Table of Contents
Having an online store has a huge bonus even to those with physical stores as well. This is because wherever your customers are; they can shop and place orders for your products 24/7. Also, you will always have complete customer information and based on their buying habits, you can almost use their preferences to resell them more products in future.
SO, WHAT IS SHOPIFY?
Shopify is a platform equipped with everything you need to build an eCommerce store. It’s popular for selling all kinds of products, whether physical goods or simply digital info products.
Shopify as a company, based in Ontario, Canada; have designed the platform with great User Interface, for anyone to start an online business in a quite simple process.
The advantage of using Shopify is that you can actually run a drop-shipping store; where you don’t have an inventory for the products, but you outsource from other suppliers. This works better since you don’t get to buy any stock for sale, you simply get it after someone has placed an order on your store.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN STORE WITH SHOPIFY
STEP 1 : SIGN UP ON SHOPIFY
Sign Up : Simply navigate to this link: ( www.shopify.com ) Click the green ‘Get Started’ button on the top menu. You’ll be required to provide info such as email address, password & preferred Store Name. Select ‘Online Store’ option : This means that you can use shopify to build a fully hosted eCommerce store. You’ll have the ability to determine and control how your store functions.
Next, you’ll have to provide more personal info including your name, physical address & phone number. The details you enter are vital because tax rates and currencies are configured on this.
State Revenue expectations : Every business has a pro-forma projection. this is the estimated income that a business owner averagely expects to earn. Also if your business isn’t new, as in, you have been selling before, you need to state it as well on this level.
STEP 2 : PRODUCT ADDITION
After providing the entire personal and store information; you’ll be redirected to your store backend. This is where you find all the components that govern and run your store. It’s where you can access and control what you want your customers to see.
Also, you can find store reports, Gift Cards, Orders placed, products available & much more.
To start, click the ‘Add Product’ Button.
Provide all the relevant information on the product page such as: the product name, its details, selling price and any other info. Finally remember to save the data on the entered product, at the end of the page.
You can always repeat this process for any other products you wish to add.
STEP 3 : CONFIGURE THE LOOK/THEME OF YOUR STORE
On the main dashboard of your store’s back-end, you can carry out various settings on things such as fonts, Logo, and colors These help you to change the look and feel of your online store; and making it resemble what you want. You can even buy pre-built Shopify templates on the themes’ store and use them on this step.
STEP 4 : DOMAIN SETUP
Domain is the name that search engines recognize as the link to your site. (eg : www. yourdomain.com)
When choosing a domain name; you need something that your customers can remember easily, and also not so long; few words are better. If you already have a domain name; you can add it on this level, if you want to register a new one, then you can purchase here as well.
STEP 5 : PAYMENTS’ CONFIGURATION
How would you like to receive your payments? This area helps you set up the means of receiving funds from your customers.
Processors such as Stripe work easily to help you accept payments via credit cards in over 100 currencies around the world.
After all your configurations are set; it’s time to Release your online Store to the world.Simply Click the button labelled : ‘Launch Your Store’ and Voila!
HOW TO MARKET YOUR SHOPIFY ONLINE STORE
The success of any online business is based on its traffic inflow.
You might have a beautiful store, with products that people will love but if the people don’t come to your store, it’s all in vain.
This post will guide you on how to reach out to interested potential customers and drive them to your online store. Let’s check out some effective Channels.
⦁ Instagram : One of the best social media platform for marketing online products nowadays. Use sites such as ( www.websta.me ) which provide Instagram Analytic data. These will help you find people by using keywords related to your products.
For Example : ‘Hats’. By searching for this keyword, you’ll receive numerous accounts’ suggestions who have this word on their usernames/bios.
Next, go ahead and share free samples of your products with them. In fact, if you find accounts with email addresses, it can work for your advantage.
Simply seize that advertising opportunity and share your product samples, & partnership willingness.
If the account owner agrees, they will effectively recommend your products, and help pass the word to their followers, who in turn will pay a visit to your online store to browse around and if interested, place orders for your products.
⦁ Blogs & YouTube Channels : The secret here is to get in touch with small to medium audience’ bloggers. On your preferred search engine, search for bloggers who feature product reviews; check out their posts and also be sure to read and gauge the audience comments.
You don’t want automated comments that have no lively audience feedback. Honest is key, especially if someone has used your products before.
Finally, reach out to them as well and see if they are willing to receive your products samples for sponsored advertising.
⦁ Friends & Family : We are living in a time that almost every teen has a Facebook account. Well, you have relatives and even former schoolmates.
Your circle of friends can help put a word for you out there; they can share your store products to their followers; Also on your Facebook’ status update, and Twitter; you could post maybe four times a week about your business.
Be actively engaging in any social port whether physical in a group or virtual in a social network. Look for the slight chances of offering help and adding value to people, while solving their problems. And always be sure to leave a link to your store behind.
