There are thousands of Canadians who make a good living selling products online and if you would like to join them, you have come to the right place. Of course, the really critical factor is your product line; get this wrong and it could spell disaster, but if you think you have licked a winner, here are a few tips to help you get the business off the ground.
- Professional Web Design and Management – You don’t want to be spending all of your time building your shopping cart website, rather hook up with a leading Canadian SEO agency like https://kingkong.co/ca/ who have all the solutions, from initial web design and hosting to search engine optimization, something you will need. Outsource all your IT needs to a single provider and you can focus on customer service without worrying about your website, which will be managed by the agency.
- Optimize for Google – Millions of online consumers source products with Google on a daily basis and you need to help Google to recognize your site in any way that you can. Create a sitemap and register your business with Google and forge an alliance with a leading SEO agency, as they can really put your platform on the map. If you have a star employee, why not enroll them in a leadership course?
- Payment Gateways & Online Security – Of course, you need to provide a wide range of payment gateways; all major credit cards, direct bank transfer, PayPal and even Bitcoin. This gives the customer choices and your site must be secure (see your SEO provider) with an SSL Certificate. People simply won’t enter their financial data on an unsecure site, so you must have a high level of web security. Test all payment gateways by making purchases prior to opening for business, then you are good to go.
- Logistics – From the moment the customer clicks on ‘Buy Now’, the clock is ticking and the best way to ensure prompt order fulfilment is to outsource to a 3rd party logistics company (3PL), who can handle picking, packing and delivery on your behalf. Of course, you might start out on a small scale and have all your products in your garage, packing and mailing yourself, but if your digital marketing is on-point, you will enjoy a high volume of orders and you won’t be able to cope. The 3PL company is a vital partner to the e-commerce business and with fast delivery essential, this is the only way to ensure a first-class service.
- Professional Images and Sales Copy – When building your shopping cart site, make sure product images and sales copy are professional, while the customer can’t touch the products, they should be able to explore high-definition images and informative product descriptions will promote your brand. The way that you present your products must be professional and spending money on professional photography is a wise move.
One thing you will have to do is register the business with the Canadian government and you will be responsible for your tax returns. The secret to success lies in your digital marketing and by hiring a leading SEO agency, you can carve out a decent share of a global market and enjoy sustained growth.
