Starting a Business, Tips

What Every New E-commerce Website Owner Should Know

Have you just got an online shop up and running? Then now’s the time to invest in your skills as an e-commerce owner.

You never know how popular the shop could get or how long it might take for you to make a real profit, but you can prepare for these eventualities from day one. And when you do, you’ll have a far easier time managing your e-commerce website!

With that in mind, here’s three things to know now and never forget as you build your online shopping portal from the ground up. 

Pexels Image – CC0 Licence

Organic Discovery Takes Time

If people come to your website, rather than you advertising directly in front of them, you can generate organic traffic. This is a very good sign for an online business, as it ensures you’re on the customer’s mind.

That means that you’re placing content right where it needs to be and you’ve got something valuable that a search engine wants to encourage clicks for. That’s a winning combination any e-commerce website is in search of! 

This kind of organic discovery isn’t going to happen overnight – betting on virality marketing isn’t a great idea either! You need time to build up your online presence and start building a small yet loyal customer base. After all, those great reviews you want to showcase on Google aren’t going to come out of nowhere!

You’ll Need to Prioritize Delivery Times

Delivery is something quite a few e-commerce site owners forget about. Sure, you’re going to be picking and packing orders for hours on end once your product listings go live, but it’s just something you’ll have to do as a side task, right? It’s not going to be a difficult thing to manage and keep track of, surely?

This kind of mindset can spell disaster for an e-commerce website. Customers can easily make it from the home page to the checkout, but once their order has been received and you’ve got to send it out, things go haywire! 

Super long shipping times, no way to track the package, and a delivery service that seemingly makes no attempt to actually deliver.  You’ve got to be careful who you work with here; choosing J&J Global Fulfilment or another well-known fulfillment center will make it far easier to get shipments to where they need to be, on time and in good condition, and without damaging your reputation. 

The Checkout Needs to Be Secure

A secure checkout is one that can be trusted. When you’ve got a secure, and clearly secure, checkout on your website, your customers aren’t going to be afraid of losing their details or someone snatching their money in the middle of a transaction. Make sure you’ve guaranteed this before you do anything else; encryption is the name of the game! 

If you’re new to the e-commerce game, use tips like these to make sure you’re on the right side of your customers’ perception. In truth, it’s really not easy running an online business! 

About Kat

Kat is a UC Berkeley graduate who launched her career at San Francisco startups, but her true passion has always been personal finance and the pursuit of early retirement. Since college, she committed to aggressive saving, building up a financial cushion—her "FU money"—to gain independence and take risks. In 2019, at just 24, Kat used her savings to travel the world while building her first business, which continues to thrive today. Through her blog, Cash for Kat, Kat initially documented her travels and entrepreneurial journey. Now, she shares personal finance strategies, business insights, and tips on financial freedom, empowering others to take control of their money and create the life they want.
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