E-commerce has experienced strong growth since the appearance of the first content management and e-commerce site creation tools. No need to have programming and web development skills. Managing a website is now accessible to everyone. According to FEVAD, there are currently more than 150,000 active e-commerce sites compared to only 40,000 in 2007. An impressive progression.
In 2013, French online commerce ranked sixth worldwide and rose to third place on the European podium in 2014. This is thanks to a turnover in B2C (Business to consumer) of more than 57 billion euros. This positive trend seems to want to continue in 2015. Marketplaces last database are popular. Indeed, 78% of buyers of all ages plan to make frequent purchases online and 13% plan to use this purchasing platform regularly. E-commerce is on track to continue in France and abroad. It is therefore a safe position.
However, although e-commerce is an open and profitable market, there are certain rules that should be followed to ensure the success of your business.
The 7 key steps to getting your e-commerce off to a good start
If you are new to the business or looking to get started with online sales, you need to be aware.
- Gauge your potential
To ensure the success of your business, it is essential to first determine what products you are going to sell. This will allow you to evaluate your competition if your product already has a presence on the market. In the opposite case where the product does not exist, this would allow you to evaluate the relevance of the new market.
In order to refine your study and optimize your strategic positioning, it is interesting to ask yourself a few additional questions:
Is it a food product? Is it heavy to ship? etc.
Do you have any experience with this product? Will you be able to provide recommendations to customers?
What are the legal standards surrounding your products?
Do you have any direct or indirect competitors?
Can your products be combined with others?
Have you done any market research?
These initial avenues of reflection will allow you to determine your commercial process as well as your editorial charter.
