Have you decided to start selling on the Internet? If so, there are many pitfalls to avoid if you don’t want to flop. Launching an e-commerce site isn’t something you can improvise, so here’s my advice on how to make your launch a real success!
How do I attract my first customers?
If you don’t have an online presence, don’t expect customers to just show up – you’ll need a solid marketing strategy first. Inbound marketing, outbound marketing – both are important. The mistake not to make is not to set aside a substantial budget to make your brand known! A budget in money, but also in time. Because whether you opt for print, social networking, Google Adwords or other campaigns, having a coherent, well-constructed strategy takes time, and skills. If you have a limited budget, you’ll have to train yourself and do as much as you can on your own. But don’t forget to take the opportunity cost into account when making your calculations! Because the time you spend on marketing, you won’t be able to spend on expanding your product range, meeting your suppliers, improving your product sheets, analyzing and comparing different samples, and so on. So, rule number 1: don’t underestimate the importance of marketing.
Don’t underestimate the importance of branding when launching an e-commerce site
Long before launching an e-commerce site, there’s something else to build: your brand image. If you already have a classic physical store, fine, your brand already has its own identity, but is it perfectly transposable online? How can you ensure consistency? Will the same people be responsible for welcoming customers in person and for customer relations via the website? If so, so much the better, but you’ll still need to prepare your communication tools. This time, you’ll have to use slightly different visual codes, so don’t leave it to the last minute. And if several people are involved, remember to establish a clear charter and instructions to avoid any discrepancies. Launching an e-commerce site allows you to automate many tasks, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to put effective procedures in place, otherwise you’re heading for disaster as soon as the growth kicks in.
Waiting to get your brand new site …
So think about all the things you can do now, especially the things you won’t have time to do once orders increase and you have to deal with delivery follow-up, customer service, your suppliers, KPI analysis, etc. Get your mailing tools ready, and start working on your mailing list. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t also start preparing your “post-launch e-commerce site” blog posts and/or newsletter. Don’t leave a page empty, but offer one or more landing pages, both for Google and to generate leads.
Hey, aren’t we forgetting something important?
In addition to setting up your internal procedures, your marketing strategy, your branding and your natural referencing, you still have to deal with the General Terms and Conditions of Sale, the CNIL (the French Data Protection Authority), all the administrative jargon and all the not-so-fun but compulsory formalities… Whether you’re a champion procrastinator or not, there’s no point in burying your head in the sand: you won’t get far if you don’t show exemplary discipline when it comes to the administrative, legal and accounting aspects. And if you can’t manage everything on your own, you’ll need to be well surrounded. So, before launching an e-commerce site, rather than waiting until the last moment, why not contact ecommerce experts right away, to whom you can delegate the most complex tasks involved in launching an e-commerce site?
