The Beginner’s Guide to e-Commerce Websites
Who doesn’t love to shop online?
There’s no doubt about it, the future of shopping, sales and service is online. What better way to spend a Thursday evening, after all, than browsing through your favourite shops, from the comfort of your couch and from the computer!
The key to a successful online presence and overall digital experience for a business is having an e-commerce platform. While taking your business online may be the first, and very important, step, the way to gain and retain your customers, while driving sales, is through online shopping.
With an e-commerce website, you can provide your audience with full access to the offerings of your business, from in-stock products to a wide variety of services and more. To learn more about e-commerce websites and experience the benefits for yourself, keep reading!
What is E-Commerce?
To put it simply, e-commerce is any electronic transaction that takes place online. This includes but isn’t limited to products and services.
Some examples e-commerce include:
Buying clothes online and having them delivered
Purchasing a music, movie or TV show download
Using a paid online service for weight loss and healthy living
At some time or other during the lifecycle of most modern-day transactions, there is an e-commerce element. It’s quick, efficient, and above all, convenient. Which makes it all the more desirable for consumers and businesses alike.
The Benefits of Having an E-Commerce Website
If you’re considering building and launching an e-commerce website, you should first familiarize yourself with the many benefits that having one can offer!
Some of our favourite benefits of e-commerce websites include:
Escape the boundaries and limitations of geography with an online store
Attract new customers with an effective search engine marketing strategy
Lower costs without the need for real estate and personnel
Consumers can quickly find products or services they are looking for
Allows consumers to easily compare certain products and services
Provide consumers with easy access to information about products and services
Remain open 24/7 to offer a convenient approach to shopping and boost sales
The Steps to Building Your E-Commerce Websites
Step 1: Explore the Types of E-Commerce Websites
While the term e-commerce refers to an electronic transaction that takes place online, there are a few different categories that your website can fall under. Prior to getting started, it may be beneficial to look into the different types and find what will suit your needs best.
The different kinds of e-commerce websites can include: Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Consumer (B2C), Consumer-to-Business (C2B), Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C), and Government.
Step 2: Decide Between Single or Multiple Products
Your e-commerce store can be tailored to meet your needs. This includes but is not limited to the products that you carry. If you are looking to promote a single product or service, a single-product e-commerce website will likely suit you best. These websites are generally one page and easy for consumers to access and navigate.
On the other hand, if you have multiple products or services that must be included, a multiple product e-commerce site can help to really expand your business and meet every need that your customers may have.
Step 3: Find a Website Builder and E-Commerce Store Manager
This step should never be overlooked! The right website builder and ecommerce store manager can help you build, manage and maintain a website with ease.
We use Squarespace for our customer’s ecommerce shops and highly recommend their platform!
Step 4: Choose a Business and Domain Name
If you don’t already have a name for your business, now is the time to decide. It can be as simple or unique as you would like! Once your business name has been solidified, it’s recommended that you select a domain name that respectively represents your business.
For instance, if your business were named “Sephora”, the website www.sephora.com would be a suitable domain name.
Step 5: Web Hosting and Platform
Now that you have a website builder, e-commerce store manager and domain name, it’s time to select your website hosting plan and provider. If your e-commerce website builder offers website hosting services, you can skip this step!
Your online store can be hosted by one of the many options available online. To ensure that you stay within your budget, you may want to explore your options until you find the right plan for your website and budget.
Further down the line, you may consider switching website hosting providers or even purchasing an SSL certificate to create a safer and more secure browsing experience for your customers.
Squarespace can host both your website and your domain to make things as easy as possible for you.
Step 6: Design & Develop Your Website
Now is the time to design the website! Depending on the needs of your business, your website can include a home page, product pages, contact page, and a blog. While these pages can be as simple or unique as you’d like, it is important to maintain consistency throughout.
If website design is a little out of your comfort zone, not to worry! Our experts at My Wolf Design have many years of combined experience in everything e-commerce, but especially website design and branding!
Step 7: Payment
Who doesn’t love getting paid? To ensure that your business continues to make money (especially after all of your hard work setting up an e-commerce website) it’s time to set up a payment gateway.
The payment gateway will provide consumers with a safe and secure way to pay for their goods and services. This gateway can provide them with a number of options, so that they can complete the transaction in a way that best suits their needs. Some reliable payment gateway options can include PayPal and Stripe.
Step 8: Shipping
After buying your product or service, the next step is to deliver using a shipping partner. Whether it’s an e-commerce logistics company or a courier operator, it’s important that they are both reputable and reliable.
Standing Out and Succeeding Online
With an e-commerce platform, you can stand out online among the rest. Your e-commerce website should be inviting, user-friendly and easy to use - so that everyone can benefit. To learn more about e-commerce websites or get started with your very own, contact our team of professionals at My Wolf Design today.
