How do I build a simple online store?

Why build an online store?

Opening paragraphs with quick answers to questions: Online stores allow entrepreneurs and small businesses to sell products or services on the web. Building an online store has many benefits compared to brick and mortar stores:

– Reach a wider audience online – sell to anyone, anywhere in the world with an internet connection. This significantly expands your potential customer base.

– Lower overhead costs – no need to rent a physical space for a store. Online stores have much lower startup and operating costs.

– Flexibility – online stores can be managed and updated easily. You have more flexibility over inventory, pricing, promotions etc.

– Easier to track data – analytics provide insights into your customers and business performance. Identify best selling products, conversion rates, user behavior etc.

– Always open for business – customers can shop 24/7. You are not limited to business hours.

An online store levels the playing field between small and large businesses. With relatively low startup costs, anyone can start an ecommerce business and compete. If you have a product to sell, building your own online store is easier than ever.

Choosing an online store platform

The foundation of your online store will be the ecommerce platform you use. This will determine the features, functionality, design capabilities and cost of your store. There are many platforms to choose from, with the most popular options being:

– Shopify – A popular SaaS platform designed for ecommerce. Easy to use with many themes and integration options. Pricing starts at $29/month.

– WooCommerce – A plugin that can be used to turn your WordPress site into a store. Very customizable using WordPress features and plugins. Hosting and domain name are separate costs.

– Squarespace – An all-in-one platform for websites, online stores and marketing. Simple to use with beautiful templates. Pricing starts at $26/month.

– BigCommerce – Scalable SaaS platform with built-in features needed for ecommerce. Pricing starts at $29.95/month.

– Magento – Open source ecommerce platform ideal for large stores and advanced functionality. However, setup and management requires technical expertise.

Think about your budget, design needs, product inventory and technical capabilities when choosing a platform. Shopify is a great starting point for small businesses new to ecommerce due to its combination of ease of use, features and support.

Signing up for a store platform account

Once you have selected your preferred ecommerce platform, signing up is simple. Here are the steps for signing up with Shopify:

1. Go to www.shopify.com and click on the “Start your free trial” button. This gives you access to a free 14 day trial.

2. Enter your store name – This will also be part of your store URL.

3. Enter your email and create a password for your Shopify account.

4. Enter your store information – address, currency, type of products you will sell.

5. Set up your method of payment for when the trial ends. Shopify offers monthly recurring billing through credit card.

That’s it! Shopify will now build your online store using a basic template and example products. You can now customize the design, add your products and publish your store.

The sign up process is similar for other popular platforms like WooCommerce, Squarespace and BigCommerce. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your account and build your initial online store.

Customizing your online store design

Once your store is built, the next step is customizing the design and aesthetics. Your store theme controls colors, fonts, layout of pages and product display. Most platforms come with a number of free and paid themes. Here are some tips for choosing and customizing your theme:

– Browse theme galleries to find an appealing design appropriate for your brand. Prioritize mobile optimized themes.

– Preview and test themes thoroughly before activating them. See how products are displayed.

– Use the customizer to tweak the theme settings – fonts, colors, spacing, buttons, navigation menus etc.

– Add your brand logo and images to create a cohesive brand identity.

– Install apps and plugins for additional functionality like image sliders, tabs, or popups.

– Adjust page layouts in your theme customizer. Pages like home, shop, product, cart and checkout may need different layouts.

– If necessary, pay for a premium theme for advanced design capabilities and customizability.

– For Shopify stores, use Sections to build and arrange content blocks on your pages.

Take your time to personalize your theme. Your theme is critical in providing a smooth shopping experience and converting visitors into paying customers.

Adding products to your store

Your online store is meaningless without products to sell. Let’s go over how you can quickly add products to your ecommerce platform.

On Shopify, adding products involves the following:

1. Click “Products” and then “Add product”. Specify the product type – physical, digital or service.

2. Enter product title, description and images. Images are very important for online stores, add high quality ones.

3. Specify details like SKU, pricing, cost per item and inventory tracking if selling physical products.

4. For physical products, add shipping details like weight and carrier calculated rates.

5. Add variants if you have products in different sizes, colors etc.

6. Use product tags and collections to organize your products. This improves navigation.

7. Hit publish once done. Your product is live in your store for customers to purchase.

The process is very similar in WooCommerce, Squarespace and other platforms. Go to the product section in your dashboard. Click to add a new product and fill in all the details. Include attractive images and provide all relevant information a customer needs to make a purchase.

Configuring shipping and payment methods

To run sales on your online store, you need to set up shipping and payment methods.

For shipping, you can set up:

– Flat rate shipping – A fixed rate for all orders e.g. $10 per order.

– Carrier calculated shipping – Provide details like product weight, and carrier APIs will calculate real-time rates.

– Free shipping – Offer free shipping on orders over a minimum amount.

– Local pickup – Allow customers to collect orders from your physical location.

When it comes to payments, ensure you enable payment methods commonly used by your customers:

– Credit cards – Allow Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards.

– PayPal – Many customers prefer PayPal for online payments.

– Apple Pay / Google Pay – Offer easy mobile payments.

– Alternatives like bank transfer or cash on delivery based on your business.

Configure your shipping and payment methods in the admin dashboard of platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. Connect your payment processor and account to accept credit card payments.

Marketing your online store

Creating an online store is only the first step. The next critical step is driving traffic to your store so you can make sales.

Here are some effective tactics for marketing your ecommerce store:

– **SEO** – Optimize your store for search engines by doing keyword research and using those keywords appropriately on your site. Create content like blog posts to boost SEO.

– **Social Media** – Promote your store on networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Run ads or do giveaways to attract followers.

– **Email Marketing** – Build an email list and send campaigns about new products, promotions or other news.

– **Influencers** – Collaborate with influencers in your industry to market products to their followers. Offer affiliate commissions.

– **PPC Ads** – Google Ads and Facebook Ads are powerful ways to get your store in front of people searching for your products or in your target audience.

– **Retargeting Ads** – Remarket to visitors who browse your site using retargeting tools like Facebook Pixel.

– **Content Marketing** – Develop resources like guides or product reviews that provide value, build trust and get links.

Dedicating time and budget into marketing will determine the long term success and viability of your online store. Execute campaigns consistently in each channel to maximize results.

Driving sales with promotions

Promotions are a great way to boost revenue for your online store. Offering discounts and deals compels customers to take action and complete purchases.

Here are types of promotions you can run:

– **Site wide sales** – Offer sitewide discounts like 20% off everything for a limited period. This will attract many new customers.

– **Free shipping** – Temporary free shipping is highly effective at increasing average order value.

– **BOGO deals** – Buy One Get One Free offers on selected items. Or Bundle Deals.

– **First order discount** – Offer discounts like 15% off for first time customers. This acquires leads.

– **Loyalty rewards** – Give repeat customers points and perks for continued purchases.

– **Flash sales** – Time limited sales lasting 24 – 72 hours on certain products. Countdown timers build urgency.

– **Free gifts** – Provide a free gift like a sample on orders over a threshold.

– **Holiday sales** – Offer special deals around occasions like Black Friday or Christmas.

The key is testing different promotions and doubling down on those that produce the best ROI. Pay attention to factors like profit margins, redemption rates and new vs existing customers acquired.

Optimizing the checkout process

The checkout process is the most critical part of your online store. This is where the rubber meets the road and visitors are converted into paying customers.

Follow these tips to optimize your checkout for higher conversion rates:

– **Minimal steps** – Reduce checkout to as few steps as possible. Each new page risks losing visitors.

– **Pre-fill info** – Pre-fill in fields like email or address for logged in/returning customers.

– **Guest checkout** – Allow guest checkout without requiring account creation to remove friction.

– **Payment icons** – Display recognizable payment icons to reassure customers.

– **Descriptive buttons** – Use descriptive calls-to-action like “Place Order Now” instead of just “Submit”.

– **Security badges** – Display trust badges like McAfee SECURE or Norton.

– **Progress bar** – Show a progress indicator highlighting steps completed and remaining.

– **Upsells** – Offer additional complementary products on checkout like warranties on electronics.

– **Highlight benefits** – Remind customers of benefits like free shipping, 100% moneyback guarantee etc.

– **Cross-sell** – Cross sell best-selling items while on checkout.

– **Smart error handling** – Provide helpful error messages if forms are incorrectly filled.

– **Continue shopping** – Allow customers to easily continue shopping in case they change their mind.

With a simplified and reassuring checkout process, you will turn your online store visitors into delighted customers.

Conclusion

Building a simple online store is very achievable for aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses. Choose an ecommerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce to handle the backend and infrastructure. Design and customize your theme to bring your brand to life. Populate your store with products by researching demand and sourcing reliable suppliers. Enable common shipping and payment methods with a few clicks.

The challenging but rewarding part comes next – driving consistent traffic and sales through marketing and promotions. Analyze data to optimize your conversions. Deliver an excellent checkout experience to turn visitors into paying customers. Things may move slowly initially but remain patient and focused on providing real value to others through your online store.

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