How to Start Selling Online in 2021

How to Start Selling Products Online in 2021

6 Simple Steps to Sell Online in 2021

Remember, selling on the internet is more than just an online sales site. If it does not get any visitors, it is just as effective as a pretty physical store with the curtain closed! Avoiding such circumstances, ponder about How to Start Selling Online in 2021 through an e-commerce platform.

Have you decided to sell on the internet and set up an e-commerce site? Selling online is essential for most businesses today. As well as suited to the sale of physical products as to the sale of services, the Internet is a formidable channel for acquiring customers. Online marketing in search engines or on a social network is a potent lever for generating turnover.

Online sales: the key figures

  • On average, each online shopper places 3.5 orders per month and spends nearly € 2,600 per year on products and services
  • On average, an e-commerce site allows a + 14% increase of 14% of turnover for a physical store
  • The product categories most purchased online by individuals are: fashion and clothing, cultural products, games/toys, travel and tourism, footwear, household appliances, beauty, and health
  • 70% of online purchases favor e-commerce sites that promote a responsible approach
  • E-commerce between professionals reaches and exceeds 150 billion euros in turnover
  • With a growth rate of around 15% per year over the last 3 years, B to B online sales (via an e-commerce site) represent on average 4% of the total turnover of companies

6 Steps How to Start Selling Products Online in 2021

6 Steps: How to Start Selling Products Online in 2021

Sell ​​it internally, yes, but how? Where to start? Should I get help? By who? Do I need to do online training? At startup, it is not always easy to sort. Indeed, there is much informational content on the web containing various approaches and methods to sell on the internet.

These 6 steps allow your e-commerce project to see the light of day! But above all, this is obviously the most important point, to attract visitors and make online sales in 2021.

 

1 – Define the online product catalog

Start by preparing an excel matrix of your products. Whether you have 5 or 1,500 products, this product catalog will be essential for the rest of your online sales project. This matrix must contain all the information about your products or services: name, category, product descriptions, price, variation (colors, sizes, etc.).

 

2 – Precisely define the target of your online store

Who are your products or services? This thought seems pretty basic, but it should certainly not be sloppy before starting the website’s creation.

Try to go into detail:

  • Age, sex, location
  • Keywords and phrases that they could use to find your products on Google?
  • What hobbies do they practice? What are their favorite brands?
  • Are they comfortable with digital tools and e-commerce? With home delivery?
  • What payment methods do they want to use?

These elements will guide the website’s decisions (design, accessibility, functionalities, etc.) and bring consistency to your online environment. This information will also be beneficial for communicating and advertising on your online store.

3 – Define the graphic charter and the editorial line

This step helps to eliminate errors and inconsistencies by clearly defining a reference document concerning the website’s content.

The graphic chart

  • This document lists all the elements relating to the design of the site.
  • The color palette, fonts, logo, typology of photos and icons, and all the information dedicated to the website’s graphic aspect.

The editorial chart

  • It defines the editorial codes as the tone or the manner of addressing visitors.
  • Now is the time to write “punchlines” and define semantic fields relating to the products and services sold.

4 – Select the technology for creating the e-commerce site and draw up specifications

We do not advise you to choose a custom development for the creation of your e-commerce site. Construction costs will necessarily be very high and require strong web development skills. Subsequently, you will also have to pay dearly to ensure the necessary maintenance and upgrades.

Before embarking on selecting the tool, take the time to draw up an e-commerce specification to detail the need and the functionalities of the online sales site.

At this stage, it is strongly recommended to call in an expert not to incur unnecessary hours of work. You can consult a complete detail on the e-commerce solutions available on the market further down in this article.

5 – Configure the website and insert the online product catalog

Planning, it’s time to take action! Difficult to give you more details on this step. It will depend on the e-commerce creation solution you have chosen. However, here are some tips and points to watch out for:

  • Take care of your online store’s mobile version, especially if you have a target of individuals. It should be fluid, fast, and easy to navigate.
  • Be exhaustive on the means of payment offered: credit card and PayPal. Habits are diverse!
  • Make sure your customers receive professional and clear emails every step of the way.
  • Don’t overlook the sheer volume of editorial content on your homepage, product category pages, and product descriptions. You might never see your products and your site on Google naturally.
  • Consider adding an analytical audience measurement tool such as Google Analytics.
  • Take care of your product sheets and visuals by detailing the characteristics as much as possible.
  • Offer several delivery rates depending on the timeframe.

6 – Test and upload the site

Before putting your online store into production and selling your products on the Internet, carry out numerous tests. Also, remember to test the site’s back office to understand how the administration and logistics work.

6 Best e-commerce CMS Platforms to create an online store and start Selling Online in 2021

Here is a list of the 6 most famous CMS platforms to create an e-commerce site and sell your products or services online:

  • Prestashop
  • Magento
  • Woocommerce
  • Shopify
  • Wix
  • Oxatis

Open-Source CMS: Prestashop, Magento or Woocommerce

This software is free, and the source code is available online. However, once installed on a server and domain name, you will need to configure the tool.

This is where the going gets tough. The software is free and gives you the basic kit you need to sell online. On the other hand, adding more specific functionalities will be necessary to add paid modules developed by third-party publishers.

The CMS is an excellent alternative for most e-merchants as the base existing eCommerce limits the development cost. A tailor-made site can easily cost hundreds of thousands of euros to create!

If you do not have development or digital marketing skills, you will surely need to hire a professional to create the website. You can, however, document online and carry out some of the missions. This will reduce the bill.

 

E-Commerce Solution for Selling Online: Shopify, Oxatis, or Wix

These so-called “turnkey” e-commerce solutions make it possible to put a site online very quickly and easily.

You will need to create an account to access the website creation tool. Then you will have access to many site templates to use. Little acclaimed by e-commerce experts, these platforms can have limits in terms of natural referencing, for example.

However, these software editors regularly improve the performance of their platforms to remain competitive. And we must admit, the simplicity of creation is at the rendezvous! As we saw a little earlier, before starting to create your online sales site, check with an expert to not make mistakes from the project’s start.

Read more: Best SEO Practices for Beginners

 

3 Ways to Attract visitors to your e-commerce & Start Selling Online 2021

The site is launched and ready to sell on the internet! But how do you make your first sales? How are you going to attract visitors to this online store? Here are the Simple Steps and Guidelines to follow for attracting visitors to your e-commerce website.

3 Ways to Attract visitors to your e-commerce & Start Selling Online 2021

Qualified traffic in search engines

Search engines are very profitable levers. Indeed, it is the Internet users who initiate the research. It will be necessary to develop a relevant keyword strategy connected with the products sold on the online store. Key phrases typically contain 2 to 7-8 words.

The longer the query, the lower the volume. But the visitor’s intention is more obvious. To hope to attract traffic from Google, the most used search engine (95%), you have 2 options: paid referencing (SEA) or natural referencing (SEO).

The SEA is to buy the keywords to secure the first page of Google immediately. With SEO, you will implement a set of specific actions to reach the first page in a “natural” way. That is to say, without paying Google per click! In both cases, you place a link to your site and get a visit from a qualified prospect.

Notoriety on social networks

Less qualitative in terms of visit intention, social networks nonetheless remain a formidable lever of notoriety. A Facebook page, a LinkedIn account, or even an Instagram page, gives you notoriety with a large audience.

If you want to go further and target your audience more finely, you will have to go through advertising tools. You will then have access to more advanced options to achieve more precise targeting.

Loyalty by e-mail

When you have a qualified email database, segment it to provide personalized offers. Many e-mailing tools allow you to create magnificent emails. Spark the interest of your customers with offers carefully selected for them. Then send them to your live site to make new sales.

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