You might have a few friends that sell stuff online and if you are far from happy with your current employment, why not look seriously at e-commerce? Many thousands of Australians make a very good living selling products online and in this short article, we lay out the various aspects of building an e-store to help you have a successful launch.
Outsource business services
Let’s say that you set up a company in China and you are wondering,’where can I find accounting services near me’? Fear not, there are local providers and an international law firm can source any business services. It might be very beneficial to set up your business in a foreign country, such as China, where many products are made.
Partner with a web design company
You’ll be happy to learn that you can find all your IT needs from a single provider. Services include the following:
- Domain name – Registration of your URL as a valid web address.
- Website design & build – There are a few applications to build a shopping cart platform and with your input, the web designer will create a stunning digital store in which to showcase your products.
- Web hosting – Your online store needs a host and there are a few packages available, depending on the nature and size of your site. Automatic backup and cyber-protection are standard.
- Site management – Have your e-store run by professional admin, which leaves you free to focus on other aspects of your business. They provide 24/7 cyber-security and upload data for new products.
- Digital marketing – Some web design companies offer online marketing services; SEO and social media are both cost-effective strategies to generate a large online following.
Your IT partner can provide you with all of the above and more; if you would rather administrate the site, this is no problem, the provider can tailor their services to suit you. You might want a branding agency to help your create a new brand.
Logistics
The second a customer clicks on ‘buy now’, the clock is ticking; you need to connect with a 3PL warehouse that can handle all your picking, packing and delivery. Order fulfilment is a critical aspect of your business and by bringing in the professionals, your customers will be very happy! Once you deliver your products and packaging to the 3PL warehouse, you only have to forward orders and the rest is taken care of. You could handle picking, packing and delivery yourself for the first few months, but once a lot of orders start arriving, you will need a professional carrier.
Setting up digital payment gateways
Of course, the more pay options your customers have, the better; all major credit cards, bank transfer, PayPal and even Bitcoin, should be available. Your e-store need to be a secure website, with an SSL (secure socket layer) that is denoted by the ‘s’ in ‘https’.
One very important aspect is cyber-security and when you use a top IT services provider, online security is part of the package.