By Soumava Goswami
Are you an experienced retail entrepreneur looking to take your career to the next level? If so, you should seriously consider starting your own e-commerce website. But how to start an e-commerce business?
Should you decide to embark on this professional route, you will be afforded an ultra-fast go-to-market time, your startup costs will be relatively low, and you will have the capacity to reach new customers daily.
When you do decide to take the plunge and start your own online store, be sure to make WordPress your go-to website creation platform, as it is one of the best website builders. With this free, open-source solution at your disposal, you will have the opportunity to create a store that is optimized in both form and function.
This will help you carve out an authoritative reputation for yourself in your niche e-commerce industry, which in turn will help you fortify your company’s foundations during the initial stages of its inception.
Elements Of E-commerce Site Design
There is one thing that is common among the best e-commerce sites. They all focus on the user experience from the moment the user enters the website and takes care of it even after they have left the site.
There are four important components that every e-commerce business should consider when designing a website.
Build Trust
When a user visits the store or the website for the very first time, they might not be aware of the brand, the quality of your products, or the commitment you are willing to make to your customers.
Offering them deals might make them consider your brand, but you must gain their trust. Provide proper contact information on the “about us” page, mention the return policy elaborately, and mention the technical certifications you have for the website. Also, ensure that you add a few testimonials and customer reviews for authenticity.
Give them a visually compelling experience
Perception plays a very important role when you sell a product online. People form an impression about a website in just a few seconds. So, you have to ensure that your website has high-quality images, psychological design, consistent branding design, and, of course, a clear visual hierarchy.
The design should be responsive for desktop and mobile
An average American spends around 4hr37mins on their phones every day. So, you have to ensure that when you are designing a website, it is responsive. This means the site has to be user-friendly for all kinds of devices and different screen sizes.
When you are choosing an e-commerce site, that is mainly based on mobile optimization, you should test it personally and check if the transactional flow is satisfactory or not. If you are not happy, there is a high chance that your customers won’t be happy either.
Also, if you use a Shopify website builder, your designs will be automatically responsive, mobile-friendly, and responsive to different screen sizes.
Design clear navigation
The website navigation should always help the customers find the products smoothly. Good navigation also helps in improving the SEO of the website and increases your chance of getting seen in search results.
At the top, stick with only a few headers. Always be direct and clear when you are labeling the headers. There is no need to be clever or creative. Some of the main headers that you should include are:
- About us
- Shop
- Bestsellers
- Contact us
How can the profit of an e-commerce site be maximized?
Do you want to maximize the profit potential of your WordPress e-commerce site? If so, be sure to heed all of the advice and guidance laid out below.
1. Choose your domain name:
Choosing your domain name is the first hurdle that you must overcome in your bid to build an e-commerce enterprise. This is what potential consumers will enter whenever they wish to gain access to your site, which is why you must take your time when picking it.
Do not dive headfirst into this decision — take a step back and explore your options. By exercising patience in this instance, you will be much more likely to unearth a domain name that actively takes your business to new heights in the future.
Here are five things you must bear in mind when picking your domain name:
- Stick with a .com domain
- Take advantage of industry keywords
- Keep it short and easy to spell
- Make sure your domain is unique and brandable
- Avoid using hyphens
Note that WordPress is free, but you will still need to pay for your domain name (prices start at US$10 per annum). You should not be put off by this investment, though, as having a domain name will be sure to benefit your e-commerce company in several different ways going forward.
2. Set up your product pages:
Once you have the skeleton of your e-commerce site in place, it is time to start setting up your product pages. No matter what type of store you own or what plug-in you utilize, it is imperative that you include a name, price, image, and brief description for each product that you upload.
When you set up product pages on WordPress, you will be greeted by an easy-to-use interface that is similar to the one you would find on a typical WP blog.
Your experience will differ slightly, however, when it comes to adding details regarding your products. On this interface, you will be granted access to a Product Type drop-down box. Here, you can choose from Simple, Grouped, Variable, and Affiliate applicable product types.
3. The equipment you will need:
If you want your e-commerce site to soar to new heights over the next 2–3-year period, you must equip yourself with a whole host of tools and solutions. With the right equipment at your disposal, you will have the capacity to provide an optimized level of service time and time again.
This will have a profound positive impact on your brand image, which in turn will help you to reach, engage, and retain a steady stream of customers going forward.
Quite simply, if you are serious about making a real go of your e-commerce venture, you must have the following equipment at hand:
- A digital payment processing system
- Print marketing is a system that will allow you to reach consumers via direct mail
- Advanced analytics and tracking tools
- Social media management solutions
- Customer relationship management (CRM) software
4. Storing your products:
Your transactions might take place online, but you cannot store your products on the Internet. So, no matter what niche industry you operate in or what products you offer, you still need to find a way to stock and ship your goods.
Rest assured, regardless of where you are based geographically, you will be within range of a cost-effective storage option. Should you take advantage of an e-commerce warehousing solution, you will have the capacity to stockpile your goods in a secure and organized fashion.
In addition, the in-house warehouse workforce will work diligently to manage your inventory on your behalf. Not only will this aid you in your bid to forecast future shipping volume and labor demand, but it will also help your business abide by current safety regulations.
If you have enough upfront cash at hand, you could always invest in your very own storage area. This will mean that you will not have to share your storeroom with other companies, allowing you to hire your own warehouse staff members. Ultimately, this will afford you more control over what, where, and how you sell.
Should you decide to operate out of your own storage space, you must keep the area proficiently lit. This will help you to remain on top of your stock levels at all times of the day, and, as an added bonus, it will aid you in your bid to deter criminality.
Increase The Efficiency Of The Website
If you want to increase the speed and efficiency of your lighting system, you should invest in wavelength optical sensors that light up your facility upon movement. This type of technology offers automated spatial resolution, which makes it perfect for wide, sprawling storage spaces.
Do you want to be rubbing shoulders with e-commerce entrepreneurs such as Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Pierre Omidyar (eBay) within the next five years? If so, you should set solid foundations for your WordPress online store. So put the above advice into practice, and you will be sure to do just that.
Read Also:
- Looking To Optimize E-commerce Sales: Here Is How Inventory Management Helps
- 6 Ways to Boost Your E-Commerce Sales Today
- 6 SEO Tips to Optimize E-commerce Website
