How to build an online store

online shop add to cart button on computer screen

If you are considering building an online store this guide contains all the information you need, along with plenty of help and advice to get you up and running.

General information

If you already manage an online store you can visit our support centre. If you have a store with another provider please contact us we would be happy to help you switch.

Considerations

Before you get started the first thing you need to consider is how you will build your store. There are a few general options to choose from.

Hire a web designer and instruct them to build it for you
Buy a piece of software and build and host the store yourself
Sign up for a hosted webstore / virtual store

Hiring a web designer

This is the right choice for some businesses. In a lot of cases it may come down to budget. If you are to pay a web designer to design and implement a store along with all the shopping cart functionality things can get very expensive. With this in mind make sure you get a fixed quote for everything you need (everything listed in this guide). Another problem with this route is that future changes to your store design or product catalogue may not be easy for you to make on your own.

Use software and develop and host the store yourself

You could purchase a web design package such as Microsoft Frontpage or Dreamweaver and set to work creating the store yourself however if you do not have expertise in this area it can be a daunting task. You may not want to be worried about the intricacies of setting up and building the store. Ask yourself how much time you have to set aside to get the shop online and taking orders. Once developed you will have to arrange hosting for the store yourself. This can be the cheapest option financially but for someone busy running their own business the value of your time may mean going down this route actually costs you more.

Hosted webstore / virtual store

Another option is to subscribe to a virtual or hosted store like our own easywebstore solution. These 'stores' are web-based systems where everything is configured through your browser. Systems like this are a very fast and cost effective way to get your store up and running. Usually all the functionality you need is included with the system, you don't need to have any technical knowledge. Usually it's as simple as inputting your product details and relevant information about your company and you can get on with the business of fulfilling orders.

Things to look for in a solution

When building your store you need to bear in mind the following things.

Ease of use
The shopping cart
Taking payments
Cost
Marketing and promotion

Ease of use

Your online shop should be seen as another (powerful) channel to market. How easy is it for you and your customers / site visitors to use? From you (the store owners) perspective how easy is it for you to add and update your product catalogue and how easy is it for you to pick up and manage orders. How will you be alerted when new orders are received? How easy is it for a customer to browse the store and find what they are looking for and how easy is the checkout process once they decide to buy.

The shopping cart

From a shop owner / manager's viewpoint it needs to be easy to add and manage your product inventory and don't forget that orders should be easy to process. From your customer / site visitor's perspective it acts as their "virtual" trolley or basket. They add products to the cart and then proceed to checkout. You should look for a system that is easy to manage and makes taking care of shipping calculations simple.

Taking payments

This is often an area that people find most confusing. There are so many choices out there that we have written a separate guide to choosing a payment processor and taking payments online. The crucial thing to remember is that the store should make it easy to accept payment in a variety of ways and it should be easy for you to switch methods of payment should you wish.

Cost

How much is it all going to cost. When calculating this don't forget to factor everything in. Here is a list of all the possible costs you might incur.

Web design and implementation fees (if using a web designer)
Software licenses (if using software)
Purchasing a domain name
Hosting for the store (include provision of email)
Payment processor setup fees and ongoing commission charges

Marketing and promotion

Often overlooked but very important. Don't under estimate the effort require to launch the store. With no visitors you will make no sales. One important thing to check is how "search engine friendly" your store is and how easy is it to export your products to the many price comparison and product promotion websites out there on the internet. Also check that the shopping cart and checkout process can integrate with pay-per-click search engines so you can tract referrals. You can check our store promotion guide for more information.