E-Commerce is On Fire, How You Can Get Started

The online business model is thriving.

Sales were up 12.6 percent for revenues of $176.2 billion in 2010, according to Entrepreneur. They're estimated to hit $278.9 billion by 2015. If you've been thinking of starting an online business from one of your passions, then now is the time. The sooner you get online, the sooner you can take part in this expanding revenue stream.

Whether you have a product, service or information to sell, there is a way to create an online business to fit your idea. There are many resources available to get started. Shopify and Cafe Press are examples of ecommerce sites available to sell your products. Ruby Lane and Etsy are ecommerce sites that cover the niche of handcrafted items. Sometimes you can use these sites to sell information as a product, such as an ebook.

Do some planning before you start building a storefront, so you'll have a better idea of what direction you'll take. Once your storefront is up, you'll continue to work with it to keep visitors coming back. Online sales is about getting visitors and potential customers on your site. There are millions of websites a person can visit, so give them a good reason to visit yours.

If you're new to E-Commerce, you can read this guide from The Small Business Playbook.

Have the Right Tools Available

You'll be spending a lot of time on the computer getting your online business going, so a good desktop or laptop is needed. A fast and reliable network connection is needed, so look at services such as Century Link for deals that give you the performance that matches your budget. Outfit your office with a small printer, because even in the digital age, you'll need to print some things out.

Showing Your Product or Service to the World

Think about how you want to portray your product or service to people. How does it uniquely solve a problem that people have? What benefits do people get from owning this product? One reason people will visit your website is because there is something unique about what you offer. If you're selling the same thing that a hundred other people are, then it's purely a numbers game in terms of whether they'll visit you over the competition.

Sooner is Better Than Later

One of the mistakes new online business owners make is waiting too long to launch their product or service. ThinkTraffic.net suggests doing some planning and preparation, but to set up a goal of getting your product or service out in front of people as soon as feasible. This may make the perfectionists nervous, but with so many business going online every day, the sooner your website is live and taking orders, the more of an edge you'll have over any new competition. Lock down your niche market as soon as you can.

Prepare to Support Your Idea

Creating a website so people can buy your product is just one step toward your successful online business. Write interesting content, such as articles and blog posts, that express your passion for what you are selling. Tap into unique ways to use Facebook and Twitter to communicate the benefits of using your product. Ask people to write reviews for you and “like” your product.

All of this creates a discussion about your product online that people carry with them into their respective networks. Once your website is up and running, you will continue the care and feeding of your product by writing, reviewing, and keeping the visibility of it on the network.

If you are passionate about a product or service, there is an online market for you. Express your excitement about it to others, and they will pick up on that. Whether this is a full or part-time effort, you can tap into part of that growing online revenue stream.

Jon Portland has been involved in E-Commerce for over 10 years and is the E-Commerce manager for Discountpoolsupply.com, one of Canada's largest pool and spa supply companies.

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Gary

CEO at 3Bug Media
Gary Shouldis is the founder of 3Bug Media, a web marketing company that helps businesses create 360 Marketing Strategies to dominate their market. His blog is read by over 20 thousand small business owners a month and has been featured in the N.Y. Times Small Business, Business Insider and Yahoo Small Business.