ecommerce

Trying to push my way to make money online through setting up ecommerce shop, I’ve made mistakes a while ago, and I want to make sure you are not doing the same mistakes I did.

The number one mistake I did is NOT to bootstrap.

At that time, I thought that if I want to start an ecommerce shop, I have to think big and ready to splash tens of thousands of dollar. While this might be true to some, this definitely a WRONG decision for me.

You see, I denied the fact that starting an ecommerce shop doesn’t only require passion - it requires knowledge.

I read ebooks and other sources about starting an ecommerce shop - dropshipping, selling at eBay, etc. All they talk about is on incorporating a secure shopping cart, a privacy protection, and doing advertising (through Google AdWord and other methods).

While they are useful, not a single information I read is about how to start small and smart, unfortunately.

I learned the hard way - I learned that bootstrapping is key in starting a successful ecommerce shop.

All facets of ecommerce - ecommerce hosting, back-office management, website management, and marketing need to be bootstrapped.

How to start small but successful ecommerce shop

Unless you have all the funding to hire a team of techie and marketer, while securing a prominent funding source, I highly recommend you to start on your own by bootstrapping your startup phase.

Remember, you don’t want revenue - you want profit. You can make bigger profit from lower revenue if you start yourself small and ‘light’.

Here’s a tip or two on bootstrapping your ecommerce startup from my own experience:

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Online small business owner - what is your most important success factor in running an eCommerce business?

It is your shopping cart system.

Believe me - choosing the best shopping cart software is even more important than getting prospects visiting your eStore.

Why? Because having thousands of visitors without having the ability to serve them right will eventually give your eStore a bad name.

Finding the right shopping cart solution

You see, online shoppers are paranoid - they have all rights to be one. Unfulfilled orders, stolen personal information and other annoying problems will leave your visitors have something hanging at the back of their mind.

It is your job to give your visitor a sense of security.

I learn this the hard way - I started an eCommerce business a while ago with little success. The problem is not marketing, but my back end systems. I developed the website myself, letting my inexperience rule out the great potential of my site.

To cut long story short, my problem lies in my shopping cart system - the underperformed shopping cart system, thanks to my inexperience - caused me losing customers.

How to choose the right shopping cart solution

I have some tips on choosing the right shopping cart solution from my experience running an eCommerce business.

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I’ve been into web design, publishing, and development for many years. Yet, I still in a position to learn the ins and outs of web, particularly with the emergence of social media and web 2.0.

The Internet is no longer the good ol’ place to hang out and share info. Websites and blogs are commercialised. Nothing wrong with that, as I also believe that the Internet is the driving factor of the new economy. There are people make a living (or even a lifestyle) working on the net - as their only source of income.

For the unaware businessmen - behold, the e-Commerce will leave you in the dust. You HAVE to jump into the band wagon NOW. I did, too. Why? According to Paypal, e-Commerce transaction already pass US$ 2 billion mark. Huge numbers. Big opportunities. The market is still wide open for you and me.

Whether you are an entrepreneur looking to explore the lucrative world of the Internet or an avid businessman looking to expand to the Internet, I have one thing for you: start selling with your website, and start evangelising about your business with your blog.

You already have a great product. Now, sell it in your website. Here’s the how-to:

Choose a domain name

Domain name: Web address that usually starts with www.yourgreatbusiness.com (the most common ending - called TLD, Top Level Domain - is the .com… however, you are free to explore other TLDs, such as .us, .ca, .biz, .info, .tv, etc) - suggestion: Never choose other than .com or .net, unless you have strong reasons to do so!

Web hosting company: Your provider of web space. Usually the company have several hosting packages, or even for free. Suggestion: Use web hosting company that guarantee almost 99.99% uptime (meaning, your website is accessible 99.99% of time)

About free domain name and hosting

So many free alternatives out there, but why throw money? location, location, location. Your ‘physical’ location on the net is your domain name (just like your ol’ business address) and web hosting (just like your ol’ leased retail space). You see, location is important. You wouldn’t want put your business address on P.O. Boxes to gain trust. You don’t want your business website address looks like http://mygreatbusiness.otherpeopleweb.com or http://www.otherpeopleweb.com/mygreatbusiness - you’ll want http://www.mygreatbusiness.com. Got it? :)

How to find a good domain name

To get a good domain name, you have to search for it. Usually, a good web hosting company has a feature to search for domain name. If not, just try to look for it in whois.ws, whois.net, etc.

Some tips on good domain name:

1. The shorter, the better. www.abc.com is great, but unfortunately has long been gone… www.mygreatbusinesswithgreatproduct.om is NOT a good idea!
2. Easier to read, the better. www.mygreatbusiness.com is good, but www.my-great-business.com is easier to read. It’s all up to you.
3. Filled with keywords about your business. If you sell Acme biscuits online, you’d name your domain www.acmebiscuits.com or www.deliciousbiscuits.com, rather than www.acmecompany.com.

Choose a hosting package

Next, choose a hosting package. Choose what you WILL need, not what you need it right now. Choose more than enough storage space for your website, and more than enough bandwidth to attract visitors. You would not want for your website to be unable to get more visitors, because your ‘retail space’ is full!

You shouldn’t worry too much about pricing, because nowadays the web hosting competition is so stiff, that prices are low and almost identical.

I suggest you to look for the plans and features you need. For example, I want to establish an online store. Then, I look for a web hosting company that is designed to support e-commerce, to simplify my life :)

If I were you, I will choose web hosting that:

1. Can search domain name
2. Simple registration
3. Easy to reach customer support
4. Have verified testimonials, full of positive words on the service.

There’s there. Hopefully this article helps you look for good domain name and web hosting company. If you want to, you can try IPOWER for reliable hosting and great service.

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