By Arina Smith
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. Should you decide to embark down 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. 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 to carve out an authoritative reputation for yourself in your niche e-commerce industry, which in turn will help you to fortify your company’s foundations during the initial stages of its inception.
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
It should be noted that, while WordPress is free to use, 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 a number of 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 utilized, 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 will be able to 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 are going to need to 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 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 to 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, it is imperative that you keep the area proficiently lit. This will help you to remain on top of your stock levels at all times in the day, and, as an added bonus, it will aid you in your bid to deter criminality.
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
