Online shopping is an incredibly important part of the modern retail sector. In fact, here in the UK, it’s estimated that there are around 60 million people who buy things on the web – which is approximately 90% of the population. So it’s no wonder that more and more people are setting up shops online.
It can be more beneficial to have an online shop than a physical one for various reasons – such as cutting down costs and being able to reach more customers. And if you already have a business, creating an online shop for it can be one of the best ways to help it to grow.
Although, with lots of options and technical jargon to wade through, getting your online shop off the ground can seem daunting. So, whether you’ve got a great idea for a business and want to get started online, or you want to expand your existing business into the digital world, we’ve put together a short guide to help you out.
Why should I set up an online shop?
Whether you’re looking to launch an entirely new business or expand your existing one, there are numerous benefits to setting up an online shop.
With an online shop, you can…
- Reach more people – One of the downsides of a brick-and-mortar shop is that people need to travel to your business to buy your product. With an online shop, you can open your business to anybody with an internet-capable device and connection.
- Be accessible 24/7 – Another downside of just having a physical shop is that you’re generally limited to 9-5 opening hours, as well as closing for holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day.
But when you have an online shop, your customers will be able to browse products and make orders at all hours of the day (or night).
- Save money – Compared to a brick-and-mortar business, an online shop generally costs far less to maintain. This is because you don’t have to pay for things like a retail space, cleaning and maintenance, and customer-facing staff.
- Increase your business’ potential for quick growth – When businesses are limited to physical commercial spaces, it can be difficult to respond quickly to increased product demand. But with an online shop, there are fewer hurdles for expanding (finding a larger space, for example) and your business can grow quickly.
- Give your business credibility – Nowadays, having a good-looking, user-friendly website can give your business a credibility boost.
- Design creative and unique experiences – Having your own online shop allows you to fully control the experience of your customers, which means you can implement creative shopping experiences to boost sales.
For example, some companies like to use things such as videos, animations, and stories to give more information about their products.
- Increase your ability to collect customer data – In many cases, you can collect data on things like user behaviour and customer feedback through your online shop. This can allow you to improve your customer’s experience and increase sales.
- Level the playing field – Although the online space is far from a meritocracy, it gives smaller businesses the chance to play on a field that’s a little more level than your average high street, where the business with the most storefronts is ultimately going to come out on top.
- Create brand awareness – If you sell, or are thinking about selling, your products on marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, and Etsy, it can be difficult to create brand awareness.
While these marketplaces can be an excellent way to push your product, shoppers won’t necessarily dig deeper to find out which company they’re purchasing from. By having your own website, you can control how your products are presented and leave a lasting impression in customers’ minds.
How to set up an online shop
1. Choose your eCommerce platform
It used to be that you’d need extensive knowledge of coding and web development to set up and sell products using an online shop. Although these days, it’s never been easier for the average person to do it by using an eCommerce platform to build an online store.
Just as with online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy, eCommerce platforms will give you the software you need to sell your products online. However, one of the key differences is that you’ll be able to build and customise the look and functionality of your website so that it best aligns with and represents your brand.
Unlike online marketplaces, creating an online shop with an eCommerce platform will make sure that your products aren’t sharing space with competitors. It’ll also give you some extra tools to help manage other areas of your business (more on that later).
However, the world of eCommerce platforms can be difficult to get your head around. A quick Google search will bring up lots of information and jargon that’s not necessarily helpful for beginners looking to set up their first online shop.
Essentially, there are two types of eCommerce platforms that you can use to build your online shop: self-hosted open-source and Software as a Service (SaaS). Below, we’ll take a look at the benefits and downfalls of each…
Self-hosted open-source eCommerce platforms
A self-hosted open-source eCommerce platform gives you the bare bones (original source code) to begin creating your online shop.
It’s a smart choice for those who want complete control and flexibility when crafting their online shop. This is because starting from scratch will give you endless customisation possibilities for the look and functionality of your website.
Although this might sound ideal, using a self-hosted open-source eCommerce platform does come with its downsides. Firstly, starting from scratch means that you’ll need to be well-versed in coding and other technical knowledge to build and maintain your website, including dealing with hackers and other security issues.
If you’re not skilled in this area and you still want to go the self-hosted open-source route, you could consider hiring a website developer to design and maintain your shop. Although, this will be a substantial and ongoing expense.
The next thing to think about if you choose to go down this route, as the name suggests, is hosting. While the original software that you download is typically free or very cheap, you’ll need to pay a provider to host your site.
Your host is where all of your website’s data and files live. If you think about it in terms of a physical shop, a host is the retail space that you lease – so paying for a host is like paying rent online.
Website hosting will typically be your major expense if you choose to go down the self-hosted open-source route. Again, that’s as long as you choose not to hire a web designer. Popular hosting providers include SiteGround, Bluehost, and A2 Hosting.
Some of the most popular self-hosted open-source eCommerce platforms out there are Magento (or Adobe Commerce), OpenCart, and WordPress with WooCommerce. To browse other options and find out more about self-hosted open-source eCommerce solutions, why not check out this blog post from eCommerce CEO?
SaaS eCommerce platforms
A Software as a Service (SaaS) eCommerce platform, also known as a hosted eCommerce platform, is perfect for those looking for an easy-to-use, all-in-one solution.
As well as allowing you to create your website easily, without any coding skills or technical knowledge, a SaaS eCommerce platform will host your website for you – storing all of your information.
SaaS eCommerce providers also offer technical assistance and built-in tools for managing your shop, such as shopping cart features, which you don’t get with a self-hosted open-source eCommerce platform.
SaaS eCommerce platforms are best for those who aren’t particularly tech-savvy and want their shop to be user-friendly, and up and running as soon as possible. Typically, all you’ll need to do is design a layout for your website using pre-made templates, before adding content like copy, images, and products, with an easy-to-use ‘drag and drop’ software.
One drawback is that SaaS eCommerce platforms can only offer limited customisation. And, as they’re subscription-based – with the price set depending on the size of your business – they can become quite expensive if it begins to grow past a certain point. It can also be pricey if you want to move hosts later down the line when your business grows.
Some of the most popular SaaS eCommerce platforms are Shopify and Wix. To browse more options and find out more about SaaS eCommerce platforms, why not check out this article from Sitepoint?
Which one is best for me?
Choosing an eCommerce platform for your online shop is an important decision. So it’s worth investing plenty of time into researching the possibilities. Each eCommerce platform is slightly different. For example, some will offer more technical assistance, while others will be better value for money.
Deciding what type of eCommerce platform to use will be a very personal and individual decision that’ll depend on a range of factors – so it’s worth understanding what you want before you start searching for the best deals.
To help, try asking yourself the following questions…
- Am I well-versed in coding and technical knowledge?
- Is technical assistance important to me?
- Am I willing to hire a web developer?
- Do I want my online shop up and running quickly?
- Are flexibility and customisation important to me?
- How much am I expecting my business to grow?
2. Should I hire a web designer?
If the freedom and flexibility of a self-hosted open-source eCommerce platform sound appealing to you but you don’t have the technical expertise to build and maintain your online shop from scratch, then you could consider hiring a web designer to do it for you.
Web designers will not only make sure that your website looks great and is easy to use, but they’ll optimise your site so that you’ll attract more traffic – which will result in more sales.
Plus, in this day and age, trends move quickly, and a web designer will be well-versed in the latest web technologies – so your website won’t fall behind. Check out this blog post from ICAAL to find out more about the benefits of hiring a web designer.
Although there are many perks to hiring a web designer, they can be very costly (thousands of pounds, in some cases) – and because they’ll help to maintain your site, they aren’t typically just a one-time expense.
If you don’t have the cash to spare, it might be best to take the SaaS path and use one of their easy-to-use website builders to create your online shop yourself (we’ll cover this next).
However, if you do have the budget, then you could consider going down the self-hosted open-source route and hiring help. These tips from Startup will help you find the right web designer for you.
3. Choose a platform with a good website builder (if you’re taking the SaaS route)
If you’ve decided to go down the SaaS route, it’s best to choose a platform with a good website builder. You’ll want one that’s not only easy to use and beginner-friendly but that gives you the most customisation options. Wix and Shopify both come highly recommended as reliable SaaS eCommerce platforms with good website builders.
A website builder will allow you to create a good-looking website and get it up and running quickly with no knowledge of coding. When creating your online shop on a website builder, you can typically choose from a wide array of base templates, and then use a ‘drag and drop’ software to customise it so that it aligns with your brand and functions as you wish.
The internet is full of platform-specific tutorials that’ll take you through the process, from setting up your account with a SaaS eCommerce platform to publishing your site. Here’s a great in-depth tutorial for the Shopify platform and one for Wix.
4. Think about design
As you might learn from either of the videos above, getting to grips with how to use a website builder is only the first step in creating your online shop. Before you choose a template and begin crafting your website, it’s best to spend some time thinking about design.
The importance of web design can’t be underestimated. It won’t only make your online shop look good and function well, but it’ll also draw traffic to your site and encourage those who visit to stay and buy your products.
With this in mind, here are a few things to think about when designing your website…
- Target audience – Although you want to sell your products to as many people as possible, all businesses have a specific demographic that their products are aimed at. Before you start planning the design of your website, it’s best to take some time to establish yours. This will help you with making all kinds of decisions down the road.
- Usability – One of the most important things to remember is that your site needs to be simple and easy to use and navigate. When designing, keep in mind the journeys your customers will take from when they enter the site to after they’ve purchased a product.
- Logo – Your business may already have a logo or you might be in the process of coming up with one. Remember to factor this into the design of your website, particularly your colour scheme.
- Colour scheme – Choosing a colour scheme is an important part of setting up your online shop. If you already have a physical business, you may already have a colour scheme that you can apply to your online store.
But if you’re starting from scratch, it can be difficult to decide on one that works. Have a read of this blog post from Wordstream to get some tips. - High-quality images – using high-quality images is a must if you want your brand to seem professional and authentic. You can take your own or source royalty-free images from online libraries.
To find out more, check out this blog post from Hub Spot that suggests 24 of the best free image libraries.
- Trust and reliability – A reliable business is a successful one, so try to make your online shop as reliable and trustworthy as possible.
This means making sure that it’s simple and easy to use but also that includes things like a contact page for customer inquiries and a visible returns policy. Both of these will make customers feel safer when it comes to buying your product. - Copy – When it comes to copy, simplicity is key. Every piece of copy on your site needs to be well-written and easy to read.
So for things like product descriptions, make sure to only include relevant information and double-check all spelling and grammar. You can use online tools like Grammarly to make sure your copy is up to scratch. - Typography – Whatever website builder you’re using will have lots of different font options. Try choosing two different font styles: one for headings and one for the body of your text.
While it’s best to keep it simple for the body font to make the information as clear as possible, you can be a little more adventurous with the heading font if you’d like. - Responsivity – Being able to seamlessly view your website on phones, tablets, and desktops is a must for any modern online store. So it’s important to take this into consideration. Website builders will typically allow you to preview your site in all three of these forms – to make sure it looks neat and clear.
Web design is a complicated and constantly-evolving part of taking businesses online. So it’s best to spend some time researching before you get going. Luckily, there are plenty of helpful resources out there, like this blog post on 10 things to consider when designing a website from WebAlive.
Designing a website can seem a little overwhelming at first, so try not to feel disheartened if you’re struggling. Remember that the keys to effective web design are simplicity and consistency – and that anything can be changed or updated later down the line.
One helpful technique that lots of experts recommend when gathering web design ideas is to create a mood board. This will help you to determine the fonts, colours, images, etc that you’d like to include and see how they all work together.
To help you make a mood board, why not check out the video below?
5. Add your products
When you’re using a SaaS eCommerce platform, adding and managing your products is pretty straightforward. You can see how to do so on Wix here and on Shopify here.
Although, if you want to make them look as appealing to customers as possible, there are a few things you should be sure to include. For example…
- Product title – Try to keep this short and sweet while making sure it’s clear what the product is.
- Product description – This is where you include all the relevant information (like size, weight, colour, etc) but it’s also a chance to sell your product, so don’t be afraid to get creative with it. Check out this blog post for some helpful tips on writing product descriptions.
- Include visual media – Just as with shopping in person, customers want to see the item before they buy – so it’s important to include high-quality images of all of your products. Some online stores also like to include videos.
Though it’s worth bearing in mind that you don’t need a professional photography setup to get good images of your products. This blog post from Shopify will show you how to take high-quality photos of your products with your smartphone. - Price – SaaS eCommerce platforms allow you to set and edit the price of your products easily. Although, from tax to shipping, there are lots of factors that’ll affect how you price your products. For some tips, check out this article from Website Builder Expert.
A SaaS eCommerce platform like Shopify or Wix will also help you manage inventory (so you can keep track of your stock), as well as shipping.
For example, for each product you list on Shopify, you enter the weight and customs information, so it’ll automatically generate shipping prices and print a label for each order. SaaS eCommerce platforms will also help you to manage the taxes involved in each transaction.
6. Keep domain names in mind
In order for any website to appear online, it needs an address, for example, www.restless.co.uk. Each address includes a domain (the ‘restless’ part) and an extension (like ‘.co.uk’, ‘.com’, and ‘.org’).
When you use a SaaS eCommerce platform and website builder to publish your website, you’ll get a free default URL. This will use the name of your website as the domain, with a platform-specific extension (for example, ‘.wixsite.com’ or ‘.myshopify.com’), to allow your website to be visible on the internet the second you press publish.
But it’s worth bearing in mind that you can purchase a custom domain name for your website. This will allow you to choose your own domain name and extension.
There are many reasons businesses choose to purchase custom domains. For one, you can make your address shorter, more memorable, and easier to find. Having an extension like ‘.com’ or ‘.co.uk’ will also give your website a more authentic and professional online presence.
So whether your business already has a name or you’re in the process of choosing one, you might want to check if the domain name that you want is available for purchase. You can typically search and purchase domain names on your chosen eCommerce platform.
7. Once you’ve published your online store
Once you’ve chosen your eCommerce platform, designed your website, and built it – congratulations, you’re ready to publish it. Take a moment to give yourself a pat on the back. Having your own online shop is a big step for your business and you should be proud of yourself!
Although, it’s worth mentioning that the work is just beginning. Besides adding new products, checking inventory, and posting sales, you’ll need to maintain your site to make sure that you continue to receive customers and, eventually, grow.
Here’s some of the maintenance you should be focusing on to keep your online shop in good shape…
Website content
It’s important to stay on top of the content of your website. This means keeping an eye out for things like broken links and outdated copy, which will disrupt customer experience and make your website seem unreliable.
The best way to stay on top of things like this is to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and regularly go through the typical user journeys of your site. This will allow you to spot any problems that customers might encounter.
Customer service
Good customer service is integral to the success of any business, so it’s something to stay on top of. Not only is it good for your overall brand, but it leads to customer retention and acquisition in a number of ways.
The best way to do this is to create a businesses-specific customer service email address and make sure that it’s prominently displayed on a ‘Contact Us’ page on your site. It’s a good idea to check this inbox frequently so you can sort out any problems customers may have as quickly as possible.
This will also allow users to flag any problems they have with the site.
Search engine optimisation
One of the best things you can do to create more traffic on your site (and therefore boost sales) is to familiarise yourself with, and implement, some search engine optimisation (SEO) best practices.
SEO, at its most basic, involves using a variety of techniques – such as using frequently-searched keywords in your website copy – to appear higher in search engine results. This means that the better your SEO, the more potential customers will visit your website and buy your product.
For some SEO tips for eCommerce websites, why not check out this blog post from Privy?
Get creative when it comes to marketing
Marketing is a key component of any modern thriving business. It’s all well and good setting up a dazzling online shop that offers a top-notch product, but if no one visits your website, you won’t sell anything.
The good news is that there are loads of ways to promote your website. Besides boosting organic traffic through SEO, you can also do things like advertising on social media platforms and partnering with other brands and online influencers.
For some ideas on how to market your website, check out this article from Big Commerce.
Final thoughts…
Whether you’re expanding your existing business into the digital world or you’re looking to launch one from scratch, we hope that you’ve found this guide to setting up an online shop helpful.
It’s important to note that this isn’t an exhaustive guide and it won’t necessarily help you with every single hurdle you encounter when setting up your online shop – particularly when you get into the nitty gritty of building and maintaining it. But remember that the internet is full of helpful tips and tutorials, so make use of them if you get stuck.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that building, launching, and maintaining an online shop is no small feat. So, if you want to dip your toes into the world of selling online before making your own website, you might want to first get yourself set up on an online marketplace like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy.
And if you want to start your own business but you’re not sure exactly what you’d like to do, then you might find some ideas in our article, 20 self-employment ideas, or on the jobs and careers section of our website.