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We often advise prospective clients on the theme of starting an online shop or business venture and we strongly believe that part of our
role is to offer the best advice we can based on our experience.
There are many things to consider when opening an online store or launching an eCommerce website,
so in order to help you make an informed decision based on your needs, we have decided to publish
a series of articles aimed at covering some of the main issues. This first part introduces the series and looks at some of the issues
surrounding starting an online shop - although these can apply to many business ventures.
1. Are you ready to start an online shop?
The days when 'easy money' could be made online are long gone, unless of course you are running an e-mail scam! Opening and
running an online shop is hard work - and comparable in many ways to running a bricks-and-mortar business. It can also be expensive and budgeting
appropriately for what you wish to achieve is essential - although the costs (and committments) are generally less than with a physical shop.
When embarking upon any business venture, you should make sure you fully understand the potential costs (both financial and in terms of your time),
and that you have a firm idea of what you wish to achieve.
2. What sort of business are you starting?
Unless you have a truly unique idea/concept, ultimately the only way to succeed is to invest more than your competition do. Investment is generally in
terms of time spent as well as money.
Before embarking upon any venture, you should research the marketplace carefully and ensure there is space for your shop and products - if you are
setting yourself up in competition with one or more large companies, then you must evaluate your chances for success carefully. Will you be able to
create a suitably profitable market niche?
You also need to decide early on if you are aiming to build a full-time business or not - if so, you must allow for the growth of the
business over time, and you will probably want to opt for a higher level of professional assistance. If you are only interested in building a small
online shop, for example to sell something you make (but cannot produce in large quantities), then you should keep this in mind and ensure appropriate
measures e.g. stock control are in place.
3. Researching eCommerce and online shopping
As with everything - do your homework. We are planning to briefly cover a number of topics in this series, although we may return to some of the more
complex ones in further depth in the future.
This series contains the following articles:
Make sure you read up on all these areas, and compile a list of questions - your eCommerce developer or shopping cart provider should be able to
answer all of these - if not - then perhaps you should question your choice of provider!
Got a question, comment or a suggestion for something you'd like to see? »
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