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Beyond the balance sheet

7 Quick tips for how to start an e-commerce business successfully

Ross Andrews 15/10/2019 6 minute read

Ross Andrews ACA shares the key elements to starting an e-commerce business and the benefits that come along with it.

E-commerce has become one of the most popular and fastest growing business models. It's scalable, profitable and fairly budget friendly compared to physical retail locations. That's because big ticket expenses such as rent can be avoided by simply working remotely, potentially from the comfort of your own home.

That said, embarking on an ecommerce start-up is like any other business, hard work. Just like other start-up ventures, it takes a considerable amount of innovation, time, and business planning.

Are you ready to start your online business? Download our free guide today!

 

 

 

The business fundamentals remain the same regardless of whether you’re opening a brick and mortar retail location or an internet based one:

Depending on what kind of e-commerce business you’re planning on starting the requirements for all of the above will differ.

Planning

As you can imagine, planning is a significant part of starting and scaling a business. Your strategy is reflected in the business plan that you develop which will cover every detail from business name to market research and beyond.

One of the benefits of starting your e-commerce business is that with lower overhead costs you'll be able to test your idea during the beginning stages without the same heavy financial commitment that often goes with starting in a physical retail location. Of course you'll want to perform your start-up due diligence before jumping in and building your online presence.

Launching

Once you have a solid plan in place and you've tested your business ideas, you'll want to start thinking about your launch and how you'll keep your online business going day-to-day.

Some aspects to think about include:

  • Shipping and fulfilment requirements: How will you provide the best service to your customers when it comes to delivering them their purchased products? Remember, clarity is key! Be sure to outline your shipping and returns policy on your website.
  • Spreading the word: It's great that you've put the time and effort into designing a great product and building a user friendly website...but how will people know about it? You'll want to consider implementing a marketing and outreach strategy that is backed by market research to ensure you're reaching the right audience.


  • Defining your KPIs: Your key performance indicators will demonstrate how effectively your business is achieving key objectives and your overall performance. Your KPIs will vary depending on what goals and objectives you've established and the critical success factors (CSF) you've outlined.

Most commonly you will see KPIs separated into specific metrics, including:

  • Financial
  • Customers
  • People or Employees
  • Process or Service

A vital part in using KPIs is understanding how to measure their effectiveness, things like revenue, efficiency, and customer service are just some of the areas you may track. But how do you calculate a key performance indicator? After defining your specific goals you'll want to implement or work with your existing analytic systems to track the data relating to your KPI performance.

 

You’ll want to make sure you’re working with a system that:

  • Has an easy to access and comprehend dashboard with all your relevant data
  • Provides an overview of your business and its KPIs at a glance
  • Can connect with external services or technology if necessary so that data collected in one software program providing you with accurate data
  • Offers instant reports and/or KPI alerts
  • Takes into consideration your business financials and VAT regulations so that your business remains compliant
  • Is easy to set goals depending on the industry and your business needs

Customers

Like any form of business, whether it's in person or online, customers are your key to growth and success. It's not just about selling the product; it's about understanding the people buying it. Individuals are more likely to buy from a company that they trust, and of course spread the word!

Think about how you market your products, how you build strong, long lasting relationships with your customers, and what they are saying about your business. Are you receiving good reviews? Reviews are what potential customers trust the most when it comes to e-commerce and this is key to growing your customer base.

 

 

 

 

Now that we've dealt with the initial tips for starting an e-commerce business, here are 7 quick tips to make your ecommerce store a success:

  • Design an easy to use website
  • Don't forget to make your website mobile friendly!
  • Make sure you're active on social media
  • Attract potential customers with ads and landing pages
  • Offer advice, updates or news through thoughtfully written blogs
  • Implement a solid content and marketing strategy
  • Share testimonials & reviews from customers

Download our free start-up guide today, ecommerce business

The content of this post is up to date and relevant as at 06/08/2019.

Please be aware that information provided by this blog is subject to regular legal and regulatory change. We recommend that you do not take any information held within our website or guides (eBooks) as a definitive guide to the law on the relevant matter being discussed. We suggest your course of action should be to seek legal or professional advice where necessary rather than relying on the content supplied by the author(s) of this blog.

 

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