Running an online store - practical tips

Running an online store in a way that will allow it to operate efficiently is a process that requires commitment and care for many elements.

It involves the daily performance of many activities related to orders, responding to customer inquiries and promotions. All these elements are extremely important for the proper functioning of the website, and neglect can seriously affect the number of orders and customer satisfaction. As it is best to learn from examples, this article brings together the experience of many entrepreneurs operating in the e-commerce industry.

Running an online store - an idea is important

Even before starting your activity on the Internet, every issue related to the operation of an online store should be carefully thought out. The most important element of this process is a thorough market research, development of issues related to the technology used and verification of the store's operation in terms of logistics. A very important point in creating an online store is also ensuring an inflow of funds and finally - building an appropriate website, purchasing goods and financial resources for the first few months of operation.

The owner of an online coffee shop (www.kawa-swiezo-palona.pl) approached this issue in a very interesting way. Initially, the idea was to offer very expensive Italian coffee, the price of which would be around PLN 100. However, after verifying the market, it turned out that there are already many similar stores on the Internet. The owner of Świeżo Palona changed the concept, making him one of the few online retailers offering coffee to order in Poland. The costs of the venture were not very high and were mainly related to building the site.

Advertising and running an online store

Beginning online store owners do not always realize that marketing efforts are needed for their websites to function effectively. It seems to them that it is enough to put the website on the web and orders will appear automatically. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Advertising is an extremely important element when it comes to running an online store. Many novice owners are content with creating only a few accounts on social networks, which is not a bad move in itself - provided that it is accompanied by an advertising campaign. The owners of online stores, who have a lot of experience in running this type of business, recommend using the opportunities offered by the Google AdWords campaign, thanks to which the store's advertising reaches much more people than in the case of social media.

A good idea to promote yourself is also to use price comparison websites. Thanks to the presence of our store in these databases, the customer who is looking for a specific product will also receive our offer and perhaps decide to buy.

Running an online store - notification of orders

Of course, running an online store involves handling orders. The standard in this case is to inform the buyer about their status. The buyer likes to know where his order is being processed and is concerned if he does not receive such notifications. This information is also very important when we expect the goods to be delivered later. Messages make the customer feel appreciated and have a positive impact on the service image in their eyes. However, you have to consider how much information about the order status should be sent and what number of notifications is optimal enough to be sufficient, but not to spam the customer.

It turns out that the best way is to reduce the number of notifications to the bare minimum. Therefore, you need information that the order has been accepted, the next one should be a notification about the acceptance of the payment, and finally a message about sending the order along with the date of receipt of the shipment. Too many notifications can leave a buyer feeling overwhelmed, obsessed and likely to leave disgusted. It is not worth losing a client.

Free delivery and the number of orders - running an online store

There comes a time when owners can not do much to make the service of online stores even higher. It turns out that their standards are high, cooperation with suppliers is flawless, and almost all customers are satisfied with both the products and the service. Many of the owners opt for loyalty programs or extend the return period. However, a very good idea to increase the number of orders is to introduce free shipping.

As the experience of many people running online stores shows, it is the exemption from the payment for the delivery of the ordered products that increases the number of orders.Initially, it may be frightening to assume the costs of transportation, especially for those who run small shops, but the number of orders usually increases so much that after a while the procedure turns out to be worthwhile. While promoting more expensive products and trying to eliminate small orders, introducing free shipping is a way to significantly increase your turnover in a short time.

The purchasing process and running an online store

Running an online store is based mainly on orders placed by buyers. One of the biggest problems the owners face is the abandonment of shopping carts and not finalizing the transaction. It is worth remembering at this point that customers make purchases guided by emotions, so there may be several reasons why this is happening: disappointment, impatience, fear or embarrassment due to an overly complicated or not intuitive way of placing an order. Sometimes it is also the lack of important information, such as implementation costs, discounts. Buyers also resign from orders when the total amount of the contract is too high or it suddenly turns out that a commission is also added. It is worth taking care of eliminating these elements that deter customers.