ISP’s or Internet Service Providers and smartphone makers have combined forces to pave the way for eCommerce to establish its strong foothold in the industry. Nobody in today’s world likes to visit even a grocery store to buy provisions but prefers to order them online using a web portal or a mobile phone.
The ease and simplicity that eCommerce has provided to users is the key to its success and people are taking to it like fish take to the water, and I have not even begun to discuss its other benefits like online payment options and the freedom to send your money anywhere across the globe anytime.
Today time is the most crucial factor which people can ill afford to lose or waste for physical shopping at malls and stores, so opt for eCommerce alternatives to save time and energy. Another important feature of these eCommerce stores is that they are open 24×7 and do not require users to either stand in a queue or wait for the store to open.
Having discussed the entire benefits eCommerce stores offer to users it would be most appropriate to also mention about certain areas of concern for users while doing a transaction on these sites. Security and leakage of sensitive information is the main area of concern which bothers users and causes some users to avoid using such online portals for shopping.
A lot of online credit card frauds keep surfacing time and again, so it would be futile to blame users for their apprehensions. After all, money is a hard-earned commodity. It becomes the responsibility of an eCommerce portal to ensure the safety and security of the user’s sensitive information. Setting up an eCommerce portal for your business might sound difficult in the light of such security-related issues but trust me, you can do it yourself.
Let’s see how?
#1. Perceive before you begin
Web designing and starting a new eCommerce business is all about converting your perception into a reality. Before you start building your eCommerce website you should conceive the idea and jot down the whole idea on a piece of paper like what products you want to sell? How should your site look? What is the consumer base you want to target? What are the expected revenues you will generate? Who are your competitors? All these things should precede your website.
#2. Think of a Unique brand name for the Domain
The eCommerce business is only and only about branding, so this should be on your priority list. Customers get attracted and ultimately addicted to unique and catchy brand names. So choose a memorable domain name for your online store. A domain name you choose should not be allotted to someone else. Here are a few tips for choosing a perfect domain name:
- It should be short, memorable and catchy. It should be easy to spell and pronounce.
- Avoid Synonymous names which sound or spell-like your competitors or are common online.
- “.com” is the most common so it would be difficult to find a unique domain name. Try “.net” or country-specific domain names like“.com .ca” etc.
- If solely depending on search engine listings to drive in users then choose domain names with keywords.
- Be innovative. Short and unique names are hard to come by so try joining two words together like YouTube, Microsoft etc.
#3. Choosing a reliable host
Hosting of your eCommerce site forms an important part for addressing the payment related security. It is necessary to choose a reliable hosting service provider. It is advisable to go for a readymade hosted solution to avoid any security-related issues. These hosting solution providers take care of back-end and host the scripts on their servers, leaving little for you to do in the end.
- Your Online Payment Gateway
Credit cards form a substantial part of online transactions between merchants and buyers, although solutions like PayPal are also making their presence felt. Banks which issue credit cards offer simple solutions like creating a merchant account and a payment gateway and linking this payment gateway with your stores’ merchant account. This way you can receive all your online payments through credit cards instantly. You should contact your bank for details and procedures.
Other ways of accepting payments other than Credit Cards
- PayPal and Paytm are effective options. A tie-up with them for secure transactions.
- Cash on delivery option encourages user confidence.
#4. Products and Content pages.
Now you have to design your product pages and its content. Images and written content are equally important for a successful eCommerce portal. Users only buy products after having a proper look at the product images. Make sure the images are clear and the user is able to see an enlarged view of the image to have a closer look. The overall layout of the products page should be neat wherein all images should be equidistant and similar in size. Do not make the mistake of over cramping the page with images or text.
Keeping the user experience is what counts to achieve a successful eCommerce site. Content related to products should be short, precise and not too long, but should be highly descriptive. Important product related information should be highlighted like price, warranty/expiry and delivery time. It is important for your business’s credibility to honour your delivery commitments for long term benefits.
#5. Marketing your eCommerce portal
Customers are required to get an eCommerce business into action and start earning revenues. It is advisable to sign-up for a Google account like Google Analytics. It will enable you to monitor the traffic on your site and also provide you with reference. You should also look into inbound marketing strategies to see if you can naturally boost your audience. Other options like Google AdWords are also effective marketing tools for your eCommerce website for providing traffic.
You should not leave anything to chance when starting out on your maiden eCommerce venture. These guidelines will help you in creating a road-map for your business and ensuring good business prospects.
