Digitalisering
11. april 2018
Guide: What to consider when creating an online shop
A user-friendly online shop is an excellent tool for acquiring new customers, but usability benefits not only customers, but also the shop owner and/or administrator. Below, the list above has been expanded upon.
We have listed 7 key considerations you can make before you start building an online shop:
- What is your budget?
- Should it be a custom-built or an existing system?
- Is it for the B2B or B2C market?
- Number of products?
- Is there a need for integrations?
- Which payment solution should you choose?
- Which supplier can deliver your project?
- What should happen afterwards?
A simple and accessible interface can shave many seconds off order processing, and in the long run you will save time and money by having a clear, well-structured online shop.
The purpose of this guide is to give you an overview of important elements you should consider before embarking on your e-commerce journey, so that you are as well prepared as possible.
What is your budget?
Finances can be a sensitive topic, but for you to receive the best advice, it is essential that you do not keep your cards close to your chest.
If you are not honest about your budget, it will be difficult for your partners to advise you on a sound basis. You therefore risk ending up with a poor solution and having to spend even more money fixing it.
Imagine going to a car dealer because you need a fast Lamborghini with the latest features. However, you end up leaving with a mediocre Skoda because the dealer did not know your budget—even though you actually needed and could afford a Lamborghini!
Which system do you want for your online shop?
There is a wide range of systems you can use to build your online shop. But before you choose which system your shop should be built on, you should decide whether you want to go for:
- a custom-built system
- or an existing system
The two systems can be compared to, respectively, a made-to-order patisserie cake and a brunsviger from Netto’s bakery. The patisserie cake is unique and made exactly to your specifications, ingredients, and needs, while the Netto cake is a prefabricated, mass-produced standard product.
We are not saying that one cake is better than the other—on the contrary, each has its own merits.
But if you choose a custom-built system for your business, you have 100% control over its form, functionality, appearance, features, etc.
An existing system, on the other hand, is a system that already exists but can be adapted to your company’s needs. Examples of existing e-commerce systems include Magenta, WooCommerce and Shopify.
How do I choose a system?
Finances can be a significant factor when deciding which route to take. A custom-built system may be the best solution for you and your business, but developing an entirely new and unique system is often expensive and time-consuming.
Existing systems have the advantage that they are often free. They also offer a high level of security because they have been around for a long time and because many people and companies use them. Combined, these two factors mean that bugs and security vulnerabilities are quickly detected and fixed.
We believe—and recommend—that you choose a system that makes your work manageable and creates value by reducing infrastructural and logistical barriers.
Example: WooCommerce – WordPress’ identical cousin
WooCommerce is a particularly popular choice for online shops. WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress. It therefore integrates perfectly with WordPress, which is a world-renowned content management system.
WooCommerce can do everything an online shop needs to do—for example, you can check stock levels, make purchases, create product galleries, and more.
In addition, the module is extremely user-friendly. You will hardly find a system with a clearer interface. WordPress is known for being easy to work with and build on. You do not need a developer background to further develop your WordPress website. All of this also applies to WooCommerce, which is just as easy to use.
Another advantage of using the plugin is that it is very easy to find tutorials and guides on how to set up or edit your WooCommerce online shop.
The module also benefits from WordPress being such a well-known CMS. If your business grows and you hire new employees as a result, they will learn to use WooCommerce in no time. And if they already know WordPress, they are practically already familiar with WooCommerce.
Which market are you entering—B2B or B2C?
Your market influences how your online shop is structured and designed. Online shops aimed at the B2B market often require a more complex design, because when selling to businesses you often work with differentiated pricing.
B2B customers often receive a unique login they must use when ordering, and when they log in they are shown different prices depending on what they have agreed with the supplier. B2C customers, on the other hand, access the same online shop and are always shown the same prices.
Online shops aimed at B2C often use many CTAs (call to action) to convert. With B2B customers, you have already established a relationship, so you do not need to persuade them as persistently as B2C customers.
How many products will you sell?
The size of your assortment also affects how your online shop is built. For example, a large product range means you will be handling many items. If that is the case, it is important that the shop has a simple, clear, and user-friendly interface so that order processing, stocktaking, product creation, etc. can be carried out quickly, easily, and efficiently.
You therefore use only minimal resources on administrative tasks that do not add value to your business.
Which integrations will you need?
When you are about to build an online shop, it is not enough to think only about your own system. You also need to consider whether your system should—and can—be integrated with external systems.
Integrations between systems can reduce the administrative workload, allowing you and your partners to spend your energy on value-creating tasks.
If you have a partner—for example, a subcontractor—you know you will work closely with, it is important that your systems can exchange data quickly and easily so that the workflow runs as smoothly as possible. This way, you avoid having to call your subcontractor every time you have a new task for them.
Which payment solution will you use?
As a rule, a payment solution requires two different parties: a payment gateway and an acquirer.
A payment gateway is the party that ensures a payment is processed securely and that your customer’s card information is handled responsibly.
An acquirer is the party that checks whether there are sufficient funds in the customer’s account and gives the payment gateway the green light that the transaction is approved.
Overall, there are two payment solutions, and which one you choose for your online shop depends on your needs. We will go into more detail on this in a later blog post.
Which supplier can deliver your project?
When building an online shop, it is important that you choose a skilled supplier. Here you should consider three things.
First, you should choose a supplier who can balance both functionality and budget. The supplier must be a specialist in e-commerce development, so you are assured of an attractive and functional online shop that can do everything you want it to do. But the supplier must also be able to develop your shop within the limits of your budget.
Second, you should think long term when choosing a supplier. An online shop is never truly finished, and to run a successful online shop you need to continuously optimise and develop it.
Just as a business must adapt to the market’s whims to survive, an online shop must also adapt to remain successful.
Third, you should choose a supplier who can provide input and sparring. While it is nice to always have your ideas confirmed, it is invaluable to get feedback from professionals who dare to challenge your way of thinking.
A skilled supplier, for example, is not afraid to ask questions about your industry and your market. And a skilled supplier is also not afraid to share their knowledge of the web industry. All of this is to give you the best advice and to ensure that you end up with a solution that fits your needs.
What should happen after the online shop is launched?
It is easy to develop tunnel vision when you embark on an e-commerce journey. There is nothing wrong with that, because when you invest a lot of effort and money in getting an online shop up and running, it is natural not to think about anything else—including the time after launch.
As an online shop owner, you must remember to decide what should happen once the shop is finished. Marketing is essential to any company’s success; what is the point of having a beautiful, high-quality online shop if you do not get any customers into the store?
During the process, as an online shop owner you should therefore consider how to show your shop to the world—and thus to customers. There are different ways to market it; for example, you can buy ads, or you can launch an SEO initiative in an effort to achieve a high ranking on Google.
We hope this guide has given you a better understanding of the e-commerce landscape, so you know what you should consider before creating an online shop. The more work you put into the preparations, the better equipped you will be to build it.
This guide is intended as an overview, and our upcoming blog posts will go even deeper into the different aspects.
