Digital Dreams: Set Up Your Online Shop!

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Setting up shop online has never been timelier. Ecommerce is a growing industry with more and more people taking to the Internet for their shopping fix. Also, starting out has never been easier. There are so many platforms and information out there for you to utilize while preparing to sell online.

Forrester is projecting online retail sales to reach $370 billion by 2017, up from $231 billion in 2013 — a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years. Bringing your business to the Internet means that you are placing your business where the growth of consumer activity and spending will be.

So what’s holding you back? If you don’t know where to start, here are some ideas:

1. Pick your Domain

Your domain name should not only represent you, it should also be easy to remember. Make sure you pick a domain name and find a great web address.. Retention is everything, so make it memorable. Stick to the popular extensions like .com and .net, these are trusted and reliable domain name choices for online businesses. As a small business, it’s beneficial to choose a domain extension customers know and trust so you can leverage its credibility for your businesses.

2. Setup an Internet Merchant Account and Payment Provider

Modes of Payment are the biggest consideration of any client. After all, it doesn’t matter how much of a bargain you get for an amazing find. If a buyer feels like the means of payment are questionable on a site, the buyer will back out.  Having a merchant account to organize your payments securely is a priority. Contact your bank to learn how to establish a payment service provider (PSP) or “payment gateway”. Additionally, the majority of shoppers also prefer multiple payment options, so consider an interface with a third party payment service like PayPal. This link provides more information: http://vrsn.cc/1s4l5rj

3. Choose the Right eCommerce Platform

Selling items online has been made easy by the countless platforms online. My best friend and I have actually explored many of them before arriving at a couple of platforms – Instagram and Etsy. Having a few platforms supporting each other on top of a website can help you grow your web presence and increase both your credibility and market. It is also easy to set up and in many cases, potential customers are easy to tap. Even websites can be easily made without the help of a designer. You just need to brave the technical side of things, but trust me, building a website is very doable!

4. Present Your Product Well

Write product descriptions and use high resolution images in your website. Take your cue from your own favorite online shops and make sure to keep a couple things in mind: be detailed and be organized. Make it easy for your buyers to really know what the product is about. Organize your items into categories so that they are easy to find.

These are some basic and important things to start with, but there are many more to learn. If you want to learn more you can check outhttp://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/domain-names/online/index.xhtml, or you can email us at editor@mscareergirl.com. One the simplest things to get over your start up fears is to give your dreams a bit of an informed motivational push! If you want to try it out just make sure you learn something in every step of the way so no time is wasted. After all, that’s what being an entrepreneur is about – having the courage to dive in, and the wisdom to take a lesson from everything along the way.