Many people who own a local business dream of having their own online store and expanding their business. Is this the best option? In this article we will talk if it is still worth making a virtual store today.
I have friends who know that I am a website creator and they usually look for me to make a virtual store. Over the long 5 years of the internet I realized that it is not such a simple task to set up a website, but that there are better and more profitable ideas.
Some imagine that it is enough to create the store and start selling, but they have no idea of the online competitiveness that exists, requiring large investments of money and constant and special attention and dedication to the online virtual store.
We are not discouraging anyone, we just want to make it clear that it will require dedication and investment. We are writing this article to alert you to certain problems and also to present more viable options for bringing your business to the internet.
- - - - - -How much does it cost to make a Virtual Store?
There are endless ways to make an Online Store, as well as different types of professionals who charge different prices. Some can buy 500 reais, others can charge 5,000 reais just to make the online store.
The fairest way to pay a web designer to create a virtual store is through hours worked. Some stores can be set up quickly in minutes, others take days just to make it the way the customer wants it.
In addition to the store, you may need to purchase ready-made themes, plugins and extensions and other tools to perform desired functions. You also need to buy an annual domain and pay for a monthly hosting.
It is very likely that the web designer you hire will use a ready-made online store platform such as WordPress, Magento, PrestaShop, OpenCart and others. If you want something 100% original, be prepared to spend 5 digits.
I've already written an article explaining about E-commerce and how to make your online store on WordPress. If you want to read more about how to make your store online, click here.
Shopify - Your quality online store
Instead of spending a fortune on a web designer, you can have your quality online store without having to pay for hosting through Shopify. Currently one of the largest virtual store systems in the world, supporting up to Dropship.
With an initial $ 30 monthly plan, you already have a virtual store complete with everything you need. Between making an online store from scratch in your own hosting, we strongly recommend choosing Shopify if you want your own online store.
There are other platforms with similar proposals, but I believe that none come close to what Shopify offers. Some even claim to be free of charge, but they place numerous limitations, causing many more problems in the future.
The problems of having an Online Store
The initial problem is giving confidence to the visitor. Nowadays many people only buy from big stores because they can guarantee that they will not lose their money. Many Scammers create small stores to steal money from customers.
Dropship is another thing that discourages buyers. Some ended up buying a product at an unknown store and realized that their product came from China and took months to arrive. So many resort to Mercado Livre and Amazon.
Be aware that when setting up a virtual store you need to be very alert to the computer, be prepared to go to the post office to dispatch the product. Maybe hire a carrier or chase cheap shipping options.
Another big frustration is customers trying to scam you. Some may reverse the payment of the purchase and still receive the product, others report that the product is damaged even though it is not. The package can also be lost.
Messing with people is complicated, especially online where people can act the way they want without worrying about appearances. If you are not willing to invest, dedicate and be patient, your store will not be successful!
Increasing visits to your Virtual Store
With the online store in hand, the biggest problem will be selling the products. You can have a beautiful store full of products and great prices, if there is no publicity, nobody will find your store or buy there.
To increase the reach of your website, you need to invest money in paid ads on Facebook, Instagram and Google. To make such an investment, you need a lot of knowledge to not throw money away.
I generally recommend website owners to focus on organic traffic, but unfortunately online stores are often overshadowed by giant competition, unless you have a specific niche store or unique products.
Another thing you can do to increase your visits is to create social networks and publicize the products on it, thus directing people to the site. Taking care of social networks is another job that requires dedication, time and patience.
Free Market and Marketplaces
An alternative for those who do not want to spend time making virtual stores, but want to sell their products, using the free market and other marketplaces such as Amazon and Submarino may be the best option.
The benefits are huge, you will not be charged monthly to maintain your online store, nor will you need to get involved directly with the post office, just print the label and take the packaging.
The biggest advantage of using the free market or another marketplace is that you will have the reach of thousands of buyers. If your product is unique and cheap, you will earn tons of money and will sell much more than you would sell with your own online store.
Many have their own store and still sell on the open market and other markets. Those who want to grow financially need to adapt to the system and reach every possible place to get customers.
The only disadvantage of the free market is that you will spend a little on tariffs, but the amount of sales you can achieve is much more worth your time dedicated to the free market or another marketplace.
What are the first steps for your store?
There are many things you still need to learn in order to have a successful online store. Making a short checklist, you will need to have the following things:
- Domain of the store (+ - R $ 50.00 per year);
- Decent hosting (+ - R $ 70.00);
- Engagement on Facebook;
- Engagement on Instagram;
- Products on the free market;
- Products on other Marketplace;
- Investment in paid traffic;
- SEO investment and search optimization;
- Dedication, time and patience;
- Basic knowledge in code editing;
- Automation and API configuration;
Do you have no knowledge or skills on the internet? Maybe this is the time to learn ... To access the course page just click on the course title at the beginning of each paragraph below:
Online Business Formula - The most famous course on working on the internet. It teaches absolutely everything you need to know about website creation, monetization, sales, affiliates, structuring, SEO and traffic.
I intended to recommend another course initially in this article, but I think I will leave only the Online Business Formula that I trust. In addition to the FNO I can also recommend some readings on the subject and some basic courses from Udemy:
