Online stores have made shopping for what we need more convenient than ever before, allowing us to buy almost anything that we want from our laptops, tablets or smartphones and have them delivered straight to our doors. From a business perspective, e-commerce is a booming market and a great opportunity to get started if you’re looking to become an entrepreneur for the first time. Today, creating your online store is easier than ever with a wealth of user-friendly platforms available and you can sell products online full-time or to make some income on the side. The Australian e-commerce industry is huge, with online retail sales totaling over $41 billion last year. So, if you’re looking to launch an e-commerce site in Australia, here’s everything that you need to get started.
1. Know Your Market & Your Competition
When it comes to success with e-commerce, understanding your market is key. Today, almost anything can be sold online, from clothing and jewellery to car parts and personalised gifts. However, before you get started, it’s a wise idea to thoroughly research your market so that you have a better understanding of how well you can predict your products will do. And, don’t just get to know your potential customers. Your competitors are another important part of your market that you’ll need to get familiar with in order to better understand the steps and strategies that you will need to take for success. What are your competitors currently doing that customers like? And how can you do it better?
2. Create a Business and Marketing Plan
It’s not a wise idea to jump straight into any business without having a clear business and marketing plan, particularly not when it comes to e-commerce. A well laid out business plan will help you clarify what you are selling, who you are selling it to, who your competitors are and how you are going to budget for it. This will help you better understand how you are going to measure your success in the future and become an important tool for measuring your business cash flow.
3. Register Your Business
If your market research and business plan determine that your business idea is worthwhile pursuing, you are ready to take the next step of formally creating your business. You should register for an Australian Business Number (ABN) and ASIC-registered business name. It’s a good idea to create your business name and your domain name at the same time so that you are sure that they match. The last thing that you want is to find that after registered a business name for your e-commerce company, all suitable matching domain names are taken. A matching domain name helps avoid any confusion and makes it easier for customers to remember both your business name and your website address.
4. Create Your E-commerce Website
Today, creating an e-commerce website has never been easier; you can choose from a wide range of platforms that allow you to put together a site using templates or drag and drop tools which require little to no previous web design experience. Whether you choose to use this type of platform or pay a developer to code a completely bespoke, professional site for you, creating an e-commerce website that reflects your brand well, presents your products to your customers in a way that’s easy to use and navigate, is fast, responsive and modern and can serve as a great base for all of your online activity is hugely important.
5. Create an App
App development is not an absolute requirement for an e-commerce store, but many website owners are beginning to realise the many advantages of developing an app for their brand. Mobile app development in Australia is booming. You can find several developers who are used to working with e-commerce brands, understand the industry, and know what your customers will expect from a mobile application. Developing an app will have several benefits for your brand; not only will it improve your reputation as a modern company at the forefront of trends, but you’ll also enjoy more sales, better marketing, and communication with your customers, and increased exposure. Learn more about marketing your app here: https://appetiser.com.au/blog/11-powerful-app-marketing-strategies-to-drive-installs/.
6. Boost SEO
The website is the face of any business that exists solely online. If your customers can’t find your website, then they will not be able to find your business and your sales will suffer. Because of this, it’s crucial to focus your efforts into improving SEO for your business, ensuring that customers are led to results on your website when they search for items that are the same or similar to what you are selling.
E-commerce is a huge business in Australia right now, and almost anybody can get started with an e-commerce store. Make sure you have these basics covered when starting in order to enjoy e-commerce success.
Image Credits: Pavel Kunitsky
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