industry Paul Sherratt
eCommerce Over the last few years of doing this whole online thing, I’ve talked to hundreds of people who have considered starting or have started an e-commerce niche site. It’s so easy to see it as an easy way to
make money, build an asset, and really cash in on the power and global reach of the internet.
The reality? It’s not nearly as easy as
everyone makes it out to be. Anyone can throw up a site with some stuff for sale, but how do you actually get people to show up on the site? How do you handle logistics and fulfilment? How do you even know if you have a good market or not?
I’ve worked on many sites over the
years. Some have been incredibly successful, and it is true that eCommerce stores can be an excellent business to go into – if you take the time to learn how to do it properly. If you’re looking for a ‘get rich quick’ scheme, however, you should head elsewhere.
Key things to really consider before starting your eCommerce site…
1. Exploit the niche Although I am sure you have fantastic ideas that you believe are going to kill it the minute you throw up your store, the chances are there are hundreds of other people that are thinking the same thing and are already doing it. For example, one of the last eCommerce stores I worked on was selling running shoes. Whilst this is a huge market that’s continually growing and evolving, our approach was too broad. That market is both competitive and saturated. If we wanted to succeed, we should have niched down a lot. Rather than focusing on multiple products, we should have focused simply on selling the very best, for example, running shoes for triathlon or for trail running. The market would have been smaller, but as consumers we
respond to incredibly targeted eCommerce sites. Its called ‘exploiting the long tail’ and whilst the area may be niche the market place for eCommerce sites is global – there are plenty trail runners all over the world looking for a site aimed directly at them.
2. Test before you invest Before you throw time and money into your new site, test it to see if there is interest in your product or niche, and to see if your offer converts. To do this, set up a WordPress blog and write about your niche
product area and about some of the products in the niche. Set up some amazon affiliate links to the products in your blog, keep adding content, and within a few weeks you may well begin to see some organic traffic and, more importantly, some affiliate sales. Very soon you will become an expert in your niche and, more
importantly, will have proven whether your niche can attract an audience and hence sales.
3. The power of SEO Whilst social sharing can certainly be beneficial, there’s a good chance that your SEO strategies are going to make up the bulk of your traffic (and income). There is a right and a wrong way to do SEO. Do it right, and you’ll
be rewarded with thousands of adoring visitors and customers. Do it wrong, and your site will be buried so deep in Google rankings that organic traffic will be non-existent. If you’re serious about eCommerce, then put a high quality SEO program in place.
• Create Linkable Content. If you’ve got a blog on your eCommerce site, write definitive content about your industry or niche. Write something with broad appeal that will make people who know nothing about stainless steel widgets not only be interested, but interested enough to share the content. • Ensure product descriptions are unique and interesting. • Create new and interesting content on a regular basis – video, blog, new products – the more regular changes within the site the better things will be. • Get active in Forums. Regardless of what industry you’re in, being active in related forums is not only the best way to build contacts, but it will also keep you up to date on what’s going on within your niche. Not to mention you can get some more links from posts and your profile as well.
4. The platform There are all sorts of options for building eCommerce stores, and this is part of the appeal. No longer do you have to have a legion of developers and fat bank accounts to develop a basic eCommerce site – all you need is a little bit of time and patience with which to learn how your system of choice works. One of the biggest problems you could face will be deciding which platform to work with. Magento? Shopify? WooCommerce? Once you choose, be willing to stick to it because migrating will produce ten times the headache. If you've started a blog using Wordpress, I would highly
recommend WooCommerce. It will instantly turn your blog site into an eCommerce site, removing hours of frustration and cost that you may face if you want to move platforms. Alternatively, if you are just looking to dip your toe in the
eCommerce marketplace, then a simple Shopify site may suffice. It’s simple and easy to use and is only £29 per month for an online account. Many of the other platforms will be more expensive and technical than necessary for a small business, but it is important to do your research. If you are looking to grow to the point where you’re marketing thousands of products and you have some technical experience or a technical partner, some of the other options may hold more appeal. If you are serious about eCommerce, you need to treat the topic with the respect that it deserves. Find your niche and the resource to drive this forward.
Good luck!
SGB-SPORTS.COM | 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36