When looking at launching an online retail store, the main focus is normally on the product, its marketability, profit margins, etc. However, even when all of these have been properly dealt with, there are other elements that can make or break your business. We take a look at a few of these below.

The right hosting platform

“Every aspiring “webprenuer” understands the importance of the webhost to their success so they choose the best possible webhost company they can find, likeUK Best Web Hosting. However, for online retailersit goes deeper than just picking any webhost. You need to determine if you should use private cloud, public cloud, go for a company with easy installation of Magento, and so on.  A blogger that is affected by their choice of hosting can recover from its effects relatively easily, but an online retailer may not have recovered from lost orders, negative online feedback, and other challenges, months down the line.

Here is a good article on choosing the right hosting for your online retail store.

Site monitoring

You need to determine beforehand how you will keep tabs on the traffic that comes to your sites and the conversions that follow. Google Analytics is one of the best ways to achieve this. There are other options but Google Analytics is highly robust. Here is a link for  information on how you can bring Google Analytics in to your site.

Newsletter

The average online consumer has a lot competing for their attention. Therefore, if you want them to remember your business, you need to find a way to constantly remind them about your brand. The newsletter is one of the best ways to achieve this. Subscribers to the letter are people that want to continue hearing from you. This group offers the strongest conversion possibilities so you should offer discounts and promos once in a while.  A good tip is to give them the option of subscribing to a weekly newsletter or daily newsletter.  Here is more about offering discounts and promos.

Social media

The social media platforms are the first place many people will hear of your business. You need to get going on the major ones as fast as possible!

Site backup

Of course, every web owner knows the importance of backups, but, as an online retailer, the stakes are higher. A blogger will only lose content but you will lose content, potential customers, potential sales and even existing customer details. Backups protect you from technological catastrophes. Plugins like Vaultpress and Backupbuddy are useful if your site is hosted on WordPress.

Shipping

Shipping options can hinder the progress of your business or enhance the flow of orders.  Customers are always on the lookout for better shipping options so you need to decide what’s favourable for your target demographic, or they will simply move to eBay or Amazon! Will you offer free shipping after a minimum purchase price is reached? Will you offer free shipping to everyone and factor it into the price of goods?

Announcement and launch

You need to gain the attention of as many people as possible when you launch so you should carefully plan your initial announcement and launch. Good ideas include a press releases backed up by site-wide discounts or contests.

With these tips, you can be sure to hit the ground running with your online retail business, and then continue to pull in the customers.