Change is always difficult to process. Be it humans or be it a business you want to grow, change is hard, but change is an absolute necessity. Embracing your changes for your good is the stepping stone to success. The ongoing COVID pandemic has forced upon changes in the business world.
The aftereffects of the virus drastically redesigned the structure of businesses. This has led to the shutting down of multiple small-scale companies. However, the e-Commerce world has never seen such a boom in the history of online businesses.
As a result, several companies were forced to open online stores and convert their brick-and-mortar business into the digital world haphazardly.
The impact of COVID-19 is so tremendous that it has sped up the shift to digital businesses by FIVE years. The US has seen a surge in eCommerce sales by 44.5% in the last year due to the virus. Therefore, there isn’t a better time to shift to an online business than now.
It is a complicated process to shift to an online store but not impossible. With the right tips and tricks, you can flourish in the world of online business. Let us see how to transition smoothly into the digital world and adapt quickly to it.
You always need solid groundwork and proper blueprints to start anything. The strength of your fundamentals will determine your future in the business. Going head-on into the online world,
Knowing how to shift to a shopping platform will lead you to be broke in two months. You need a proper strategy to start your business. Plan your system depending on your business.
Your strategy must include:
1.Identifying your customers Planning your content
2.Deciding your marketing initiatives
Once you are set on the perfect strategy, you need to lay your brickwork. First, you need the basics of an online business: a website and a domain name. A website is an essential requisite for an online business. Next, we work on the foundation we have built.
You have acquired a domain name and created a website. But it is easier said than done! Your website plays a vital role in determining your customers’ engagement. Statistically, 94% of first impressions are related to your website design. Therefore, your design must be your priority in the early stages of development. Experts suggest keeping the design neat, plain, and professional is better than fancy and colorful designs.
Once your website is up, you need to decide on the content that should be seen on the website. No worries. Multiple platforms can help you in this process. eCommerce platforms like Shopify and Magento can enhance and make your life much easier.
Features like your landing page, checkout page, blog page, etc., should be appropriately created with no hindrances. Now, you have a good working website for your business. You can also expand this to have a mobile-friendly version and should be adaptable to multiple devices. This is because 79% of online shopping has been done through a phone or tablet. You cannot afford to miss out on this.
The foundation has been set! You have established your business. Now comes the hard part of the engagement, security, and more.
The basics of an online business are done and dusted. You are almost there. However, it gets more challenging now. Getting online also has its legal proceedings. Your website must undertake multiple data privacy policies if it is getting data from the users. You have to register for an EIN (Employee Identification Number) for your tax proceedings. You should also bring appropriate licenses for your business. A DBA license is required if you are changing the name of your online business compared to your physical one.
Once your legal obligations are completed, your content is essential. Implementing your strategy begins now. First, you need to be very thorough in the content that you are going to display. Second, marketing and SEO planning must be done to engage better with your customer. You also need to set up the messaging part of your website. Finally, you have to be living with your audience, which is very important.
Setting up a proper payment portal is the final brick in this project. Having multiple payment methods can help you gain a wide range of customers. In addition, deciding on the payment can be made easier with platforms like Shopify, which have inbuilt payment methods which your business can integrate with.
One last step to complete your massive transition to the digital world. Are you excited? Let us see what it is.
We are one step closer to welcoming you into the digital world. The final step is…announcing to the world. You are done with everything. Now let the people know you exist. Announce your arrival by capitalizing on every social media available. Post and promote the transition of your business as much as you can. Mass mailing can be done to bring in more customers.
While you can be an independent business as a brick-and-mortar business, the online business world depends on online giants like Amazon, Walmart, eBay, etc., to ease their difficulties. Linking with such sales channels can make life easier. They bring in customers and take care of the promotions too. The fact that you are connected with them is a promotion by itself!
Now, all that is left is a test of your perseverance and dedication to your business. We have come to the final step of our transition
…and you are done
Congrats, you are officially an online business owner in the digital world. However, there is one final important thing to cover. You have done 90% of the work. This is the final stretch and the stretch that decides your sustenance.
It is called the maintenance stage, aka the never-ending stage. You are set in this stage till the lifetime of your business.
The maintenance stage is all about updates, content changes, product promotions, brand building, customer retention, etc. You have to keep coming with innovative strategies, proper planning, and appropriate marketing to keep your online business running. Add in a pinch of passion and love for the art of business, and voila, you are unbeatable. Keep evolving. Keep adapting. Keep growing.
The art of business is a difficult task to master. Your online business needs all the help it can get to sustain and develop. The change to online business is inevitable. So, brace yourself with the best technology and marketing service you can. We can help you with it.
