Daily ArchivesMarch 10, 2022

The future of commerce is online. Over the past three decades, online business models have revolutionized the way money, goods, and services are exchanged. Now, more and more evidence shows that ecommerce is here to stay.

Over 2 billion people made purchases online in 2020. And these aren’t just one-time buys—62% of online shoppers make monthly purchases. The market for ecommerce is recurring, growing, and diversifying.

In this guide, we’ll address the following questions:

• What is ecommerce?
• What types of ecommerce are most relevant?
• What are some valuable ecommerce examples to know?
• Where is ecommerce headed?
• How do I get started with ecommerce?

What is Ecommerce?

Ecommerce, short for electronic commerce, is the buying and selling of goods and services that takes place online. In other words, businesses and consumers connect via the internet to engage in commerce.

This definition of ecommerce is deepened by an understanding of its origins, which begins in the 80s when companies like Microsoft and Apple were busy creating the rise of the personal computer. As the computer grew more compact, less expensive, and more accessible, ecommerce was made much more viable to the public.

Then in the 90s, Amazon was founded. Starting off as a bookseller, Amazon proved it was possible to sell and fulfill online orders at a scale that would soon transform it into the ecommerce example we know today. A few years after Amazon began, PayPal paved the way for payment processing in ecommerce, making online transactions much safer and more convenient.

In the 2000s, companies like WordPress and other content management systems (CMS) introduced the business side of ecommerce to the content being created online. Thanks to these software platforms, individuals with less resources could create an online store and sell goods just like big businesses.

Now that we have an understanding of what ecommerce is, let’s take a look at some different types of ecommerce that can be found online today.

Common Types of Ecommerce

The common types of ecommerce are categorized by the parties selling and/or buying the goods and services. The four most common types are business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-consumer, and consumer-to-business.

Even within each category, you’ll find a wide range of business ideas, models, and tactics that create niche categories of ecommerce. This flexibility and scalability of the ecommerce industry continues to drive the rapid growth of online enterprise.

So, what is ecommerce in its four most common forms?

Business-to-Business (B2B)

Business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce is when one company sells goods and/or services to another company.

The B2B model is popular for contracting out services that aren’t a business’s primary strength. It may even be an ecommerce-related service. For example, companies like MailChimp and Constant Contact sell ecommerce marketing services focused on email to businesses looking to boost sales.

Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

Perhaps the most common model, business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce takes place when a business sells goods and/or services to individual consumers.

The B2C model is perhaps the most representative of what we traditionally think of when we experience brick-and-mortar retail. Except instead of walking into a store like Target, Walmart, or Old Navy, the consumer is visiting the business’s online store.

Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)

Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) ecommerce includes individuals who buy from, and sell to, one another — with no businesses involved.

The most obvious C2C ecommerce examples include sites like eBay, Craigslist, Letgo, and OfferUp. These platforms allow individuals to post a variety of items or labor for sale. While businesses can be present on these platforms, most transactions are between consumers themselves.

Consumer-to-Business (C2B)

The fourth type of ecommerce is consumer-to-business (C2B), which allows individuals to market their goods and/or services to businesses.

Sites like ACX and Upwork are examples of C2B models. Upwork allows freelancers to sell their services to businesses in need, and ACX allows voiceover artists to market their skills to audiobook publishers.

Ecommerce Examples

By now, we have a solid grasp on what ecommerce is. Let’s shift focus to some examples of ecommerce websites you might recognize.

When it comes to tips for new ecommerce business owners, try analyzing the pros who have been driving the most popular trends online. When you visit your favorite online businesses, try to observe their page layouts and the terms they use to describe themselves and their products. You can learn a lot from a successful company’s website.

So, what is an ecommerce website supposed to look like? Here are seven examples of highly effective ecommerce sites across industries.

Everlane

Everlane has become the definition of ecommerce in the fashion industry, growing its online model to become a giant clothing e-tailer.

Unlike other clothing brands, at least pre-2020, Everlane relies very little on in-person shopping: most of their business is conducted online, with only a handful of brick-and-mortar stores. Everlane’s online store is stylish and simple. Its shopping cart features make it easy to browse or buy whenever is most convenient for the consumer.

Slack

Slack is the perfect example of a B2B ecommerce website. Slack sells workflow software that allows companies access to direct messaging, file sharing, video conferencing, and more.

It’s important to point out that Slack is an example of a subscription-based business model. Companies pay a monthly fee to subscribe to Slack’s services. Another great takeaway is Slack’s scalability, providing pricing levels correspondent to different sized companies’ needs.

eBay

eBay was one of the frontrunners in bringing C2C ecommerce into consumers’ homes.

What’s unique about eBay is the variety of user involvement. You can be a single consumer and buy something once on eBay, or you can create an eBay store and sell large quantities of items. You can act as a “middleman,” or a distributor, and fulfill orders on eBay. Whatever your intention, eBay is the ultimate example of consumer-to-consumer ecommerce.

Fiverr

Like Upwork and ACX, Fiverr is an example of C2B ecommerce in which freelancers can sell their services to companies in need.

Writers, editors, marketers, designers, and more can create a profile with samples and rate structures for their work. By incorporating a safe payment processing service into its platform, freelancers can get paid and track their income in one convenient dashboard. Sites like Fiverr highlight the variety of services available in ecommerce, not just tangible goods.

Warby Parker is an online glasses retailer that has become a popular alternative to more brick-and-mortar companies such as LensCrafters.

The reason why Warby Parker is such an innovative ecommerce example is its free home try-on services. This service allows customers to sample their first 5 frames for free, mirroring the experience of trying on glasses at an in-person store. It’s these types of premium benefits that business owners can leverage into a lasting brand identity.

Spotify

Spotify is what an ecommerce website looks like when it sells digital goods, as opposed to tangible goods. With free and premium options for streaming and downloading music, Spotify has become a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

If you want to sell digital products like music, most successful business owners will offer some version of their product for free. Whether that’s an introductory course, a sample track, a free week of service, or some other perk, freebies up front are what motivate customers.

Dollar Shave Club

Dollar Shave Club: one of the trend starters behind subscription boxes. They proved that subscription models in ecommerce could work for tangible goods—not just services.

One distinguishing feature of Dollar Shave Club’s online store is the level of customization available to customers. You can curate your very own box of grooming supplies and choose how often you would like it sent to your house. For many consumers, it’s taken one more trip to the store off their plate each month.

The Future of Ecommerce

What started as a few companies forging paths in specific industries has now grown into a global phenomenon that spans every kind of enterprise.

Now it’s your turn to start your ecommerce business.

Just like the examples provided in this guide, your ecommerce business should be easy to shop and browse at your customers’ convenience. Think about growth and how you’re going to scale your business in the long run. And don’t forget about the innovative touches that set so many online businesses apart.

Ecommerce Made Easy with StoreBuilder

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• Fast — Get your store launched in minutes.
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“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers,” says marketing expert and dot-com entrepreneur Seth Godin.

You may be a marketing whiz or have an optimized ecommerce website, but if no one wants to buy what you’re selling, your online business is going to fail.

In a survey of startup founders, nearly 30% recommended conducting more research before launch. Therefore, you can prevent business failure by learning how to do product research.

In this article, you’ll learn:

Importance of Product Research

Product research is a part of market research that involves evaluating a product’s features and gathering information on whether the product might be sellable to the intended target market.

It’s an ongoing process that gauges what works and what doesn’t, avoiding expensive mistakes and encouraging improvements.

How To Do Product Research

1. Check Google Trends.
2. Consider your passion and industry.
3. Look for profitable products on social media.
4. Look through Amazon.
5. Create focus groups.

1. Check Google Trends

Google Trends is a great tool to determine popular products.

To start using Google Trends for keyword research, input the keyword you’re interested in and check its performance over time. To succeed at learning how to find products to sell online, look for products that are part of a strong market and not seasonal or gimmicky.

For instance, the search volume of “yoga pants” is stable over time, while the term “candy cane” is only popular during Christmastime.

After comparing the trend, check regional popularity and compare different variations of products.

For instance, if you want to sell phone cases, you can check for keyword usage over time and then compare it to phone cases of specific brands. In the below example, “iPhone cases” has more usage than “Samsung cases.”

2. Consider Your Passion and Industry

When you have difficulty thinking about how to do product research for ecommerce or dropshipping, why not consider sourcing products related to your passion and industry?

Selling products that you’re passionate about or constantly interact with in your profession also helps because you already know what’s sellable and how to market it. You’re familiar with key trends in the area and can identify customer pain points and gaps in the market that can be addressed.

3. Look for Profitable Products on Social Media

If you don’t have a product concept in mind, one way to do product research is to look for trending products on social media.

Often promoted by millennial and Gen Z influencers on social networks such as Instagram and TikTok, trending products can be profitable for dropshipping.

Other social media platforms you can check include:

• Pinterest, a visual search engine. Just like Google, you can look for trends and do keyword research to look up related terms.
• Reddit, which is also a good place to work on your marketing strategy. You can ask a question and look through people’s answers. There are dedicated subforums (called subreddits), such as r/BuyItForLife, where people share their best finds.
• Facebook and Twitter: Both websites are perfect for social listening.

4. Look Through Amazon

Another way to do product research is to look through Amazon.

Amazon is the biggest online marketplace in the world. You can use its search feature to look for potential products to sell. Some ways to do Amazon product research are to look through the:

• Amazon Bestseller page, which readily provides insights into the bestselling products and the top sellers people are willing to buy.
• Categories and subcategories to find products you’re interested in.
• Product listings to find similar products or products frequently bought together.
• Customer reviews. Happy and dissatisfied reviews alike let you know that the product is sellable and empowers you to find pain points to address.

You can also check other online marketplaces, such as Shopify, Etsy, or eBay.

5. Create Focus Groups

If you can’t think of a winning product, maybe you have a profitable niche in mind? If so, why not form focus groups to talk about new product ideas?

During focus group discussions, you can ask your demographic about:

• The type of products your target audience prefers.
• What would make them buy a great product.
• What they like or dislike about a product.

Showing focus groups prototypes of your own product lets you get direct feedback before launching a new product.

It’s important to note that creating focus groups doesn’t always guarantee success. Just because a group validates your idea, it doesn’t mean that they would abandon competitors to purchase your product.

How To Find a Product To Sell Online

After learning how to do product research, you can now figure out how to find a product to sell online.

The ideal product is:

• Inexpensive, so you can make a good profit margin.
• Unique, so customers will buy from you instead of looking for alternatives on Amazon and AliExpress.
• Solves a problem, so customers will be willing to wait for the product in case shipping takes long or pay more if shipping costs are high.

Final Thoughts: How To Do Product Research for Your Ecommerce Business

Learning how to do product research is an essential skill for any ecommerce entrepreneur. It helps you find the right product, validates whether your product idea will be sellable or not, and makes all the difference in your business’s success.

Product research may be difficult, but putting up an online store doesn’t have to be. Set up your ecommerce store in minutes with Hostdedi’s StoreBuilder.

To get your store online quickly without coding, and using one of the strongest ecommerce platforms available — WooCommerce — check out StoreBuilder by Hostdedi today.

Online shopping has forever changed consumer habits. Every product we can imagine is just a couple of clicks away — plus, we can get it delivered straight to our door.

In 2021 especially, more and more people walked away from retail shopping, and instead opted for shopping online.

While the ecommerce industry is rapidly growing, it’s also becoming more competitive. What does that mean for an online store owner like yourself?

Keep reading to learn how to make your ecommerce site stand out from the competition.

Why It’s Important to Make Your Ecommerce Site Stand Out

Even though the online customer base is growing, there are numerous challenges an ecommerce business faces. In fact, there’s quite a bit of competition in the ecommerce market.

In sports competitions like boxing, athletes are divided into categories according to their weight. This is the only way to keep things fair. Unfortunately, in the competitive arena of the online business world, you are entering the ring with everyone, including giants like Amazon, or smaller virtual shops with a similar offer as yours.

Users are overwhelmed with so many different options, which is why they want to understand what makes your product different from others in just a few clicks. This is why it’s essential to make your ecommerce site stand out. But how do you do that?

How to Make Your Ecommerce Site Stand Out

In January 2021, around 1.2 billion websites were recorded on the web.

With so many sites online, how do you make your ecommerce site stand out in such a crowd? It’s certainly challenging, but still possible. Here are some ways to make that happen.

Find Your USP

A unique selling proposition (USP) is the one benefit that helps you stand out and makes you different from the competition. When you find out what that is, it’s easier for you to realize where you want to focus your branding and marketing efforts.

USP is there to highlight your advantages and strengths. It’s also something you can use to closely connect to your customers.

Web Design — Make A Site That Looks Great At First Glance

More than 90% of buyers say they pay more attention to visual appearance over other elements when making a purchase. That means having an attractively designed logo and site is one of the keys to making your ecommerce site stand out.

Make your site clear. Present all the relevant information in conversational language. Keep the content up to date. Go with a straightforward layout. Keep forms of your content rather simple, and make sure your homepage has a succinct summary. Choose the colors carefully to balance between clarity and aesthetics.

The Elements of a Successful Ecommerce Homepage >>

Your Site Should Also Be Engaging

Aside from the functional side, make sure your website is also engaging, eye-catching, and fun. With this in mind, add pictures that will help you tell the visitors your story. Creating visual identity engages more than just having plain text. Make sure your pictures are both unique and relevant for your business.

Still, don’t let visual content take all the attention. Too many pictures or videos can be distracting or make the page data rather heavy, which can make your page load time take longer — something that will deter visitors.

Luckily, you don’t need to be a professional designer to make good and smart defaults on your site and customize it the way you prefer.

Make It Mobile Friendly

Consumers expect your website to be efficient and fast, even when using their smartphones. Mobile compatibility is simply a requirement.

A large portion of your site’s traffic will likely come from mobile devices. And Google punishes sites with poor mobile experiences. That means your site won’t rank as well on Google if it’s not optimized for mobile, which will cost you site visitors and potential sales.

Make It Fast

Half of site visitors will leave if your site takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Google also determines your site’s rankings based on speed, along with other core web vials, so it is important to have a fast site in order to rank well.

Try out Google’s Page Speed Insights, Pingdom, or some other tool that will help you determine your website speed.

9 Ecommerce Optimization Tips for Fast & Effective Sites >>

Clear Contact Page

Your visitors want a straightforward way to contact you for all the questions about your business, products, and services. Without this, you risk losing their trust and a chance to communicate with them. Consider adding a live chat option, a knowledge base, user forum, or some other way to provide useful information.

Add CTAs

Calls to action (CTAs) are another important element on an ecommerce site. Add CTAs in highly visible spots to encourage an action, such as make a purchase or sign up for a newsletter. Add strong CTAs they can easily locate to make it simpler for users to convert on your website.

SEO Content

Adding free and useful content is another way to make your website look professional. Make sure it meets SEO requirements so you get a better position in the search results. That way, your potential customers can find you easier.

The free value you offer to your users is one of the ways to make your ecommerce site stand out. It demonstrates your credibility and thought leadership in the space, encourages engagement with visitors, and is a great way to provide useful information related to your product niche.

Make Your Product Stand Out

Do the research to find out what makes your product different from others on the market. Also, check the best-selling products similar to what you have in your offer. Is there something that makes them better than yours? Communicate with your customers to find out how to make your product stand out. Make surveys, communicate on social media, and find out which things they find important when it comes to choosing a brand.

Marketing your product as an updated version is another great way to make your business stand out. Include newer technologies and social media platforms for the promotion. Also, do thorough research of the newest industry trends to tie in with your product.

Make Your Ecommerce Store Stand Out With StoreBuilder

A high-quality website, contact page, excellent design, outstanding products, creative storytelling, and marketing campaigns — all of these things matter to your ecommerce business. But you have to stand out from the competition in order to reach potential customers.

Now that you know how to make your ecommerce site stand out, consider getting started with StoreBuilder.

StoreBuilder allows you to customize your website according to your preferences. All you need to do is answer four questions — and the StoreBuilder Intelligent Engine will create a unique site for you in minutes, backed by industry-specific insights and best practices.

It’s fast and easy to use, plus you don’t have to be a professional designer to get a fully customized, industry-focused site in just a couple of minutes.

Learn more about getting started with StoreBuilder today.

Starting your own online business and earning passive income is the dream — and you can make it happen by creating digital products to sell online.

There’s a misconception that business owners won’t make much money selling digital products, but the digital product space is a multimillion-dollar industry.

This ultimate guide will teach you:

What Is a Digital Product?

A digital product is a nonphysical item that leverages a creator’s know-how and can be purchased by customers online. Influencers and content creators often use digital products as lead magnets for their product launches, but they can also be offered on their own. Examples of profitable digital products include informational products such as ebooks, videos, and newsletters.

Digital Products Examples

1. Online courses.

2. Stock photos and presets.

3. Printables.

4. Templates.

5. E-books and audiobooks.

6. Podcasts.

7. Membership content.

8. Sound effects and music.

9. Webinars.

Benefits of Selling Your Own Digital Products

A few good reasons why you should learn how to sell digital products is because they are:

1. Scalable: Digital products are often created to complement a full-time service provider’s offerings (e.g., consulting, coaching, writing). Digital products empower self-employed professionals, influencers, and content creators to reach a wider target audience.

2. Easy to make: There are different types of digital products you can offer without expertise. Leverage an existing skill you have that can make people’s lives easier.

For instance, WordPress themes, PowerPoint templates, Lightroom presets, and social media templates save others time and can be made with free software, such as Canva.

3. Low cost: Digital products cost little to produce, and you can sell them on ecommerce websites, which are inexpensive to put up. Digital products also have little overhead cost and fewer logistical problems than physical products.

4. Easily automated: All you need to put up a website for digital products is a membership site and payment method. Most of the effort goes into marketing and making the product. Other than that, once the product is launched, you can start earning.

5. A source of passive income: Providing services can make good money but is limited by the number of hours in a day. Selling digital products empowers you to earn money online while you sleep.

The beauty of knowing how to create a digital product is that you can mix and match different types of content formats to create multiple streams of passive income.

Bloggers can create both an ebook and an audiobook and reach two different markets. Digital marketing experts can come up with video courses with matching workbooks and worksheets.

How To Create a Digital Product

Part of learning how to create a digital product is being familiar with the different kinds of digital products, business models, and platforms to distribute them. For example, ebooks can be distributed on your website and sold as Kindle books on Amazon.

If you want to know how to create a digital product, here is a step-by-step guide for coming up with digital product ideas:

1. Determine what problem you can solve or what opportunity you can provide. The two main reasons people purchase a product are to unlock a benefit or solve a pain point. In both ways, people seek to improve their lives.

2. Research to find potential customers and see whether there’s a market for a product. You can check social media groups and pages.

3. Validate your product by starting small and improving and iterating as you go along.

Learning how to create a digital product depends on the kind of digital product that you’ll make. A popular format for digital content is online courses.

Because the 2020 pandemic forced most of us to stay home, e-learning is experiencing unprecedented growth, and experts say it won’t stop soon. Selling online courses is a big market that’s expected to be worth $374.3 billion in 2026.

Online courses don’t necessarily have to be in video format. You can create mini-courses or drip courses using email marketing tools.

Bringing Your Digital Product Ideas to Life With a Website

If you don’t know how to sell digital products, creating your own website is the best place to start.

You can quickly sell your products on online marketplaces, but WordPress is the best choice for your website because of its flexibility and customizability.

Whether you set up an ecommerce website or a membership site to gate your content, WordPress has your back.

For digital products such as ebooks, an ecommerce store is your best bet, and StoreBuilder is perfect for both beginners and pros.

Developed by WooCommerce experts and powered by Managed WooCommerce hosting, StoreBuilder’s intelligent technology lets you create a website quickly and easily.

If you plan to offer online courses and subscription content, lock your content on WordPress with membership plugins.

Final Thoughts: How To Create a Digital Product That Sells Easily

Learning how to create a digital product is an excellent way to complement your full-time services and earn passive income while helping others.

Turn your digital product ideas into reality. StoreBuilder empowers you to build an ecommerce website to sell your digital downloads quickly. StoreBuilder includes more premium features than any other online store creator, including professional ecommerce website templates.

To get selling online quickly without coding, and using one of the strongest ecommerce platforms available — WooCommerce — choose StoreBuilder.

Think about the last time you heard a great story.Perhaps you were gathered around the dinner table with your family or 2 cocktails deep on a Zoom call with friends.

Did the storyteller have a “just the facts” attitude, or did they draw you in with details that made you feel as though you were right there with them? Maybe the storyteller inflated a few points to make the adventure seem larger than life (We were in the middle of nowhere and hadn’t seen another car for hours!)? Or perhaps they omitted key information to create suspense and keep their listeners guessing (I couldn’t make out the shadow clearly, but I could tell by the footsteps that it was enormous!).

What made you lean in to listen? What kept you on the edge of your seat? Every story has common elements, but a really good story manages to be more than the sum of its parts.

Telling a great story about the products you sell shouldn’t be any different than sharing a thrilling tale with friends. You want your shoppers connected emotionally to the products they’re considering and you need certain elements to do it.

The Devil Is in the Product Details

Consider the differences between these two descriptions of a table.

1. “Add a touch of Paris to your dining room with this French bistro-style table. The table base is constructed of long-lasting cast iron and crested with a dark wood top. Finished in hand-brushed antique bronze, this table is an amazing addition to any dining space.”

2. “French bistro-style table made of bronze cast iron and dark wood.”Which would you be more interested in buying? Which description offers you a better sense of the product you’re thinking about purchasing?

Number 1 offers product information with more compelling details and a sense of the product’s “back story” which makes it easier to imagine in your space or as part of your lifestyle.

Product information is the data your potential customer will use to virtually run their hand over plush, navy blue velvet and “feel” the satisfying spring of a tufted sofa cushion. It’s the information a newlywed couple will use to make a decision about which blender to purchase for their first home together.Compelling product information is an integral part of digital merchandising.

Setting the Stage for Conversions

You may already be familiar with the concept of “retail merchandising” or “staging.”

Retail merchandising helps shoppers make decisions about what to buy, makes people feel good about shopping in your store, and most importantly, converts browsers into buyers. Effective merchandising turns something generic into something personal that the consumer can imagine themselves using, buying, or living in.

Digital merchandising is similar to retail merchandising – except it’s done on your website, in email campaigns, ads, and social media with words, curated collections, good photography or videos, and plenty of descriptive details.

Digital merchandising is how to tell each product’s story and a good story sells!

So why does merchandising (digital or otherwise) matter? Merchandising narrows the options a customer is considering, which helps them relax. If you don’t understand why having a bunch of equally good choices actually makes shopping more stressful, listen up.

Has something like this ever happened to you?

You’re in the market for a new toaster and you’re ready to purchase. You’re browsing Amazon, credit card in hand, and after (what feels like) an eternity of searching, you give up in disgust.

At some point, all the features, colors, and styles start blurring together. It’s hard to remember what you’ve already seen, which features are most important, and which brand has the best reviews. You decide that you need some time to clear your head, and put off making the purchase.

Why does this happen? Overchoice.

Overchoice (or choice overload) is a psychological phenomena that occurs when many equally good choices are available, leading to mental exhaustion as a person weighs each option against all the others.

Initially, more choices lead to more satisfaction, but as the number of choices increase, satisfaction peaks and people tend to feel more pressure, confusion, and potential dissatisfaction with their choice which leads to cart abandonment or putting off the purchase.

Although larger choice sets can be initially appealing, smaller choice sets lead to increased satisfaction and reduced regret. Smaller choice sets reduce overwhelm and increase conversions.

Check out this real world example. In 2000, psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper from Columbia and Stanford University published a study about choice fatigue. They set up two tables selling jam at a grocery store, one with 24 kinds of jam, and the other with only 6 kinds. Which table sold more jam? That’s right, the display table with fewer kinds of jam made more sales.

To make shopping enjoyable, you need to make sure consumers aren’t overwhelmed. An overwhelmed shopper isn’t a happy shopper. An overwhelmed shopper is likely to give up and leave your website without purchasing anything.

In Ecommerce, Less is More

As proven by the wild success of direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce merchants selling an intentionally limited selection of products, consumers appreciate a well-curated and merchandised selection, as opposed to an endless aisle of items.

You can help your customers cope with overchoice by using product information to tell a rich story about the product they’re considering. Detailed product information offers differentiators that ease decision making fatigue. For example, when choosing between two equivalently good options, the following details might help break the tie.

“This wood comes from recycled barn boards.”

“This fabric was knitted by women in India for a fair wage that helps lift families out of poverty.”

The modern consumer wants expert guidance paired with reliable and unbiased information about the products they spend their hard-earned money on. And because this is the digital age, a web presence is the single best way to communicate these things.

Ecommerce retailers need a web presence that offers:

• Product information including a description, product photos and videos, dimensions, and swatches so you can connect emotionally with your customers
• A homepage customized for your industry
• Reviews from other shoppers
• Transparent pricing
• Smart product pages

Take the guesswork out of designing your ecommerce website with StoreBuilder by Hostdedi. Using a proprietary AI engine, StoreBuilder delivers a fully customized, no-code, industry-focused ecommerce homepage in just a few minutes.

Learning the basics of ecommerce can help make starting an ecommerce business easier, and ultimately, more successful. You may have questions such as:

• What do you need to know before starting an ecommerce business?
• Where should you look to research ideas and gather inspiration?
• How do you create a business plan and market your new ecommerce store?
• How do you earn both new and loyal, lifetime customers?

This article answers these questions and provides you with some basic ideas for how to start your ecommerce business.

Steps for Starting an Ecommerce Business

Learning the basics of ecommerce is a great place to start on your journey to bringing your ecommerce shop to life. The process of starting an ecommerce business includes many steps.

In this article, we cover how to:

1. Find a Target Customer

Oftentimes, people choose to sell a particular product without finding out if there is a need for that product or a customer interested in purchasing it. Although many services are geared toward a specific industry or customer type, the same is true of selling a service online—your business needs customers who want to buy from you.

Setting up a successful ecommerce business takes some research and planning. To get started, ask yourself these questions first:

• Do your products or services address a need, want, annoyance, or pain point?
• Are your products or services representative of a particular trend or niche activity?
• Do your products or services solve a problem or fill a gap that no one else can fulfill?

If you’re unsure how to answer these questions, consider reading customer reviews on existing products and services. This information frequently includes what customers wish the products were like and help you understand specific pain points. You can use this information to tailor your products to meet this need gap.

When offering services and/or professional expertise, take a look at websites in industries similar to your own. You may find reviews on these sites — or reviews about the services — and like the pain points with products, you can shape your ecommerce store to not only provide your expertise and services, but to fulfill unmet needs.

Capitalizing on trends is a great approach. However, if you choose to capitalize on trends, you may find that demand eventually fizzles out. This option works well for those who like occasional change and are willing to pivot their business as trends change.

Alternatively, there’s merit in appealing to a niche market, such as hobbyists, online communities, or tradesmen. These specialized audiences are extremely passionate about their interests and may have higher levels of engagement than other customers.

Getting these audiences involved can bring you loyal, long-time customers. However, these potential buyers are often quite knowledgeable about products and services related to their passion or profession—and having expertise in that area can really help.

Understanding your customers can help you make successful choices, especially as you begin to learn how you set up your ecommerce business. Check out this additional information on ecommerce business types and these ideas for online businesses when considering your options.

2. Choose a Domain Name

A short, memorable, appropriate online store and domain name can become its own advertising tool. But remember that if you want your brand and your ecommerce store to be around for years to come, carefully consider a domain name you’ll still love down the road.

3. Choose a Product and/or Service, Including Digital Products

You have an idea of your target market. You bought a reasonable domain name. What products and services will you sell? Will you sell digital products? How will you make your ecommerce store work?

There are four main ways that you can handle physical products in your store.

• Manufacture the product yourself.
• Outsource production.
• Purchase your product wholesale.
• Explore dropshipping.

Make Your Product

Making a product can be easy and inexpensive, especially if you source the ingredients or parts yourself. If you make your product, you have control over pricing and inventory, and can lower your inventory risk. However, making your product may mean that your margins are smaller.

Outsource Production

Manufacturing your product means creating a successful relationship with a manufacturing partner to develop and produce your product. This option may help when your product involves specialized processes and ingredients that are hard to obtain.

Outsourcing production also helps when you want larger numbers of product when your volume increases, and you can’t keep up with demand. Depending on your relationship with your partner, your control over your product and product quality may vary.

Purchase Your Product Wholesale

Obtaining products wholesale means purchasing finished products, putting your label on them, and selling them at retail prices. When buying wholesale, you have little control over pricing, and you have little control about how the product was manufactured — you’re buying an already-made product.

Dropship Your Product

Dropshipping is great when you don’t want to carry inventory and don’t want to have start up inventory costs.

To dropship products, you need relationships with dropshipping partners. You list a product on your site, and when you make a sale, your partner charges you and ships the product to your customer on your behalf.

Digital Products & Services

Digital products such as podcasts or videos are a way to profit from your unique expertise. Other digital products include ebooks, audiobooks, or courses. Digital products can be configured as a single point of purchase or even be offered through a subscription

Services are a great way to offer your expertise directly. Consider what type of services you are offering. Some questions you might ask yourself are:

• Does location matter?
• Do you need to see your customers in-person?
• How can you reach your customers to offer them your services?
• Are your services something that can be offered through video conferences or through email or a task application?
• How do you want them to pay you?
• And how will you decide the fee for service?

Deciding if you’re offering your services per hour, per meeting, or even per word makes a difference in how you set up your website.

4. Develop a Business Plan

Once you’ve decided on a product and/or service and have a target audience, you need to create a business plan. Your business plan helps ensure the success of your ecommerce business. Here’s what you need to know to help you create an effective business plan.

Identify Your Competitors

Just as you looked at your competitor’s websites to read reviews to find pain points or gaps, check out what your competitors are doing well. Finding effective approaches and understanding your competition can help you set up your ecommerce business.

Evaluate Your Market

The most popular tool to see how many people might be interested in your product or services is the Google Keyword Planner. This tool will tell you how many people per month are searching for keywords related to your product, idea, or service.

Understand Your Market

Are you in a trend market? A flat market? Or a growing market? How do you find out this information?

Understanding your market can help you to understand what kind of margins you might have, what kind of profit you might expect, your potential for conversions, and how many long-time customers you might eventually expect to get. Google Trends is a helpful tool that can help you evaluate your market before you invest a significant amount of time and energy.

Business Plan Creation Checklist

To create a successful ecommerce business plan, there are a handful of questions you’ll want to ask in order to help create the right circumstances for future growth. Check out this handy checklist of questions to ask about your brand, your market, your customers, and your ability to fulfill orders:

• Know your market and your markup.
• Know your potential selling price.
• Price your product or services.
• Determine your inventory.

You’ll also need to make decisions specifically related to the shipping of your products.

• Are your products durable, or could they break when shipped?
• Are your products seasonal — and if so, how will this affect sales?
• Are your products consumable or disposable? Will this affect how customers purchase them?
• Are your products perishable? Will they reach customers in time?
• Are there restrictions or regulations on your products or services?

If you’re selling a digital product or a repeating service, you’ll also want to include information about subscription options in your business plan — and how you can acquire and keep customers through subscriptions.

5. Develop Your Ecommerce Website

When you want to start an ecommerce business, setting up your website with an online store builder or using managed WooCommerce hosting option will make the process straightforward. WooCommerce is a great platform to help you build the website you want while also providing a customizable approach.

With Hostdedi fully managed hosting, you can have better scalability and support. You can get customizable tech stacks, and proactive patching and updates to keep your site secure.

6. Advertise and Market Your Ecommerce Store

To successfully sell your product or services, you need to market your ecommerce business.

Use a Popup to Ask for Customers’ Email

Getting someone’s email as soon as they land on your site — and perhaps offering them a coupon — can begin the process of converting a visitor to a subscriber of your content and marketing campaigns, and hopefully, to a buyer.

Segment Your Marketing Campaigns

In getting to know your customers, you might find that your customers are not a uniform group. Segmentation can help increase click rates and conversions and can become an essential part of a push notification strategy for any type of website.

You can customize your push notifications for each of your different groups of customers, or segments.

Reinvest Your Profits into Your Ads

The start of your ecommerce business is the time to invest in advertising and marketing. This investment will help ensure the long-term success of your ecommerce business, as you build those loyal customer relationships.

Check Your SEO

Understanding SEO will ensure that your customers find your website — you need to direct traffic toward your site.

Deliver Great Customer Service

Customer service is more important than ever, and answering customers’ questions — and addressing the concerns that they bring up in reviews — can help you make and retain customers.

Optimize Your Store

Customers tend to abandon their carts if they can’t find the size or color or service that they’re looking for, or if checking out is too complicated. Find out where your snags are by collecting site analytics.

Start Your Ecommerce Business

Having an online store is a great way to bring in revenue. More and more people purchase products and services online, and you can deliver customers what they want.

StoreBuilder can help you create your ecommerce business. By leveraging industry-specific insights and best practices to make your homepage — and your website — unique, StoreBuilder helps you connect easily with your customers.

Starting an ecommerce business is easier than ever, and there’s no time like the present. See why StoreBuilder is the best choice to make money online.

As you work to get your site up and running, you may realize you need to add some tools to make it exactly as you want. That’s where WordPress plugins come in. Quickly defined, a plugin can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress website. But what does that really mean?

Let’s say you want to build a box. You need wood, a hammer, and nails. Now, what if you want to cut a hole in the box? Well, you would need an extra tool that allows for that functionality, so you would add a saw to your tool kit.

Plugins are like that. If you want to add a pop-up window for offers on your site, similar to the hole in the box, you need a tool that gives you that functionality.

There are over 50,000 plugins in the plugin directory, and it is easy to get overwhelmed by your choices. Let’s take a look at a few your store needs to have to be successful. Here are the best ecommerce plugins for your website.

5 Best Ecommerce Plugins for Your Website

1. Jilt for WooCommerce

More than 70% of visitors will abandon products in their cart. Jilt for WooCommerce is an email marketing plugin that simplifies your campaigns to reduce shopping cart abandonment.

Jilt’s automated emails take advantage of your rich data to send emails to the right customers at the right time, allowing them to take action when they are ready.

If you are worried about building these campaigns, don’t be! Jilt has a library of pre-built automation campaigns ready for you, as well as an excellent education series to teach you how to win those lost clients.

2: Better Product Reviews For WooCommerce

Customers love reviews. You can see how users flock to the review section on Amazon and why Youtube is full of product overviews. Your site should be no different.

There are a lot of review systems to choose from. Better Product Reviews is a lightweight tool that will easily replace the built-in system without compromising user experience.

You can assign specific product attributes that will allow users to sort reviews based on what is important to them. You can also verify users so visitors know this is high-quality content.

3. All in One SEO Pack

Search engines are one of the most important channels to drive revenue on your site, and SEO is how you make sure your page is seen. All in One SEO was the first SEO plugin for WordPress and still is the easiest SEO plugin to install.

Aside from working with Google to optimize your site, All in One SEO makes it easy to set up the proper foundations in less than 10 minutes. You can also integrate social media to make sure your site is seen correctly on social channels.

4. WooCommerce Bookings

If you are offering a service rather than a product, then you need to get WooCommerce Booking. This plugin will remove the need for you to keep track of calls, texts, or emails by streamlining scheduling into your website’s backend.

You can set a defined time, block off “unbookable” times, and offer personal or group times. The backend is clean and straightforward with no learning curve. Install, set times, and confirm appointments in minutes.

5. Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce

If you ever clicked (or tapped) on a product while scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, then you are aware of the power of social placements. Product Feed Pro allows you to get that same ability from your WooCommerce backend.

This plugin also includes over 100 pre-defined templates that can be used for marketplaces, comparison shopping engines, social posting, and regular search engines. Getting your product in front of more customers on all of their channels will increase revenue and provide better awareness.

Bottom Line

Now you know the best WordPress ecommerce plugins. Like we mentioned before, there are over 50,000 plugins in the plugin database. Finding the right one can be hard at times but knowing exactly what function you want makes finding the right tool that much easier.

With StoreBuilder, you can start with amazing plugins (like Jilt!) for security, marketing, and optimization, and our experts are here for you if you ever have questions on how to make your site the best it can be.

StoreBuilder by Hostdedi is:

• Fast — Get your store launched in minutes.
• Smart — AI-powered insights build your store based on your inputs.
• Template-free — So your site will be unique and custom to you.

For unparalleled support and limitless design potential, explore StoreBuilder today.

98% of Americans are regularly switching between devices on the same day, which means customers expect information to be available to them wherever they are, and whenever they need it.

This hyperconnectivity, coupled with the abundance of competitors in the ecommerce space, means consumers unknowingly have more control than ever over the buying process.

So what does this mean for your ecommerce businesses? That adopting an omnichannel marketing strategy gives you the air cover you need to meet every customer wherever they are.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What omnichannel marketing is
• The importance of omnichannel marketing
• The difference between omnichannel and multichannel ecommerce
• Omnichannel marketing strategies

Omnichannel Strategy

The omnichannel experience is a multichannel strategy that aims to create an integrated and seamless user experience in both online and offline channels related to the buyer’s journey. This could be in sales, marketing, or customer service.

A successful omnichannel marketing experience is when the customer feels like each interaction with your business is a continuance of the previous exchange.

Importance of an Omnichannel Strategy

Although multichannel ecommerce is frequently practiced, truly effective rollouts can be complex. Common struggles businesses encounter are a lack of resources, investments, communication, and even support from upper management. The majority of retailers recognize that adopting an omnichannel marketing strategy is crucial for business success.

These days, customers are using up to 12 channels and devices (compared to two channels 15 years ago) before purchasing something online.

Adopting omnichannel marketing helps you create a consistent experience at every stage of the buyer’s journey, thus improving the likelihood of conversion and customer engagement, as well as longer-term customer loyalty.

Additionally, ecommerce businesses that adopt a multichannel approach observe:

How Omnichannel and Multichannel Ecommerce Are Different

Both omnichannel and multichannel ecommerce are terms used interchangeably. They are similar but somewhat different when it comes to strategy.

As the name suggests, multichannel ecommerce involves the use of multiple channels. Marketers may use each channel differently — tailored, relevant messages for each customer are not guaranteed.

Examples are businesses that use their social channels to cross-post content. What you see on their social media pages is similar to what you’d read in their email newsletters.

On the other hand, omnichannel marketing focuses on personalization and delivering a better customer experience. This ensures customers can quickly and seamlessly navigate between each company touchpoint to make a single purchase.

For example, Starbucks lets you pre-order drinks via its mobile app, and you can then pick up your order at the nearest physical store.

Because customers are the primary focus, every message should be appropriate for each channel and relevant to exactly where the consumer is in their buyer’s journey.

Implementing an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy

Now that you know the difference between omnichannel and multichannel ecommerce, here’s what you can do to implement your omnichannel marketing strategy:

Be Customer-Centric

For your business to deliver a truly superior omnichannel experience, it must fully absorb a customer-centric view from top to bottom. Since the consumer is the focus of omnichannel marketing, it’s essential to know your target audience.

To start, use all existing customer data from your customer relationship management (CRM) software to analyze demographics, behavior, and the different channels your consumers commonly use.

Leverage marketing automation tools for segmentation based on common behavior patterns. Create personalized journeys for each type of customer.

Map the customer journey to determine how you want your consumers to flow across all of your touchpoints.

Find the Right Channels To Prioritize and Design

Creating an omnichannel marketing strategy doesn’t mean taking on too much by executing across every available channel.

It’s ideal to choose the channels most relevant to your audience. Once you’ve decided which channels to join, you increase your chances of creating impactful experiences for your customers.

Because omnichannel campaigns usually involve both offline and online communication channels, it’s crucial to design a responsive website ready for different devices.

Test and Measure Data

Using existing customer data, perform A/B testing on your audience segments and digital channels. Start with simple variables such as email marketing subject lines, calls-to-action (CTAs), or designs. The point of testing is to determine what message or information you’re providing is driving people to take action.

Continue analyzing the data and metrics you collect to improve your business and sales.

Create Relevant Content

Omnichannel marketing is about creating personalized experiences suitable for the channels you choose and not repeating the same message over multiple channels.

Examine the kinds of content your customers are consuming and which part of the buyer’s journey they find most valuable. Make sure your messaging is relevant. Send it to the user on the channel they engage with the most during the most active time.

For multichannel ecommerce, don’t be afraid to experiment with alternative platforms or new features such as buyable content.

Your goal is to optimize the use of channels that lead consumers on a journey that drives them to make a purchase.

Final Thoughts: Omnichannel Marketing Strategies for Ecommerce Stores

Multichannel ecommerce businesses that adopt omnichannel marketing stay ahead of the competition by connecting with customers on their terms.

Getting started with an omnichannel strategy does not have to be daunting. By staying customer-centric, leveraging new and existing data, and continually testing in real-time, ecommerce teams can provide users with a meaningful, seamless experience that converts them into loyal customers.

Choosing a reputable web host for your ecommerce store contributes to a fantastic omnichannel customer experience. Hostdedi’s Managed WooCommerce takes care of all the back end infrastructure, including hosting, security, performance, and most importantly, providing support.

If you ever need help with your online store, you can connect with an expert 24/7/365 to get you online and keep you there.