Entrepreneur: Building Your First (Or A Better) Online Store
Jennifer Shaheen, a small business e-marketing consultant, provides guidelines on choosing the right technology and building in a social component.
“From jewelry designers to musicians, from shop owners to authors, everyone is looking for a way to sell products or services online. How do you begin, and what do you need to know about setting up and managing an online store for your business? Whether you do it yourself or hire a firm, you are the expert at what you sell, and your involvement is crucial to the success of your web store.
It’s Not Magic Whether you are considering using a prepackaged solution or building your website on an open source shopping system, it is important to recognize something right upfront: You need to be involved. You will need to take the time to create your list of products. Each product will need a unique item number, product title, price and description. Depending on what you are selling, you may have more fields than these. If you’re using a prepackaged solution, some services will provide you with a spreadsheet template to follow.”