Thinking about building an internet business and selling products or services online via an E-Commerce site? Then let’s get it right from the word “GO”.
Did you know that according to many sources, more than 90% of all E-Commerce Internet business start-ups end in failure within the first 120 days. NINETY PERCENT! Don’t let yours be one of them.
If you FAIL TO PLAN, you PLAN TO FAIL.
Benjamin Franklin
Our E-Commerce products are BUILT FOR SUCCESS because we help you with the planning phase! We recommend that you don’t skip any of these important planning steps outlined for you below.
- Build a proper business plan. An internet business or online shop will never be an overnight success. You will soon find out that there is no magic button to press to get huge volumes of visitors on your million-rand-website with piles of money pouring into your bank account. It is just not going to happen. It requires careful planning and hard work. With no preparation, no knowledge of what you are doing, no education in online marketing or experience running an online business you have little hope of success. If you don’t know how to write a business plan, get in touch because every client we take on receives a detailed questionnaire outlines all the important questions you should be asking yourself before you embark on this complex journey.
- Build a marketing strategy. The right research into the potential demand for your product or service is essential to determine what your likely conversions could be and how long it will take to break even. It’s great to be passionate about something you have a need for but are there enough other people out there that would buy your product? We will help you to research this information and based on the results build you comprehensive strategy to follow. We will then build your E-commerce website in line with the strategy.
- Get a professional E-Commerce website. Don’t try this alone. So many people think that getting a website built and getting their own domain name is all they need to do. You will need a professional E-Commerce website if you want this project to be a successful investment and there are various levels of functionality you need to consider. Not all are applicable to every business.
- Will you need an E-commerce stock & product management system
- Will a simple “Buy now” button suffice or will you need a fully integrated payment gateway?
- Will you use Paypal or Payfast and what are the difference in the rates?
- Will you allow people to pay by credit cards or EFT or both?
- Will you build credit card fees into the price of the product or charge this to the client account?
- Will you need an order and estimates system?
- Will you need integration of your current invoicing and accounting system built into the website?
- How will you calculate shipping costs? Do you want to system to automatically calculate shipping according to size of order and destination or will you provide your customers with separate shipping quotations?
- Will you ship abroad or only in South Africa?
- Implementation of your marketing strategy. Who is going to manage this? Do you have the skills in house to build successful marketing campaigns, apply ad budget to Google and Facebook? Are you able to write effective content optimised for Google search engines? All these things we vital for the success of your E-commerce site and for driving your internet business forward and for keeping ahead with your competitors. Check out out online marketing packages, choose an option and get a quote.
If you are embarking on the journey to saying goodbye to bricks and mortar and taking the E-commerce route, check out our various website packages and get in touch TODAY. We will ensure that your digital footprint is taken care of to increase your chances of success.