How to start selling online

If you have a physical business and want to increase sales, a great option would be start to be part of the online trading.

In the year 2015 every Spanish will spend € 661 in online shopping and it foresees that, in 2016, this figure will continue to increase.

Are you going to miss this opportunity?

In this post we are going to tell how you can begin to pitch your own tent from 0. You have no excuse not to become part of this great business.

Find the product you want to sell is the key to starting your business

First you have to take many things into account, therefore I will indicate some guidelines to follow to ensure that these first steps are not so hard:

The first thing you should ask is what will I sell? If you do not have a physical trading and want to pitch a tent from the base, you should think very well which products are going to offer in your shop.

You can sell products in any sector that like much and be of interest to you. You think to find an area that you like is going to help make it easier to create your business because you're going to learn more about its advantages, products, brands, prices...

A great option is to look for a supplier of dropshipping. This type of suppliers provide many facilities to start a business because you won't need physical space or large investments. Keep in mind when choosing your supplier the advantages and disadvantages offered by each, as for instance that do not require a minimum order, which are discrete, you give yourself more or less percentage of profits...

Once you've chosen the sector and products you want to sell, you need to know exactly what they are selling. Therefore you have to seek information from each article and know all its features. When a user has doubts and go to your service you can offer the customer answers you need in a fast and efficient way.

If you go the dropshipping you have to strive to differentiate yourself from the competition

What information is required?:

• You have to find or create photos of products, if they can be several photos of each one better.

• Create a detailed description of each of them, putting the maximum information possible...

• Put price products. If you work with dropshipping you have to take into account the percentage of benefits that the wholesaler takes and what is yours.  You may also see the prices of the competition, to play with them.

You must take into account, that when you work with dropshipping you are going to have to sell the same products than your competitors, therefore achieving a competitive price and offer other advantages such as pictures, better information, a more efficient customer service, etc. will help you differentiate yourself and achieve better results.

The next step, and most importantly, is to talk with companies of transport with which you work. You have to negotiate the cost of shipments to achieve a good price and to offer your clients the best deal.

Also you can offer free shipping from a certain price, i.e., tell your customers if your order exceeds € 50, shipping will be free.

When you have solved these issues, comes the time to get down to work with the design of your store. Think of color, forms in which will appear the product, logo, images, slider... Keep in mind that this is what your customers will be able to see, and although you've worked hard to find the best products and conditions, if you fail to create an attractive store for your customers, will not achieve success.

It offers various payment methods to your customers and avoid to leave the purchase

Finally, and very important, you should think which payment methods you will accept in your shop: If you choose to pay cash on delivery or paypal will have to think if you want to charge a fee or not customers who select this option, you can also choose payment by bank transfer or card. In the latter case, you should talk with your bank to hire a virtual POS.

There are also other issues which should follow as if you want that your customers have the option of paying your order deadlines, financing their purchases... These points you must recite very carefully to see what options are best suited to your needs.

After all this work, you're finally ready to create your store. Now you only have to implement detailed information about products, carriers, prices and payment methods... and start selling.

Remember that at AlabazWeb we have modules that cover all your needs.  Even if you sell a custom product or that it has many features, don't worry, we will help you find the best option or develop it for you.

In addition, if you wish, also can deal with create your store from 0, always bearing in mind what your your tastes and the needs of your business.