How to take your business online?
Top 7 steps to follow to set up an online store.
By Majed Zambaraji – Time Express Parcels
E-Commerce represents $4.28 trillion sales worldwide, it represents a paradigm shift. E-Commerce is as revolutionary as the invention of the wheel, the compass, automobile, steam engine, concrete, petrol, railways, to the plane. We are living a digital revolution which is transforming the way we interact, the way we purchase products, and the way we make transactions. Newspapers have become the past, Instagram is the new. Traditional retail brick and mortars stores are closing, online stores are growing exponentially. The average person spends 3 hours 15 minutes a day on his phone, there are 3.8 billion smart phones and 4.88 billion phones globally.
What do you need to sell online? First you need to set-up an online store, select a logistics partner, and then promote your company products on social media.
How to get started with your online store?
1. E-Commerce is marketing and logistics.
You need to deliver fast and promote your products so they are on the top of the social media pages. There are different ways you can use social media, Google www.google.com is being used the most where you can have direct search ads, display, redisplay, and video campaigns. Also, you can use Instagram, Facebook, and twitter to support your online visibility. Each serves a purpose for engaging your audience and developing your customer base.
2. Your website – setting up an ecommerce store.
With over 1,700,000 stores online Shopify www.shopify.com makes the top of the list followed by WooCommerce and Magento. Shopify offers an all-in-one platform where you only have to upload your products details and the platform will provide you with the technology, navigation, and payment gateways. From there you need to have great products, good prices, and a user’s friendly experience. Your portal should be easy to use, have fast speed, and convenient for customers to quickly shop for their items. Logistics companies like www.dhl.com and www.couryier.com offer you a downloadable plug-in to have your last mile services directly integrated into your website.
3. The online consumer – behavior and expectations.
Online shoppers are impulsive, impatient, and want to get the best price yesterday. He wants to navigate without hassle on your website and shop in a few clicks. He wants a low price and have items delivered to his residential home or office location – and free of cost. Consumers want to be able to return products easily. The online customer wants fast and reliable last mile delivery on same day. The most competitive last mile companies are www.aramex.com and www.timexpress.ae who have one of the largest delivery fleets.
4. Local & cross border revenue.
The primary market to sell your items is local sales. You can offer next day service and same day; customers can have the choice to choose between the various last mile options at the check-out page. There will be remote areas which you will need to identify where delivery companies will take longer to serve. E-Commerce has no borders; it ships locally and internationally. Once you feel your products are selling well locally, take advantage of new markets, and expand your territories and ship with low-cost courier providers like www.couryier.com to ship more competitively.
