Consumers no longer turn to the high street in search of products and services. The average person’s first instinct when in need of something is instead to turn their computer on and conduct an internet search. It is for this reason that entrepreneurs are foregoing brick-and-mortar stores in favor of digital ones, and e-commerce stores. An e-commerce store gives you somewhere to base yourself in the digital sphere.
If you are interested in starting your own online store then you might be interested in BigCommerce, the web’s leading e-commerce services provider. This post will tell you how you can build your own site using it:
Hiring Web Designers
One of the first things that you need to do if you are planning on using BigCommerce’s platform to create your first online store is to find a web designer to work with. Until you have a BigCommerce web designer under your employment you won’t be able to effectively create and launch your store. A professional designer will be able to create a store that’s unique but at the same time adherent to popular design styles at the time you make your store; it is important to only ever work with professional designers with positive online reviews.
When searching for web designers reviews are the best things to take into consideration. A web designer’s reviews should give you a clear picture of what it is like working with them. Bear in mind some companies pay for fake reviews in order to mislead consumers into purchasing products from them. When you are looking for web designers it’s worth taking recommendations from friends and other entrepreneurs into account; ask such individuals for help finding a designer to work with. On an unrelated note avoid reading reviews that are posted on-site as they are usually heavily biased.
Buying Subscription
If you are interested in using BigCommerce’s service then one of the first things you are going to need to do is buy a subscription to their service. You will be pleased to know that the company offers very reasonable subscription plans. You will not have to spend a fortune to access their services, in other words. Bear in mind that if you are planning on buying a subscription you are entering into a contract with their organization and need to make payments on time each month.
If you do not pay your subscription at the right time then BigCommerce will stop you from being able to use their service. If your subscription’s canceled then you will have to restart it again. As the organization regularly holds promotional sales and offers discounted rates losing access to your subscription could mean that you are not able to use the same deal or discount code that you did when you signed up in the first place.
Buying a subscription all over again can also mean you lose exclusive benefits accumulated over the course of your time using the platform. Not paying your subscription on time will not have any impact on your credit rating so you do not need to worry about defaults or reported missed payments.
Considering Stock
In terms of designing your website, it’s important that you carefully consider the stock that is going to be listed for sale. Make sure you only list stock that has had recent photos taken of it. One of the worst things you can do if you want to achieve success in business is post outdated photographs. Outdated photographs could give consumers an incorrect impression of what your products look like.
In addition to posting updated photos, you must ensure that the listings you post along with photos are accurate and detailed. A detailed listing will give consumers more information and help them to feel more confident about making purchases from your store.
Another thing you need to make sure that you do if you want to launch a successful BigCommerce store is to spend time ensuring your listings are up-to-date and relevant. People make the mistake of letting listings expire without telling consumers. If customers are making purchases of items that are no longer available then it negatively impacts your reputation with them. Nobody wants to have their time wasted buying items that aren’t in stock. Hire somebody to regularly update and tweak listings so they are relevant.
Online Marketing
Online marketing is something else you need to devote a lot of time to. Unless you take your store’s online marketing efforts seriously exposure won’t be achievable. Consumers turn to the internet to buy things now, not on high streets. Having a presence on the internet is part of building exposure but you need a presence elsewhere too, like on social media. If you are interested in marketing your store then it’s probably worth hiring a company to do it for you. Without actual marketing experience effectively marketing products will likely not be something that you can do. Marketing is a discipline that requires years of practice and study.
If you are planning on hiring a marketing agency then it is important to read reviews for the same reasons mentioned earlier on in this post. The type of marketing you decide to incorporate into your company’s strategy should depend on your industry and what your competitors are doing. Spend some time researching rival businesses and get an idea of what marketing they are using and whether it’s working for them or not. Anything that is working for your competition can likewise work for you.
Customer Support
Customer support is a very important department. If you do not have a good customer service desk then consumers won’t get their queries and concerns addressed on time. Effective customer support is one of the best ways to ensure your company runs efficiently. There are many different ways of managing customer support including outsourcing it. Outsourcing to another company can be a good way of handling it without having direct involvement.
You do need to ensure that the company you outsource to has experience, positive reviews, and a team of qualified employees working for them. Finding a reliable company to outsource to shouldn’t be difficult. You can also use chatbots to field customer queries, questions, and complaints.
If you are interested in building your own e-commerce store then rather than working with an independent developer, use BigCommerce. BigCommerce is the web’s leading e-commerce development platform for a reason. Getting the hang of using it isn’t at all difficult and doesn’t require much practice at all. If you do need any help then direct questions to BigCommerce’s customer support department.
