While it might sound like an exaggeration, a successful eCommerce site really can be built with just three things. It should go without saying that most successful eCommerce sites started with much more than that, but it really can be done if you have the time to put in the effort and a willingness to learn what needs to be done.
Actually, if you are like so many others who have lost their jobs or have been laid off due to the pandemic, then you might just have the time needed to begin working on an eCommerce venture. However, there is just one more thing you’ll need and that would be an idea. So, put on your thinking cap and decide. What do you think you’d be good at selling? Once you have determined that, it’s time to get on those three steps to a successful eCommerce site.
1. Venture Capital
Before you can start selling anything whatsoever, you need to have products to sell. With no income, that could present a problem, but there are ways to find venture capital to fund your new project. For example, lines of credits are available to eCommerce businesses and there is a variety of loans to choose between. Most short-term startup eCommerce loans are paid off within an 18-month period, so you are probably not going to get locked into a longer-term small business loan. Always check to see if you are applying for an eCommerce loan because they are structured differently with eCommerce in mind.
2. Product Line
You obviously would have thought about just what it is you want to sell prior to applying for an eCommerce loan; however, without that venture capital you wouldn’t be able to invest in product and there are no logistics to worry about. Unlike affiliate marketing, an eCommerce site holds the product and you only ship if it was bought and paid for. Affiliate marketing, on the other hand, enables you to link visitors through to a product page for which you’ll get a commission if a sale is closed. There is no reason why you can’t do both on a single site, but your major income will most likely come from products you list and sell.
3. Hosted Website
This is the final thing you’ll need if you want to launch an eCommerce store. If money is an issue, even after getting an eCommerce loan, then one thing you might want to avoid is paying a web developer to develop your eCommerce site for you. With open-source WordPress out there and literally hundreds, if not thousands of open-source web pages, you needn’t pay a single penny to establish your website. You will most likely need to pay for internet access and web hosting, but those are minimal expenses in the grand scheme of things.
While it may take time to populate your site with content to attract visitors, it’s something you really can do within a matter of days. Just keep the content flowing and before you know it you will be attracting visitors to your site. Yes, it’s the most basic eCommerce platform available but an eCommerce store it is.
