{"id":517,"date":"2020-08-20T00:25:36","date_gmt":"2020-08-19T18:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.createagile.com\/blog\/?p=517"},"modified":"2021-04-20T22:24:20","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T16:54:20","slug":"open-the-ecommerce-side-of-your-retail-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.createagile.com\/blog\/open-the-ecommerce-side-of-your-retail-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"Open the eCommerce side of your retail operations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting into business requires an entrepreneurial spirit. Staying in business requires adaptability, communication, attention to your market\u2019s preferences, and much more. Luckily, those things come naturally to those with an entrepreneurial spirit.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no handbook for good business and no set list of dos and don\u2019ts. Every industry is a little bit different, which is exactly why skills like problem-solving and critical thinking are so highly valued. In recent years, the impact eCommerce has had on retail has been profound. More and more shoppers are buying online, and eCommerce businesses are often able to remain in operation when brick and mortar retail locations cannot.<\/p>\n

That makes eCommerce a highly viable, competitive, and profitable avenue for your organization to take, especially if you already run a retail operation. While some might be turned off to the perceived difficulties of starting up an eCommerce store, the truth is that it is likely easier than you think.<\/p>\n

Not only will launching an eCommerce operation as another facet of your business be beneficial as a preparedness plan to fortify it against uncertainty but if you are already running a business, some of the legwork is done for you. Consider the following:<\/p>\n

You Already Know Your Target Market<\/h3>\n

While it\u2019s easier for some than others to create an eCommerce website design for a web store, consider the fact that if you already run a brick and mortar business, you\u2019ve already gotten some of the hardest parts of launching a business out of the way. In the first place, you already know your customers. You may even know your customers on a personal level.<\/p>\n

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Even if not, you know who shops at your store and who shops for your products and why. Most of the marketing research has been done for you in real time. You know what markets you serve, the different demographics that target your business and the reasons why they shop at your business instead of elsewhere. That\u2019s one of the first things you\u2019ll need to identify when opening a business.<\/p>\n

You Already Know What You Sell<\/h3>\n

In addition to having already built acquaintanceship with many of your customers, you will also know what products you sell and even what prices you charge. For some businesses, opening an online store to continue business in the face of adversity can be nearly as simple as \u2018copying and pasting\u2019 your products onto a platform and opening up for business.<\/p>\n

You won\u2019t need to develop any products, just offer them for sale through an online portal, collect payments and ship them \u2013 which is the next part of this.<\/p>\n

You Already Collect Payment<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>There\u2019s more for which you\u2019re already semi prepared. If you already operate a business, then you are already collecting payments for your goods and services, and you are probably even collecting payments through many gateways. Sure, you can\u2019t collect cash online, but many eCommerce platforms make it easy to collect payments through credit cards, PayPal and much more.<\/p>\n

One thing you will need to hammer out is how to ship your products to your customers, but that\u2019s something we\u2019ll address shortly. The point is that much of the work has already been done for you \u2013 you just need to roll your business into the online world. Doing so can help insulate you from economic downturns like the one we\u2019re facing now as a result of these quarantines, and it will help better prepare you for similar future situations.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at some of the ways turning to eCommerce can benefit your brick and mortar store, even if it\u2019s only as a safeguard against situations like the one we\u2019re facing now.<\/p>\n

Pick the Right Platform for Your eCommerce Website Design<\/h3>\n

There are many platforms out there that can be used to build an eCommerce store, and each of them has its benefits and drawbacks. There\u2019s no one single way that will work for every business. You\u2019ll have to know your needs as a business in order to pick the right platform for an eCommerce venture.<\/p>\n

Depending on your level of technical expertise, you can consider setting up a WordPress website that offers your business some functionality as an eCommerce store. Keep in mind, however, that if you\u2019re going to use WordPress to build an eCommerce facet of your business, you\u2019ll need plugins to enable you to sell through the site. You\u2019ll also need to have some development experience in order to build out a custom store. There are templates you can use, but if you want to diverge from that, you\u2019ll have to do the legwork. You\u2019ll also have to host your website, so you\u2019ll need to keep that in mind.<\/p>\n

One viable option that you can take if you\u2019re interested in creating a WordPress website as an alternative to some other (potentially) more costly alternatives is to use it primarily as a medium for communication. For example, you could limit the number of plugins you need to include with your store if you direct your customers to place orders with you over the phone and then come to your store to pick them up. That would cut out payment channels, since you could use those on which you rely in your store, and it would cut out the need for logistical arrangements.<\/p>\n

A WordPress site that advertises your products, prices and stock labels and encourages customers to contact you to place orders might seem like a throwback measure, but it is still a great way to boost customer engagement all the same \u2013 and it will enable you to keep selling when there are restrictions in place.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why many businesses with WordPress sites use it more as a lead generation website or for communicating news and specials to customers. It\u2019s perfectly serviceable if you\u2019re willing to put in the time and effort for development and support, but there are other options where most of the legwork is done for you.<\/p>\n

To that end, you can use your WordPress site solely as a means of communication, even if you don\u2019t sell directly through it. As you will already have built a loyal customer base that will more than likely be eager to keep up with your news, you can fill them in on the latest through current blogs, announcements and emails associated with a WordPress site. It isn\u2019t categorically eCommerce, but it does support operations and it is one way to keep in touch with your customers during times like these.<\/p>\n

Launch a Magento, BigCommerce, or Shopify Website for eCommerce Operations<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re willing to pay for the fees associated with some SaaS platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce or Magento you\u2019ll find there is a whole lot of custom functionality associated with them, and we mean a lot. They\u2019re designed to be just about as scalable as you could hope for, able to support the smallest online retail operations and the largest international enterprises. They\u2019re also wildly easy to use and highly customizable.<\/p>\n

For example, you can sign up for one of these platforms, organize your site and enter the products you want to sell, choose the payments you want to sell, and be open for business that day. It offers you the convenience of accepting payment gateways like credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay and many more. They handle payment processing and security as well.<\/p>\n

You can layout the website however you decide and they\u2019re even compatible with a wide range of apps that you might find very useful if you decide to grow your online business. In addition, Shopify and BigCommerce in particular have powerful inventory management tools that can come in useful for you when you need to start managing inventory digitally.<\/p>\n

As we stated, you already know what you sell and the customers to whom you sell, along with an existing inventory. All you would need to take care of that wouldn\u2019t be accounted for is shipping. Since you already run a store, drop shipping isn\u2019t practical, but it\u2019s easy to set up shipping through both Shopify and BigCommerce. You can fairly easily print your own labels and ship through carriers like the USPS, UPS or DHL \u2013 though other options exist.<\/p>\n

At CreateAgile, we are proud to offer you expert development and design services so you can build the perfect online store that is brand integrated and offers a perfect user experience; but our team has also created guides on How to Build a Shopify Store and How to Start on BigCommerce. Check out these guides on how to get a store, built on these platforms, off the ground. We even created videos for your benefit that you can use to help kick start an online venture if you need to get one up and running.<\/p>\n

Set up Order Online, Pick up in Store or Curbside Options<\/h3>\n

In addition to launching a wholesale eCommerce venture, if you don\u2019t have existing supply chain infrastructure to ship your products to clients is to offer pick-up in store or curbside pick-up as a part of the purchase. These are tactics that real retail operations are using right now that are helping to bolster their sales despite the fact that they can\u2019t continue business as usual. It would also liberate you from the need to deal with shipping. In essence, it would be one of the purest and least complicated ways to convert your retail business to eCommerce sites. Really, the only thing that would be shifting would be point of sale. In this model, they can see your inventory in real time online as opposed to in store, and the point of sale would be shifting to online.<\/p>\n

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None of this is to suggest that you don\u2019t need some developmental expertise when it comes to building a successful online business, even if it is only a complement to your brick and mortar retail operations. At CreateAgile\u00a0we specialize in crafting successful custom designs for our eCommerce clients, and if you need help converting some of your operations to the online sphere, give us a call. Our eCommerce development services can take your model to the next level, especially if you decide to pursue eCommerce with greater devotion once you see how it can complement your business.<\/p>\n

Opening up an online side to complement your brick and mortar retail operation is not a catch-all solution for future-proofing, but it will add a lot to the value of your organization. It will enable you to capitalize on the growing online market. It will enable your business to remain operational if and when your brick and mortar business has to close for any reason. Additionally, it will get you in touch with more customers than ever before, modernize your business, and open up the doors to opportunities that can only be found in eCommerce.<\/p>\n

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If you launch an eCommerce store for any of these reasons, or even if you only launch one to take advantage of the opportunities that exist online, we\u2019re here to help. Our clients have been making the most of our eCommerce development services for years and our eCommerce website design team has impressed our customers time and time again. You can do a lot of the legwork yourself, but if you want to create a truly unique, user friendly, brand integrated eCommerce website design offering a user experience without comparison, contact us for our expert customized eCommerce solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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