Opening an online store
is not something that can be done overnight, at least if you want your online
store to have an extensive route and become an important source of income.
My Neighbor Totoro In
this post I review aspects that must be evaluated and taken into account before
starting an e-commerce project.
Aspects
to consider before opening an online store
The
product
Ø It
seems obvious, but it is not easy to find one or several products with which to
start creating an online store.
Ø If
you already have a physical store you can take your catalog (or a part of it)
and transfer it to the Internet.
Ø But
if you are new you will have to start by choosing a product that you know and
with which you feel comfortable.
Ø In
any case, it is always important to have knowledge about the product and the
sector when starting an e-commerce project.
Providers
Ø If
you already have a physical store like No Face Spirited Away
and your products are going to be the same, it is likely that you already have
your trusted supplier.
Ø But
if you start from scratch you will have to take into account different aspects
such as minimum orders, delivery times, channels and claim deadlines in case of
problems with the products.
Ø One
of the things that I have seen a lot in recent months is that the managers of
online stores try to bring all their products from China from the beginning.
Ø It
is not something that is wrong, but you have to investigate and know the pros
and cons of this type of providers to avoid unpleasant surprises within a few
months of starting the project or even before starting it and setting up an
online business.
The competition
Ø if
you want to start selling a certain product, and I'm referring to online sales
, you have to be able to see who your competition is (both online and offline).
Ø You
will have to analyze it and see if you are able to measure up or stand out from
them.
Ø Nowadays,
almost any business has competition and if you do not find it you have to ask
yourself why.
Ø And
not only you limit yourself to the Hispanic market, if there is something
Internet is that it is a global market, so you must also analyze, as much as
you can, your sector in other countries such as the United States, Great
Britain or Germany.
Ø Do
not forget that they are already one step ahead of us in e-commerce issues.
Ø To
analyze the online competition, at least from my point of view, it is important
to have tools that, in a simple and quick way, allow you to obtain a lot of
data of what will be your main competitors.