How to start an online store from scratch in 5 easy steps
If you've ever wanted to be able to work from anywhere and sell at any time, starting an online store has probably crossed your mind. But starting from the ground up can feel like a lot of pressure.
You probably have some questions.
What do I need to start a small online business?
How much does it cost? Can I do it for free?
What are the best e-commerce solutions?
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll answer all the above questions and take you through anything else you may need to know before getting started.
You’ll also learn:
How to start an online store with no money
What business licenses you need to sell products online
How to use SEO and other marketing techniques to get your first sales
Depending on where you live, there may be a legal process you need to go through to start an online store, so let’s start by taking a look at that.
Step 1: Do you need a business license to have an online store?
The first thing you’re going to want to do is to check the legal requirements for opening an online store in your country.
As a business trading within the European Union (and Turkey) you have the right to export and import goods freely. This means that governments may not limit quantities of imports or exports nor restrict trade in any other way. With things changing in the UK, you may want to stay on top of updates on the government website.
You can also use the gov.uk license finder tool to find out if you need to register and apply for a license to sell online.
Once you know what you legally need to do to open an online store, it’s time to take a look at the most important part of your brand – the product.
Step 2: Decide which products you want to sell
If you have an idea for a product to sell online, you’re already halfway there.
If you’re not sure about your product, here are some of the most popular and profitable product types out there:
Clothing
Everyone needs clothes. That being said, it’s a saturated market and you’ll need a way to stand out. If you can find a piece of clothing that can solve a problem your customer’s having, such as low-quality work-wear, your brand will easily take off.
Shoes
Just like clothing, shoes are something everybody has to purchase from time to time. If you’d like to sell shoes online, decide whether you’ll sell mass-produced shoes for a lower price or choose to stock high-end shoes. Also consider specialised shoes like work boots, orthopaedic shoes, or rock-climbing shoes. It’s always good to have a niche.
Online jewellery business
With websites like Etsy allowing anyone to sell jewellery, it’s even harder to be unique. That being said, it’s possible. The best way to build a lucrative online jewellery business is to sell high-end jewellery and offer a customer experience that no one else does.
Regardless of what product you want to sell, you still have to answer the most important question:
How do you set up an online store?
Step 3: Build my own or use an existing solution?
Once you’ve decided what you want to sell online, the next step is figuring out how you'll create your online store. There are a few approaches you could take.
Solution 1: Your own unique platform
Your first thought may be to hire a professional to do everything. If you’re not tech-savvy, this may seem like the only option.
Pros
You don’t need to do a thing.
Someone else takes care of any technical problems.
Cons
It's expensive.
You have little to no input into the way the backend of your store operates.
Many developers use their own solutions, leaving you in the dark and unsure what you’re paying for.
Takeaway: You probably won’t be able to change things without getting that same developer involved.
Solution 2: Use a tool to create your online store
The next option is to use a tool like WooCommerce or Magento. These are products specifically designed for creating an online store, but that’s the extent of what they offer.
You’re in charge of providing hosting, domain names, servers and just about everything else needed to build the foundation of your store. You’re also required to set up analytics to track your store's performance.
Pros
It’s either free or incredibly cheap.
It’s a versatile product.
You’re using the most common and well-known solution in the ecommerce industry.
Cons
You need to have coding skills or know someone that does to start and fix problems.
Requires a lot of time and knowledge to just get started.
Accepting payments isn’t free and fees can add up quickly.
Takeaway: This is a great solution if you have spare time and underlying knowledge. If you don’t, then it’s going to be a time-hungry and expensive option.
Solution 3: Go for the easy option
While the above solutions are viable options, they both have one thing in common... they take up a lot of time. We realise that's time not everyone has, so we've been working hard on bringing you the SumUp Online Store.
Online Store allows you to add your products, business logo, social media links and shipping details in just a few taps. You can keep track of all your orders and payments in one place, and once you share the link to your store with your customers, they'll be able to see everything you offer.
Create a store, share the link, sell your products. All in just a matter of minutes. It's selling online, simplified—with SumUp Online Store.
Step 4: How to create a design-friendly online store
People are visual creatures. That’s why the layout and design of your online store play a huge role in their purchasing decisions. Pictures, shapes and images all work together to create the way that your customers perceive your brand.
When designing an online store, you need to keep a few things in mind:
Don’t overload your website with colours, shapes and images
Keep your colour themes and layout consistent throughout your entire store
Practicality is always more important than looks
That being said, it’s important to put functionality before attractiveness when you buiild your online store.
Why?
Good design allows your customer to find what they're looking for easily.
You can improve your store's design by:
Making things easy to find. A drop-down menu where customers can quickly switch between pages helps a lot with this.
Building your store around your products. As the focal point of any online store, your products should be front and center, as well as easy to scroll through.
Make checkout easy. Don't make your customers click through dozens of menus just to buy one thing.
Step 5: Marketing
Once you’re up and running, you’ll need people to see your product, and there are a lot of ways to help with that.
Here’s a brief list of ways to start marketing your product:
Instagram is a great way to take your product to the world, because it’s based on sharing images. It’s simple, yet incredibly effective and in reach of every business.
Tip: Statistically, we’ve found that people who show their Instagram content on their webpage tend to get their first sale soon and sell more.
SEO
SEO is the art of arranging keywords so that your pages appear at the top of search results. Do your research and learn how to use SEO and keywords to your advantage.
Content marketing
Content marketing works closely with SEO. The most popular form of content marketing is writing a blog that compliments your products.
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing involves approaching people with large social media followings and asking them to review your products. For more insight or to create your store today, check out the SumUp Online Store page
