Creating an e-commerce site can be expedited if you address essential questions in advance, such as product organization, payment methods used, or shipping fee management rules.
When planning to launch an e-commerce site, the initial focus is often on the marketing aspect, considering strategies to boost sales, etc. You envision the adventure it represents and are generally very enthusiastic! And that's a good thing. These marketing and commercial questions are strategic and essential. However, over time, their answers will evolve, and they require long-term thinking and maturation. Regardless of the product you sell or the audience you target, there are several operational questions you can decide on. These questions are for you to answer, and importantly, you can do so before starting to work with your e-commerce provider, meaning you can save time on your project upfront. Here are these 5 major questions:
- What is the content of the product catalog?
- What payment methods should be offered?
- Which countries to sell to? In which languages? With which currency?
- How to manage shipping fees?
- What reassurance elements should be highlighted?
What is the content of the product catalog?
What will your offer consist of? If you have a physical store, will you sell the same products online? How will you categorize your products? The question of the structure and content of your product catalog is undoubtedly the most important for the success of your e-commerce site. A well-organized catalog, composed of rich and relevant product sheets, is your best asset for selling.
You can start this structuring work on your own. Identify the main categories of your products as if you were arranging them on a store shelf. In other words, organize them in a way that is useful for your customer. The catalog structure should help the user find their way around, so this organization should revolve around their needs.
For designing product sheets, it's the same; nothing prevents you from starting this work. A product sheet is not a technical sheet. Its role is to substitute for the salesperson, so its editorial angle is marketing-oriented; it’s a sales pitch. This pitch should, of course, be based on technical and factual points, but the reader should not be subjected to an endless list of features.
How to compose a product sheet? It's quite simple: take an Excel file and create a column for each important piece of information: product name, reference, category, price, weight, description, etc., and then fill in a line for each product. This method will allow you to work quickly, have an easily accessible reference document, and your website creator can automatically integrate these products into the site. What a time saver!
What payment methods to offer?
Many options are available to you! Payment by credit card? Bank transfer? Check? PayPal? All of the above? Once you've determined the payment methods, you need to set up the services. For example, for PayPal, you need to open a business account. For credit card payments, there are several solutions: either you go through a "traditional" bank, or you use a third-party operator like Ogone. In any case, you will have a contract to sign.
Payment via PayPal or credit card incurs costs for each transaction. These are types of commissions to ensure the smooth operation of services. Knowing the amount of these charges as early as possible will allow you to test the viability of your business model and possibly pass these charges onto your prices. Be proactive from the start of your project to avoid surprises when launching.
Selling to which countries? In which languages? With which currency?
It's obvious, the unique feature of an online store is that it's accessible from everywhere. In other words, you can sell to anyone, anywhere. Imagine a simple case: an expatriate buys a product on your site but resides on the other side of the world, say in Australia, how do you deliver it? What pricing will you apply? In designing your web project, you need to consider such possibilities. You must determine to which countries you sell: France? France and some neighboring countries? The world? Then, depending on the case, you will need to implement adjusted shipping fees.
In this context of expanding internationally, consider the opportunity of a multilingual site. Adding even just English immediately opens up a vast market for you. The same goes for currencies; offering a display in dollars in addition to euros can help increase your customer base.
How to handle shipping costs?
Following the consideration of your sales area, the question of delivery arises. According to which pricing model will you charge for it? There are 5 main ways to handle shipping costs:
- flat rate management: the same shipping fee regardless of the order, with free shipping beyond a certain threshold
- weight-based management: the rate varies based on the total weight of the order
- distance-based management: depending on where your package is being sent
- combined management: weight & distance
- free shipping: delivery is free, so the product price covers the delivery cost
That said, it's up to you to decide which management method suits your project. Let's imagine you choose the most elaborate method, namely combined management; in this case, you just need to specify the weight of each of your products (refer back to question #1) and define your shipping zones by indicating a rate for each (question #3).
What reassurance elements should be highlighted?
Last question: what are your unique selling points? The elements that, beyond your offer, will set you apart? Return management? A satisfaction guarantee? Consider which reassurance elements you can highlight to finally convince your visitors. Once these elements are identified, take up your pen and describe your promise. How does this "satisfaction guarantee" materialize? Is it a credit if the product is not liked? An exchange? Don't wait for the site to be ready to go live to start drafting these arguments; they can help persuade a hesitant buyer.