If you have a few friends who make a good living selling products online and you fancy joining them, there’s a lot to take onboard. Unfortunately, it is never a given than an e-store will enjoy success and a lot of research is needed to ensure there is adequate demand for your products, plus you need to invest in SEO and other aspects of digital marketing. You need experienced developers like the ones at WebCitz for your ecommerce website development.
Outsource your IT Needs to a Single Provider
You will need a web designer to put together your e-store and a single provider can:
- Register your domain name.
- Host your website.
- Design & build the platform.
- Provide cyber-security.
- Administrate the website.
Start with a Google search and that should put you in touch with a Bangkok based company than can provide all of the above services.
Third Party Logistics
There is a huge third-party logistics (3PL) sector used specifically by e-commerce and with an efficient stock storage system online, you can manage your order fulfillment. This type of business has the resources to pick, pack and deliver, putting all of your order fulfillment in the hands of an expert. All you have to do is forward orders and your logistics partner does the rest; deliver your products and packaging to their warehouse and you are good to go. This type of business only charges for the services you use and there are no lengthy contracts to bind you; the best way to ensure rapid order fulfillment is to use a 3PL provider.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
This is one service you can’t do without; Google can drive a lot of traffic to your e-store, if the site is ‘Google optimised’ and you need to enlist the services of a leading SEO agency (there are many in Bangkok). Millions of consumers type in their searches on a daily basis and if your e-store is highly ranked, you will enjoy a high volume of traffic. This service needs to be ongoing if you want to retain a high Google ranking; this should dramatically increase sales and it might take a few months for an SEO team to work their magic, but the rewards are high.
Social Media Marketing
This is one area that you should strive to generate a following; Facebook is a very powerful marketing platform that offers many strategies to reach potential customers. Talk to a leading SEO agency and they can formulate a dynamic digital marketing campaign tailored to your business and this will drive traffic to your e-store.
Google Reviews
The online consumer always looks at Google Reviews to understand how trustworthy the store is and with at least a 4.5 score, you will convert a lot of sales, as you have a trusted online reputation from an independent source. The sooner you register your platform with a reputable review organisation, the better.
Focus on the User Experience
The UX is critical with e-commerce and this is something you should be looking to improve continually; Do your pages load fast? Is the site easy to navigate? Do you have live-chat? How many payment gateways do you offer? The answers to questions like these will help you to understand the UX from the consumer’s perspective and improving the experience will ensure high customer retention. Here are a few things that every novice entrepreneur should know.
Managing Supply Chains
If you are selling a lot of products and business is brisk, you need to keep on top of your suppliers, ensuring you always have adequate stock, which resides at your 3PL provider’s warehouse. There are online portals that empower you in so many ways and they are well worth exploring. If you make good use of available technology, you can streamline your business processes and manage everything from your laptop.
Registering the Business
Gone are the days when you could moonlight for a few months and it is very easy to set up an e-commerce business in Thailand, which keeps things legal and above board. You will have to pay minimum tax and hire a local accountant to handle your tax affairs and with some legal advice, your business will have a solid foundation on which to build.
