At Hit Creative, we’ve developed our fair share of e-commerce sites for clients, and we’ve worked alongside some to guide them through the process and pass our knowledge of how to sell products online. Now, we reveal our complete guide to how to sell products online for you, our readers. It’s a comprehensive guide, covering pretty much every corner of the e-commerce world, so get comfy or bookmark us and make sure you come back to find out as much as you can.

If you’re thinking of starting an online store, you’re just starting out, or you’ve already got one out there, please do give this a read, and maybe you’ll find some ideas or information that will help you maximise the level of success from your online store. Without further ado, let us begin…

Start with a business plan

Before you even start to make the blueprint for your online store, it is important to have a sound business and marketing plan in place that details your target audience and prospective first year earnings. You must then work on your budget and expenditure. Breaking down your long-term goals into smaller, achievable targets will make the task of starting your business on the road to success less overwhelming. Plan ahead with strong strategies in place for your success and set yourself realistic time frames to achieve what you are looking for. Set yourself clear and achievable goals for the running of your business. Ensure you identify your target audience and know how to reach them. Your goals should be realistic although challenging enough to mean that should you achieve them, you will be on the road to success.

Keep it simple

If a website is simple and clear to understand, it will encourage sales. Too many websites are complicated, and this is off-putting for a consumer. Avoid too many technical apps and tools as these can slow down the page or distract the customer. As a start-up you can’t realistically invest in a luxurious ‘all singing all dancing’ website, your budgeting must be realistic and take into account your other requirements. A website is important but don’t overlook your other needs by overspending on your ideal webpage, at least not initially.

Research your competitors

Always do your research regarding your competition to gauge how you compare. If you are selling through an e-commerce store, you have to have enough customers buying your products to make it profitable. If you have your own website for purchasing, it must be professional and encourage sales.

Get the design right

First impressions count. When your website loads the customer will make a judgement within seconds based on how professional it looks and how easy it is to navigate. If your online store is attractive to look, quick to load and easy to use you will encourage repeat business (we can help you with this).

Use alternative routes to getting traffic

If you are looking for new ways to encourage custom and traffic to your webpage, try classified websites. Many consumers use these to find new sites to try. Also use auction sites so you can bring your products to a whole new customer base.

Selling used products online

If you sell used products in your online store, it’s imperative that you are honest about the condition that it is being sold in. If there is any damage or natural wear and tear you must declare this. It’s a good idea to include images of the product.

Choose your logistics partner wisely

The company you use to provide your shipping is an important cog in your business. They must be consistently delivering packages on time and in good condition otherwise this will cause problems. Maintain a good relationship with your shipping company to ensure you can always rely on them.

Don’t cut corners on deliveries

When it comes to your delivery service, this is not something you should be trying to save money on. Ensuring that the product arrives on time and in perfect condition is an integral part of your business and making sure you have the right service looking after it will give invaluable peace of mind.

Shipping charges

Be mindful when charging for shipping. If the shipping costs elevate the final price too much this could cost you sales. Be consistent with your shipping charges and ensure they are clearly stated. It is a better idea to increase the price of your product rather than elevate shipping too high.

Discounts really do work

Offering discounts and marketing your products during the holiday season will keep the customers coming back, and recommending you to their friends and family. If you offer discounts each month or loyalty bonuses, this too will drive customers to you online store. You could get so busy you need to employ more help.

The legal stuff

Ensure that you are well versed and up to date with the compliance and legal liability that comes with running an online store. It’s a very important aspect of the business and having sound knowledge in this area will help your business to become more successful.

Search Engine Marketing

If money is an issue when you are trying to drive customers to your online store, SEM is a fantastic option. Pay Per Click advertising on Google or Bing can be costly but it brings in traffic and helps customers find you. It is especially effective during the holidays.

Target your ads to your audience

Make sure that your marketing campaigns are focused on those that may have an interest in your products. Identify your target audience and advertise in the appropriate publications. Intelligent and effective advertising will help your customers find you.

Social presence

A free and fantastic marketing strategy is to create the whole host of social media pages for your business. A presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can go a long way. Customers will follow you if you offer incentives such as special offers only available through these platforms.

Budgeting

You must be realistic when planning your budget. Don’t let your emotions or dreams get in the way of reality. Make sure you assign your money to the important areas of the business to help it grow. Once it does grow, you can extend your budget to other areas.

Mobile optimisation

Your website should be compatible and optimised for use on smart phones and tablets. The online shopping market is growing at a rapid rate and most people now require the ability to shop on the go. Ease of use on smart phones will drive sales and increase custom.

Have a listen

Always include a customer feedback page on your online store. This is a fantastic way to stay in touch with visitors to your side and receive any feedback that may come your way. Be sure to check this regularly and interact with your customers and their queries.

Get out there

You should always attend networking events whenever possible. This gives you the opportunity to promote your online store face to face. Make sure you go with business cards and leaflets to hand out to anybody that is interested. Networking events sound boring, but they can be fun, and they can definitely attract new business.

Making lists

There are so many things to think about when running a business, it can seem very overwhelming. Keep on top of things by creating a to do list at the beginning of each day. Your customers are the most important aspect of your business and should be positioned at number 1 on the list.

Contact details and FAQs

How can your customers contact you if they need to? Make sure your email address, business postal address and telephone number are clearly visible within your website. You should also include a page dedicated to FAQ’s. Shoppers feel more comfortable knowing you understand their needs and are happy to help.

Become a vendor on the big names, but be careful

Using websites such as eBay and Amazon to sell your products is advantageous due to the high volume of traffic that these sites generate. These should only be viewed as extra arms to your business and you should make your own site your priority as a representation of your company. And be warned, there are some real horror stories about the things these boys pull. You don’t become the biggest business in the world without treading on people, by the way…

SEO

SEO or ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ is integral if people are to find your website and purchase your products. If Google or any other search engines do not know that you exist, it is unlikely that any potential new customers will ever be able to find you online. There is a danger that if you use common keywords when optimising your online store that you will get lost in the crowd. Try thinking alternatively to the competition by using some unique keywords that are relevant to your products, this should help you get noticed.

Try to be innovation-led

Competition between online shops is fierce. There are so many competitors out there, that to be a contender you must stay ahead of the game. Constantly looking for new ways to attract new business is vital, especially if you are only using the web. Once you have the customer, you also need to know how to keep them.

Build a database

Compiling a data base of email addresses and contact information is an important factor in keeping in touch with your customers. If making a purchase, always ask for email. This enables you to inform people of any promotions or new products and other important information, and it keeps you in their minds.

Payment platforms

When it comes to accepting payment online you should always use trusted third-party websites. Most people look upon PayPal as being very trustworthy, there are other options too such as Skrill. Using options like these makes customers feel comfortable, be sure they know that their products will ship after payment clears. If you are allowing payment via MasterCard and Visa secure methods (which you really should be), ensure that you have 3D rules on your site. Customers prefer this as it ensures their information is secure and they can relax and feel liberated while making purchases.

Feedback

Always ask for feedback from customers that have made a purchase from your online store. You can set up a multiple-choice poll for them to answer while on your website. Use all the positive remarks as part of promotional material to attract new business; people like to read reviews.

Buy the right domain

Be selective when choosing your domain name, some work much better than others. Within search engines, preference is often given to domains that are .com domains. These are also the easiest for customers to remember when they are searching for your website, thus giving them more chance to locate you.

Get help

If you don’t feel that you can effectively market or set up your business by yourself, look into hiring a professional to help. Although this will cost you money, in the long run it is likely to be of massive benefit to your company. Getting it right first time is vital.

Be straight

Never create unjustifiable expectations in relation to your business or the products it sells. Customers appreciate honesty and integrity in a company. Use positive language and list the benefits within the product description to encourage a purchase but don’t make false promises. Make sure the information you give is comprehensive and accurate. Giving false information will only damage your reputation and lose you custom.

Trademarks and copyrights

If your products are unique to your business, it is important that you own the copyright on them. This ensures that others cannot steal your ideas for their own benefits without serious repercussions. You own the exclusive rights and should advertise this as a selling point on your website.

Analytics

Using analytic information to gauge how many people visit your web page in comparison to how many actually make a purchase will give you important insight into where you can improve. Analyse your finances thoroughly to make sure your current marketing techniques are proving effective.

Super responsive

Your response time to a customer’s enquiry dictates whether they feel important to you or insignificant. Never ignore a customer, respond swiftly and courteously no matter what the nature of the enquiry is. Have multi-linguistic capabilities in terms of response and a good FAQ section.

Send out press releases

A press release is important for any new business, whether online or not. Keep your press release bold, but simple. Show the range of products being sold and the rates that will be available upon initial opening. Offer discounts to increase interest. This creates awareness and drives initial sales.

Get external vendors in

Opening up your website to those looking to sell their own products on your website is a great way to earn extra revenue. You don’t pay for manufacture or storage of their products, and you can negotiate a nice commission for each sale made through your site. Minimal effort, maximum reward.

Buzzing

All publicity is good publicity, unless it’s really bad. Create a buzz with some marketing stunts or try to get yourself in the media in any way you can. Try not to break the law of course. Brand recognition drives your business forward and encourages new and repeat business.

Categorising

When categorising your product selection, you must ensure that they are within the correct categories. People will often search for items by category and they need to find what they are looking for in order to purchase it. You can put items into multiple categories to ensure they are found.

Solid info is key

There is no substitute for good quality information and links to your website. Search engines give preference to relevant links that give the client a good indication of what they are likely to see if they click onto your page. Use your domain name in all your articles to help customers find you.

Stop the bots

When you make your email address public, you are likely to get a lot of unwanted spam messages. Use filters to make sure that only relevant messages get through. If you are unsure about responding to emails because of security concerns, attempt other methods to get in touch with customers.

Stunning imagery

Your website needs to have high definition, eye catching images to promote your products. Customers are drawn to websites with beautiful pictures and are more likely to stay on your page if your imagery captivates them. The longer they stay, the more likely they are to make a purchase.

The customer

The customer is always right, they may be extra demanding during particularly stressful times such as the festive period, but you should always try to meet their requirements where possible. They may ask for extra discounts, but accepting this will encourage them to be loyal towards your business.

Reputation grows

Reputation within online businesses is paramount to your success. The more you sell, the more your reputation and online ranking will grow. When you first enter the marketplace you will have no reputation or ranking but this can quickly grow after you have made your first few sales and provided a good service.

Flexible payment options

Unhinged flexible payment options is an important aspect of encouraging shoppers to make a purchase. Allowing a deposit followed by monthly installments is one of the best ways to go about this. Setting up a direct debit the customers PayPal or bank account is particularly effective. Be creative with your options.

Pick wisely

Choose your market very carefully, if your chosen area is over saturated with competitors it makes it harder to stand out. If you are one of the few stores that offer your type of product combined with excellent customer service, you can very quickly find yourself at the top of your marketplace.

Fix your links

Your website should never contain any links that do not work. If you need to take a page offline for any reason, replace it with a holding page or remove the link altogether. Customers find it very frustrating to click on links that lead them nowhere or to a broken page.

Stealth

Go about your business silently but effectively. If you initially fly under the radar of bigger brands that see you as competition, once you are established and right up there alongside them, it will be too late for them to try to steal your customers.

Conversion to a regular

Turning a one-off visitor into a repeat customer is your ultimate goal when starting an online business. In order to achieve this you have to have an informative and inviting website with great content. Never exaggerate or give false information as this will not lead to people returning to you.

Do a podcast

A relatively new way of marketing your business is to create a podcast. With the correct keywords, people that are interested in what you have to sell will find you. People used to only advertise through television, radio and printed media however there is a whole new world of potential in podcasts.

Branding

Make certain that you have consistency in all of your branding. A customer needs to be able to easily identify your website due to its uniform look. Making sure that your company policies and the colors you choose are all consistent will help your brand awareness and identity.

Bookkeeping

Keeping real time records of profits and trends within your business will allow you to immediately identify any dramatic changes in sales. Comprehensive records of purchase history and margins will also allow you to be able to predict sales month by month and forecast yearly profits.

Email campaigns

There is some worth in starting an email campaign to promote your business. You can use an autoresponder in order to create an email distribution list for anyone that has used your website. You can then tell your customers about your current products or deals via an email. People have a tendency to ignore or not open emails that are of no relevance or interest to them. If you include offers or coupons within your emails, you have more chance of the customer opening them. Include the link to your website within the email and watch your traffic increase.

Stay on track

Keeping a track of all your sent parcels is integral to staying on top of things. This enables you to be informed when the customer has received the package and lets you know they have their item on time. Some buyers may claim not to have received them but this helps you prove otherwise.

Sell Ebooks

Ebooks are very popular among various demographics, stay up to date with these trends and perhaps try to sell them online in your store. Make sure your descriptions are accurate and include a picture perhaps, although most will never judge an Ebook by its cover. Discount to attract business.

Go slowly with new products

Always find a level of consistency when you are introducing your new products. If you bring out too many new ones in too short a time then this could be confusing to your customers. Give the products time to sell and gain interest before bombarding new, similar products on the same page.

Give incentives to recommend

Referrals are a mutually beneficial aspect to any business. If a customer buys from you and recommends you to a friend, offer them incentives to do so such as discounts or a free gift if their friend makes a purchase. This encourages more visitors to your online store.

Don’t get complacent

Never take anything for granted, business can change very quickly. If you are successful yet become complacent, you can very quickly get left behind. All the most successful businesses are committed to staying one step ahead of the game and you should be no different in this respect.

Tech support

Technology plays a key part in your business and as such you should know who to contact if any technical problems occur. If your website goes down you need to know who to contact to get it back up and running as quickly as possible. If your computer breaks, the same applies.

Write blogs

Regularly updating your page with new content and interesting articles will assist with reinforcing your brand and encouraging people to visit your site. If each time they come back they see something new, they are going to keep coming back. It really is that simple.