It is all too easy to get overly excited when setting up a brand new online retail site. Launching any new ecommerce site can be one of the most exciting processes that we can experience so it is little wonder that we can spend too much time looking ahead to the future instead of focusing on the important details that we need to get set up before we can even think about launching. It is essential to start any new ecommerce site from the bottom, up, so here are our top tips on making sure your business is all ready and raring to go for your much anticipated launch.
Keep An Eye on Competitors
Of course you have already established your brand, your POD for your product and you have spent ample time carving out your niche and planning how you are going to market yourselves and communicate to your target demographic. One mistake, however, that new ecommerce site owners make however, is being too focused on their own products and site and not sufficiently researching the market around them enough. Therefore a key part of the key-launch process is to make sure that you are up to date with competitors activity so that you can plan how you can be different and stand out.
It is all very well coming up with a completely unique and fresh marketing campaign or branding programme, but if it’s already been done before your reputation will be damaged as a result. So researching your competitors activity is essential to ensure that you are being completely innovate and unique in your own approach, so that when you launch, people take notice of who you are.
Logistics & Shipping
Partnering up with a logistics and shipping partners is also an essential primary stage of any new ecommerce site. You need to make sure that everything is all set up and ready to go for when your orders start coming in. So make sure you are researching fulfillment service providers and shipping partners so that when things really pick up you are all good to go and can hit the ground running. It is also advisable to know the specific laws regarding the territories that you are shipping from and to so look at contacting a shipping lawyer from IRB Law, or a similar company, to make sure you are in the know about all the shipping and logistics in your territory.
Consumer Activity
Monitoring the products that your demographic is buying will give you invaluable insight into the consumer trends and the popularity of certain products within your market. These consumer trends and market movement should then become your main focus when it comes to the decisions you are making about the product range you want to offer.
Looking on sites like ebay can be a really solid marketing resource when wanting to monitor the movements in your market so that you can then plan your strategy around it. Looking at the bid counts on ebay and how quickly items are selling will provide you with valuable insight on the popularity and success of certain products so that you can then understand what products you want to be bringing to the forefront of your site.
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