The main mistakes when opening a small online store

In the previous article we described what to look for when opening a small online store. Now we present a list of major errors when opening such an online store.

1. A poor supplier is selected that provides irrelevant warehouse balances.

If there are no funds for the purchase of goods to the warehouse, then you will have to work with the supplier’s warehouse where you need to reserve the goods. To do this, you need to contact the manager or use the supplier’s Internet distribution system. The system allows you to reserve a product and analyze the warehouse on-line.

Unfortunately, not all suppliers faithfully fulfill their obligations, so the only way to ensure this is to verify the quality of the supplier:

• Contact the phone manager and find out if the supplier works with online stores. If yes, then this is a good sign.
• It is necessary to obtain from the supplier a warehouse matrix (price list with residuals), 80% of which is always in stock.
• It is necessary to clarify how often deliveries of goods arrive and what number of articles in the regularly supplied matrix.
• Meet with the manager and discuss the details of the interaction. After talking with the manager, the overall picture will be better understood.
• View the warehouse and estimate the depth of flow. To do this, you can calculate (when possible) the approximate number of racks and the quantity of goods on them. Then compare the resulting figure with the remains in the product matrix received from the supplier. If the numbers do not converge in order, it is worth considering.

2. Selected product is sold with a small markup.

You need to make sure that the mark-up on the goods allows you to cover ALL costs, namely: on order acceptance, purchase, delivery, rental payment, Internet, payroll and so on ... For online trading, it is better to choose a product with a markup of 50% or more. To calculate the quantity of the markup, you need to subtract the vendor's selling price from the price of the selected product in the cheapest online store (Cap passed by ..).
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3. Information about the availability of goods is not updated on the site.

Information about the availability of goods on the site should be changed as soon as the supplier received a new price list with balances. To do this, you can use the services of freelancers who convert the price list into the desired format and update the balances in the CMS of your online store. Or do it yourself.

4. Low level of service.

There are several simple rules that allow you to provide a decent level of customer service. Here are some of them:

• The online store should be easy to reach. Recording on the recorder is something like: “Your call is very important for us” make companies for whom the incoming call is completely unimportant! In the opposite case, the operator picks up the phone on the second or third beep.
• Answering the call, you need to culturally greet and introduce yourself by calling your online store. The option of greeting “Ale” or “Yes, hello” is not acceptable. It is advisable to increase the level of business communication by visiting several trainings where the basic principles of communication with customers are considered.
• If the customer has placed an order on the website, you need to call the customer within the next 20-30 minutes from the moment of receiving the order, and better before. Call waiting time for all customers should be the same. No one likes to wait. Order status information should be delivered to the customer as soon as possible. It is better to work out clear rules for working with client orders. It is advisable to fulfill all customer requests when possible. If the client asks the courier to call an hour before the entrance, it is better to take care of this.
• It is necessary to provide the client with maximum information. Confirm the terms of delivery by call and by mail. Some online stores use SMS notifications.
• It is necessary to respond to requests received by mail in a timely manner. Any of them can be converted into an order.
• It is advisable to print business cards online store and attach to the documents attached to the product that is delivered to customers.
• Courier for the client - a representative of the online store. Couriers must be polite, look neat, do not exude unpleasant odors.

5. Outdated online store design.

Many online stores do not meet modern standards of design and usability of interfaces. This increases customer distrust and leads to their loss.
Here are some simple rules:

• Better to entrust design to professionals. It is advisable to give professionals as little advice as possible and try to accept what they offer, even if the picture is not to their liking. The best choice of a design studio is to look at working online stores with their design.
• No need to stress with usability. For a long time there are standards, they are used by large online stores. If you want to introduce something of the functional leaders, check with the studio that makes the site how easy it is to do. Very often, the complexity of a functional is underestimated. Your task is not to surprise the client with a beautiful design template, but to make the purchase process as convenient as possible. “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

6. The choice is not "their" product.

Often, in pursuit of success of acquaintances, the creator of an online store begins to engage in the sale of goods that are of no interest to him. It is necessary to love a product, to know about it a huge amount of small things, then it will be possible to select an assortment matrix of high quality and to seek repeat purchases from the buyers.

7. Ignorance of the legislation and rules for the implementation of trade and business activities.

For the design and operation of the online store, it is enough to study the following:

• All questions on the registration of an individual entrepreneur, the operation of the cash register and tax laws can be found here .
• Consumer Protection Act .

It seems that to open an online store is simple. But in fact, it is quite an easy task with its own features and rules. And as Theodore Roosevelt said: “The one who does nothing is never wrong”.
Good luck.