Online sales? Keys to opening a successful e-Commerce

The online sales represent an opportunity for different types of companies, every day, more companies adopt the e-Commerce as a sales channel.

Without a doubt, the e-commerce will continue to grow within the global economy, online sales have taken over different countries, transforming the way millions of brands sell and buy on the internet.

If you are an entrepreneur who wants to use this channel to market your products or a company whose objective is to venture into the fascinating world of e-Commerce, this article is for you; We tell you the 6 steps you must follow to build a online store successful.

‍

e-Commerce for everyone!

Before talking about those essential aspects that you should consider, we will tell you a little more about the e-commerce, its advantages and growth in the world.

He e-commerce It is not only for large companies with high capital, it is a possibility available to everyone and for everyone; precisely in this aspect lies its success. Millions of brands have said yes to e-Commerce, basically due to the following aspects or competitive advantages:

✅ It is currently one of the preferred shopping channels in the world, save time and money on trips, allows you to buy quickly from the comfort of work or home and receive increasingly shorter delivery times

✅ The online sales are easily affordable, it is enough to have access to the internet (64.4% of the Latin American population has this resource) and have different payment alternatives for different types of buyers.

✅ It is an additional sales channel that is found available 24 hours of the day, 365 days a year, without generating additional costs and with the ability to serve multiple clients at the same time

✅ Compared to a physical point where a premises, furniture and a greater number of people are required for the operation, opening a online store can be much cheaper. Currently, there are different platforms that provide support, storage and more, for quite competitive rates.

✅ An e-Commerce can sell to any city or country where you can deliver, without the need to have physical presence

✅ Flexibility and speed. In the digital field many processes can be carried out instantly, which we also see in the e-commerce, where activities such as changing an offer, a photo, updating inventory, processing a purchase, among others, can be carried out in seconds, allowing you to adapt to the dynamism of the sector

✅ Compared to physical sales, online sales They allow you to capture much more information about users' interests and purchasing preferences, as well as contact information to deploy marketing strategies that increase conversion.

⚡#CubboHacks in this article you can find 4 techniques to increase your conversion rate

‍

Every day more companies are betting on online sales

With accelerated growth, the e-Commerce It is considered one of the most dynamic sectors within the region. During recent years, Latin America has experienced progressive growth in online buyers, registering 337 million in 2023, and Latin America is expected to have a 25% increase in digital buyers by 2025.

How about these figures? He e-commerce It is quite a boom that, for a long time, will continue to give something to talk about within the world economy.

‍

According to data published by Statista, Latin American retail sales are expected to reach US$85 billion in 2021 and US$160 billion in 2025. On the other hand, Brazil and Mexico are at the forefront of e-commerce, having 31% and 28% of the Latin American market, followed by Colombia, Chile and Peru.

‍

😌Do you want to know many more figures and #CubboInsights on the subject? Read: Ecommerce in Latin America, growing by leaps and bounds

‍

6 Steps to Building a Successful Online Store

After this quick and interesting tour of the behavior of the e-Commerce, which allows us to demonstrate its potential as a sales channel for small, medium and large companies, we present the 6 aspects that you should consider to launch your online store:

‍

1.   Research your market niche

Who will buy the product in your online store? Is it attractive to certain consumers? How much is your product marketed on the internet? Do you differentiate yourself from the competition in terms of quality, exclusivity, service or price? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself, study your market and offer differential solutions that add value to the client.

Choosing a specific niche gives you more opportunities to stand out and attract customers. Look at audiences with unmet needs, study the competition and define alternatives to improve the consumer experience. Determine who you will target taking into account demographic, economic and sociocultural aspects. Being clear about these factors will allow you to profile and make your positioning strategies more efficient and online sale.

‍

2.   Choose the name and domain you are going to use for your online store

If I ask you about technology, what is the first one that comes to your mind? Surely it has a short name, easy to write, pronounce and remember, this should be the name and domain that you are going to use for your online store.

It may seem very simple, but you must take the time to properly choose the name of your e-Commerce. Analyze the possibilities, run tests to determine how easy it is for people to remember, develop surveys and receive feedback; This step is very important, it is how you are going to make yourself known to the world.

In addition to the name, pay attention to the logo of your store, it is your business card, include it on networks and in the different channels where you have a presence.

‍

3.   Select the platform for your e-Commerce

To open a online storeIn addition to being clear about what you are going to sell, to whom and at what value, you must decide which platform is going to support and facilitate your operations, evaluating which is the option, according to your type of business, resources and expectations.

Currently, there are different providers of this service, which offer customization possibilities and bring together all the functionalities required for the operation of a online store. Next, we will briefly talk about some of the most recognized platforms:

Shopify

One of the most popular platforms, with which more than 1,700,000 currently operate ecommerce in the world, including 20% ​​of the online stores in the top 1 million, according to data from Builtwith.

If you are going to sell online With this platform, you do not need a development team or design skills to build and manage the ecommerce, you can create and customize it yourself in just a few steps. Its editor is quite simple to understand and easy to navigate, you can add or manage your products, the status of orders, configure the areas where you have coverage for shipments, add Apps to incorporate more functionalities to the store, among many other options. Shopify It also includes the hosting service and integrations with the main payment gateways.

"With this tool You have agility, zero dependence on a technical team and speed of execution, which becomes a competitive advantage in a field as dynamic as e-commerce” (Alejandro Moreno – Shopify Expert).

The prices of Shopify They vary depending on the chosen functionalities and other characteristics such as the number of accounts and transaction fees. They contemplate different plans that adapt to the size and stage of each business. They have a 14-day free trial to get to know the tool.

Read also: Shopify Why choose it as your e-Commerce platform?

‍

WooCommerce

28% of the online stores in the top 1 million operate under this free platform. To use it you must already have a website, hosting and Wordpress installed, since WooCommerce is one of its plugins.

To build an online store in WooCommerce, you must have prior knowledge of Wordpress or hire the services of a programmer, who will structure and operate all the modules of the site.

As for its administration, it is easy and intuitive, once everything is structured; However, if you have never used this type of platform, it may take you a little longer to learn how to do it.

Although Woocommerce is a free tool, you should not forget the additional costs that may arise during the creation of the ecommerce, such as hosting, paid templates and non-free plugins to configure your store the way you want it, which could exceed the fixed costs of other platforms. 

‍

⚡In this article you will learn how set up your online store in WooCommerce

‍

Magento

More than 250,000 ecommerce In the world they use this platform, under which 9% of the online stores in the top 1 million operate.

To develop your e-Commerce in Magento, You need a developer (it is an open source platform) and buy hosting, this tool does not provide it. Once the site has been structured with all its functionalities, according to the type and need of the business, you will be able to manage the online store from an manageable panel.

Magento has plans free and paid depending on the customizations, support and functions required for the store.

‍

VTEX

More than 3,000 currently operate under this platform. online stores in the world. Vtex includes hosting and allows the creation of ecommerce completely personalized, which are executed by a development team, once your store is built, you will be able to manage it, load your products, control inventory, manage stock and access different functionalities designed mainly for B2C, B2B and Marketplace businesses.  

Vtex does not show plans by price on its portal, the value of the service is quoted according to the specific functionalities and requirements of each e-Commerce.

‍

There are many more platforms, research which one is best for your business and make the decision. In all cases, look for a good storage service for the site, as well as an optimal loading speed, this aspect is essential for the user and for positioning in search engines.

A good hosting service will also prevent server crashes, making your online store always available. Whether it is provided by the platform or you have to buy it on your own, make sure that the hosting meets the above characteristics.

‍

4.   Choose the payment gateway for your online store

You ecommerce It must be inclusive and provide payment alternatives for your different types of clients, both banked and unbanked, guaranteeing in all cases the security of the process.

For the online stores There are different payment gateways that allow you to carry out the transaction and close the purchase, some of them are Mercado Pago, PayPal, PayU, among many others, when selecting it, verify that it has various payment methods (debit card, credit, transfer, cash for collections in branches such as Oxxo, Efecty or Baloto, payments on delivery, etc.) and anti-fraud security policies that provide guarantees to both the buyer and your online store.

Many people still distrust online purchases, guarantee and let your customer know that you have all the requirements to provide them with a safe purchase, where their data is protected.

💡#CubboInsight Did you know that large companies like Apple or Amazon are testing new payment methods such as fingerprinting? Without a doubt, it will be an alternative that will allow us to avoid fraud that occurs with digital media.

What do you think of this option?  In such a dynamic market, every day we will continue to be surprised by new purchasing possibilities.

‍

5.   Check the usability of your online store

Once you have chosen the platform, integrated the payment gateway and created the store, check how usable it is? If you were the customer, would it be easy for you to buy from your company?

Enter your online store, go through it, analyze aspects such as the attractiveness of the design, the ease of finding a product and making a purchase, the quality of the information and images, how clear and visible the calls to action are, how simple, intuitive and dynamic the navigation is; what contact channels are enabled, what policies can be found, the visibility of frequently asked questions and delivery times, etc. Remember that the more agile and simple the entire process is for the client, the better their experience will be.

Good usability is essential for your e-Commerce be successful. If you do not have much experience on the subject, seek advice from an expert, some of the platforms to online stores They have this support, as well as well-defined usability criteria in their structure.

‍

6.   Guarantee efficient logistics in your e-Commerce

The speed and quality of your delivery service should be one of your best letters of introduction. Make time your best ally and gain the trust of your buyers. To achieve this, you must guarantee that your logistics is highly efficient, having the operational and delivery muscle to satisfy this need; If you don't have it, hire the service of a specialist in Fulfillment for e-Commerce and delegate all responsibility for the operation, while you worry about selling.

Remember that users look for immediacy and expect faster deliveries every day. If you offer them this differential from the first moment, you will already have many points in your favor in their purchasing preferences.

‍Fulfillment Companies as Cubbo, they deliver on the same day in Mexico City and in 1.7 days nationwide, in addition, they are in charge of the entire operation of the process from the moment the order enters the e-Commerce until it is delivered to the customer, including customer service that provides full traceability to the buyer and reverse logistics.

Alternatives like the previous ones can not only make the process easier but also save you a lot of headaches. Do not wait to start selling to worry about logistics, be it your own or outsourced, this is an aspect that must be clear in the planning and guarantee its efficiency before opening your stores. online sales.

Logistics is decisive in customer satisfaction, characterized by the fulfillment of your delivery promise and by providing excellent purchasing experiences from day one.

Read also: The boom of fulfillment centers as a logistics solution

You now have what you need to open your own e-Commerce! You have products for a defined market niche, you have established an attractive and easy-to-remember name for your online store, you have chosen the platform that will support it, you have different payment alternatives, you have verified the usability of your business and you have efficient operation and logistics service. It's time to start selling!

‍

Once you are in operation, you must consider other aspects that allow you to guarantee the flow of the operation and increase your brand positioning, through marketing strategies.

Remember to measure and analyze your results, what is not measured cannot be controlled or improved. If you require a little more information on the topic, we share the following content that will be of great help to you: 6 indicators that you cannot stop measuring in your ecommerce  

If you are looking for an ally to help you improve your delivery process, enhance your compliance and the satisfaction of your customers, do not hesitate to contact us, just click here.

Information sources:

Online learning / Entrepreneur / Emprederalia / Rockcontent / Bancolombia / Hotmart Blog / IEBschool / Cyberclick /Statista