the site will seem unsightly, can not be promoted in advertising, then even low prices and popular goods will not improve the situation.
What is popular in online business
About the trends on the market of online commerce
It’s quite difficult to decide what to trade in an online store. At the same time the actual statistics show that in the CIS countries online commerce is becoming more and more popular every year. Here is an example of statistical data:
It can be noted a steady growth in sales on the network, as the number of buyers and revenue increases. For example, back in 2018 in Russia, the number of Internet sites increased by about 17%, and already now – by 45%. If the trend continues, in a year or two online business will be more than 50%. Now you can buy anything on the internet: from clothes to food. There is no longer a need to go to a mall or a chain store. All the goods you need can be found on your smartphone or PC. You just need to add them to your cart and place your order. As long as such demand is met, the number of stores online will actively increase.
Many people choose to shop online for such reasons:
low cost of products;
convenient delivery;
Lack of physical effort;
Saving personal time.
Practice shows that in online catalogs the range is much wider, there is a warranty, different methods of payment, delivery, regular promotions and discounts. The main thing is to read the reviews beforehand, so as not to end up disappointed in the goods and services.
What criteria should you use?
What is taken into account when choosing a niche?
Thinking about which online store is better to open, it is important to understand that it is more difficult than organizing an offline point, because you need to develop a virtual original site. At the same time, if you find a competent specialist who will take care of all the business, you will be able to launch the business fairly quickly.
Practice shows that the site quickly pays for itself, and from an economic point of view, it is more profitable than renting or even buying premises for offline sales:
no need to hire consultants, security guards;
there is no need to install cameras;
there is no need to rent a warehouse,
You do not have to rearrange the goods on different shelves.
It will be enough to agree on supplies or allocate a single room where, for example, clothes bought online will be stored.
In 2022, it’s worth thinking ahead about what kind of solution a new site might present. Customers are always asking for help, services, products. You can’t try to build a business on something that isn’t considered relevant. It is necessary to put yourself in the place of the target audience, and then you will understand in what direction to move.
- Experts recommend using only working cases. There is no need to try from scratch and without a special budget to create something unique at once. It is better to study the experience of foreign companies, to see how they work, and on the basis of this to create a profitable online store.
- It is worth monitoring sites such as:
- Ebay;
- Amazon;
- AliExpress;
- Ozon.
- Despite the fact that these resources are already considered classic and well-known to everyone, they use selling, interesting and working cases, which can easily be adopted. If the owner of the future business is not versed in analytics, he can ask a specialist to monitor and compile a report with clear recommendations.
- It is also worth regularly studying consumer trends, because they are constantly changing. It is not enough to conduct such an action once a year, if you want to trade only promising products. To be a top seller, you will need to:
- Constantly evolve in the online industry;
- View sales statistics for different categories;
- to read news about fashion trends;
- withdraw irrelevant products from circulation.
What to consider when starting a job
Evaluation criteria to apply
It sometimes takes months for a person to choose an idea for a business. This is a painstaking work, which is not given easily, especially if there is no special theoretical knowledge. That said, you can always trust professionals who will think through the content of the online store for you, the terms of payment and delivery. You can learn all the details from this useful informational video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DTMrQu60No.
The development of an online store requires an investment of time and resources, so it is better to be theoretically prepared for this initially, so as not to make typical mistakes.
When selecting a selling product, you need to consider:
target audience;
level of profitability/profitability;
seasonal sales;
specific knowledge;
obsolescence of products;
reliability of suppliers;
amount of capital investment;
market size.
Also, competition should not be forgotten.
Monitoring the activities of competitors
It is the analysis of other companies that sell the same or similar products that will be able to show you if it is profitable to open an online store. If the characteristics demonstrate that, in the end, all the investments will lead to a loss, then it would be more logical to find another niche.
Consideration of additional costs
Additionally, overhead costs should be taken into account when evaluating key product selection. In some cases, it really is more logical to trade exclusively in quality and expensive goods, because it will not be necessary to spend money on the processing of all orders and returns in case the customer will be dissatisfied with something, it is the store pays for shipping.
Organization of delivery
From the same motives, it is important to consider the size and weight. The greater the volume and more complex storage conditions, the method of packaging, the more expensive will be transportation. Usually at the start of the business gives free shipping, so if you want to have a profitable online store, it is important to think about how much you have to pay for the delivery of a single item.
Connecting with loyal customers
Practice shows that it is much more expensive to attract new customers than it is to retain old ones. It is better to try to make repeat sales, which is why all managers of the future online store should, first of all, focus on regular customers and only after that deal with advertising to expand the audience.
How to research market trends
Learn more about how to research the market
Successful online retailers declare that Google Trends is the most convenient tool for analyzing profits and investments.
Features of Google Trends analytics.
We are talking about full automation. A robot will analyze the dynamics of requests for certain products or services for you, using popular search engines. You can set any time frame and understand which product has attracted more attention, and which needs to be withdrawn from circulation. You can even use this tool when analyzing your competitors. Creating an online store from scratch implies an obligatory initial data collection. The more analytics – the fewer mistakes in the future.
How Yandex Wordstat works
The analogue of Google Trends is rightly considered Yandex Wordstat, which works with the search engine of the same name. The toolkit also allows you to find out the dynamics of query frequency over time. It will be possible to view the targeting by geography to understand where the most potential customers live, what city or region they belong to. This will allow you to throw all the advertising resources to a certain place in case the delivery of your goods is not possible throughout Russia, but only in certain regions. Then it will be easy to adjust advertising to the geographical location and cover the maximum number of customers who can theoretically make an order.
Research of analytical and statistical reviews
Additionally, it is possible to involve analytical and statistical research in the development of an online store. There are special agencies that collect statistics from different online stores, and then generate reports regarding demand, income or, conversely, the decline of business. It is important to keep in mind that usually such statistics are considered large-scale, so they will not show which certain niche products are better or worse sold. The estimate will be general.
Researching popular message boards
Message boards are also analyzed, as a huge number of potential online store users still browse in search of the best deals.
It is recommended to focus on such resources:
avito;
kufar.by;
youla.ru;
baraholka.
So you can understand what kind of goods are in high demand now, or even identify large categories in order to subsequently expand the business as much as possible. You can even hire individual specialists who will fully carry out all the analytical work, summarize the results and, as a result, advise which direction it is best to move forward.
Trending Internet Products
What is profitable to sell on the network?
The question of what is profitable to trade on the Internet, rather abstract, because now in the network you can sell literally anything, from soft toys and ending with gas boilers. Each merchant thinks out his own business scheme and then implements it. If you want to attract the attention of buyers in the shortest possible time, then you need to choose exclusively popular areas.
Sales of equipment
For example, you can sell large or small appliances online. Statistics show that from 2018 to the present day among Internet users this is one of the most in-demand categories, it is considered a classic and definitely will not disappear anywhere. The bottom line is that you can save anywhere from 20 to 40% on buying online, because the owner of an online retail outlet does not need to:
rent premises for the store;
Pay wages to employees.
You can also create an online store and sell computers, peripherals, smartphones, tablets and other accessories, because technology will never go out of style.
Costs are lower for an online business, which means that similar products can be sold at lower prices. This approach still attracts a huge number of customers, and in the end, the company is definitely in the black.
Selling clothes and shoes
If there is no desire to trade in technology, you can choose shoes or clothing. This is the very classics that will never get old. Nowadays, people are less and less willing to spend time shopping offline, because you have to get to malls, store around, and overpay for the obligatory costs of the merchant for rent and wages. It’s much easier and faster to shop online, especially since retailers now display relevant photos, videos of items and an up-to-date sizing grid.
Advantages of selling items:
wide audience;
constant demand;
there is no risk of spoilage of goods;
high profits.
The main thing is to regularly monitor the latest trends in clothing, footwear and accessories, because people are unlikely to actively buy things that have been out of fashion for several years. You can focus on the American or European market, because all trends usually come from there. You can sell seasonal items or original, unique items. If this is just the start of the business, many experts recommend giving preference to seasonality in order to reach a large audience, because not everyone is ready to buy things from unknown manufacturers.
Trade in cosmetic products
The cosmetics or perfume industry is another very profitable niche on which you can build a large online store, and quite profitable. There will never be a disappearing demand for products such as:
mascara;
lipstick;
eye shadow;
foundations;
rouge;
eyebrow styling products;
depilatories;
balms and shampoos;
facial and hair masks;
perfume products.
This is a very broad category, and it is not necessary to sell absolutely all of these products. You can choose a particular brand or a few individual areas and, for example, sell gift baskets of cosmetics for men and women, which is especially important during the holidays.
It is important to keep in mind that buyers of cosmetics and skincare products would be happy to receive various samples as gifts, which can be used as promotional items. There is a high probability that some of the options will like it, and then the client will want to come back to you and order a full-size product.
Sale of goods for children
Another option – the sale of children’s goods and products for the home. Many entrepreneurs choose this direction, because this area will never cease to be relevant. Different walkers, milk formula, sliders, sanitary powder, baby dishes, food, bicycles, strollers, educational books and educational toys are always in demand.
Parents want to buy the best for their children, which means that there is every chance to develop a business in this area. You can also go the most profitable way and sell seasonal toys, home decorations and other decorations or useful, practical things that are also popular. These are the most in-demand areas that are sure to make a profit.
It is recommended to choose a niche not by earnings, but by personal interests, because the seller must understand all the products that he offers potential customers or find consultants to do the job.
Where to start a store
Tips to help get your business started quickly
If you have been thinking for a long time about whether or not to open an online store, there is no need to immediately try to become the very first resource for selling highly competitive products. You can’t immediately meet the high demands of the market and offer the same terms of cooperation and quality in order to attract an audience or try to entice them away.
Promotion of the store
It is important to remember that increased demand always automatically equates to serious competition. It is important to be prepared for the fact that you will have to confront other sellers, whose number is increasing significantly. It is important to prepare reports and a plan for the development of the technical, financial component of the online store, marketing strategy in advance. All this contributes to the promotion of the resource and the retention of potential buyers or even attracting new ones.
Advertising campaigns
It is worth noting that opening your own resource is only the beginning of the journey. Having a website is not a guarantee that the number of orders, customers, increasing traffic, expanding geography of new sales, if before the store worked only in offline mode. This requires work, and regularly. If the owner of the network will not invest in advertising, then he is unlikely to get any results at all. You also need to monitor your competitors regularly in case any trends have already changed.
Studying trends.
You should constantly increase the level of your own knowledge. This will help to expand the target audience, increase sales, and find more effective advertising channels that will really bring profit. Ideally, it is worth entrusting this to a specialist who will keep track of all trends and inform you about them, since it is difficult to monitor absolutely all the details yourself.
Organizing Testing
It is advisable to continuously test the most important niches. It is about products, suppliers, product descriptions, service, delivery, advertising. It is important to check how well everything works, because sometimes it is because of failures that the owner of an online store loses his target audience. People don’t want to wait for things to get better, wanting to place an order, and simply go to a competitor.
It is impossible to spend once to develop a website and, in the end, invest nothing more in it. Regular advertising, SEO-optimization and good content is a chance to reach the top of search engines and increase sales. If you do not have the necessary capacity, hire professionals. For example, a team of professional developers KUBAS Labs is ready to work through all the important points on launching an online store of any level.
It is not recommended to start with certain products and then completely change the concept by simply choosing a generic name. It is best to follow a preconceived path. This way, you will not lose the trust of potential customers, because there may be negative feedback due to the fact that the whole essence of the online store has completely changed, and the products on which the business was previously built have disappeared.
