1. SOURCE A RELIABLE SUPPLIER
As an e-commerce business, you are going to need a product to sell. I assume you already know what your product is. Suppliers are numerous and offer various sales channels. Often, these suppliers will sell products through wholesale distribution. This will allow you, as an e-commerce company, to buy in bulk and sell individually online. If your product is one of your own inventions, you are going to need to either invest the time and money into doing the manufacturing yourself, an endeavor which can be very costly, or you may want to look into using a contract manufacturer. Contract manufacturers create white-labeled (private-labeled) products for multiple businesses and often have the equipment necessary for scalable production.
It is wise to get quotes from several different factories and suppliers concerning your product. Remember, you owe it to your customers to give them the best product possible at the right price for both of you. Choose the one that works best for you and trust your gut.
2. FINALIZE PACKAGING AND BRANDING
I spent much of my professional career in packaging sales, and as someone experienced in the industry, I can tell you that it is always an afterthought. Packaging tends to be the last thing people think about, but it can provide one of the most important wow factors to your customers and give your brand legitimacy. For this step, I would suggest reaching out to one of three sources. First is a local packaging distribution company. There are quite a few in your state. The second would be to talk to your contract manufacturer. The third and last source I would speak to is your local fulfillment center. They often have packaging experience and can help you navigate the waters of shipping items safely.
3. CREATE YOUR WEBSITE
Assuming you have decided on your business name and logo and determined which products you would like to sell, it’s time to take your brand online. The internet is a massive resource for your business and should never be taken lightly. It’s important to keep in mind that there are 380 websites created every minute! To be seen, you must understand that marketing and web development will take up much of your time. However, as an eCommerce business, this is the lifeblood of your company.
First and foremost, you will need a website. If you are bootstrapping your business and want to save some money, there are quite a few free website platforms that make it simple to set one up yourself. If you have some extra cash and would rather spend more of your time on other things, you can hire a website developer to help.
4. ESTABLISH A SCALABLE SUPPLY CHAIN
This is a step many entrepreneurs overlook at first. Does it make sense to wait for a terrible rainstorm until you buy new windshield wipers? No, by that time it is too late. This is how many e-commerce entrepreneurs feel when they first start their business. They decide to do everything themselves.
Figuring out all of the shipping logistics, from shipping labels, expedited shipping, and packaging the product, to physically taking all of those boxes to the post office to be delivered, can be a daunting task. If your product sells as well as you hope, you will be one busy bee taking care of all the e-commerce fulfillment and shipping.
Just so you know, you will be doing more than just shipping your products. You will need to coordinate deliveries from your manufacturers, handle product returns, navigate shipping costs, manage packaging inventories, etc. All of this will need to be done while you are simultaneously building your online presence, developing new products, and managing employees.
Hence, the analogy of being in a torrential downpour before deciding to buy windshield wipers. Think ahead. If you project your product having great success, find a fulfillment warehouse to help you take care of your shipping needs.
5. UNDERSTAND YOUR MARKET
In one of my previous blogs, I helped you identify your target market. Unfortunately, I cannot underscore this principle more. You MUST understand your market. Many businesses fail because they fail to understand their market. They navigate their business in the wrong direction, ending up wasting thousands of dollars. If you do not know who your product will appeal to, do not spend a penny on advertising until you expand your research. Remember, as a new business, it’s important that your advertising dollars be spent with laser accuracy.
6. ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE
By now, you have your product in stock and ready to ship. There is one obstacle standing between your product and your customers’ hands. You’ll need to know about your product. No one is going to buy something they don’t know anything about or have never heard of. You have to get your product in front of as many people as possible.
There are quite a few advertising platforms that you can tap into for little to no cost. For instance:
- Social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- SEO content marketing
- Word of mouth marketing.
- Networking.
As your online presence begins to grow from some of these organic methods, you can begin to utilize paid advertising, such as:
- PPC (pay-per-click) ad campaigns.
- Social media influencers.
- Banner ads.
- Paid directories
Whatever you decide to do, the goal is the same: get your products in front of as many people as possible. To improve those odds, these efforts must be directed at the person who will purchase your products. This is achieved through target marketing.
Listen to Feedback
Ask for and seek feedback on your customers’ experience with purchasing your product. Do they like your product? How did they feel when purchasing your product? Do they find your website’s interface easy to navigate? What are their complaints? Did their product arrive on time? Ask Ask Ask. The sooner you can identify what your customer doesn’t like about your product and their purchasing experience, the sooner you can adapt and improve it.
7. KEEP EXISTING CUSTOMERS HAPPY
Now that you have established a customer base, it is imperative that you keep those customers happy. Think outside the box. What else can you offer that would be valuable to make your customers come back again and again?
Come up with a list of ideas and then start implementing them. Remember, advertising costs money. Your goal should always be to keep your customer acquisition costs below your return on investment. Keeping a current customer happy and providing them with a great experience is cheaper in the long run.
EXECUTE
We covered a decent amount of information in this post. You can use it to get your eCommerce business up and running. You’ve got this! If you would like more information about fulfillment companies in Utah, check out Launch Fulfillment for all your fulfillment and shipping needs.
