With more than 210 million people shopping online, having an ecommerce platform for your business is essential to keep your profits up. If you are starting from square one, professional services are the best way to get an ecommerce website up and running quickly. You can find sophisticated and easy-to-use ecommerce services on line. These services are not expensive and are suitable for a small business that is selling fewer than 25 products or a large business with 100K inventory.
How to Sell Online
To save time and money, it is recommended to use an ecommerce service package, so you do it right the first time. Most packages include a secure shopping cart, smartphone optimization, a domain name, payment and order processing, marketing and more. Here are some tips to make sure you have a good ecommerce solution.
Business Name
You need a good, original name for your business and, ideally, your business name will be your domain name. If your business name is not available, you should choose a URL that relates to your business that is easy to spell and say. For example, if your business is PaperFlowersDelight.com, but that has already been taken, you may use DelightfulPaperFlowers. Your website should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. Your service will offer customizable designs, templates and builder tools.
Business Structure
There are several options for business structure, including sole proprietor, LLC, partnership and corporation. The IRS will automatically consider you a sole proprietor or partnership if you do not register as an LLC or corporation. As a sole proprietor, your personal assets are at risk if your business does not have enough to cover its debts. Not only does an LLC separate your personal assets from your business, it provides other tax benefits.
Once the structure is set, you need to apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) in order to open a bank account and file business taxes. You will need an EIN even if you do not have employees yet. You will also need to apply for the business licenses and permit that any business needs whether brick and mortar or online.
Market Early
Even if your business is not officially functioning yet, you can still start marketing on social media and other places. You may put a Coming Soon page on your website with a place people can sign up for updates. You can do this while you stock inventory. It is always better to have too much inventory, but you need to watch your sales, so you can adjust the inventory to the sales.
Get the Right Software
A professional service will recommend the best software for your business. It will also provide other services such as Internet marketing services, call center services, Facebook stores and much more.
You can have an up-and-running ecommerce site in no time if you take advantage of professional services that understand the industry and can get you on the right track with the fewest possible obstacles.
