The business idea of opening your own online store lies, as they say, on the surface. Almost every one of us uses the services of online stores, because it is convenient and does not take much time.
What is the main advantage of a business idea for opening an online store?
1) The growing popularity of online stores is associated not only with an increase in the number of users, but also with the fact that in an online store you can choose a product slowly, compare it with other products, read reviews of other buyers about it. That is, such a store undoubtedly has advantages over an off-line store.
2) In addition, an online store does not require such costs when opening it.
No premises are required, no warehouses are required, no need to stockpile goods, hire staff, organize security, and so on.
The main myths of the business idea of an online store
Many perceive the opening of an online store as an easy and practically free process. However, this is not the case.
Online stores are of two types:
1) In the first case, they are a «showcase» of the goods of a real store.
In this case, only the processing and distribution of orders are added to the usual trading business processes. Everything else has already been worked out.
2) In the second case, the online store is an independent enterprise and all business processes must be organized independently.
After all, the placement of product descriptions and the acceptance of orders are only the “tops” of the trading process. And there are also “roots” that many people forget about. It will not be possible to organize an online store without leaving home. The goods need to be purchased somewhere, and then packed and sent to customers, tracking the payment and delivery processes.
However, as a start-up business, the online store, perhaps, occupies one of the first places in terms of accessibility and reality of implementation.
The main steps towards opening an online store
1) Before opening the Internet, you need to determine the range of goods that you will trade. D
To do this, we advise you to conduct a small marketing research on opening an online store in order to calculate in advance the initial costs and ongoing costs. After all, it is almost inevitable that you will have to spend money to maintain the work of your project.
2) In addition, you should immediately decide on the ways to send orders to consumers.
You can send cash on delivery orders through Russian Post offices. This allows you to shift the cost of delivery to customers and not deal with the calculation of the cost of sending in each individual case. However, in the case of cash on delivery, you will have to divert money for the purchase of goods, since you will receive payment for the goods only after it is received by the client.
If you want to purchase goods with funds received in advance, then you need to receive the entire amount from the client in advance, including the cost of delivery, and this cannot always be calculated accurately, since the weight of the parcel is unknown.
3) Perhaps the organization of logistics is the most difficult part of implementing the business idea of an online store, however, having built it correctly, you can further develop your business almost unlimitedly, as large online stores do.
And then, having started your own business from scratch, you can devote your whole life to it, ensuring a comfortable existence for yourself and your family.