Your Guide to Building a Professional E-commerce Store in 9 Steps

Building an e-commerce store is one of the best investment opportunities today. As the digital economy undergoes a massive global revolution, the Arab world…

Creating an online store and entering the world of e-commerce is one of the best investment ideas you can undertake right now. The digital economy is witnessing a massive revolution that the Arab world is no longer isolated from; e-commerce volume in the Arab world is expected to reach about $13.4 billion during the current year 2020, with more than 30 million Arab shoppers. Certainly, no one would want to miss this opportunity.

Table of Contents:

Defining the products your store will offer

Choose your store brand name

Choosing a domain and hosting for the online store

Building the online store

Designing the online store

Determining the shipping and storage system

Final review and testing

Securing the online store

Marketing the online store

How to create a professional online store

There are two main reasons that may prompt you to create an online store at the present time. The first is the large scale of the e-commerce market, which has become extremely massive, including the Arab world, where the Arab e-commerce market is estimated at tens of millions of dollars, although it is still untapped with a very small number of stores, which means there is a huge amount of opportunities to be exploited.

The second reason is the relatively low cost of creating an online store, especially when compared to expensive traditional stores that require essential elements that online stores do not need, such as renting or buying a premises for sales and storage, obtaining licenses and administrative procedures, and operational expenses such as water, electricity, internet bills, and others.

Now, perhaps the question that comes to your mind is: what is the cost of creating a good online store? Well, there is no specific answer to this question, as it depends on the type and size of the store, and the features you want in it. But practically, you can create an online store for free, for example. Now, let's address the steps for creating

1. Define the products your store will offer

The first step before creating an online store is defining the type of products that this store will sell, because identifying products is an essential element that directly affects the success of the project from the start. The last thing you want is to open an online store that no one buys from because the market does not need the products you offer. But with millions of goods and products, how do you choose the right products to sell in the store?

Initially, you need to set aside some time to research the target segment and the products you will be selling. You likely have an initial idea about these products, but this does not necessarily mean that these products will be in demand. Therefore, it is important to verify that people will buy these products; there are many factors to consider when choosing the type of products, such as:

Availability and demand rate for products

Are the products you want to sell available in your area of activity? If they are not available, or are far away, in another city for example, this is a good opportunity, and your chances of selling those products will increase. What about the demand rate for these products? Is it high, medium, or low? Simply put, look for products that have a pressing need in the market.

You can start by conducting research to find out which products are in high demand by looking at the best-seller lists in major stores, and carefully exploring reviews of these products to see if there are any problems associated with them, and whether you can solve them or provide an alternative. There are also some tools that might help you with this, such as:

Google Trends : Allows you to view search volume for keywords over a specific period and in a specific country. This helps you determine the demand for the products you wish to sell.

TrendHunter : Showcases many high-demand products globally, with the ability to filter results by field or industry. You can use it to identify the most trending products and make your selection among them.

Price and Profit Margin

Price is a fundamental factor determining the success of any online store. If the price is too low, it will be difficult to achieve a significant return on investment. If the price is too high, you will find it difficult to convince customers to buy. Therefore, you must choose products with an appropriate price.

If your store handles the shipping process for products to their owners, it is important to consider the size and weight of the products. Shipping large and heavy products is expensive and can impact your profit margin, especially since many customers today expect free shipping.

As for the profit margin, it generally ranges between 30 and 35%, though this may vary from one industry to another. For example, in the electronics sector, the profit margin is lower, while it may be higher in the phone accessories field. Ensure that the profit margin is appropriate, ask the manufacturer for the wholesale price of the product, calculate the costs of setting up the online store, and estimate the profit margin. If it is not suitable, look for other products.

2. Choose a Brand Name for Your Online Store

Finding a suitable name for your brand is not easy. Do not try to find the perfect name; what matters more are the services you provide to your customers. If they like those services, they will remember your name even if they have never heard it before. Remember that there are many examples of e-commerce companies that chose meaningless names and yet succeeded.

There are some criteria that are preferred for your brand name, such as: being easy to spell, relevant to the industry you are targeting, and avoiding names with complex spellings so that people can easily type it. It is also good for the online store's website address to be the same as your brand name. Try to search for a name available with the .com domain extension, given its popularity and reliability compared to other domains.

3. Choose a Domain and Hosting for the Store

Now you need to search for a domain name for your online store. This process may take a lot of your time, especially if you are looking for a unique, short domain name or one that contains a specific keyword. Your preferred domain name will often be taken, so when thinking about creating an online store, you should define a list of potential domains to use.

One excellent way to obtain a unique domain name is to search on domain sales websites that offer you the feature of checking whether a specific domain name is available, along with suggestions for similar domain names. Some hosting sites offer a free domain name if you purchase hosting from them, but there are some things to consider when choosing a domain name:

Choose a country code : If you intend to sell your products in a specific country, you can choose that country's code. For example, (.sa) as a code for Saudi Arabia.

Avoid famous names : You may face lawsuits if you include the name of a registered product or brand in your online store's domain name.

Add a keyword : If your online store specializes in selling a specific category of products, try adding a keyword related to that category.

After purchasing a domain name, you will need to book hosting for your website. There are many reliable hosting companies you can rely on to host your store. However, remember that some e-commerce store-building platforms offer a built-in hosting option, so do not rush. You can learn more about how to host your online store in the following article: What is the most suitable web hosting for your startup?

4. Building the Online Store

Not everyone has the technical knowledge to build an online store and enter the e-commerce market on their own. Therefore, you will have two options to build your store: either hire a professional web developer or use one of the specialized e-commerce store-building tools.

Hiring a web developer

Hiring a web developer is a preferred option for many because it gives them greater flexibility. They can request customization of the site as they wish, and they will have full control over the details of building the store and the technology used to build it. This is something that may not be available in tools dedicated to building e-commerce stores, but the price for this flexibility and control is that the cost may be higher.

You can hire a highly competent and experienced web developer at reasonable prices through the Mostaql platform. Just define the project details carefully while specifying the expected delivery time and the expected budget, and you will find dozens of offers from the best web developers in the Arab world. Compare them, select the best one, and start communicating with the developer to agree on your project.

Choosing a ready-made store-building platform

E-commerce store-building platforms are applications specialized in building stores that do not require technical skills or knowledge of programming and development. In general, e-commerce store-building platforms provide the features of hosting the store and linking the domain name you chose to the hosting, while providing your site with a security certificate to encrypt financial transactions and protect the personal data of store visitors.

In addition to categorizing products by category and helping market your store and products, there are other advanced features such as discounts and sales analysis. There are many such platforms, each with its own pros and cons. However, the free WooCommerce plugin for the popular WordPress platform is one of the best choices for building an e-commerce store, whether small or large. There are many other e-commerce platforms you can use, but to choose the platform that suits your needs, some criteria should be taken into account, such as:

Price : Each platform usually offers several options. You may find that starting with low-cost initial plans is sufficient, then moving to an advanced plan as your store grows.

SEO : The platform you choose must support SEO features such as: link optimization, easy navigation, site speed, and other SEO factors.

Customer Service : If you face a technical problem or a glitch occurs in your store, it is important to get support as quickly as possible.

Customization : Most platforms offer ready-made templates and designs for the store. However, the platform should offer the freedom to customize your store and modify its design.

Security : Check that the platform supports HTTPS and complies with e-commerce regulations such as PCI standards and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Mobile Responsive : A large percentage of purchases are made from phones, so mobile responsiveness is a necessary feature for your store.

Helps you grow : As your project begins to grow, you will need more advanced new features. Check that the platform allows you to do so.

User-friendly : The platform must be easy to use. E-commerce platforms typically provide ready-made templates for adding products; this process should be seamless and not time-consuming.

5. E-commerce Store Design

Your online store design should be attractive and elegant, but without overdoing it, as excess can slow down the site and distract visitors. The design should be responsive to screens of various sizes, as a large percentage of your store visitors use mobile phones. Also, ensure the store is easy to navigate.

Furthermore, visitors should be able to access the homepage from anywhere on the site, reach the checkout page, find products they are looking for quickly, and locate product categories and subcategories. Store-building platforms usually offer ready-made templates; browse the ones provided by your chosen platform. There are essential components that every online store must have, which are:

A- Product Pages

Product pages are where you showcase your items; they are crucial as this is where visitors complete their purchases. Therefore, you should give them special attention and optimize their design. Here are some of the basic components that should be included on a product page:

Product Name and Description

Choose appropriate names for your products. If they have foreign names, you can hire a freelance translator to localize them. Avoid complex names and look for simple, unique, and memorable ones. Each product should also have a description. The purpose of the description is to convince the visitor to buy the product. Therefore, it should be written in a persuasive, engaging marketing style, using simple and clear language while highlighting the product's features.

You should also consider SEO rules when writing product descriptions to attract traffic from search engines. The more traffic you have, the higher your chances of selling. The description should also be honest; otherwise, you will lose the trust of your customers. The process of writing product descriptions requires some experience and can be tedious and time-consuming, especially if you are selling many products, so it might be better to hire a freelancer with these skills through Mostaql.

If the product is a physical item, such as a shoe or a phone, you should include a picture of it on the product page. This has become very easy with the availability of smartphones with professional cameras. Choose a space with a suitable background, use your best camera, and take photos of the product from several angles. If there are multiple variations of the product in terms of colors, sizes, and shapes, take several photos that show this diversity.

It is also preferable to take a photo of the product in use. This is appropriate for clothing; instead of just a picture of a coat or shirt, it is better to take a picture of a person wearing that coat or shirt. Do not deceive your site visitors; the images should be realistic and reflect the true nature of the product. Do not use too many images, as excessive photos can slow down page loading, especially on mobile devices.

Studies indicate that 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Furthermore, searching for and reading reviews has become an essential part of the product research process. In addition to reviews, pay close attention to a good Call to Action (CTA) button. This is simply a marketing term for the “Buy” or “Add to Cart” button, so it should be prominent and in clear, distinct colors.

Several factors control the pricing of products, including: the cost of the product, storage, shipping, and the average prices offered by competitors. In addition to general costs for managing the online store, such as hosting and development costs. You should take all these factors into account and set a balanced price that provides a good profit margin, while ensuring the price is in the local currency and clarifying whether it includes shipping and taxes.

Recently, the concept of dynamic pricing has emerged—a strategy for pricing products based on the level of demand, available inventory, and the customer's specific need for the product. These factors are determined using AI technologies that analyze user profiles, browsing history, previous search operations, and other digital activities to set product prices accordingly.

B- Product Category Pages

Most online stores organize their e-commerce products into categories to make them easier to browse and find. If you sell only a few products, there is no need for categorization, as they likely fall under the same category anyway. However, if you sell hundreds of products, it is essential to divide them into categories and dedicate a page to each, making it easier for customers to browse and choose.

Simply categorizing your products is often insufficient, as a shopper may not know which category they should search in. The best way to solve this problem is by providing an on-site search feature. Most e-commerce platforms offer this feature by default. If it is not available, or if you have hired a developer to build your online store, be sure to ask them to add a search feature.

C- Essential Online Store Pages

Every online store consists of a set of core pages that cannot be dispensed with or neglected in any way. Among the most prominent of these pages are:

Home Page : Most online stores display their best-selling products on their home page, in addition to some customer reviews.

About Us : The "About Us" page is an introductory page for you, your company, and your goals. Avoid copying content from other stores and write original content.

Contact : You must create a contact page where you include your contact information, such as phone number, address, and email, along with a form for those who wish to reach out to you.

FAQs : The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page includes answers to recurring customer questions and inquiries, saving you a lot of time and effort.

Privacy Policy : It is now mandatory for electronic service websites, including online stores, to inform users about how their data is used and processed. Therefore, you must dedicate a page for your privacy policy.

Terms of Use : The Terms of Use page includes the terms, conditions, and rules that govern the relationship between you and your site's visitors and users. This is a necessary requirement for anyone looking to build an online store.

6. Determining the Shipping and Storage System

One of the biggest challenges you will face when creating an online store is storing and shipping products. These challenges grow as your project grows. Before you ship a product to a customer, you need to know some key information, such as the customer's address and the type of shipping. The right time to request this information is during the checkout process. There are several ways to charge customers for shipping, such as:

Free Shipping : This option will give you a significant competitive advantage. However, you must study it carefully. It is preferable to only activate this feature when a customer's purchase exceeds a certain value. This ensures that profits cover the shipping cost and encourages customers to buy more to qualify for this benefit.

Flat Rate : With this option, the shipping cost remains fixed regardless of the product type. This is suitable for online stores that sell items similar in size and weight.

Variable Rate: In this option, shipping costs are calculated based on several factors, such as product weight, dimensions, and the shipping destination. This option is suitable for stores selling products that vary in size and weight, or those with a customer base spread across different geographic regions.

The question now is, how will you deliver products to their owners? You have two primary options: working with a third party or shipping products to customers yourself. In the former case, a third party handles all shipping operations. All you need to do is provide them with the necessary information, such as the customer's name and address, and they will handle delivering the products to the owners.

As for self-shipping, you will take care of everything: storage, packaging, and delivery via a specific courier service. This method might be suitable for those looking to start a small online store project or those targeting a small geographic area. However, as the project grows, you will need a better shipping system.

7. Final Review and Testing

After building and designing your online store, it is time to set up the appropriate payment gateways. Most e-commerce platforms offer many ready-made payment options, such as Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and others. If you have hired a developer to build your online store, ask them to add payment gateways to the store. After setting up the payment gateways, do not forget to verify that all of them are working properly. The best way to do this is to perform a test purchase and see if everything is working as expected.

By now, you should have finished everything related to building and preparing your store. But do not rush; do not launch your store just yet. There is one final stage you must go through before the actual launch: the final review and testing stage. There are several key aspects to review and verify that they are working as expected, most notably:

Store Content: Review the site content carefully, as errors will negatively impact the user experience and may make visitors perceive it as unprofessional.

Responsiveness to Small Screens: Verify that the store works well on mobile and tablet screens.

Cross-Browser Compatibility: Try accessing your online store from multiple browsers, especially popular ones.

8. Securing the Online Store

Just like traditional stores, online stores are not immune to theft attempts. Therefore, you must secure the site by purchasing a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, which will protect your site data and your customers' personal information. All online stores are required to support this protocol to encrypt sensitive information, such as credit card details and customer personal data.

Your customers expect their personal information to remain safe when they buy from your store; therefore, adopting this protocol is essential to gain buyer trust. Additionally, Google now uses this encryption as a ranking factor, and browsers have begun to warn users about sites that do not support it. Please be careful not to store your customers' credit card numbers in the site database, as keeping them on the server is a major security risk. If they are hacked and leaked, you will be legally liable to your customers.

9. Marketing Your Online Store

Before you open your online store, you should outline your marketing strategy. Without an effective marketing strategy, your project will not grow, and people will not know your store exists in the first place, even if you sell high-quality products at competitive prices. There are many marketing techniques you can use to attract customers and traffic to your online store, most notably:

Content Marketing

Content marketing refers to the creation of content designed to drive traffic and attract customers. This type of marketing relies on a clear content plan focused on creating material that appeals to your target audience. This content does not necessarily talk about your products directly; rather, it may be educational content related to them.

Email marketing is considered one of the best marketing techniques when compared to other prominent marketing channels that require large budgets. Although other channels may give you access to a larger number of customers, email marketing provides you with better results with them, as its return on investment can reach $38 for every dollar spent. Therefore, it should be a part of your marketing strategy.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the rules that should be followed to achieve a good ranking on search engine results pages, such as: selecting keywords, building backlinks, improving user experience, ensuring mobile responsiveness, and other factors that search engines take into account when ranking websites.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is an inexhaustible source of potential customers and an excellent way to promote your store and products. You must ensure that you have a strong presence on these platforms, whether for marketing and promoting products or providing customer support. You can read How to succeed in your social media marketing plan? to learn more.

You might have to market your online store by yourself at the beginning, which could take a lot of your time and effort. There is an alternative solution,

If you wish to enlist the help of professional digital marketing and social media advertising agencies , you can contact the venets team.

We offer a group of specialists in professional web design services, social media services, SEO, and many other diverse digital marketing services.

Hurry to contact us through our various digital platforms, or visit the official venets website.

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Creating and Managing E-Marketing Campaigns

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Digital Marketing - The Comprehensive Guide

A Simplified Guide to the Concept of Content Marketing

Essential Marketing Steps for Project Owners

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