Times change, desires change. In addition to the effects on public health, the new coronavirus has had a strong impact on the way goods and services are bought and sold.
With the shops closed, consumers and traders have found the perfect way to reconcile the social and economic hardships of confinement by moving online. The potential of this "shopping centre of the future" is enormous, come and discover it with us.
Why have an online business?
The growing migration of customers to e-commerce This made the conversion or opening of online shops to accommodate this new consumer profile more visible and essential.
The data doesn't lie. Since the first State of Emergency was decreed in the country, sales on the online channel have increased considerably, namely 162% in April compared to the same month in 2019, according to the study carried out by the knowledge solution REDUNIQ Insights.
Only in the area of retailComparing April 2020 with the same period last year, online sales in retail shops saw increases of 241% in turnover and 25% in the average ticket (average amount spent on each transaction), respectively, from 90.24€ to 112.73€.
If the consumer's choice is online, the way forward for businesses, existing or planned, cannot be any different. Greater convenience, greater reach, greater speed, greater availability (the online shop can operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), lower costs and greater ease in measuring the most important data relating to your customers in order to improve aspects of marketing and communication, are some of the reasons that, added to the figures presented in the previous paragraph, make online business the best choice. e-commerce a good business solution.
The outlook is good, but one question is of decisive importance: how do you create a sales website?
How do I create an online shop?
Start sell online is easy, quick and, if the whole process is well managed, can bring significant gains to the business, but it doesn't just happen at the snap of a finger. There are many issues to pay attention to:
1 - Carry out prior market research
When we open a business, we need to do some market research to understand what's trending at the moment and what could make a difference in order to attract a lot of customers straight away. Find your place with the consumer.
2 - Select a domain and register it
The domain name is the word that identifies your website on the Internet. If the expression you want to use in your domain already exists, try putting it with or without a hyphen. After this step, all you have to do is register your domain. Check the DNS website to see if the domain is available and find organisations to register it through a quick Google search.
3 - Optimising or creating a website for e-commerce
First of all, you'll have to create an online sales site, if the company doesn't have a digital extension, or optimise the online shop for e-commerce. It's important that the platform you choose to create your online shop is simple, intuitive and unconsciously directs your customers to buy your products. Simplicity and usability should also be extended to e-commerce payment methods and logistics.
These three worlds are synthesised in REDUNIQ's business partners who help entrepreneurs enter the world of online sales. Taking WeasyIn a simple way, this company provides digital entrepreneurs with a multi-channel sales platform (social networks, website, marketplaces, etc.) that suits the needs of the business and comes with, among other things, integration of payment solutionsGoogle shopping (the business is present in millions of Google searches), mobile shop app and "buy button" to sell your products outside your online shop by implementing this buy button on other sites, landing pages, blogs or adverts.
What's more, this platform makes it easy to create articles and edit topics, which is excellent for working on SEO (search engine optimisation) - a set of strategies aimed at boosting and improving a website's positioning on the natural results pages of search engines.
4 - Set up simple and secure e-commerce payments
There are currently two online payment solutionsintermediaries and gateways.
The first, of which PayPal is the best known, are responsible for making the connection between the consumer, the shop's website, the bank and the credit card operator and for carrying out the purchase process.
Basically, the system is responsible for liaising with financial institutions, taking care of the security of customer data and ensuring that the amounts received are passed on to the seller of the product or service provider. For purchases made through credit cardThe intermediary will analyse the limit available with the operator and if, for any reason, the client fails to honour the debt, the intermediary will absorb the loss.
The e-commerce paymentUnlike an intermediary, it is a more complete solution. In the long term, this becomes the ideal, professional and advantageous solution because your customers won't go to another page; the entire purchasing process takes place on your website. Due to the simplicity of the process, the number of sales tends to rise.
In this option, you will need to request a solution from a media organisation. e-commerce payment to implement on your website.
As we mentioned in the previous tip, the Weasy has established a partnership with REDUNIQ. This union integrated into the platform proposed by Weasy the REDUNIQ@Payments payment solutions e E-Commerce developed by REDUNIQ specifically for e-commerce and which now, in the case of @Payments, also allows for sell by WhatsApp.
Whilst REDUNIQ@Payments allows businesses to sell online (with or without a website) in a secure way (it comes with integrated 3D secure technology) and accept card payments easily, even if sales are made via social networks. E-Commerce solution makes it possible to pay for services (issuing Multibanco references), accept online payments with cards (Visa, Mastercard and American Express), PayPal and even analyse the sales made.
Choosing between one and two payment methods will suffice.
5 - Innovate quickly in line with new consumer needs and habits
In addition to reviewing your product/service portfolio, new customer needs create innovation opportunities for your business. Don't focus on defensive actions. Observe. Some changes in behaviour and consumption are likely to persist beyond the pandemic and many sectors will resurface to new market realities. It's too early to say for sure which new habits will emerge and which will remain in the long term, but it's important to keep an eye on the increase in online consumption of, among others, food, clothing, beauty and health products and services, and home office.
6 - Self-management and Dropshipping
Self-management is an important tool, especially given the technologies that facilitate integration between channels, services and customer recognition. All so that there can be an interaction between the consumer and the brand, regardless of the moment and point of contact. The aim is to consolidate and connect the scattered records that may exist on the same person, originating from different systems, creating unique identities and unified experiences.
To the already innovative concept e-commerceRecently, another has joined the online sales paradigm: dropshipping. Dropshipping allows various online businesses to use third-party stock to make their sales, commercialising products that don't physically pass through them. Using this system, the online shop sells the product and sends the order to the supplier. The supplier, in turn, sends the product directly on behalf of the shop to the end customer. The dropshipping online shop is thus an intermediary in this process, being responsible for displaying and publicising the product, transferring all stock management and shipping to the supplier with the profit margin resulting from the difference between the amount charged by the supplier and the price advertised by the shop to customers on its website. This system could be particularly useful if you don't have a large stock of products in your company or if you want to reconfigure the type of product you sell.
7 - Visual identity
Aimed more at new online businesses, although those who already have a digital presence can take a few pointers here, the visual identity of your shop should be appealing. Just like in a physical business, the windows and products should be organised, the promotions highlighted and the space itself looking clean and without "visual noise". So, on the home page of your site, line up the components: the header (with your logo and brand name), the menu (with the categories and search bar), the content area (with banners, as well as launches and promotions) and the footer (with extra information about the business, such as buttons for social networks, FAQ etc).
8 - Working on SEO and Content Marketing
This is the time to respond to the needs of your target audience by providing valuable coronavirus-related content, regardless of your business area. Invest in Digital Marketing, working on SEO and promoting useful content for people.
9 - Invest in email marketing campaigns and optimise your presence and communication on social networks
Once you've created content aimed at your target audience, you need to disseminate it effectively. Email marketing is a good way to reach consumers and publicise your business.
More than a sales channel, social networks are acquisition channels. So if you want to sell well, you can't just publish your products, you have to create content. The ideal is to publish content that your audience can relate to: exercise, healthy recipes, crafts, etc.
Adjust your social media communication and your digital marketing strategy to meet the demands of each moment.
10 - Home deliveries
You can use the Post Office or, alternatively, deliver the products that customers have purchased through your website directly to their homes. In the latter case, specify on your website and social media the hygiene precautions of those who will handle and take the parcel home, how it will be delivered and the deadline. The focus on hygiene and prevention recommendations is of paramount importance.
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