8 tips to get your eStore up and running

Stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders have been crippling for many small, brick-and-mortar businesses—but all is not lost! With these safety guidelines comes an increasing demand for online shopping. An online eStore gives your loyal customers a convenient, new shopping experience. And, without the limits of a physical location, you can reach new customers, too.

Setting up an eStore can be overwhelming, but once up and running, you can track buying habits, manage inventory, offer a 24/7 shopping experience, cut operating costs, and more. But how do you get started? Consider these tips:

1. Pick an eCommerce platform that does it all. Our Strateligent web designers use WooCommerce. It allows us to set up product pages and inventory, process secure payments, determine shipping costs, print shipping labels, report analytics, and much more all in one place.
2. Choose a design that makes shopping easy. Design is critical—a clean and simple store naturally drives sales. Convenient shopping—and efficient navigation—are a must to get your shoppers to click the checkout button.
3. Use high-quality photos. Think of product photography as your store’s first impression. Professional photography gives customers a sense of comfort knowing that you are a trustworthy business offering quality products.
4. Consider a third-party payment platform over a merchant account. Most small- to medium-sized businesses use a third-party payment processor, such as Paypal, Stripe, and Square, to receive payments online. Third-party payment processors offer easy account set up, no monthly or annual fees, and no long-term commitments.
5. Monitor your inventory closely. eCommerce platforms can adjust your available inventory in your store in real-time—so your customers always know what is available or sold out.
6. Integrate shipping for time savings. Your eStore should be set up to calculate shipping costs for each transaction—then you just purchase and print the shipping label, print it, package the order, and drop it off at your chosen delivery service.
7. Start with the basics. First determine which products are feasible to sell online. After you gather the details about your products (i.e., photos, descriptions, shipping weights), your eCommerce platform does most of the heavy lifting.
8. Ask for help. If the process seems daunting or if you get stuck, our team is here to help. We know the process, we know the roadblocks, and we can uncover the solutions to bring your eStore to life.