Whether you’re just getting ready to launch your first online store or are already managing multiple stores, you’re bound to encounter a problem that will hold your business back. With that said, there are ways you can avoid some of the more common mistakes faced by entrepreneurs.

Here are some of the mistakes you may have overlooked and how to avoid or fix them.

1. Not calculating the math

One of the most important aspects of running a business is managing your money, which can be a bit of headache for those that aren’t savvy with math. Before you set out building your business, ensure there’s a good demand with a worthwhile revenue potential. The last thing you’ll want to do is to dump all of your money into a business venture that doesn’t have any hope of being profitable.

2. Not knowing your niche

Before you can sell your product, you need to know who you’re selling to. Conducting good niche research is critical to the success of your business. Many online merchants fail to dedicate their attention toward this, and end up selling too many types of products to too many types of customers. Your business needs to focus on a specific niche that’ll make easy to target the right type of customer.

3. Getting ahead of yourself

You’ve got a business idea and you’re looking to put it into action. But if you’re a one-person team, it’s important to not get ahead of yourself. Before you invest thousands of dollars in inventory, spend time thoroughly researching that there’s a demand for your product. Scour marketplaces for data to determine whether it’s a wise idea to jump

4. Not invested in content marketing

If you’re looking to bring increased qualified traffic to your website, you need to dedicate time and energy toward producing stellar, share-worthy content. Great content marketing isn’t about producing content that you want your customers to read, it’s about what your customers want and their interests. Building a content marketing strategy with this in mind, you’ll be able to better connect with customers and build trust and authority for your business.

5. Lack of shipping options

Each shipping carrier offers unique perks and advantages. While your business may not need the services of every carrier, it’s best to offer customers a diverse selection of shipping options. Some customers are looking for more affordable rates offered by the U.S. Postal Service, while others are looking to have their orders expedited with two-day or overnight shipping.

6. Lack of a social presence

Your brand needs to be accessible across a variety of platforms, including social media. An active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms relevant to your niche allows you to connect with customers and promote engagement. By sharing great content with your audience, you’ll also improve your marketing efforts, as customers that find your content engaging are likely to pass it on to their own friends and family.

7. Spreading yourself too thin

While doing everything yourself is great, it can also be quite stressful. Managing every aspect of your business is time-consuming, and can quickly consume every spare minute of your life. By automating or outsourcing as many menial tasks as you can, you can free up valuable time better spent elsewhere, such as with your family or working on a delicate component of your business plan. There are a number of areas you can look into outsourcing, including data entry, website design, and fulfillment.

8. Using stock product descriptions

When you’re starting a new business, it can be tempting to rush the small stuff in an attempt to launch your website sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, cutting corners, such as using stock product descriptions, can be detrimental to your business. Using a manufacturer’s description makes it hard for your business to stand out from your competition, particularly in search engines. Great product descriptions are compelling and elicit strong emotions, and help people connect with your brand and products.

9. Losing focus

It can be easy to get caught up in minute details that take you away from more important, everyday facets of your business. Setting up, launching, and managing an online store entails an enormous amount of work, everyday, year-round. Without a to-do list, you may find yourself consumed with an image, an email, or any number of details that keeps you from completing your most important task: getting your products into the hands of customers!

10. Cluttered and Crowded Look

Sometimes there are webmasters and business owners who seem to want so many elements on the home page all at the same time, leaving no room for a visitor’s eyes to breathe. Everything’s just confusing! Someone who comes for the first time will likely feel baffled and constricted rather than relaxed and excited.

It’s highly essential to have sufficient white space in your web design so as to separate elements clearly from one another and also to have enough room for the important things. Don’t put too much text, but rather use huge pictures to signify what you’re selling.

11. Small and Unprofessional Pictures

Seeing small pictures is a major turn-off. It’s like going to a boutique with no display window or mannequins but merely racks and shelves of various clothes. You ought to have a portion that shows off clear, big, and professional-looking photos of the items you’re offering. This segment can be static or in the form of a slide show.

12. Lacking Policy Features

Anticipate what common shoppers frequently wonder and complain about. Isn’t it that many are concerned with the payment methods, the shipping amount, and the return and exchange policy? Hence, you must have clear tabs for these that would immediately address the unsaid potential objections. For instance, instead of just placing “SHIPMENT POLICY” as the title of the tab, you can name it “FREE SHIPPING” or “AFFORDABLE SHIPPING RATES”. In replacement of “RETURN POLICY”, you can indicate “EASY RETURN POLICY”.

13. No Contact Details

You’ve caught the interest of first-time visitors! They are eager to place orders now. However, you forgot to put your contact details up front but have it buried in a tab within a tab. Or perhaps they still need to click on “CONTACT US” before they can find out which number to call. In this light, you should never, ever make the mistake of NOT putting this detail on the home page where it can easily be seen.

It’s also advisable to have an “ORDER NOW” sign which can quickly lead an interested buyer to a page of product categories with pictures and write-ups. If you have very few products on sale, you shouldn’t break them up in categories but simply place them all on that display page. What’s more, this sign will also serve as your call to action.

14. Unclear Categories

One of the greatest sins that an online seller can commit today is to have unclear categories that will enable a first-time visitor to browse through the products smoothly. For example, it’s always better to come up with tabs that are named “TOPS” and “BOTTOMS” rather than “CHELSEA COLLECTION” and “ANNABEL APPAREL”.

Picture yourself during your American Idol audition belting out the wrong tune, speaking too softly, and looking as if you’ve just climbed out of bed. Yes, you’ll definitely make an impression on the judges— a bad one! Hence, don’t let this happen to your online store. Avoid the common mistakes described above and make your first-time visitors feel happy, safe, and satisfied.

The post Common Ecommerce Mistakes to Avoid appeared first on Shift4Shop.

Starting an online store while still employed, however, removes most of the risk associated with making such a big leap. With the help of a shopping cart provider, you can build a business while still bringing in a weekly paycheck from your day job.

Whether you’re just looking to make some extra cash on the side, or quit your day job altogether and become your own boss, check out the following tips for starting an online store while still working full-time.

1. Discover where your interest lies

If you’ve got a day job, the last thing you’re going to want to do is come home to a second job. By exploring areas that you’re passionate about though, you can start a business that won’t feel like work at all. When brainstorming ideas, don’t focus solely on what you think will make the most money – look into an area that will be exciting and personally fulfilling.

2. Write down a plan or mission statement

Determining what action you need to take to succeed and putting them to paper is the first step to making your dream a reality. Plan out what you’ll be selling, who your customers will be and why they should shop at your store, how you want your brand presented, and what steps you need to take to get the ball rolling.

3. Research the competition

Once you’ve got an idea about what kind of store you’d like to open, it’s time to research your competition. Who you’re up against will give you a good idea of what level of standards your customers will expect, and can even provide some inspiration for your own store. If you’re up against too big a fish, you’ll need to put extra effort into showcasing what makes your brand better than your competitors.

4. Carve out time for your business

Setting up and managing an online store takes time and effort – something you’re not going to have a lot of while simultaneously working a full-time day job. Examine your everyday schedule and determine where you can make some cuts. In lieu of watching the TV and surfing the web for three hours per night, try cutting that time in half and dedicating the rest to your new business.

5. Set reasonable, attainable goals

You’re not going to be a millionaire overnight, nor will you likely be in a situation to quit your day job for some time. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean success isn’t just around the corner. The trick is to have realistic expectations and goals for you and your business. Plan out when you’d like to launch your store, or aim for some sales goals, such as when you expect to make your first sale or your first $100. As you accomplish smaller goals, you can start setting bigger, more ambitious ones.

6. Make the most of every minute

You’re going to have a full schedule juggling a day time job, an online store, a family, plus whatever hobbies or interests that takes up the rest of your spare time. Maximize your time effectively by working on your store in your spare moments. Instead of playing a game on your smartphone while waiting at the doctor’s, or reading a book on the bus ride to your day job, work on setting up your store.

7. Use your PTO or vacation days

Dedicate a few days a month to refining your online store by using your paid leave. Since you’ll be working with precious, limited time, it’s best to plan out these days in advance, following a list of goals to accomplish by day’s end. It’ll be tempting to catch up on sleep or watch a few hours of television, but resist the temptation. You’ve got a business to grow, and a few consecutive days of single-minded, hard work will really help get things moving.

8. Tune into the experts

Listening to those who’ve already succeeded at what you’re trying to accomplish can save you a lot of time and headaches. Follow industry experts on social media, tune into industry news, and read the blogs of insightful business leaders. Heed their wisdom and you’ll hopefully be able to avoid the mistakes they made in their own journeys.

9. Set up an office or quiet place to work

The time you dedicate to your online store will be minimal and precious. Eliminating distractions will be key to maximizing what little time you can allocate to your new business. Rather than sitting on the couch in front of your television, opt for a quiet place with few distractions, particularly if you have children.

10. Start small and outsource when possible

With such little time to work on your business, it’s going to be tough to handle some of the bigger core facets of e-commerce, such as packaging and fulfillment. Outsourcing where you can will be key to juggling the many responsibilities associated with your new store. Depending on how hands on you’d like to be, you may be interested in a dropshipper like Doba, a fulfillment service such as Shipwire, professional e-commerce design services, or the help of a webmaster for everyday tasks.

11. Make plans for the future

What will your business look like in one year, two years, or five yeas? Do you still want to have your day job, or are you planning on quitting once you’ve reached a certain point of financial security?

Odds are you’re not going to want to juggle a day job and a business for long. Make plans for where you’d like to see your store in the near and faraway future, and work diligently everyday toward securing that vision.

Conclusion

Working a full-time day job and managing an online store won’t be a piece of cake, but with time and dedication, you can build yourself a profitable empire that you’ll be proud to call your own. Best of all, in just a few, short months to a year, you may find yourself in a position where it’ll be economically feasible to quit your day job and pursue your entrepreneurial dream full-time.

The post How to Set Up and Manage a Successful Online Business While Working Full-Time appeared first on Shift4Shop.

Countless individuals have entertained the dream of quitting a nine-to-five day job for a work-from-home position. But what about those who crave a bit more adventure? The Bali Sea, the canals of Venice, the resplendent Taj Mahal – the world boasts countless majestic locations, none of which can be explored when tethered to a desk.

But eCommerce doesn’t need to be synonymous with desk work. The beauty of an eCommerce business is that it’s portable. Working from the road is not only feasible, it’s incredibly easy too.

Whether you’re looking to bring your business with you on your next family vacation, or are looking to spend your days driving cross-country, check out the following tips that will help you avoid pitfalls and turbulence while managing your store on the go.

Keep a Close Eye on Daily Affairs

The health of your business relies on numerous components, most of which are automated. Nonetheless, there are several key areas that you’ll want to keep a close eye on: orders, social media chatter, and website performance.

In the likely instance an issue does arise, such as an unkind customer complaint plastered on your Facebook page, you’ll want to address the issue in a timely manner. Consider using a site monitoring service such as Pingdom and Google’s media monitoring service Google Alerts to easily stay on top of important time-sensitive matters at all times.

Maintain a Secure Connection

Depending on where your travels take you, finding a signal may prove to be a difficult task. But however tempting a 5-bar signal may seem, don’t fall prey to insecure connections.

Rather than connecting to the internet via public Wi-Fi, which can expose your business to malware and worms, stick to secure hotspots through your smartphone or mobile hotspot device.

Outsource As Much As Possible

The fewer responsibilities you have during your travels, the smoother daily operations will run. Carve out more time to enjoy for yourself by outsourcing order fulfillment with the help of a service such as Amazon Fulfillment or ShipWire, and utilize the expertise of professional eCommerce experts for everyday (yet time-consuming) issues, such as a webmaster service.

Conclusion

If you’re planning on hitting the road soon, take time to thoroughly examine if your business is travel-worthy. Before you hop on the next plane to Hawaii, test out the waters in your neighborhood to get a feel for how things will operate when the comfort of your home office isn’t within reach.

And where ever your travels may take you, always keep a close eye on your trusty laptop – the last thing you’ll want to hear is that the airlines have misplaced your hardware-containing luggage.

The post Tips for Managing Your Online Store on the Go appeared first on Shift4Shop.