Starting an ecommerce business is more than just throwing a site together and making a profit. There are plenty of models for quick money-making sites but to build a business requires more forethought and planning.
Niche It
That one great idea you have for a successful ecommerce solution is shared by so many others. That’s why it’s important to break down your big idea into smaller ones. The idea is to start of small, like a snowball and over time, evolve, expand and grow. Creating niches narrows your focus and creates a more targeted marketing experience for your customers. It also reduces competition because everybody else is going after that big idea while you’re staking your claim on that little corner.
Performance, Not Just Design
A lot of ecommerce tips focus a lot on site design and that’s important. Designing a site that is easy to follow and allows a more natural flow is an important part of creating a positive user experience. Making the site shareable and following certain color conventions avoids confusion. But performance is also a huge factor as well. A site that takes three to four seconds to load is considered slow. A user can make up her mind and switch to another site within that time. If your load time is in that range, make sure to optimize your pictures. If you have a blog, get rid of plugins you’re not using as they may be weighing down your server or conflicting with other plugins. Online, success is measured in milliseconds.
Build Your Community
Trends can be profitable, especially when you hit them at the right time. But they also have the dubious distinction of being capricious. There’s always a new one, the old one may work in the future or not for a long time. Trends tend to be more of a diversion than a legitimate formula for permanent success. Cultivating a community is paramount because it ties people together at the basic level and helps to build your brand’s identity. The community takes time to create and requires you to have some idea of what your brand is about.
Curb Your Money Expectations
There are many stories about retailers making five figures per month and vacationing whenever they way. That’s usually the other end of the story that doesn’t readily give people the idea of what it took to get there. Success is built not wished. Creating and running an online business has its ebbs and flows, with more ebb than flow when you’re first starting. Take time to celebrate small successes that lay the groundwork for the bigger ones and the bigger ones won’t seem like they are so far away.
One of the ways Amazon has really become such a powerful force is by tuning in to customer’s preferences. While no one expects a small business to have that level of targeting, there is something to be said about using more personalized automated solutions to draw your customers closer to your brand.
