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Create a business plan
This is the starting point of any
business venture. You can include the various elements of a
conventional business plan but also make sure that you can answer
questions like:
(i) Can you sell your product online?
Of course, it is easy to sell tangible products online and it is
even easier to vend e-products such as e-books and manuals because
they can be downloaded and installed by the buyer as soon as the
payment is confirmed. Such products spare both the buyer and the
seller from the hassles of product shipping.
(ii) How much the delivery would cost?
For most online buyers, it is okay to include shipping charges in
the overall product cost. But if shipping costs them a lot, they
will just prefer to purchase the products from brick and mortar
stores.
(iii) Decide on a name for your business and domain
Aside from answering these questions, selecting a name for your
business is also a significant part of the planning stage. It is a
good idea to use your business name as your domain name or web
address so better keep it short yet striking and memorable. To stop
your competitors or other people from using a similar web address,
purchase several types of domain like co.uk, .com, or .net. Doing so
will also make your site easier to find online.
Establish a website
If you have a website, your customers can find you
anytime of the day and from almost anywhere. Websites come in many
designs and the type of site you need depends on your business. If
you think you cannot build the site yourself, then there are a
number of freelance web designers and developers out there who can
help you out. For just a few bucks, they will give you a well
designed website that you can use in starting your online business.
Make sure your site is simple and the content uploaded in it must be
relevant and always up to date. Also, it is necessary that your site
is easy to navigate. If possible, minimize the graphics used in
every page because they will just increase the time it takes for
your pages to load. If you cannot avoid using images, keep their
file sizes low without compromising image quality.
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Your site must have
the following pages:
(i) Information page
This is where you can put informative content about your business or
the product you are selling. You can also display your contact
details and other information about your business here.
(ii) E-commerce site
This is necessary if you want your site visitors to purchase online.
It usually contains virtual shopping basket and online payment
service. This is where you will display photos and descriptions of
your products as well as their prices. You can also give them
purchase options by providing them your telephone number, your brick
and mortar store address, and a form that they could fill out
online.
(iii) Decide on the methods of payment to be used
Just like most online businesses, you need to include virtual
shopping cart and secure payment method. Shopping in your site will
not be that smooth and satisfying if you do not have a virtual cart.
This cart makes it easy for customers who wish to purchase several
items from your site. So make sure your shopping cart is not only
easy for your customers to use but also easy for you to manage. You
can buy shopping cart software and include it in your site or you
can just get a third party provider who can host the cart for you.
When it comes to collecting payment from your customers, you can use
different methods and providers. The simplest is PayPal. You can
also accept cash deposit to your account, credit card payments, and
other forms of payment.
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