Getting started with anonline store

What to look for in aneCommerce platform

An eCommerce platform is software that allows you to build a storefront or online shop to sellproducts or services. eCommerce platforms are great for business owners that want to create andmanage their own online store as they continue to scale. Before diving specifically into WooCommerce, Squarespace, and Shopify, it’s best to start with thebasics so you know what to look for in an eCommerce platform.

Focus on usability Understand payment gateways Choose based on scalability for your site visitors

Usability is the ease in which a visitor can read, navigate, and interact with your website and online store. When you start researching eCommerce platforms, it’s important to find a solution that’s easy for your visitors to navigate and that creates a great user experience. About 49% of consumers use mobile phones for shopping. Mobile isbecoming more and more popular every day and more people are choosing to online shop on their phones rather than a desktop. Know whoyour audience is and what they want in a user experience. 

Focus on usability

MailChimpPayPalStripeGoogle Ads

WooCommerce is a (free!) plugin that transforms websites intocustomizable eCommerce stores. And not just any websites,WordPress websites. WordPress is the most popular contentmanagement system in the entire world, powering more than 30% ofall websites.  Additionally, WooCommerce is open-source, which means anyonecan add or change features on the back-end. WooCommerce allowsyou to add more plugins called extensions to add specificfunctionality and features you want. Some popular extensions WooCommerce users tend to use are: 

Learn more at woocommerce.com

WooCommerce +Wordpress

We're a tool for connecting followers to your entire online world —not just one feed.A Linktree not only points followers in the directionof your choosing — to your other social profiles, eCommerce store, orcontent you want to share — but it helps hold followers within youronline ecosystem for longer. It allows users to share more, sell more,curate more and grow more. Use it anywhere:Take your Linktree wherever your audience is, tohelp them to discover all your important content. Link to everywhere: Linktree is the launchpad to your latest video,article, recipe, tour, store, website, social post - everywhere you areonline. Learn more at linktr.ee

LinkTree

StripePayPalApple Pay

Squarespace Commerce is a set of features for selling products and managing orders online. By connecting a payment processor, you can process credit card transactions, accept PayPal, issue refunds, and receive donations. They have templates designed specifically foronline commerce so you can create eye-catching arrangements ofproducts, promote sales, and much more. Popular payment processors for Squarespace:

Learn more at squarespace.com

Squarespace

Shopify is a commerce platform that lets you start, grow, and managea business. You can create and customize an online store, sell inmultiple places (including web, mobile, social media, and online marketplaces) and manage products, inventory, payments, andshipping. Because Shopify is completely cloud-based and hosted, youdon’t have to worry about upgrading or maintaining software or webservers. This gives you the flexibility (and scalability!) to access andrun your business from anywhere with an internet connection. Shopify currently powers over 800,000 businesses worldwide andthey market themselves as the “all-in-one commerce platform tostart, run, and grow a business.” Learn more at shopify.com

Shopify

An Instagram Shop lets you integrate your product catalog with your Instagram profile. Inturn, this allows you to promote your products directly to Instagram users through posts, Stories, in the Explore tab, and in a special Shop tab on your profile. You can also tag Instagram Shop products in your posts in the same way you would tag afriend. This adds a little shopping bag icon to your image. Then, when users tap the photo,they can view the prices of the products featured and tap the product labels to viewproduct pages. Get your feed connected now, learn more at https://bit.ly/3digoWK

Connecting your product feedwith Instagram

HOW TO MAXIMIXE YOURONLINE STORE

Showcasing the Product           It is best to choose between silo product photography or lifestylephotography as your main product image to keep everything cohesivethroughout your website.          If you choose silo product photography as your main image, we dorecommend including a lifestyle image as a secondary image on theindividual product page to show the consumer a visual of how theproduct looks styled so they can better imagine the product in their ownspace.

Make sure you are providing the consumer with as much information aspossible in the description of each product including dimensions, fabrics,finishes, and more.Add a blog portion to your website! Blogs are a great opportunity to bringfresh, new content to your website and communicate information to youraudience!

Make your online store an extension of your retail space! Present the productin a visually appealing way and add in personal touches throughout the sitethat make your website feel genuine and authentic. What Content To Include