The number of success stories that have come about from the world of ecommerce are great and have been well documented. What is less talked about are the millions of other companies who are trying to emulate such success. To do so takes courage, determination and a great strategy and with this in mind we explore how to build your ecommerce business efficiently.
Using a Third Party
It is now common for ecommerce businesses to start life via the use of a third party platform such as eBay – why? Well, setting up an account and managing the process is simple; take some pictures of your product and write a description, upload them and you are away. Plus, the overheads and charges are very digestible meaning that you can turn a profit without much trouble at all. The only other consideration is shipping the items that you sell and this has been made easy by companies like Parcel2go who will pick up and deliver them for you.
This system is so efficient, in fact, that many entrepreneurs are more than happy to use a third party platform exclusively and not develop the business any further – but should you want to, what next?
Setting Up a Website
The next logical step on the ecommerce ladder is to set up your own website. This can be made as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Out-of-the-box solutions, PrestaShop for example, offer a relatively easy and efficient way of developing a simple ecommerce website and also have the functionality to allow you to make the site more complex moving forward.
One of the factors you must now start to consider is how to capture customers email addresses for marketing purposes and whilst doing so initiate some other marketing activities.
Efficient Marketing Solutions
Efficient ways to market your ecommerce business don’t come much simpler than the options that social media platforms present. Many of the assets you use to build your website, photographs for instance, can be redeployed and used on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. In turn, the interest you generate can drive traffic to your website and convert into sales.
Building a Team
For many, the time to start building a team is whilst building the company website, employing the services of a web developer or an accountant, for example, can make all the difference. In any case, sooner or later you will need help as the business grows and one way of achieving this efficiently is to use freelancers.
A freelance worker simply invoices the company for their services at the end of every month and so the administrative process is straight forward once a contract has been agreed. In addition, many freelancers are happy to work remotely and so there is no pressing need to find office space for them, however, a business premises will probably be the next thing to consider.
With the right product and a measured approach, that looks to build the business efficiently, you may find that becoming the CEO of a successful ecommerce business is easier than you thought.