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Starting an eCommerce business is extremely easy but being successful is a whole other story. Like in most sectors, the large majority of people who start an eCommerce business end up failing. They often fail because of mistakes they made, but in most cases, it’s because they lacked preparation and had misconceptions about what it really means to run a successful eCommerce business. This is why you need to make sure that you have a solid foundation before you invest a single dollar in eCommerce if you don’t want to end up losing your time and money. Let’s take a look at a few tips for getting started in eCommerce.
Choose the Right Model
You first need to look at different eCommerce business models and find the right one for you. Learning about the benefits of a model is great, but you need to pay special attention to the drawbacks as well.
A lot of people choose to start with Amazon FBA because the concept is easy to grasp, but they often aren’t aware of how difficult it can be to run this type of business and scale it. This is why we suggest that you learn Amazon FBA business growth strategies before you start and learn how to deal with the extreme competition you can expect to face on the platform.
Dropshipping is another very common model for newcomers, again, because the principle behind it is easy to understand. But those who push dropshipping as a model often omit the headaches that come with this type of business.
One of the biggest challenges with dropshipping is returns, but things can get much worse. Dropshipping gurus don’t like to mention things like payment portal limitations, for instance. This is why you need to do as much research as you can on any model and look for the bad before everything else.
Start Small
Another thing we would suggest is that you try different models and start small at first. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect either. If your goal is to start a complete line of products, start with your main product first and build a single product site. You’ll learn how to handle returns and complaints, customer service, margins, etc. You’ll be able to readjust your strategy or it may show you that this isn’t the right model for you.
Learn About Different Advertising Methods
Learn about as many advertising methods as you can. Don’t assume that online businesses absolutely have to be advertised online either. Using offline marketing tactics such as flyering campaigns that you can track, optimize, and scale with the click of a button, sponsorships or guerilla marketing could bring you much better results than any other online marketing method, so don’t scratch them off. When you explore offline advertising methods, you may discover unconventional yet effective strategies that may yield better results than relying solely on online marketing methods.
As a new business, you should focus on things like SEO, content marketing, pay-per-click marketing, and social media marketing. Display advertising can also work but is hit or miss.
When it comes to eCommerce, PPC is probably the most powerful method you can use followed by SEO and content marketing. PPC allows you to bid on specific keywords and have your ad appear anytime someone searches for a term or is on a site that is related to the keywords.
The beauty of PPC is that you only need to pay when people click on the ads and get to your site. The bad part is that it can get very competitive and if you’re in a tough niche, you might either not be able to find words that are cheap enough for you to turn a profit or have to turn to lesser-known advertising networks with less traffic. Either way, it always pays to learn PPC as an eCommerce business owner, as there’s a strong chance that you’ll be using it at some point.
If you want to be a successful eCommerce business owner, you need to learn as much as you can about the industry first. Only then will you be able to find the best model for you and avoid major mistakes.
This content is a joint venture between our publication and our partner. We do not endorse any product or service in the article.
