If you’re someone like me, who spends a lot of time online, and already has an assured online presence to go with it, then why not use this as your opportunity to set up your own little shop? It can be a store entirely crafted by your own hand, and every decision you make involves you and you alone. A small time enterprise can have a big impact after all! So here’s a couple of tips on getting started.
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| Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash |
Talk to Someone Who Already Sells - If you’ve got the opinions and advice of someone who already uses the online world to sell, you’re going to be in a much better position for starting your own shop than before. You can get an inside look at what’s challenging about ecommerce, and whether or not it’s really worth it. They might have some handy tips and advice for starting out too.
Make a Website - You can of course use your already running blog to get started, however if you use a dedicated website for your ecommerce option, both you and any customers are going to find it easier to shop with you! You can use dedicated servers with an SSL lock here, and have an easy link back and forth between your blog, and your brand without mixing the two up. And it’s actually a lot easier to make a website than you think, especially with all the free tutorials there are out there to get you started.
Find a Worthy Shipping Option - It’s very unlikely that anyone buying from you is going to be able to pick up their products by themselves. So you’re going to have to find a shipping option that works for your budget (and with prices that don’t drive customers away!). You could always offer your own delivery service (using your own vehicle) for those customers that live close by. It would be a great way to network with customers face to face, as well as a way to drop off any business cards or leaflets to local businesses. If you have no idea where to start, you can always look up Shiply courier to find where to start.
Running your own little shop online is going to be hard, there’s no doubt about that. But you can get into the groove and really build an online reputation for yourself if you try it. Good luck!
Make a Website - You can of course use your already running blog to get started, however if you use a dedicated website for your ecommerce option, both you and any customers are going to find it easier to shop with you! You can use dedicated servers with an SSL lock here, and have an easy link back and forth between your blog, and your brand without mixing the two up. And it’s actually a lot easier to make a website than you think, especially with all the free tutorials there are out there to get you started.
Find a Worthy Shipping Option - It’s very unlikely that anyone buying from you is going to be able to pick up their products by themselves. So you’re going to have to find a shipping option that works for your budget (and with prices that don’t drive customers away!). You could always offer your own delivery service (using your own vehicle) for those customers that live close by. It would be a great way to network with customers face to face, as well as a way to drop off any business cards or leaflets to local businesses. If you have no idea where to start, you can always look up Shiply courier to find where to start.
Running your own little shop online is going to be hard, there’s no doubt about that. But you can get into the groove and really build an online reputation for yourself if you try it. Good luck!
This is a collaborative post.
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