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Setting up an e-commerce business has been one of the most common ventures undertaken by people during this quarantine period we are experiencing due to the Covid-19 crisis . To give you an idea, according to ABComm, 80 new online stores may have been created since March 2020. However, creating is one thing, maintaining is another.
In this context, during a recent interview with Younik channel founder and digital influencer Fernando Vitolo, I, Tiago Moraes, discussed 10 things you need to know before starting your e-commerce business, so you can have a more long-lasting one. Check it out below!
10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUILDING E-COMMERCE
Before setting up your e-commerce, know that:
01 – An e-commerce manager may be needed
In my day-to-day work at the e-Plus agency, I often joke with a client who has a network of 20 physical stores. Every now and then he asks me, "Tiago, do I need an e-commerce manager ?" I then ask, "How many physical stores do you have?" and hear the answer, "I have 20." "How many managers do you have?" "I have 20." "Then you need one more," I conclude.
Anyway, before being electronic, e-commerce is a commerce. Therefore, you need to know what you are going to sell, to whom, in what way, what will be the size of the stock, the delivery time, the payment method, etc. Many of these tasks must be performed daily by a manager.
Obviously, a self-employed e-commerce business can be operated by just the owner. However, small and medium-sized businesses like yours require teams. And within a team, it's always good to have a manager or perhaps an e-commerce analyst.
Furthermore, in addition to the manager, if you are a really good merchant, the type who has a belly on the counter, who knows how to buy and sell products, then we as an agency will undoubtedly be able to make you successful in e-commerce, because the of electronics we dominate.
02 – After the virtual store is live, you will have to publicize it
Many people think that after setting up e-commerce, it's just waiting for orders to happen. Our idea of commerce goes back a lot to the beginning of the last century, when a physical store was built and consumers went to it.
However, in e-commerce, it's as if we have an invisible physical store. Therefore, it's necessary to attract people so they see the e-commerce site and visits happen. Brands established in the physical environment have an easier time with this process. Millions have already been invested in advertising to build that brand. Therefore, you need to follow their path and invest in marketing, and in this way, begin to consolidate yours.
In physical commerce, an entrepreneur often pays R$ 1 million to set up a store. A good part of this amount will be used to attract public to this store. In e-commerce, the same entrepreneur may find R$100 expensive. In addition, he tends to think that he will be able to put the other R$ 900 thousand in his pocket and that he will not need to invest. Anyway, the biggest mistake is to forget that in addition to opening the store you will need to pay for people to access it.
03 – It will be necessary to work with Google and social networks
Today, most visits come from Google . Many internet users also search on YouTube , which is considered the second largest search portal. Social networks, in turn, serve as supporting media.
On social media, people aren't exactly looking to buy, but to interact with others. However, it's possible to convince them to return to the online store. In this sense, social media is widely used for remarketing or branding.
04 – A monthly budget should be set aside for Marketing
When a client closes a partnership with the e-Plus agency, he has no idea how much he will invest. So, I help you to make an account. I ask him how much he wants to earn, I divide it by his Average Ticket and I'll get the number of orders he needs.
After that, together, we'll estimate a conversion rate of, say, 1%. That is, for every 100 visits he will make 1 sale. Then just check how many visits he will need to reach the desired revenue. I multiply it by Google's cost per click and, in this way, we stipulate the investment or monthly budget.
05 – It is necessary to differentiate to compete
When e-commerce started in Brazil, there was this idea that when you buy online, everything is cheaper and that you need free shipping. And to win customers there was a gold rush exactly in this sense, everyone had to pay in installments, sell with free shipping and at the lowest price. But in the medium and long term this proved to be unsustainable.
But there are other ways to differentiate. The small shopkeeper, for example, can move much faster, while the big one needs to approve many decisions. That is, it is very bureaucratic. So, the small can change much more quickly and make deliveries on the same day, for example, among other actions.
Furthermore, if you have an online store with good usability, then you will be able to stand out. In addition to this, it's essential to have Performance Marketing , which allows you to continuously improve your results.
06 – Growth takes place in the long term
Small entrepreneurs can start regionally. Instead of wanting to sell all over Brazil, start selling only in your neighborhood, then in your city, in your state, etc. Grow slowly, gradually.
Create an amazing customer experience. Do what you can very well done. In Brazil we usually say that the basics done well can give great results.
07 – You have to go a little further to get more results
The basics are good enough. But if you maintain a culture of excellence, of continuous improvement in your company, then even better results will appear. You don't have to go much further. If you go just a little further, you will soon be able to have a very large reputation capital that will add value to what you offer and that will help you in the medium and long term.
08 – It’s a good idea to bet on longevity
I always congratulate my clients whose companies are more than 40 years old. In Brazil, it is very difficult for a company to reach 10 years, imagine at 40. However, whether for the owners of new or older companies, I always ask if they intend to sell out in the first year, because if so, I think the partnership will not happen. But if you want, with the e-Plus agency, to create the next 30, 40 years of your company, then we are together.
There are customers who tell us that they need to sell a lot in three months or they will go broke. In these cases, we cannot help you. Taking a client's project and doing it anyway is very dangerous and we don't work like that.
When we started the e-Plus agency we only served small clients, but together with them we learned a lot. Over time, we realized that there were some basic premises that had to be fulfilled so that we could have successful e-commerces. One of these premises is precisely this bet on long-term results and longevity.
09 – The best thing is to work in a team
I value teamwork. We take clients and engage with them completely. We integrate our team with their team. Together we grow. It's nice to see when we take a customer with 5 employees today and two years later he has 15.
10 – It’s good to have a purpose
When we create 10 new jobs and those 10 new jobs impact at least 30 people, that's what's really important. It's a purpose. It is through employment that we recover people's dignity. If it weren't for that, it wouldn't make sense. Just for the money it wouldn't make sense.
Before you start in e-commerce, you need to have a purpose. Something more than just making money. I have a purpose. I have the e-Plus agency logo tattooed on my arm to give you an idea. I'm crazy like that. So, you have to do it wholeheartedly. You have to know that you're going to make mistakes and have problems, but that you'll overcome them along the way.
- As soon as you can click on “E-commerce website construction“. In this way, learn more about the e-Plus agency, which has already developed more than 300 virtual stores for national and international customers.
