How to develop e-commerce sales and monetize your online store?

E-commerce is the future. Setting up an online store is a step in the right direction in the world of business and constantly evolving technologies. But how to do it?

1. E-commerce is a sum of constant benefits
2. How do I set up an online shop? Step 1: Choose an e-commerce platform
3. Step 2: Choose a name and design for your shop
4. Step 3: Insert products and set up payment and shipping methods
5. Step 4: Grow your business
6. Step 5: gain knowledge and share it yourself!

E-commerce is a sum of constant benefits

Is it worth setting up an online shop? There can be only one answer: yes! This applies to new entrepreneurs as well as those who have had their traditional business for many years and want to make more profit.

The most important benefits of e-commerce are:

- reaching customers outside the local market: we can get our customers all over Poland!

- lower operating costs if you decide to move your business entirely to the Internet,

- attractive form of presentation of an offer and your own image in the network.

How to set up an online shop? Step 1: Choose an e-commerce platform

What is more, setting up an online shop is very easy - even for people who are not very familiar with technical matters. This is because many things can be done with the help of an e-commerce platform. Some of them have very extensive customer support offers. Which one you opt for is a very important decision.

E-commerce platforms can be completely free or paid. The most popular ones include Shoper, Prestashop, Magento, Woocomerce or Shoplo. There are several types of these platforms, including open-source platforms (open for modification) and subscription platforms (where you pay for a store that is ready to operate, but with fewer modifications). Some service providers also provide hosting and a domain name right away.

Step 2: choose a name and graphic design for your shop

The name of the domain and online shop, just like in traditional business, is a very important step - a catchy advertising slogan will attract more customers. The same goes for the layout of the website, which can be easily created using tools provided by the e-commerce platform. Of course, we can also entrust this task to a graphic designer or use a ready-made template. It is the shop owner's responsibility to make sure that the offer on the website is clear and that it is easy to move between categories, as well as to reach the contact information.

Step 3: insert products and set payment and shipping methods

Once you've created an empty page template, it's time to create an offer for the presented products or services. This activity can be compared to filling shelves with goods in a traditional shop, only in this case, the shelves are virtual. It is also possible to automatically fill the shop with products using an appropriate plug-in to the website - some tools can even automatically update the price and stock status.

The last point is to set up payment methods and shipping methods so that your first customers can order their goods. It's worth being flexible about this - the more options you have, the more attractive your store will be in the eyes of customers. Such basic methods as cash on delivery, shipment by courier or to a parcel machine/pick-up point, payment by card, bank transfer or Blik should be included in the shop's offer. This is also the moment when cooperation with a courier company or the Polish Post Office should be established. A personal collection point is also a good idea - in this way you will gain the opportunity to meet the customer face to face, which contributes to the positive perception of your brand.

Step 4: Grow your business

Starting an e-commerce business and shipping your first package to a customer is just the beginning - now it's time to grow and constantly look for ways to reach more customers. Certainly, at some point, it will be important to implement SEO - Search Engine Optimization - activities, that is, various actions you can perform to increase your presence in search engines. Specialized marketing companies can help you with this. Paid activities such as Google Ads are also recommended even for beginning internet entrepreneurs. It is also a good idea to establish closer contact with your customers and offer them newsletters or attractive discounts for regular customers.

Step 5: gain knowledge and share it yourself!

Finally, there are a number of things you can do for free to promote your business. If your business is quite niche or you know a lot about a particular field - why not start a blog about it or share your knowledge in the form of a webinar? Industry meetings are also a great place to share your knowledge and promote your business at the same time. You should also devote your time and develop yourself continuously. Seek knowledge in the field of e-commerce, find out what are the latest trends and read expert advice on how to increase your online sales.

A place where you will surely find a solid dose of knowledge is the blog ecomersiak run by Michal Pieprzak. Apart from the blog, he sometimes publishes in trade and business magazines, such as "Puls Biznesu" or "Rzeczpospolita". On his website the author shows practical solutions, referring to specific examples, the so-called case studies. It is worth checking out new entries on his blog!

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