With This Checklist, You Implement an Online Store

Almost nothing works (almost) offline anymore! A look at a very recent study by Statista shows that around 30 percent of respondents in Germany order their favorite products online at least once a week. The circumstances in recent years have only confirmed this result, so the move to the online store should take place now at the latest.You don't want to miss the last train now and implement an online store as quickly as possible? Then it's not too late. If you already know the

first steps for your own online store here comes the ultimate checklist, which gives you an overview again. In this checklist we show you what makes an online store and how you can set it up for yourselves. You will also find out what

all you need for your online shop and what you should pay attention to.Checklist for your online store

 

To give you a quick overview for the implementation of your online store, we summarise the

most important To-dos in the next steps for you. If you consider only individual points as important for you, then take them with you and create your own small checklist.1. Define your target group

Before venturing into your first own online store, you should clearly define who you want to target it at:

Is your target group more active in the

• B2C or B2B context?Do you have an
• international trade, that you want to take into account?Is your trade mainly aimed at
• new or regular customers?These are the first questions you should ask yourself when it comes to the

target group.In the second step, it is important to define what your unique selling point is and how you can implement it to reach the right target group:

Which USPs or

• unique selling points does your online shop have for the target group?How exactly should you implement the
• shop design to appeal to the target group?With which
• testimonials can you reach your target group?These points should concern you especially when you think about the first implementation measures for your online shop. Here you can collect first ideas that might lead you to important decisions that should already be made.

2. Summarise your requirements for shop functions

Just like the target group, the selection of the right

software for your online shop is also part of the first steps. Maybe you already have one or the other software in mind or have received recommendations from your environment. But before you decide on one, you should first weigh up what requirements you want to place on your software.These could be, for example,

important functions for your online store:Search function

• : Your customers should be able to find your products in the online store quickly.Sorting function: 
• Users should be able to search and filter for products as flexibly as possible.Bookmark function: 
• It supports your customers in finding their selected products faster again or saving them for a later point in time.Zoom function for images: 
• This allows customers to take a closer look at your products.Language options: 
• If your customers should not only be able to order flexibly via desktop or smartphone, then it is also worth considering the language options for smartwatches or speakers.Optimizing loading speed: 
• The technology is also important, so you should check which software supports you, for example, with the correct loading speed.The selection of the right software for your online shop

Depending on the size of your company, different online shop providers are also suitable. As a single entrepreneur, you should fall back on

website builders, SaaS web shop solutions or web shop plugins when creating an online shop, for medium and large companies, on-premise solutions or open source shop systems are also an option.Website builders for your own online shop creation:

• A website builder is an all-in-one solution that allows users to create their own website or online shop in a simple way. And that without any programming knowledge. Because such website builders (sometimes also called homepage builders) allow users to put together their own website or online shop according to individual needs and wishes using drag & drop. The most famous website builders, with which you can also create an online shop, are:
  page4 Homepage builder
  • Jimdo
  • Wix
  • Ionos MyWebsite Shop by 1&1
  • STRATO Homepage Builder
  • GoDaddy
  • PaaS & SaaS solutions to create an online shop:

• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) shop systems are cloud-based rental solutions that you have to pay for monthly, annually or on demand. Most SaaS shop systems contain editors that allow you to create your own online shop in a kind of modular system. Since many SaaS solutions do not require any further programming knowledge, there are SaaS solutions for single entrepreneurs as well as for small, medium and large companies. Familiar SaaS shop systems, with which you can create your own online shop, are:
  Shopify
  • Creator Jimdo
  • Wix
  • IONOS MyWebsite Shop by 1&1
  • Gambio
  • Spryker
  • JTL
  • Salesforce Commerce Cloud
    (Direkt zum Anbieter)
  • Shopware
  • PlentyMarkets
  • commertools
  • Cloud Commerce SAP
  • Web shop plugins for setting up an online shop:
• For many Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress there are also plugins available that allow you to set up a web shop on your website or your blog. Plugins can be easily installed with a click and offer similar functions as SaaS solutions. They are also quite cheap and highly expandable. The most famous CMS plugin is WooCommerce.On-premise solutions for an online shop creation:

• With on-premise solutions, you buy a one-time license for the web shop software and host it on your own servers. Creating your own online shop and the individual adjustments are usually associated with a lot of effort. Therefore, both are often taken over by agencies. On-premise solutions for online shops are particularly worthwhile due to the quite high costs for medium and large companies that have enough budget and for which it is important that the online shop is hosted on their own servers. Known providers of on-premise solutions are:
  Shopware
  • Adobe Commerce Cloud
  • Open Source shop systems to create your own online shop:

• To create an online shop with these open source shop systems, a lot of technical know-how is required. Since the developers have access to the source code, open source systems offer the greatest possible freedom for creating an online shop. Renowned providers of open source shop systems include:
  Magento Open Source
  • Ecwid
  • PrestaShop
  • OXID
  • Ishop novomind
  • These and other online shop softwares, with which you can create and operate your own online shop, can be found in the category Shopsystems & Webshop on OMR Reviews. There, with a lot of helpful user ratings and experiences, you can make a choice for yourself.

3. Choose the products for your online shop

When selecting the products for your online shop, you should ensure a sensible structure in the selection of the range. Ask yourself the following questions in advance:

Can your products be sold all year round or do you have

• seasonal goods?Into which
• categories do you want to classify your products?How many products
• do you want to include in your range?For the question of quantity, it is also worth looking at a possible use of

PIM systems in which you can store important product information, such as marketing data, media files or design data. These questions could help you in deciding on a PIM system:Where

• do you get your goods from? European manufacturer, China, wholesaler?To what extent do you want to set your
• prices?Are your products
• customizable?Do you want to create
• product descriptions with informative content?Also, the area of

returns is important for the planning and classification of your products in the online shop:What is the rate of returns usually for the product group you have selected?

• What effort can be expected in processing returns?
• In addition, online shops give you the opportunity to use product ratings and

high-quality produced product photos and videos. Think about whether you want to invest in this effort.4. Don't forget your customers

If you have already thought about which target group you want to address your online shop to, then the first step is already done. But it is important that you keep an eye on your customers and their feedback continuously, this works, for example, like this:

Usability

• : Ensure a user-friendly online shop.Customer feedback
• : Ask your customers for feedback and get them to rate you.Show all ratings transparently in the shop.
• Use your customers' feedback and integrate it, for example, directly on the start page of your online shop. (Source: justspices.de)

Even unhappy customers should be approached and their criticism should be accepted at first. It is also important that your customers know how to best reach you personally:

Customer hotline

• : Show your phone number on the start pageIntegrate
• Live ChatOffer contact option via
• WhatsApp and FB Messenger In order to maintain the customer relationship sustainably, it is worthwhile if you, for example, offer customer loyalty programs

or add an additional blog to your online shop.5. Check the payment and shipping options for your online shopTo make sure that your products arrive safely and on time at your customers, you should carefully check which shipping options you offer in your online shop. Here too, some suitable

shipping software

offer support, which can also be found on OMR Reviews.For your checklist, check the following points among others:Do you want to send your goods yourself or hire a

fulfillment provider

• ?Do you want to take the parcels to the post office yourself or have them picked up?Do you have the right
• box sizes
• in stock?Decide whether you want to go for a shipping service provider
• or rather offer several options.As seen here on snocks.com, you can display all your payment and shipping options in your online shop straightaway.Once the product has arrived at your customers, the circle is not yet closed. Of course, it can happen quickly that something has broken on the transport route or your customers are not as satisfied with the goods as they had imagined. Here, you should keep an eye on the following points on the topic of returns:

Who should pay the return postage, you or the customer?

How do you want to protect yourselves against payment defaults?

• Checklist for a legally secure online shop
• In addition to the strategic and operational to-dos mentioned, you should also check which legal requirements you should check for your online shop. We give you the first contact points here. Please note that this is not legal advice. To be really sure, you should look for professional legal support at the latest when making the final implementation.

1. Imprint

As with any website, your online shop should also contain an imprint. This should be easy to find and accessible (for example in the sidebar). Your imprint should contain the following information:

Name of the person or company and address capable of receiving a summons

Representative person (for example managing director or board)

• Professional supervisory authority with address (for trades with official permission).
• 2. Data protection
• Since you regularly store the data of your customers with an online shop, a data protection declaration should be included on your site. It is best to work together with data protection officers who can advise you more deeply on this.

Pay attention to the following among other contents:

Which data are stored for what purpose?

Do you use an analytics software?

• The data protection information can be summarized under one link and must be easy to find
• 3. Terms and Conditions
• Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) should also be included in your online shop and visibly indicated. It is important here that you do not simply blindly copy these from another website, as this can then be a copyright infringement. You should regularly update your T&Cs. Draw on legal support for this as well.

4. Payment

When it comes to your payment methods, at least one payment method should be indicated from a legal point of view for which no additional costs are incurred. It is helpful if you explain your payment methods in detail in the ordering process and also summarise them on an additional information page.

Conclusion: These steps should not be missing from your checklist for an online shop

If you want to successfully sell your products online, then you cannot avoid an online shop. In our checklist we showed you what you should pay attention to for the right implementation. A more detailed checklist on the topic can also be found

here.

Keep an eye on your target group

in particular and don't forget them once you have finally set up your online shop. Rely on customer actions, or loyalty programs, so you can quickly turn your new customers into regular customers.From a technical point of view, you should also consider a few things. It is important that you think about which requirements

you have for your online shop and which software could meet these in the second step. Also, pay attention to which shipping and payment options you want to offer your customers and if these can also be implemented correctly from a legal point of view.aus rechtlicher Sicht korrekt umgesetzt werden.