How to Successfully Launch Your E-Commerce

1. With these 9 tips, you will get started in e-commerce
2. These tools support you in getting started in e-commerce
3. Conclusion: What you should pay attention to when starting in e-commerce

Successful in online trade - many reasons speak for getting started in e-commerce. In an online shop, your customers can shop flexibly 24/7 and the implementation is often less complicated with the right software choice than with an offline business.

But before you really get started, there are also some points to consider here. We want to bring these closer to you in this article. Additionally, we will show you which tools can support you in starting in e-commerce.

With these 9 tips, you will get started in e-commerce

1. Define target group

Before you start with your own online shop, you first need a business model with which you want to sell something. For this, you should carefully consider who you want to address with your products. Because only when you know who you want to reach with your online shop, can you also make further important decisions for starting in e-commerce based on this.

To define your target group as precisely as possible, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• What are demographic characteristics of your target group? (age, gender, place of residence, income, hobbies, profession, habits, etc.)?
• Which needs and desires does your target group have? 
• What benefit does your target group get from your offer? How can your business idea help?
• How price-sensitive is the target group?

If you can answer all questions on this basis, then the first step of your e-commerce strategy is laid and you know which target group you can tailor your products.

2. Find products for sale

Just as important as the right target group is also the choice of products that you want to sell online. Look especially at the needs of your target group and how you can tie in with your product.

But not only the needs of your target group are decisive for the product selection - you can also consider these points:

• Physical vs. digital products: Decide whether you want to offer physical or digital products (downloads). This is mainly dependent on which shop system you choose for your online shop, which offers this option.
• Product categories and quantity: Ask yourself whether you want to sell different product categories or whether you prefer to focus on a core product. Also decide whether you want to assign price per unit or offer whole subscriptions. These are also important points that you later have to specify in the shop system.
• Optimize a popular product: If there are already several online shops for the type of your product, then it is worth thinking carefully about what sets you apart from the competition. Look again at the needs of your target group and how you can meet them.
• Keep an eye on trends: When choosing the right product, it is also worth taking a look at current trends and considering which of them could fit your idea.

3. Choose shop system

In order for you to successfully create an online shop the choice of an e-commerce platform is an important part of your preparations. Here you can also decide whether you want to implement this completely yourself or prefer to have it created by an agency.

When choosing the right software, it depends on the functions and ideas that you should have decided in advance. Also, it is important that you take a look at the technical component and with which solution you can work best.

You should keep these factors in mind when choosing the right e-commerce software:

• Payment methods
• Mobile friendliness
• Functions
• Design scope
• Price structure
• Data security

4. Determine payment method and payment providers

Many payment providers offer you the possibility to integrate online payment methods in your online shop. This way you can authorize payments faster and forward transaction information to banks.

It is important that you integrate the common payment methods in your online shop, otherwise you can lose your users very quickly in the buying process.

In German online shops, these payment methods are particularly popular:

• Credit card
• PayPal
• Invoice purchase
• Direct debit

5. Register company name and domain

In addition to the products you want to sell, your company name is also an important part of your online shop. Little tip, if you are still at the beginning of the research: Collect in a brainstorming words that are connected with your product, your values and the industry. After that, research how your competition defines itself in these areas on popular channels such as social media and on Google.

Once you have found a company name and have officially registered it, the next step is to register a domain. This should also be based on your name, because this creates recognition value and you can be found easier on the web. Once you have linked your website with a domain, you can also get a business email address for all transactions in your online shop at the same time.

6. Create online shop

If you have managed the previous points, you now come to the crucial step when starting in e-commerce: The setup of your online shop. In order to be successful with this, it is important that your shop fits your brand and the product category and guides your customers through the buying and payment process without complications. We have summarized the most important points for setting up an online shop in a checklist. 

Here again the most important points that you should consider when creating:

• Structure of your shop: Make navigation easier for your customers already in the configuration of your menu. At the same time, the menu should contain all categories and subpages that your shop includes. Also pay attention to the integration of links to the imprint, the privacy policy and to your social media channels.
• Clear CTAs: Integrate CTA buttons (call to action) that lead directly to the shopping cart or to the cashier. This also simplifies navigation in your shop and customers can retrace the next steps.
• Search engine optimization (SEO): So that your online shop can also be found in the common search engines, you should deal with SEO. For example, integrate relevant keywords that can quickly find your products and content.
• Include customer reviews and certifications This will help highlight the trustworthiness of your shop. There are apps that allow you to collect reviews from other users and display them on your website. It is also worthwhile to get certified by independent institutes and organizations and to include these seals in your online shop.

7. Implement branding

A good branding can create recognition value, so it is worth investing the time in this implementation. You should value these aspects when branding your online shop:

• Logo: Use a well-readable logo that fits your brand.
• Customer address: When creating your content, consider which address you want to use to reach your target group. Look at what tonality fits your brand and your values.
• Consistent brand identity: I t is important that you present all elements of your e-commerce trade, including logos, brand color and address, consistently. This way, you can establish your online shop even better and promote customer loyalty from the beginning.

8. Comply with legal requirements

To ensure that you are legally covered when starting in e-commerce, you should also familiarize yourself with the associated requirements. Here is an overview of the important points that should be included and decided:

• Choose legal form: The most popular legal forms are individual enterprises, UG (limited liability) or GmbH. In any case, sit down with lawyers, tax advisors or general legal experts to find the best choice for you.
• Legal texts: To avoid admonishments or other inconveniences, your online shop should also include certain legal texts. The most important ones are the imprint, the privacy policy, the GTCs and a correct price label.

9. Market online shop

You have arrived at the last step - now it's all about marketing your online shop and drawing more attention to yourself. You have these many options to choose from:

• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Facebook and Instagram ads
• Google Ads

These tools support you in getting started in e-commerce

The right start in e-commerce is not only characterized by the points mentioned, but also with the software that suits you. We will show you what an e-commerce software can bring using the example of Wix. This is a cloud-based business all-in-one solution for creating websites, shops, blogs and managing your bookings including mobile app.

The e-commerce platform from Wix allows you to design fully customizable online shops. These functions include a.o.

• Design of a storefront and product pages with product images and descriptions
• Integration of secure payment methodsm, such as credit card payment, PayPal and Klarna
• Filter functions for product pages
• automatic tax calculation
• customizable payment page
• interfaces to sales channels such as Etsy and Amazon
• integrated ads for Facebook and Instagram
• an online chat

Further possibilities with the e-commerce platform Wix

In addition to these basic functions, Wix also offers you support in the areas of legal security, SEO, payment options and domain. We will introduce you to the specific options you have here:

• Legal security: Wix eCommerce is a GDPR-compliant tool and offers you support on the topics data protection, cookies, privacy policies and legally secure legal texts (imprint, terms and conditions, etc.). The third-party provider Trusted Shops Legal Texter offers the possibility to create legally secure legal texts for your online shop. The legal texter creates for example the contents for your imprint, a data protection declaration or the right of withdrawal.
• SEO: The SEO guide by Wix helps you to improve the SEO of your online shop with a step-by-step plan.
• Payment options:If you want to build your online shop with Wix, you can use Wix Payments as a payment provider. The own payment system allows you to accept payments efficiently and without setting up a third party and offer your customers different payment options, such as: EC/credit card payments (including Visa, Mastercard and American Express), Paypal, instant transfer (Klarna), Apple Pay or Giropay.
• Domain:With the shop system from Wix eCommerce you can register and connect the domain for your online shop directly from your website. Perform a domain check to check the availability of your desired domain before you register your domain.

On the homepage, Wix has summarized exactly how you can create an online shop.

E-commerce software on OMR Reviews

On our software review platform OMR Reviews you can find other suitable e-commerce platforms that you can use for your start in e-commerce. In addition to Wix, you can find these providers:

• Shopify
• Shopware
• WooCommerce
• Spryker
• Squarespace

Conclusion: What you should pay attention to when starting in e-commerce

There are several points to consider on the way to starting in e-commerce. It is important that you are aware of how you want to appear with your brand. Depending on this, you should make the decision for a suitable e-commerce software. In the best case, this should support you in the points where you still need support. Often these areas include SEO, law or payment requirements.

Take the time for the right choice and decision, then nothing can stand in the way of implementing your first own online shop.