We probably all thought about it at least once or twice: starting an online shop. I think it is a great idea. So let's take that optimism and start this adventure together, because it may seem simple, but there is always more to it than you might think.
I've been running an online shop on Etsy for almost 3 years now. I've learned a lot in that time and now I would like to share that knowledge with you by taking you along 10 important things to think about when starting an online shop.
1. Product
What are you going to sell? You can't start a shop without thinking about this, if you don't you'll just have a website. It could be anything, but I highly recommend choosing something that lies within your interests. This will help you be motivated to enthusiastically promote your product. Because if you're not excited about your products, why would your customers? So please take your time!
A few examples of ideas that are tied with certain interests:
Horses → horse care products
Music → your own designed guitarstraps
Tanning → beach towels
2. Choosing a salesplatform
Your sales platform is the online space where people can buy your products. You have multiple options to pick from. You can sell your products on existing salesplatforms like Etsy or Amazon or build your own website. Both options have great pro's and con's. Ive written them out for you:
3 years ago I chose to sell my art on Etsy, because they already had a big audience and it had lower start up costs. Their large audience also gave me the chance to lean back while I was getting my degree. You don't have to make a lifelong commitment, you can always pick a new platform. But please don't do that every other year, customers expect consistensy.
3. investing
You will almost rarely be able to start an online shop without any investments at all. You don't have to invest thousands of euros, but a small portion is a great start.
Mt initial investment was around €150,00. With that money I bought art prints, 1 original keychain design, plastic bubble envelops, protective plastic sheets and stickers of my logo.
The amount you're investing is largely influenced by the product. So if your product is more expensive, you can order a lower number. If you happen to sell out immediately you can use the new money to buy more products.
A smaller investment also means taking less risk, because you'll only start earning money once you've passed the 'break-even point'. The break-even point is reached once your revenue is as high as your costs.
4. Shipping
Product shipping, unless you sell a digital product, you will undoubtedly encounter it. Below I ask a series of questions which you can think about.
Will you pay for shipping or your customer?
How many businessdays will it take for you to send the product?
How will you ship your product?
In boxes or envelops?
Is the product fragile?je product breekbaar?
How do you ensure it will arrive unscathed?
What will you do if your product arrives broken?
Can customers return the product or will you give them their money back?
5. Customerservice
Your customers are literally worth gold, so it's your job to act responsibly with their orders. It doesn't have to be super extensive, but their are a few basics your customer would like to know:
Did the order get picked up by the system? → Send a confirmation of the order
When is the order sent? → Confirm that you sent it
When will the order arrive? → Offer tracking or the expected delivery date.
I also recommend giving customers the option to send you a message, in case something happened to their order.
6. sEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATIONS
It does not matter on which platform you sell you product. If you don't use the right keywords you will not be found. If you have no knowledge of SEO you can let ChatGPT help you. But before you do so, think about who you want to attract. This will make AI more useful.
I added a productphoto of mine on the left to give an example. This product isn't simple named "An art print". That term is not specific enough. I use the following name on Etsy: "Y2K Aesthetic Art Print: Retro Vibes with Red, Blue, and Funky Triangle Sunglasses • Glossy Print". It is a mouthful, I know, but its about those keywords. "Y2K" may mean nothing to you, but for the people who do this tag can make a big difference.
7. marketing
There is no way around it, you have to work on marketing if you want to sell you products. Especially if you have your own website. You don't have to make a big and expensive campaign, you can start small with a social media account that mathes with your intended audience.
Tip: You can start to market your products before people can order them!
8. Registered business
Depending on the country where you live you need to register your company. In The Netherlands (where I'm from) we only have to register once we start earning more than €1800 per year. So look into the laws of your country and see if you need to register you shop.
9. Launch online shop
The launch is a date that you decide to open your shop and that is ready to order. Leading up to that date you want to shout it from the mountains that it is coming. It does not matter where. It could be on social media or your immediate environment. A succesful launch will set a precedent for the time to come!
10. gather reviews
Potential customers are more likely to buy a product if other people give it a high rating. Not to mention shops without any reviews always look kind of suspicious. So that is why you need to gather as much reviews as possible after your launch date.
starting an online shop
It is a lot more work in the beginning, but after the initial start you can start to take it slower. Please don't underestimate having an online shop, but also don't let this list scare you but encourage you to be more succesful.
On July 2nd I'll launch the new Y2K art print collection. You can check out my shop by clicking here.
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