More and more entrepreneurs notice how much profit their own online store can bring. According to the Gemius report "E-commerce in Poland 2022", as many as 77% of respondents shop online. Such a large scale shows how great is the demand for products available online. Do you want to run your own online store? Find out what steps to take to make your e-commerce platform properly prepared for the needs of users
Own online store - where to start?
Before an e-commerce platform goes live, there are a few decisions to make and an action plan to implement. The most important thing will be to choose the industry and products that will be offered. You can opt for niche products. Then it will be easier to position such an online store in Google, but it should be borne in mind that the number of potential customers will not be large. On the other hand, offering products that are widely purchased will be associated with high competition. Therefore, it is worth researching the market and choosing the range of products sold taking into account these issues.
An important step is also deciding on the sales model that the online store will implement. You can choose dropshipping, direct sales, warehouse cooperation, marketplace. The first option assumes cooperation with a wholesaler - so you do not need to have the goods in stock. Its employees will also take care of shipping and returns. This is a convenient option, but it significantly reduces the margin for each product sold. The next choice requires an investment in goods, storage space and a person who will ship the goods and handle orders. Cooperation with the warehouse removes many responsibilities. At the same time, an initial contribution to the purchase of products is still required, and storage costs should also be taken into account. Marketplace is a solution that allows you to indirectly sell from many other stores in exchange for a commission. The model somewhat resembles cooperation with a wholesaler, but it differs in several issues.
After selecting the assortment and the sales model, you should decide what the sales platform will be and how it will be built.
We create dedicated online stores. We will implement your idea!
What should you choose for your online store - ready-made CMS or dedicated e-commerce solutions
There are many CMS systems that are dedicated to online stores. However, each of them has its drawbacks, which often turn out to be problematic after launching e-commerce. Then it is often too late to resign from the chosen option. Therefore, it is worth considering the pros and cons as soon as possible.
Ready-made sales platforms allow you to handle online orders, but they have a lot of limitations. They are designed to support a multitude of platforms, so they consist of template elements. Implementation of individual solutions is therefore costly and difficult. In addition, CMSs created for online stores have numerous difficulties in the context of website positioning on the Internet - it is not always possible to influence important elements. Among them are: site speed, URL structure, the ability to easily implement redirects, changing meta descriptions or headers and many others.
The number of limitations and possibilities depends on the specific system. For example, Shoper is quite intuitive, but all resources are on the servers of this CMS. There is no free access to the server, which causes many limitations. On the other hand, PrestaShop support is strongly related to the need to buy additional extensions to be able to expand the store with additional functionalities. The platform also has some limitations when it comes to SEO. Many people choose WooCommerce - because of the freedom of action and the ability to make many changes. However, the WordPress system is most often based on the use of plugins that need updating. It is also necessary to verify their safety (they and templates are the most common source of hacking), as well as replacing abandoned ones with new ones that are supported by their creators.
Above, we have provided only a few examples of difficulties that are associated with setting up stores using ready-made solutions for online stores. Therefore, each sales platform has its advantages, but also disadvantages that cannot be avoided. The big downside of ready-made solutions is that the store owner often has little influence on the site's performance, which is one of Google's ranking factors. In addition, it is often not possible to implement modern UX solutions, i.e. those that make the store useful and intuitive. The success of an online business depends on building an e-commerce platform. The worse it will be constructed in this respect, the more people will leave it right after entering the website. This can be easily verified by analyzing the bounce rate, which is the percentage of visitors to the site that have done so. An e-commerce platform must be built in such a way that as many users as possible get acquainted with the offer and make a purchase. That is why it is so important to ensure easy navigation around the website and make it easier to go through the shopping path.
Deciding on a dedicated solution, i.e. constructing an e-commerce platform, results in the creation of a "tailor-made" store. It will not only be refined in terms of UX, UI, speed, efficiency, appearance and functionality, but will also be equipped with individual, unique solutions. In addition, its operation on devices with different screen sizes will not be a problem for users - it will be adjusted accordingly.
Learn more about the differences between a dedicated online store and a ready-made e-commerce platform.
Choosing the right e-commerce platform is an important decision
How is a dedicated e-commerce platform created?
At LSB DATA, we start creating an online store with conversations and workshops with the client. Thanks to this, we get to know all the needs and requirements. Our experience allows us to suggest optimal solutions that will further improve the operation of the online store. During the workshops, we advise, show examples and explain the impact of specific elements on the functioning of the e-commerce platform. After this process, the project is prepared. During it, web designers and developers create the appearance of the website along with the functionalities of specific elements.
Then the project is consulted with the client, we implement changes and adapt the concept to the idea and vision of the store owner. After approval, we implement the project - an e-commerce platform is created. It is adapted to the guidelines of search engine algorithms, thanks to which it immediately has great SEO potential and you can implement website positioning right after launching. At the same time, it is possible to immediately start paid advertising campaigns, e.g. Google Ads, as well as implement website promotion through social media. The dedicated e-commerce platform is safe and designed in such a way that it can be integrated with various external systems and tools, e.g. invoicing, Allegro, warehouse, etc.
Start of online sales and development of a dedicated online store
The ready platform allows you to start selling online. A gradual increase in sales may translate into ideas for its development. After creating a sales platform, it can be developed along with the increasing revenues from e-business. Many online store owners diversify their assortment over time, and thus add categories and subcategories or decide to open to foreign markets. If you choose to work with us, you can be sure that we will support you later in expanding your online store to scale your business.
Should you choose a dedicated platform for a small online store?
If you want to have a small online store and only expand it as your revenue grows, a dedicated e-commerce platform is the best solution. When choosing a ready-made CMS, it may turn out that expanding the store will require huge financial outlays or migration to another system. In the case of a dedicated sales platform created from scratch, there is a possibility of unlimited expansion of the store - evenly with the increase in sales and without the need to suspend sales for some time.
Online stores with full integration
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