4 Questions to Ask before Selling Online

How do you Plan to Attract Customers to your Site?

Before you decide to open your ecommerce store, you need to have a concrete plan about how will you bring more customers to your site.

It goes without saying that you will have to implement effective marketing strategies to build brand awareness and grow your customers. If you want to Sell products online profitably, it is imperative to invest in the right marketing techniques.

Decide what marketing tactics and channels will work best for your business. With usage of social media at an all time high, social networking sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, provide tremendous opportunities to market your business.

Which Technology will you Use to Run your Online Business?

Will you choose cloud technology or an on-premise solution to operate your ecommerce portal. If you pick up on-premise software, it is necessary to invest in IT infrastructure, software installation and maintenance.

A better option is to go for cloud technogy. Today, more and more companies are moving to Cloud, due to its inherent advantages.

Cloud, better known as SaaS business model does not require you to spend money on buying hardware, infrastructure, etc. For instance, if you want to Sell servers online, you can launch your ecommerce store without ever investing in large startup cost.

You don't require any technical knowledge related to server setup, software maintenance or store design. The server is hosted and delivered via the Internet. This means all you need is an Internet connection to run your business.

Mode of Payment

Decide what payment method you will adopt to accept payments from your online consumers. Offering just one payment method is not enough when starting your ecommerce business.

Say, you want to Sell hardware online. Now if you want to boost sales and grow customer base of your hardware store, it is advised to offer a range of payment methods.

Many ecommerce owners feel that offering credit and debit card payment methods is enough to attract customers. Sadly, that is not the case. Quite a few online consumers prefer to use mobile payments and e-wallets to make purchases online.

All in all, when setting up an online store, it is advised to offer all the popular form of payment options for your ecommerce transactions.

How will you Fulfill your Orders?

If you want to increase your profit margins, avoid handling the logistics associated with order fulfillment. As you know, order fulfillment process refers to a series of steps that you have to take when a customer places order on your store.

Order fulfillment is a tedious process as it involves storing inventory, packaging order and then shipping it to the desired destination. It is a multi-step process that can eat into your profit margins.

To be honest, entrepreneurs who handle order fulfillment on their own, struggle to make good profits.

A cost-effective option is to adopt the dropshipping business model that can help you to save a lot of money while running your online business. No handling physical inventory or managing the hassles of packing or shipping.