Becoming self-employed with an online shop – that is what many dreams of. Thanks to simple technical solutions, it can also be implemented by people without programming knowledge. Of course, success does not come by itself.
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Business idea and naming
Sell something in the online shop? The demand must be right, and the margin should be worthwhile. Shipping the goods should be straightforward. The bulkier and more fragile a product, the more often it can be damaged during shipping.
As a dealer, goods can be bought and resold for a higher price. Own products can be manufactured and sold, or products manufactured by other companies can be branded. Some shops redirect to larger shops via the purchase option and earn through commissions. Drop shipping is also quite common. Here, the goods are only ordered from the wholesaler after they have been purchased, and they are then sent directly to the customer. Digital products such as e-books and best finance books can even be handed over to the buyer by email and download after payment.
Finding a name is also a major challenge for many founders. The name should fit the range of goods, but not narrow it down too narrowly so that the range can be easily expanded if necessary, without the name appearing inappropriate later. Of course, no trademark rights may be infringed.
A business name generator can help with the search. Generic names that describe the product are possible. Branding can also be used where the name does not always indicate a connection to the product at first glance.
Create an online shop – technology.
There are numerous options for creating an online shop. Many web construction kits offer additional shop solutions. In the same way, WordPress sites like these can be expanded into a shop with so-called plug-ins. Beginners do very well with a complete shop solution.
One of these providers is Shopify. Here you can open your own online shop with just a few clicks. With themes everyone can personalize their own shop. And even if a finished shop software does not offer the freedom of design like a self-programmed shop, many technical pitfalls are eliminated, and support is available at the same time.
Such a “rented” shop is chargeable. The pricing varies from provider to provider. In addition to monthly fees, a sales commission may also be due. In addition to some free features, there are usually a few paid tools that can be booked as an option.
Make the online shop known – marketing.
The best online shop is useless if nobody knows it. “If you don’t advertise, you die,” said Henry Ford. And there are many online shops that don’t earn a cent. The success of an online shop stands or falls with marketing.
Google is still the number one search engine. Anyone who manages to appear in the top search results with a frequently searched term will get constant visitors to their shop. However, this requires good on- and off-page optimization. Google AdWords are the top ads that are still displayed above the search results. To get there, an Adwords campaign must be started, which of course also costs something.
There are currently over 2 billion users on the social network Facebook. Here it is possible to build up a community even before the shop is even finished. However, since Facebook keeps changing its algorithm for the visibility of page and group posts, it is not entirely safe to limit yourself to this network. Advertisements can also be created on Facebook.
Pinterest is particularly interesting for products that can be presented in a visually appealing way. It is a huge collection of pictures. Every user can create any pin board and pin his ideas there. From there, other users can continue to pin the pin.
The web address stored in the picture is always pinned and with a click on the picture the viewer is redirected to the shop. With a little preparatory work, a lot of visitors can be directed to your own shop.
