How to Sell Online: The What, Where and How of Running an Ecommerce Business

There aren’t many items you can’t purchase online in the COVID-19 and Amazon era. At the touch of a button, you can have groceries, furniture, wedding dresses, cars, and more transported to your house.

The U.S. had 263 million digital buyers in total in 2021, and by 2025, that number is expected to increase to 291.2 million, making online buying the standard rather than just a luxury.

And if you’re an entrepreneur in a cutthroat industry, you’ve probably already felt the effects of this digital upheaval, and you might be considering putting some money on the line.

But it’s not always as simple as it sounds to sell online. Starting an online business might seem particularly frightening, even for experienced business owners, because of the challenges presented by the competitive ecommerce market, such as picking which products to offer and which ecommerce platform to use.

Even so, there are numerous advantages to selling online, including cross-border transactions, access to new clients, increased flexibility, and scalability.

But where do you even begin?

In order to help you start your own online business, we’ll cover the what, where, and how of selling online in this post.

Essential Components of an Online Store

Of course, you can’t just put a product online and hope your business takes off if your goal is to grow sales and earn money; you’ll need to lay some foundational work first.

A successful business relies on producing quality goods, but there are other aspects of running an online store that shouldn’t be ignored. Here, we’ll focus on the most crucial ones to help you get going in the right direction.

Brand name.

Choosing the correct brand name may make or ruin your company because first impressions matter.

No matter how fantastic your product is, a name that people will forget runs the danger of becoming lost in the crowd. However, a memorable, intriguing brand name has the power to captivate your target market and draw them to your website.

A brand name can often be thought of as the narrative of your company. It communicates your company’s mission, core principles, and what you can provide for clients. Customers will consequently frequently connect your brand name with your goods and how it makes them feel.

We so firmly link brand names with the products they stand for that even trademarked brand names like Kleenex, Chapstick, and Band-Aid are frequently used to denote any brand in a specific product category.

Here are five quick methods to creating a catchy brand name:

Create a list of potential names by writing them down and discussing them with the important stakeholders.

Keep it short, basic, and positive, and use language that are both clear and evocative.

Make a statement and check to see if your name sounds similar to any of your rivals’.

Avoid using fashionable buzzwords; instead, go with a name that is ageless and classic.

Pick a name that will sound and look well in your domain name, slogans, and logos.

Website design.

Your brand identity should be recognisable and consistent throughout the whole buyer journey, from the landing page to the buying cart. The aesthetic aspects of your website, such the name of your business, will have a big impact on how visitors view you. Prospective buyers are likely to first notice your website design before even viewing your items, so it’s critical that it delivers the message you want to get through.

When asked what visual components they appreciate most on an e-commerce website, customers responded with images, color, and video, in that order, according to Top Design Firms. If so, your company should put a higher priority on taking high-quality product photos and selecting a color scheme before thinking about other features like videos, typography, animation, etc.

Unfortunately, setting up an online store may be a challenging task for a business owner with little design expertise. In reality, 60% of designers claim to work on a website for 11 to 40 hours before their clients can publish it.

The good news is that some e-commerce systems provide easy-to-use website themes and templates that let retailers personalize their storefront without having to do it themselves. BigCommerce, for instance, has a wealth of both free and paid design themes, organized by industry and type of product collection, so that retailers can quickly and easily create a stunning store.

Marketing.

You can get a head start by marketing your brand to start drawing a consistent stream of clients even before your business launches.

Utilizing numerous sales channels to build a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints is one of the greatest marketing strategies. You’ll be able to spread the word about your brand before clients even see your goods by using tools like email newsletters, paid advertising, and SEO skills.

For example, using social media to sell your brand ought to be obvious. Publish connections to your online store on your Facebook Business Page or Instagram profile while highlighting new product listings or users of your products.

Social media marketing is a fantastic way to interact with your audience, and many social media networks even let you sell things directly from your profile. We’ll go into more detail on how to sell on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media platforms in a later section.

Shipping and fulfillment.

You’ll need to have a strategy in place for how to determine shipping costs and deliver goods to clients on time unless your company just sells digital goods.

Compare prices from the USPS, UPS, and FedEx as well as any other providers in your area if your business is based in the US. Select the shipping company that best fits your needs in terms of price and service, then figure out the right shipping prices to charge your consumers.

Although it’s nice to provide free delivery, keep in mind that you’ll need to cover the expense and possibly factor the cost into the price of your products. Use real-time shipping company rates as an alternative so that you don’t under or overcharge the customer.

What Type of Products You Can Sell Online

While the aforementioned elements are all necessary for a successful internet strategy, they are all useless without a fantastic product to back them up.

You must choose the things you want to offer before you start thinking about the layout and user experience of an online store, or even the name of your business. This choice is a strategy in and of itself because it will affect all future business decisions.

There are two types of things you can offer, commoditized products and specialized products, regardless of the industry you are in. Let’s examine their differences and determine which is more appropriate for your company.

Commoditized products.

Commoditized goods and services might be tangible or digital and include necessary, in-demand, or well-liked items. Most internet sales are of these items, which are necessities for everyone. Consider any product you purchase from Walmart or Amazon that is backed by a well-known brand, such as food, toothpaste, golf clubs, clothing, kids’ toys, etc.

How to Choose What to Sell On Your Ecommerce Website

All of us aspire to grow into the next major business, much like some of the most well-known D2C companies of the present. But the reality is that it’s challenging to come up with new concepts in today’s oversaturated industry.

You’re in luck since we’ve put together a product brainstorming checklist to assist you in finding your inner entrepreneur.

Find a problem that needs to be solved.

“We wouldn’t have been able to come up with a good idea if we had tried. To solve a problem in your own life, all you have to do is look within. ― Brian Chesky, one of Airbnb’s co-founders

It’s crucial to consider issues in your personal life while coming up with ideas for a product or service.

Olympic gymnastics coach Kyle Kirkpatrick wanted to play music while working with his athletes. The warning? Having headphones that he could use while sprinting or executing flips on the trampoline and that would stay in place.

Spoiler alert: Kirkpatrick was able to turn what was once a minor inconvenience into a genius business concept with the creation of Decibullz.

He was successful because he was able to identify an issue and quickly find a solution.

Your service or product doesn’t have to be a massive undertaking to be extremely effective; it can be fairly straightforward.

Several other areas can also present product opportunities:

enhanced product attributes.

a fresh market that your rivals haven’t yet explored.

distinctive marketing and product positioning.

The cosmetics and skincare company Bliss took a popular product, enhanced it while seizing an untapped market potential, and then launched it with distinctive positioning.

Bliss started out as a contemporary spa in New York City in 1996. By introducing innovative goods to the market and fostering a sense of community with their clients, they aimed to transform skincare.

Where Can You Sell Online?

The most astute companies recognize that diversification is essential to success and compare themselves to a stock portfolio. This will enable you to augment your e-commerce business with numerous cash streams.

In addition, shoppers in the present era frequently don’t care where their purchases will be made. This means that many buyers just care about convenience when choosing where to shop — whether it’s Amazon or your e-commerce site.

Simply said, you risk losing the transaction to a rival that has better diversified if you aren’t selling across multiple channels.

Here is all the knowledge you need to increase your sales and diversify your sources of income.

Selling on Facebook.

With around 3.45 billion monthly active users, Facebook offers enormous opportunity for expanding abroad and utilizing new audiences. The platform has recently evolved into a hub for ecommerce firms in addition to being a place for friends and family to communicate online.

Customers may interact with your brand and even make purchases right from your Facebook Business Page using Facebook Marketplace. Facebook Shops are completely customisable and mobile-friendly, and you can import an existing product inventory or establish a new one on the site.

After they see your page, Facebook promotes your company by showing products based on the customer’s individual tastes and search history, providing them with a tailored shopping experience.

When a consumer is prepared to purchase your product, they may do so either through the Facebook platform itself or by being directed back to the checkout page on your e-commerce website. Additionally, you can get in touch with the client via Facebook Messenger if necessary to respond to inquiries and provide assistance.

Selling on Tiktok.

TikTok, a more recent participant in the social commerce game, has evolved into much more than just a platform for sharing brief videos. TikTok is becoming a viable option for online purchasing because to its product links, advertising, and LIVE shopping features.

Many of TikTok’s social commerce features, according to eMarketer, have so far been concentrated on product advertisements that show up as native videos on users’ For You feeds. Users can click the “Shop Now” button located beneath each advertisement to be taken straight to the retailer’s online store where they can finish their purchase.

Additionally, brands now have the opportunity to create a shoppable storefront on TikTok by using the Shopping tab. Users of TikTok may now add the Shopping page to their company profiles, allowing them to sync their static product inventory and enable in-app purchases for their clients.

As a result of BigCommerce’s partnership with TikTok, retailers can now link their online store to their TikTok profile, increasing user engagement and spreading the word about their items.

Selling on Instagram.

With 1 billion active users and 70% of consumers turning to Instagram for product discovery, it’s reasonable to conclude that this is one of the most successful social media platforms available.

Instagram is the ideal platform for showcasing glossy marketing graphics because of its attention-grabbing photos, stories, and videos. Instagram is a fantastic social media network for generating traffic and conversions because it offers photo, video, and user-generated content opportunities.

A Facebook business profile, which connects your Facebook Shop to Instagram, is all you need to set up Instagram Shopping. After that, you may upload a product catalog and start giving each item a product tag. You’ll be able to do this to make posts that can be easily purchased from the platform.

Selling on Pinterest.

When compared to other social media sites, where a user’s or brand’s influence may be more significant, Pinterest enables business owners to spend more of their attention into creating excellent products and less into establishing their own reputations. In actuality, 77% of weekly Pinterest users have found a new business or product.

Initially, Pinterest was created as a platform to assist users in discovering ideas for many facets of their lives, including home design, exercise, and fashion. However, Pinterest started allowing a select group of firms to put a “Buy” button to their pins in 2015, and soon after, this option was made more broadly available to other brands. Using Pinterest for Business, businesses can make Product Pins that let customers save items straight to their personal boards and display the most recent pricing and stock information. Alternatively, if the customer is prepared to buy, they can touch on the Product Pin, which will take them to the product page on the retailer’s website.

The Final Word

Thoughts are wonderful, how they are carried out is what really counts. The remaining chapters of this manual will provide vital tactics and ideas for launching your business online.

It’s now time to build your online store, decide which things you’ll sell, and begin promoting your website.

But selecting an e-commerce platform is one of the most crucial choices you can make, and BigCommerce is our recommendation.

BigCommerce, a top Open SaaS ecommerce platform for mid-market and enterprise brands, provides headless functionality, integrates with the biggest online marketplaces, including Google Shopping, Amazon, Facebook, eBay, and Instagram, and offers more than 65 different international payment gateway options.

Try out our 15-day free trial to learn more about the advantages of selling online with BigCommerce, or look through our case studies to learn how other BigCommerce merchants have been successful selling online.

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