10 Steps You Need to Take to Start E-Commerce

10 Steps You Need to Take to Start E-Commerce

10 Steps You Need to Take to Start E-Commerce

Thanks to the growth in e-commerce, it has become quite easy to own an e-commerce site even with limited capital. It is estimated that 95% of shopping transactions will shift to the online world by 2040 as consumers become more accustomed to and trust online shopping.

However, entrepreneurs who want to be involved in the rising value of the e-commerce market may have many questions in their minds. In this article, we will examine what businesses that want to set up a digital store and start shopping online should do first. If you are ready, let's get started and look at the steps to be taken to start e-commerce.

1. Perform Product and Market Analysis
The products you will sell are of great importance in terms of e-commerce. Therefore, it is imperative that you do a very good market research first. It is a critical detail to do this research for both domestic and international markets.

In order to achieve efficient results for your business, you should be sure of what the consumer group you want to reach likes and what they buy.

2. Set up a System that can be Managed from a Single Panel
Have a management panel where you can easily manage your e-commerce site and make any changes you want. You should be able to access features such as creating categories, adding and removing products, page structures and managing users who are members of the site from a single panel.

3. Invest in Software and Hardware
It is very critical that your e-commerce site is structured on servers with a secure and robust infrastructure. Advanced security measures should be taken against cyber attacks and threats and programs that keep the site's backups up to date should be used.

You should also ensure the security of credit card information on your payment pages by using "SSL encryption systems".

4. Make Your Storefront Eye-Catching
The design of your e-commerce site should be user-friendly and at the same time as eye-catching as a store's storefront. When consumers come to your site, they should want to continue shopping and come back again. Therefore, you should look for ways to keep your storefront eye-catching.

You can also highlight popular products and campaigns on your e-commerce site, allowing your customers to more easily find products they are interested in. Don't forget to choose the colors of your site in accordance with the nature of the products you will sell.
    
5. Give Importance to the Cargo / Courier System
The process of customers receiving the products they purchase is one of the most open to complaints. Therefore, carefully determine the issues that may cause problems, from the product price to the number of days the product should be delivered, and make your plan accordingly.

You should also take steps regarding your stocks by anticipating that your business will grow. Of course, storage is also important in terms of the transportation of the products.

6. Use Search Engines
In order for your e-commerce site to stand out in searches, it must be introduced to search engines with the right keywords. Search engines index your e-commerce site according to the words in it, and it becomes easier for users to reach you through searches. Therefore, be careful to produce content that is compatible with SEO guidelines.

When advertising on search engines, consider how users may search for your products and make your choice by examining competitors and trends.

7. Diversify Your Payment Systems
When you set up an e-commerce site, you also need to offer practical solutions regarding payment. Complex or inadequate payment options are the biggest factors that cause users to abandon their purchases.

If your site has a complex or inadequate payment page, users may abandon their purchase. However, one-click payment and virtual POS features on your site will positively affect purchase rates.

8. Sell Omnichannel
You can include the following six basic international sales channels in your sales strategy:

a. Your e-commerce website – Your own digital space.
Online marketplaces – Amazon is at the forefront of online marketplaces. These platforms typically bring together a range of third-party products, displaying an almost infinite variety and number of products.

b. Mobile marketplaces – These platforms are a reflection of larger marketplaces, but the platform structure prioritizes mobile use. Unlike companies like Amazon worldwide, these platforms operate as mobile shopping applications from the very beginning. Some examples: Wish, Mercari, and OfferUp. We can give examples of this from Turkey: buket.com and letgo.com.

c. Social media platforms – You’ve probably heard of the usual suspects here: TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and similar platforms. 
d. Comparison shopping engines – Google Shopping is one example. The difference between comparison engines and marketplaces is that purchases happen on marketplaces. Comparison engines direct shoppers to e-commerce or retail sites to complete the purchase.
e. Brick-and-mortar – Sales that you make in a physical location.

9. Plan Your Supply Chain
Supply chain management used to be defined as a process consisting of the supply, storage and shipment of the product. However, with the developing information technology, this management style has also changed. Now, non-manufacturers can also supply products directly using the producer, distributor and wholesaler channels. In fact, as many successful e-commerce sites do today, they can supply the same product through more than one channel and offer it to their customers at more affordable prices.

10. Report Your Business

  • Report and analyze all your activities related to e-commerce
  • Conversion Rate of New Visitors
  • Cost of a Conversion
  • In-Site Search
  • Supported Conversion
  • Delay Report
  • Product Performance
  • Shopping Behavior Analysis
  • Return Reports
  • Profitability Report

Frequently Asked Questions About e-Commerce Integration

We have compiled some questions for you that we think will be useful.

e-Commerce integration is an application that transfers various data from e-commerce sites and marketplaces where you sell to other third-party applications you use; allowing information such as orders, products, stocks, and invoicing to be tracked in a compatible and up-to-date manner.

Marketplace integration is the harmonious integration of platforms used for the sale of various products. In short, it can be defined as a service provided by software that provides communication and data exchange between different applications used. For example, if you sell products through more than one e-commerce site, you can track your stock amount or cash flows through a single system with such integrations.

Incorrect sending of e-commerce orders damages supplier trust, decreases marketplace score, and reduces your profitability as a result of return penalty and return cargo fee reflection. With Uzum WMS, you can ship your orders up to 80% faster and 100% accurately.

Yes. With Üzüm’ Marketplace Integration, your stock and current information are automatically transferred to Üzüm for all your sales. The sales you make on Üzüm registered e-commerce marketplaces or e-commerce infrastructures such as T-Soft, Ticimax, İdeasoft, İkas, WooCommerce, Shopify, Opencart are automatically transferred to Üzüm and invoiced, and these transactions are automatically reflected in your current balance and stock cards.

E-commerce integration systems attract attention with the many advantages they offer to people. With e-commerce integration that saves time, labor and energy, many transactions are carried out practically in a digital environment. With Üzüm, which provides the best e-commerce integration advantage, you can manage orders and stock, upload bulk products with XML, perform e-invoice integration, track your cargo and review commission reports.

In multi-channel sales transactions, you need to track the stock status of each product and the status of the ordered products. Tracking each marketplace separately can make your job much more difficult. However, with the marketplace integration you will perform through Üzüm, you will solve all these problems. You can check the order and stock status of all products from a single panel.

With e-commerce integration programs, you can perform your digital purchase and sale transactions in a very short time and save both labor and time. In addition, since you have the chance to perform all digital transactions from a single panel, you can focus on your business with maximum efficiency. E-commerce invoice integration is the digitalized version of invoicing, which is a brief summary of the purchase and sale transaction.

With e-invoice, you do not deal with printing, ink and paper costs and you can obtain your collection with a single click. Marketplace integration offers great advantages for your products to appeal to a larger number of customers. Considering that many people prefer internet shopping because it is easy and practical in daily life, marketplace integration will be an indispensable choice for products to spread to a wider range. Thanks to marketplace integration, you can easily upload your products and put them up for sale. It is possible to handle all transactions from a single screen.

In e-commerce, returns are one of the elements that increase sales. However, when not managed correctly, it causes great losses. Products must be sent correctly, orders must not be packaged incorrectly, the return must be followed up with an acceptance and expense note after it arrives, and the reasons for the return and rates must be reported.

The Grape Returns management system increases your profitability by allowing you to easily manage all your stages.

You can perform XML integration by integrating the XML file you receive from the supplier into the relevant software. As long as you follow the XML instructions of the marketplace you will integrate with, you can easily complete the XML integration.

Üzüm offers e-commerce solutions to its users with many e-commerce sites and marketplaces operating in Turkey.
Marketplace
Pazarama, Trendyol, N11, Hepsiburada, İdefix, Morhipo, ÇiçekSepeti, Modanisa, Annesepeti, EpttAvm, aZall.com, Allesgo, Amazon Turkiye, Ozon, Etysy, eBay

E-Commerce Systems
T-soft, Ticimax, İdeaSoft, Platinmarket, İkas, Shopify, WooCommerce, Opencart

You can integrate with all these platforms.

For detailed information, you can call us at 0 850 885 1234 between 09:00 - 18:00 or send an e-mail to info@uzum.com.tr.

Yes. With marketplace integration, it is possible to sell your sales not only physically but also on various online marketplaces over the internet. Therefore, you can increase the profits of your e-commerce business by moving your sales to various channels. For these reasons, marketplace integrations are becoming a very suitable use for taxpayers who want to increase their sales.

You can contact us for any other questions you would like answers to.