Ecommerce isn’t a field with a shortage of words and phrases. It’s not just something we’re doing. It’s also what we do. Ecommerce simply sells goods and services online through an internet-based storefront – or “shop,” as some might call it. Once websites started appearing online, businesses began to purchase advertising space on these new sites to attract traffic and buyers into their stores for traditional brick-and-mortar retailers and those who prefer to shop from home.
The field of eCommerce marketing has evolved rapidly since the early days of the internet. With so many websites out there, a new storefront must make itself noticeable to get noticed, and traffic starts with a search engine. If you want to create your own eCommerce business, this is the right article for you. We will go over several important aspects of eCommerce marketing and what you should focus on.
Focus on Keywords and Target Audience
There are several advantages to developing your business online. One of those advantages is the ability to focus on niche markets with little competition. It’s easier to make money online when you can focus on specific needs because there’s likely only one major competitor in that field rather than hundreds of competitors.
Take advantage of your easy time with competition by focusing on a few keywords and using broad-based keywords as long tails.
Start with broad-based searches, like “eCommerce” or “Industrial Supplies,” and use them to promote your storefront as a whole. Then, add specific terms around that primary keyword until you have a very targeted niche audience.
Make Sure Your Store is Mobile Friendly from the Start
Mobile browsing habits are changing, and even if you currently have a traditional website, if it doesn’t have a mobile version, you’re opening yourself up to falling behind the competition.
The statistics are pretty staggering. Over half of all internet traffic is from mobile devices. Most mobile users now access the internet more than people using computers. When you combine this statistic with a 1% conversion rate for non-mobile-friendly websites, it’s clear that focusing on making your website mobile-friendly is incredibly important for any severe eCommerce business.
Mobile devices are a large part of the eCommerce market, so make sure your website is compatible with mobile devices and look at other mobile-friendly stores in the field to see what they’re doing right.
Make sure your store is mobile-friendly by using the following tools:
CSS3 Responsive Web Design: Responsive design allows you to design your website with one web browser in mind, then convert it to work on any device efficiently. Your website will automatically adapt to whatever sizes or resolutions it’s being viewed on.
Responsive design allows you to design your website with one web browser in mind, then convert it to work on any device efficiently. Your website will automatically adapt to whatever sizes or resolutions it’s being viewed on.
Bootstrap: A bootstrap is a free tool that offers a mobile-friendly layout for your website. The framework changes the size and appearance of elements depending on whether or not they’re being viewed on a computer or mobile device, making it incredibly easy to create a good-looking webpage. Responsive Web Design Apps – Although not strictly necessary, it’s essential to have apps that are compatible with all of these tools when designing your website and any other apps that can be used on your storefront.
Optimize Your Images and Make Sure They are Correctly Aligned
Using images and graphics in your storefront is crucial to attracting the attention of potential customers. When working with images, there are many things to remember, the most important being that your images should be high resolution and correctly aligned.
Alignment is required to ensure that the essential elements of your store’s design are in the screen’s center and easy to read. This is especially important for images.
The following are tools used for image design that will help you get started quickly:
Woothemes: Woothemes allows you to upload and design your images online, making it easy to create powerful multimedia web pages.
Woothemes allows you to upload and design your images online, making it easy to create powerful multimedia web pages.
Image Resizer: This simple desktop application lets you quickly resize and align photos and images with a few simple clicks.
This simple desktop application lets you quickly resize and align photos and images with a few simple clicks.
Canva: This helpful tool has both membership and free options, so you can use it how it fits your budget. Create graphics for all different types of eCommerce projects, from posters to online advertisements.
This helpful tool has both membership and free options, so you can use it how it fits your budget. Create graphics for all different types of eCommerce projects, from posters to online advertisements.
Picmonkey: This is another simple yet powerful tool for creating crisp images and ensuring proper alignment. Upload a photo, play around with the tools provided and export your product in the end. It’s that simple.
What is Ecommerce Definition
Ecommerce is a broad term that can mean a lot of things to different people. Generally, “e-commerce” refers to the sale of products or services over an electronic medium. This is typically done through websites, blogs, social media accounts, mobile applications, etc.
One common example of e-commerce transactions is goods being ordered on the internet and shipped to physical addresses for pickup or delivery by couriers or post offices. This is more common in the United States and Europe, where people tend to place orders and pay directly over the internet.
In Asia and South America, many people still prefer to physically go to shops or markets to purchase goods. Instead of purchasing them directly on their own, they have couriers complete the transaction on their behalf. Many consumers also prefer to use cash in lieu of credit cards when making large purchases. This is known as “COD” (cash-on-delivery).
A different form of e-commerce involves auctioning items for sale on an online auction site. These sites allow sellers to list and sell product models, articles, and other goods that can be purchased by any buyer interested in obtaining the item. The third form of e-commerce is subscriptions to digital products such as magazines, paid ebooks, or music. Even books can be sold via a subscription system rather than through a retail store’s shelves.
The fourth form of e-commerce is online retail, where users go to a website and place orders for products or services. This includes shopping malls and shopping centers as well as online retailers like Amazon.com, eBay, and Alibaba.
E-commerce can also refer to the process of integrating retail processes with technology or other procedural advantages that allow for centralized or regional distribution and controlled processes while still allowing access through electronic means. This can be done through a variety of means, typically through the internet. Some companies may use this service for more streamlined business processes to deliver their goods more quickly, cheaply, and efficiently.
This term is a broad umbrella that encompasses a lot of different activities and industries. It is used by people in all walks of life to describe the purchase or sale of products and services across an electronic medium such as the web or social media.
Any business that sells its products online could be considered an e-commerce company. However, sometimes the term is used to describe virtual storefronts that sell products, such as Amazon.com or eBay. These are physical companies that are using e-commerce as a way to expand their business into the digital realm instead of the traditional means.
How to Start an Ecommerce Business?
If you have a product or service that you want to sell without having to deal with the headaches of managing an inventory, then starting an eCommerce business might be the right way to go. Starting up an eCommerce business is easier than ever, and there are many platforms where it can quickly be done.
In this article, We’ll explain how to start your own business from scratch, whether as a complete beginner or with years of experience in other fields of work. We’ll provide detailed information on how to open a website, set up an online shop, build an online presence, and gain the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed.
Here’s a list of what we’ll cover in this article:
How to Start an Ecommerce Business – Step-by-Step Guide How do I start an eCommerce business? This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process from choosing a platform to hosting your store.
- Choose a Domain
Choosing a domain name is the first step you’ll take to open your eCommerce business. If you already have a business idea and have some thoughts on what to name your site, then moving onto the next step is easy. If not, don’t worry – there are several ways you can do it.
- Choose a Platform
The next step is choosing a platform to house your online store. Choosing the right platform will determine how easy it will be to build your store and how easy it will be to promote and brand your store in the future.
If you’re interested in a custom eCommerce solution, you can refer to our site comparison page for more details and reviews on the most popular platforms.
- Set up Your Account
Before launching your eCommerce store, you must create an online shop with some required elements. This will be a simple process on most platforms and can usually be done within minutes. Here are the steps involved:
Choose a Theme
While not necessary to have the best-looking site possible, having a theme you like is essential. It will help you make an excellent first impression on your customers and give them the image of professionalism that you want to portray.
If your store is intended to be a brand new online shop, then it’s probably best to choose a theme that’s compatible with most browsers and won’t be difficult for your customers to view. If you already have a site, then obviously, it’s better to go with something that looks more professional than not.
Choose a Template
There are many themes available to choose from, and each has different options and features that you can use to add to the design of your online store. Once you’ve selected a template, you’ll most likely be able to customize your shop’s color scheme and layout, making it look even better.
- Register Your Domain
Once your site is built, it’s time to register the domain name. While you can pay for the domain name, writing your web address with a third-party domain registrar company is typically better. This will give you complete freedom over the domain name you choose, which is one of the main reasons people use a third-party service.
Your Domain Name Registration
You should name your site after your product or service or something that will help people recognize your business and what they can expect when they purchase from it.
- Launch Your Store
Once your website is built, and your domain name is registered, it’s time to launch your eCommerce store. This will typically involve adding your products either by setting up a store from scratch or from the administration panel of the platform you are using. This can be done with simple add products pages or plugins for popular platforms like WooCommerce and Shopify.
- Set Up an Online Payment System
This is one of the most manageable steps of setting up an eCommerce business and involves using one of several online payment gateways to process payments. Companies like PayPal, 2CheckOut, and Skrill are popular choices because they can be used anywhere in the world, they have excellent security, and most people have at least heard of them before.
- Promote Your Products
Now that you have your store up and running and people can buy from it, you’ll want to get the word out so that more people visit. There are several ways to advertise your products on social media, which we’ll cover later in this article.
If you have a budget, several types of advertising are available, including PPC, email marketing, search engine marketing, and social media.
- Keep Up with Trends
Regarding eCommerce, it’s not always enough to have a good product or service to sell. Keeping up with trends in your industry will help you keep your store looking modern and professional year after year.
To do this, we recommend following some of the top industry blogs and keeping yourself aware of new products or services launched in your niche. It’s also a good idea to stay updated with the latest updates from companies like Shopify and WordPress.
- Keep Your Site Clean
Keeping your site clean will help increase conversions and help rank higher in search results for eCommerce sites. The best way to do this is to keep your content updated and organized. This will also help you avoid any technical problems that might occur because of a lack of maintenance.
- Guest Posting
While guest posting on other companies’ blogs is a great way to promote your site, it’s not the only option. Blogs are becoming more common online, especially those written by large companies or brands.
Partnership with a blog can be a great way to promote your site and increase your traffic. This article will show you how to find blogs that match your target audience and promote your eCommerce store.
- Use Social Media
Social media is a great way to connect with potential customers and promote your site. With more than 1 billion users, many companies commonly use Facebook advertising, both big and small. However, as with most advertising methods, it can be time-consuming and expensive.
Other social media platforms include Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus. Each of these is great to use in your efforts to promote your eCommerce store and increase customer traffic. We’ll cover the most effective ways to use them later in this article.
- Set Up A PPC Campaign
This is a relatively simple marketing method if you have the budget to make it happen. Pay-Per-Click advertising is one of the most effective ways to get new customers to your site, so it’s a good idea if you can afford the monthly expenses.
- Set Up An Email List
Email marketing is another excellent method for driving traffic to your site and getting new customers. You’ll be able to send out newsletters, updates, and other content to your existing and potential customers without spending any money on advertising.
- Participate In Blogging
Blogging is one of the most effective ways to get traffic and bring new customers to your site. Writing blog posts that focus on niche topics related to your business or industry will help you reach a specific target audience, which can increase sales and brand recognition.
- Diversify Your Product
It’s also a good idea to diversify your product line. This will help you increase your customer base and give people more reasons to visit your site regularly. At the same time, it can be confusing and overwhelming for potential customers if they don’t know exactly what they can buy from you.
- Avoid Costly Competition
When building an eCommerce business, you need to be aware that many other stores are vying for the same customers. Several factors determine how many companies succeed, including how much competition they’re facing and their pricing structure.
There is no easy formula for determining how many competitors you should be worried about, but at least ensure that your prices are competitive compared to the other stores in your industry.
- Use Social Media Advertising
This relatively new form of advertising is growing in popularity every year. There are several ways to use social media advertising, but one of the most popular choices is advertising your product on Facebook. This is an excellent option if you already have a business page set up, but it can get expensive if you don’t have a budget.
- Take Advantage of Social Media
If you have a budget to set up a Facebook page, you can use it for advertising your business. At the same time, you’ll want to be sure that the content on your page is relevant to the audience that will visit it. You can get leads by posting things encouraging people to return and purchase products or services or using testimonials.
- Use Social Media Participation
Another great way to use social media is to get your customers involved. This can help you create brand loyalty, leading to higher conversion rates and more sales. The best way to do this is by using a customer forum on social media or asking for customer testimonials. Facebook and Twitter are both excellent places for this, but it’s also a good idea to use a blog.
- Set Up A Brand Page
A brand page is a great way to promote your brand and help bring in new customers. It’s an excellent way to show that you’re paying attention to what your customers want since all posts will be related to the image you want to portray and the products or services you offer.
- Use Twitter Advertising
Twitter is a great place to get new customers and promote your brand. However, it’s a bit more challenging to use than other social media platforms, so you’ll want to be sure that you set up your account correctly.
- Use Social Media Contests
Contests can be a great way to promote your brand and increase customer traffic. For example, you could create a contest encouraging people to discuss and recommend your brand on Facebook or Twitter. You can also create a sweepstake or give away something of value to your customers.
- Pay For Google Adwords
More and more companies are opting for this advertising method over others because it’s relatively cheap compared with other forms of PPC advertising. Before signing up for Google Adwords, you need to ensure that your business is searchable in the right places.
- Create Press Releases
Press releases can be a great way to attract new customers, mainly if you target the right publications and reporters. However, you must create a press release that has a clear message and is easy to understand before submitting it to reporters or editors.
- Distribute Flyers
Although flyers are becoming less popular as time passes, they’re still an effective way to get people’s attention and advertise your business. If you’re not sure if this is a suitable marketing method for you, take a look at Vertex42.com, which says:
“We’re pretty confident we’re going to begin to see more companies using this as a small-scale strategy, rather than trying to get millions of targeted prospects to show up on a sidewalk or door-to-door.”