If you are looking to start your own e-commerce platform, there is indeed a lot to consider, and with the uncertainty that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought, there are some essential ingredients that you need to succeed. Of course, you need to have unlimited amounts of enthusiasm and determination, and here are a few other essentials to make sure that your online business is a roaring success.
- Concept – Every business needs a concept; it might be a door to door service, personalisation, or even price focused, so do sit down and put pen to paper to define your core concept and build around that. Customer care is always a winner and any company that has this at the top of their list will do well.
- Funding – Of course, you need adequate funding to launch any business, and if you have crunched the numbers are you come up a little short of the necessary capital, there’s always easy instant loans from Nimble, a leading Australian lender that has helped many entrepreneurs to set up a successful enterprise. Crunch the numbers to find out how much you will need, and add to that enough money to survive the first 3 months without making a sale, and that should be sufficient.
- Business Plan – The very foundation of the enterprise, your business plan should include a rundown of startup costs, a detailed marketing plan, plus a flowchart of the organisation, and one reason for putting everything on paper, is that you fully understand how you are going to achieve your business goals. You need to play devil’s advocate, looking for weaknesses in your plan, amending as necessary, and when you think it is done, hand it to a business guru, who will find issues. Click here for tips on how to set up your own business, which is recommended reading for every would-be entrepreneur.
- Digital Marketing – How will potential customers find you? The days of leaflet dropping and handing out flyers are well gone, and with a leading SEO agency in your corner, you can develop an aggressive digital marketing plan that will drive traffic to your website. Do not make the mistake of thinking you’ll get by without SEO services – they are essential if you wish to create and maintain a strong online presence. Here is some government information about setting up a business in the UK.
- Logistics – If you are selling products online, the moment the customers clicks on ‘buy now’, the clock is ticking, and the only way to guarantee rapid delivery is to outsource your logistics to a third-party (3PL) provider. They have the resources to ensure quick order fulfilment, and if your marketing is on point, they will be very busy packing and delivering products. If you are smart, you don’t even have to see your products, rather have them delivered directly to your 3PL partner, along with your packaging, and all you have to do is forward the orders.
The most important stage is the planning, and you must cover all bases, which will form the basis of your business plan, and nothing should be done until that business plan is complete and reviewed.