In Ireland alone, eCommerce revenue is set to reach over €3b this year. Still, many owners of small and medium sized businesses ask us whether it is worth transitioning from brick-and-mortar to eCommerce. Many others see the potential of but don’t know where to start.
What is eCommerce?
Ecommerce is when you buy and sell products or services over the Internet. The scope is enormous. If you are also wondering whether there is space for your business, take a look at these common eCommerce models:
Wholesale: Just like in real life, products are sold in bulk to retailers, who then sell on to customers. While the physical goods must be delivered or collected, the transactions themselves take place over the Internet.
Retail: Products are sold directly to a customer; there is no intermediary. As consumers we are all familiar with ordering and paying for anything from food to furniture.
Dropshipping: Unlike in the retail model, the dropshipping company is part of a supply chain. Customer orders are sent to another retailer, a wholesaler or the manufacturer. Items are shipped directly to the customer from there. No warehousing or distribution services required.
Subscriptions: The recurring purchase of products or services is very popular, especially with digital products. These are products that are bought online to be used online or on a device. For instance, software, audiobooks, cloud-based products, or courses.
Services: Bought and paid for online, services include therapy, coaching, influencer marketing and WordPress web design services.
3 Steps to Starting a eCommerce Business
There is space for you to set up your own eCommerce website and grow with the industry. Here’s how to get going:
1. Find a need and fill it Do your research before you start. For example, high online sales are predicted for these products:
Drones is already a €5B industry, and still growing.
Subscription boxes are growing 200% annually.
Vaping and e-cigs is an industry predicted to reach €61B by 2025, despite being heavily regulated.
2. Build an easy-to-use eCommerce Website
Customers have higher expectations than ever. To be competitive, your website must look professional. The easiest way to achieve this is to work with a professional web design company.
Your website must also have ecommerce functionality. You may need:
Price products and catalogues with ease
Categorise and organise your products for ease of filtering
Work seamlessly across devices
3. Use search engines to drive traffic to your site Search engine optimisation is critical. If Google can’t find you, then nobody can. SEO is a science and it pays to pay a professional to manage it. It isn’t something you do once and then forget about. SEO in Carlow or Kilkenny is just as important as anywhere on the globe.
3 Steps to Starting a eCommerce Business
There is space for you to set up your own eCommerce website and grow with the industry. Here’s how to get going:
Find a need and fill it Do your research before you start. For example, high online sales are predicted for these products:
Drones is already a €5B industry, and still growing.
Subscription boxes are growing 200% annually.
Vaping and e-cigs is an industry predicted to reach €61B by 2025, despite being heavily regulated.
Build an easy-to-use eCommerce Website
Customers have higher expectations than ever. To be competitive, your website must look professional. The easiest way to achieve this is to work with a professional web design company.
Your website must also have ecommerce functionality. You may need:
Price products and catalogues with ease
Categorise and organise your products for ease of filtering
Work seamlessly across devices
Use search engines to drive traffic to your site Search engine optimisation is critical. If Google can’t find you, then nobody can. SEO is a science and it pays to pay a professional to manage it. It isn’t something you do once and then forget about. SEO in Carlow or Kilkenny is just as important as anywhere on the globe.
Adrian and his team did an amazing job redesigning my website. They took time to understand what was required and then produced an excellent design with great functionality, plus helping with getting the site live and active. I would highly recommend Green Apple Design to anyone looking for web site design, branding or digital marketing.
I worked with Adrian and his team to build and design our company's new website. He was extremely professional and responsive. Green Apple Design listened to our needs, offered guidance and delivered an amazing website. Their team of highly skilled professionals went above and beyond their duty and the results exceeded our expectations.
I had the pleasure to work with Green Apple Design for my company's new website. Adrian was prepared, proactive, and thorough during the entire process. Although I could not proceed with all the parts of the proposed website due to budget constraints, Adrian went out of his way to work close to it. Highly recommend overall.
