If you’ve ever thought about selling online or opening up an online version of your brick-and-mortar store, there’s probably a wealth of questions you already have even before you engage the help of an eCommerce specialist.
The most successful online stores have all got one thing in common – usability.
When thinking about an online store, it’s important to remember the end user – your customer, and how they will ultimately benefit from your online store.
Keep it simple and accessible, and you’ll find online retailing can be immensely more profitable than a brick-and-mortar store with fewer overheads and minimal management.
So how do you start?
Look:
First off, find similar sites you like on the net – show these to a potential developer and ask them if they have anything similar in their portfolio already.
Size:
Find out your web developer’s current intake from eCommerce stores – what’s the most profitable online store they’ve built and available references from current clients.
Timeline:
eCommerce is a rapidly expanding part of web design and, as such, changes very quickly – find out how long your store will take to build and prepare to get online as quickly as possible. A reasonable build time is usually between 3-4 weeks from concept to launch.
A good eCommerce specialist will listen to the brief and can help you with everything from hosting and security to developing a full online experience for your customers.
Online marketing and a strong launch are all key elements in online sales, and social media is something that should never be underestimated in a rapidly expanding market.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has confirmed in its 2010 report that 9.6 million Australians are using the internet on a regular basis to enquire about products or services they require – put simply, if you’re not online, that’s 9.6 million Australians, you’re potentially missing out on…
List your web design job.
About author Scott Swinton
As the Studio Director of alta|image, Scott Swinton started off over 12 years ago, graduating in London, England, with a distinction in Print Media/Marketing & Graphic Communications, C&G London, 07 Jun 00.
He then went on to work for some high-profile digital media design companies across Europe, the US and Australia before settling in Brisbane and starting alta|image – a multi-faceted Digital Media Studio incorporating everything from web to print media. We now serve clients remotely all over the world, from Brisbane to Perth and from Texas to Orange County!
Constantly striving to maintain a competitive edge in one of the fastest emerging and ever-changing market-places, alta|image keeps itself and its team members ahead of the game by constantly innovating and upskilling where required from new web design practices and development changes to SEO and online marketing campaigns, and even back to the more conventional changes happening within the print design arena.
