The most accessible option for an individual to run their own business without any of the business knowledge is to create an online retail shop.
Indeed, if you can organise your workflow through an automatic digital solution and find a way to outsource both storage and shipping processes, it’s fair to say that a retail business can run itself while you can focus your attention on other things.
For young entrepreneurs who want to generate regular income while they work or while they are still studying, it’s the ideal solution!
However, even though e-commerce businesses appear manageable and straightforward, their performance can be diminished by costly mistakes.
Your processes are too expensive
When the e-commerce shop serves as a self-employment platform, it’s essential that the business owner understand the importance of keeping costs low.
There is no need to look for affordable warehouse facilities, for instance, if you are not using your e-commerce business as a way to sell your own items.
Indeed, if you decide to find a niche and sell to grow income strategically, then your decisions need to be cost-driven.
You can replace your warehouse by selecting a dropshipping solution, where the stock is held and shipped directly by your supplier. This reduces the risk of upfront costs.
You fail to track customer profiles
Customer profiling enables entrepreneurs to not only define who their ideal customer is, but also to monitor the interactions of each customer.
Using a customer relationship management tool – aka a CRM tool which you can get from this Dynamics 365 Partner – lets you identify patterns in the shopping habits of your customers.
A customer who buys a lot of seasonal items, for instance, would be interested in receiving the latest offer per email.
Similarly, a customer who returns their items needs informative content to guide them in how to pick the right size, colour, pattern, etc. Without a CRM system, your business misses too many opportunities!
Your offers are not appealing
Offers are useful to boost your revenues and encourage sales from customers who wouldn’t have purchased otherwise. However, an offer that fails to seduce customers misses the point. Be sure to understand that dropping prices doesn’t increase sales.
Online customers are savvy and want the best value. In other words, making it cheaper doesn’t work if you can’t convince your audience that it’s the best item they’ll find on the market.
Not only do you need to bring an element of scarcity but the item should also be relevant to your audience.
You play hard to catch
Last, but not least, with the increase of click-to-buy apps, digital users expect quick and simple transaction steps. What they don’t expect is to be forced to create an account to buy online.
They want to purchase as a guest – the option ‘continue as a guest’ can increase your sales by 40%. They also want accessible and practical payment methods.
Paypal and card payments are two obvious choices. But more and more online retailers are also adding cryptocurrency payments.
The secret of a profitable e-commerce business lies in its practicality. From easy shipping solutions to simple payment methods, the key to success is to maintain smooth and effective processes.
