How to build an online store in 2023

Creating an online store – is it worth it?

Currently, millions of companies sell their products or services over the Internet. This number is sure to grow in the coming years. Mainly because the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the shopping habits of customers around the world, also in Europe. Many businesses now conduct their sales activities online. PwC points out that the e-commerce market is growing by 12% every year, and will be worth 162 billion PLN in 2026. In 2021, as many as 77% of Internet users have bought something online at least once. The Gemius study also shows that due to the pandemic:

• 30% of e-consumers buy more products online,
• 33% of e-consumers shop online more often,
• For 13% of customers, the Internet has become the most important place to search for products.

So, should you start an online store? If you want to keep up with the changing market – definitely yes! The benefits of an e-commerce website far outweigh those of traditional storefronts, including:

• the ability to reach more customers,
• accessibility at any time and from any location,
• lower operational costs (no expenses of running a physical store),
• convenient management of the e-store.

Do you, however, feel like you need a huge warehouse to stock all of your products before you can open up an online store? Think about dropshipping. In this business model, you offer goods that you do not actually stock. Instead, you have a contract with a wholesaler who is responsible for preparing and shipping the goods.

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Creating an online store – the most important aspects 

Just having an online store won't ensure your business's success. If you want your e-store to be profitable, it is essential that you attend to fundamentals such as search engine optimization (SEO), website design, and functionality. Here is a list that will make it much easier for you to set up an online store. 

1. Website architecture

Your e-commerce store should have all of the following: 

Homepage

It is the business card of your company and online store. Your company's homepage should clearly state its mission as well as the goods or services it provides. The homepage should also prominently feature links to product and category pages, menus, and a search engine. 

Product category pages 

Positioning of a product category page is crucial. Features that should be present on each product category page include a filtering option, in-stock product availability, quick product preview, and bestsellers in the store.

Product pages 

Product pages should include, among other things, USP, a unique description of the product, a clearly visible name and price, payment method information, product reviews (and the opportunity to write your own), purchase benefits (discounts, free delivery, etc.). It's no secret that e-consumers buy with their eyes, so you also need to make sure that you have good quality photos of the product. Keep in mind that a jpg file of high quality does not need to be extremely large. On the contrary, large photos will make the site load slower, which may make customers leave it.

Static pages

• About us – here you can tell the story of the brand, outline the values. Many customers, before they make a purchase, want to know more about the company. 
• FAQ – it is a useful subpage where customers will find answers to the most frequently asked questions, such as "what are the delivery options". With FAQs, both you and customers save time – you don't have to individually answer questions by email. 
• Contact – information such as the company's physical location, phone number, and email address should be included here. 
• Delivery and payment – many customers prefer to check what delivery and payment options the online store offers before buying. Consider offering free delivery for orders over a certain amount.
• Complaints and returns handling – in 2019, more than ⅓ of e-consumers declared that they would like to return purchased products. Customers often research refund policies before buying, thus, this subpage should provide all the pertinent details. 
• Terms and conditions – every e-store must comply with a number of information obligations under current legislation. You can include them in the store regulations.

2. Accessibility on mobile devices

More than ⅔ of e-consumers use mobile devices. Gen Z is becoming a true "mobile only" generation – 92% of customers in the youngest age group use a smartphone when shopping online. Therefore, even the best-designed e-commerce store will not be effective if the site is not responsive or you do not create a dedicated mobile version or app. One of the most common complaints about online retailers is that they haven't optimized their sites for mobile devices. Mobile users of e-commerce platforms often report issues with the site's form design and payment processing. 

In summary – when creating an online store, take care of:

• mobile version or app 
• responsiveness of the website 
• convenient payment in the mobile channel
• adaptation of elements such as forms to mobile devices

You can also think about the Progressive web app (PWA) This is a new generation of web apps. A PWA is launched like a website, but gives users the impression of using a native mobile app. 

3. Creating an online store – payment method

What is the reason for abandoned shopping carts? In many cases, this is because the online store does not accept the customer's preferred mode of payment. It's like trying to use a credit card at a traditional store and having the cashier tell you that she only accepts cash. There is a good chance that the customer will just not buy anything, perhaps because they do not have cash on them. If you want the e-consumer to complete the transaction, make sure that your e-store has a variety of ways to pay. Most popular payment methods include:

• Bank transfer 
• Payment on delivery
• Payment by credit card (eCard)
• PayPal
• Stripe

If your target audience is younger consumers, also consider QR code and "buy now, pay later" payments. This is a growing trend, especially among millenials and Gen Z. 

4. Analytics configuration

Analytics is one of the most important things that can't be left out of the process of creating an online store. If you use e-commerce platforms, you most likely have access to their analytics tools. It's also worth taking advantage of free tools such as Google Analytics. This is a great source of information about the habits of your online customers. By using GA you will find out, for example:

• who visits your website and when,
• how much time they spend on it, 
• how they came to your website, 
• what are they looking for, 
• what is the conversion in the online store.

Using the data collected by Google Analytics, you can learn more about your customers and tailor your online store's features to better meet their demands. You will also find out which marketing strategies worked and which ones you should drop. To accurately monitor sales in Google Analytics, each e-store should also have an e-commerce module installed. It will allow you to track, for example: 

• conversion rate and average order value
• effectiveness of shopping paths
• effectiveness of transaction path
• effectiveness of the product and product lists

5. UX design 

In the context of online shopping, "User Experience" (UX) refers to the customer’s overall experience while interacting with a certain online store. For instance, they might refer to: 

• intuitiveness of website navigation
• clarity of category structure 
• ease and intuitiveness of the entire shopping process
• website design: colors, graphic elements 
• text readability, appropriate font size
• page load speed

The primary objective of UX design is to streamline the shopping and navigation processes for the site's visitors. This is really important – as many as 88% of customers say they won't return to a given e-store if they have a negative user experience. Furthermore, poor usability is directly responsible for the failure of up to 70% of online businesses! 

6. Building an online store vs SEO 

Globally 40% of users search for products on search engines. When it comes to search engines, Google has a market share of more than 85%, making it the clear frontrunner. This is why proper SEO is crucial. With higher search engine positions, customers will be more likely to come to your store. Remember that SEO efforts are a long-distance run, not a sprint. Don't expect immediate results, instead put your efforts on a regular basis, and after some time you will definitely see results. What should you pay special attention to? 

• content uniqueness 
• using bullet points to highlight the most important content (e.g., product features)
• friendly URLs
• product descriptions that can be easily shared on social media
• product reviews available on the product page
• internal linking on the product page
• product images contain the ALT attribute
• no duplicate content

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How to create an online store?

You already know what issues to pay attention to when designing from scratch or developing an online store. Now it's time to get things done. You have two options: you can create an e-store on your own or outsource the task to professionals. The first solution has several advantages:

• very low cost
• large availability of free tools for creating online stores 
• availability of free tutorials
• ready-made solutions (paid and free): templates, plugins, etc.
• full control over what you put on the site

However, creating an online store on your own also has serious drawbacks, including:

• no technical support in case of problems 
• limited customization
• lack of access to professional know how
• the need to spend a lot of time to set up an online store

Do you want an online store with a high conversion rate? Do you care about a professionally designed online store that is tailored to your business needs? Do you value easy access to technical support? Get in touch with us, and we will build you a cutting-edge e-commerce site that brings in the customers.