With the rapid changes we are facing in today’s world, so many shops have had to close down and turn to online sales. So if you’re wondering how you can move your sales from your previous brick and mortar approach, to only online, here are some tips to set up your online store.

Why do I need an online store?

So that you can sell products or services from anywhere in the world. If you have a product or service that you would like people to be able to access without having to come into your store, then offering an online alternative is the way to go.

Decide on which platform you’d like to house your site on

What platform you go with, matters. Here is a quick comparison of different options.

Shopify (winner)

Shopify is the best platform for online stores with a high inventory. If you are planning to have more than 50 product types, then Shopify is the way to go.

It has been built specifically around eCommerce and is an extremely visual platform that makes it easy to run a business from.

The only downside is that the monthly hosting fees are quite high.

Wordpress - WooCommerce (runner-up)

I’m not a lover of Wordpress, but it does offer eCommerce capabilities with Woocommerce. It is simple to set up and provides a neat and easy way to manage and sell products. The thing I don’t like about Wordpress is that all of the plugins and updates can cause issues to a site. You need to maintain and update all of these so that your site doesn’t lag or be vulnerable to spammers.

Squarespace (good for few product options)

If you’re only wanting to sell one or two products, with not many variations, then Squarespace is a great option. The eCommerce capabilities are there, and it’s a great way to add products to your site. However, if you are planning on scaling your business to sell lots of different items, then Squarespace eventually will get a little messy on the sales side.

Ensure that it’s still aesthetically pleasing!

Sometimes websites on mobile can look ugly. So this is still such an important part of good design. Ensure that not only is it user friendly, but it’s also visually attractive.

This will help with conversion, trust and brand recognition.

We’re all about that!

Speak to your website designer about your goals

Ensure that your mobile responsive site still has a focus on your goals as a business. Think about the key conversion purpose, and work around this.

I often reverse engineer the websites I build. I start with the solution that the business offers, and work backward from there.

This way, we can ensure that the company’s key point of difference is standing out online.

Let’s chat!

I am a Gold Coast based Squarespace and Shopify website designer and I’d love to chat. I’ll walk you through the entire design process and ensure that you are happy with the service I provide.

Email hello@joelle.studio

How to set up an online store?