Welcome!
Hello, and thanks for downloading “Selling Your Products Online: A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Going eCommerce.”
My name is Okwuchi **BIO**
In this short guide, you will discover…
- Why just having a website isn’t good enough
- What is an eCommerce store?
- How to increase sales of your current products by selling them online with your own eCommerce store
- How to add a brand new source of revenue to your service-based business by selling products online that complement your services
- How to get started!
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So, let’s jump right into it!
First of all, I just wanted to say how much I admire the fact that you already have a website. This tells me that you already understand the power of having a solid web presence.
Surprisingly, this is something that a lot of small business owners still don’t understand.
But, we’re here to talk about how to take your online efforts to “the next level”, specifically by adding an eCommerce store to your online marketing portfolio.
Having a website just for the sake of having one is no longer good enough.
Sure, a website is a great way to show potential customers the different products & services you offer, but if it doesn’t directly bring in sales then what good is it?
A website should make you more money, period. Learn to seamlessly integrate payments into your sites with our state-of-the-art Seamless Payments Solutions, easing the transaction process for your customers.
What is an eCommerce Store?
Now, a rising trend I’ve noticed among small business owners like yourself is the move towards selling of products & services (that used to be sold strictly offline) online directly from their website.
I’m sure you’ve heard of large online companies like Amazon.com. They sell just about everything you could imagine, from blenders to books and even bacon-flavored coffee! (yes, it’s true)
This is a prime example of an eCommerce store…a very large one at that.
Being a small business owner who sells products offline, you may have wondered if you cold also benefit from selling your own products or services online.
Whether you want to tap into the brand new supply of fresh customers that the web can offer, or if you just want to provide a place for your existing customers to easily purchase your products…an eCommerce store can help you increase profits and grow your company’s brand. Small business owners, alleviate checkout frustrations with our guide, Small Business Shopping Cart Solutions, tailored to meet your unique needs.
eCommerce for Service Providers:
If you are a service provider, like a restaurant owner, carpet cleaner, contractor, auto detailer, or other similar service-based business, you could easily add a brand new source of revenue to your business by selling other products that complement your services.
For example…
If you’re a restaurant owner, you could sell your own sauces or baked goods directly from your website.
This would help you grow your brand and attract customers from neighboring areas because you are no longer limited to foot traffic. Learn why Squarespace has become our ultimate web hosting solution for e-commerce ventures.
As you already know, the internet knows no geographic boundaries, so your product could potentially end up in the hands of anyone, no matter where they are located in the world. Allowing you to expand your brand worldwide if this is a goal of yours.
It also means your existing customers can take your delicious products into their homes and use them in their own recipes…further allowing your customers to “embed” your products in their lives.
This is the same case for any service-based business, not just restaurants.
- Hair Salon owners can benefit from selling their hair care products online.
- Auto Detailers can benefit from selling car care products & waxes online.
- …and more!
The list really does go on and on.
Do you own a service-based business? If so, can you think of how adding an eCommerce store to your website could help you sell your own products online? Delve into the future of e-commerce by understanding BigCommerce’s Impact on E-Commerce and how it can revolutionize your online business strategies.
What would you sell?
eCommerce for Product Sellers:
If you are already selling your own products from your offline store, then it’s even easier for you because you can take your existing products and just add them to your eCommerce store.
Just as with the Service Providers above, this would mean an additional source of revenue for your business, letting you tap into the massive potential of the web, attracting customers literally from anywhere in the world.
No longer do you have to put a ceiling on your sales by limiting yourself to your local market? With an eCommerce store, the sky really is the limit.
This is the case no matter what it is you sell…whether it’s shoes, dogs & cats, cameras, auto parts or anything else.
Do you currently sell a product offline? If so, how would you benefit from being able to sell that product directly from your website?
Would it make it easier for existing customers to buy from you more often?
Would you benefit from the increased exposure offered by having your products for sale online?
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This sounds great, but isn’t this a lot of work to set up?
Being a local web designer in this area myself, I get a lot of questions from my customers on how they can have their own eCommerce store so they can sell their products & services online like we have discussed so far.
More importantly, since most of my clients already have a website, how would this new eCommerce store work with their existing website without causing any issues or confusing visitors?
Adding an eCommerce store to your existing website actually isn’t as complicated as it sounds, as long as the person who does it knows what they’re doing.
When done correctly, an online store can be installed on a subdomain or subdirectory of your main website domain and operate alongside your main website.
For example, let’s say your website is: www.joespizza.com
Your online store could actually be installed as a separate entity on…
http://STORE.joespizza.com (subdomain)
Or…
www.joespizza.com/STORE/ (subdirectory)
The only edits you would need to make to your existing website would be any links or banner images you’d want to use to link to your online store.
I don’t want to get to technical on you here, but you can add an eCommerce store to your existing website without causing a bunch of website downtime or disruption of business.
But, hiring the right person for the job is of major importance. Discover the essential features that power the best e-commerce sites, ensuring your success with our expert guidance on Top Features for Ecommerce Site Building.
The next step:
Does adding an eCommerce store to your website sound like it might benefit your business?
If so, then you will be interested to know that this is a service that I specialize in.
Adding eCommerce websites to existing websites for small businesses here in the **TOWN** area is something I do a lot of…and my clients say I’m pretty good at it.
Ready to take control of your online presence? Learn the ins and outs of Implementing Your Own Ecommerce Web Hosting Service, empowering your business for growth and scalability.
