If you have a storefront in Tucson, or even if you don’t, and are thinking of setting up an e-commerce store, it’s a great time. U.S. online retail sales are expected to grow 57 percent by 2018.
In a recent report to Score, Verisign, a domain name leader, offered these key tips:
Registering your store with a domain name offers one of the easiest ways to brand your business online. A domain name that contains your location, popular search keywords, or creatively highlights aspects of your business may be the most successful.
A little known secret, if your storefront is within an e-commerce platform like Amazon, eBay, Shopify or Etsy, is that you can choose the Web address that your domain name points to, so customers can get to your online store directly (instructions at http://tinyurl.com/pebm95r).
Do you want a store on your own website or do you want a store within an existing marketplace platform like Amazon? Are you selling one product or do you need a more sophisticated shopping cart? Answers will help you choose from a number of available solutions: A hosted provider like Shopify or Bigcommerce allows you to create a store and have it live on their servers for a monthly fee. If you already have a website, many providers offer e-commerce packages so you can sell products online. Or choose Opencart to transform your website into an online store. Also, you can create a store using an existing online marketplace like Etsy, Amazon or eBay that include easy set-up for a low-budget Web presence, and a built-in base of potential customers.
Write enticing product descriptions and post high-resolution photos. Many consumers shop on their mobile devices, so it is worth the investment to make your website mobile-friendly. State clearly policies such as shipping times, shipping costs and return/exchange policies.
Implement Security Measures such as an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate, which encrypts parts of your website that collect personal information, like credit card and customer details.
For more information, see: http://tinyurl.com/oo95mtw
