Starting an online shop, portal or website? Listen to this
Starting an online shop with a big splash can be an expensive mistake if the shop isn’t ready for customers. I’d much rather open gradually, get help from the first users and fix problems before turning up the marketing. That gives me a chance to learn how both the shop and all the work behind it function.
After my videos about upgrading existing websites, I got to thinking about approaching a launch right from the beginning. These are my thoughts from July 2010 on opening an online shop, portal or other online service. I’m assuming you already know what you want to make and have found a name and domain.
Starting an online shop: Begin with a simple page
The first thing I’d do is put a static page on the domain and explain a little about the project. Say as much as you want. Perhaps you’re afraid competitors will run off with the idea. I wouldn’t be myself, but that’s for you to judge.
In the middle of the page, I’d create an obvious way to enter an email address and be notified when we open. You could also promise a good offer or invite people to your newsletter. That way, you can start gathering interested people while building the actual solution.
Go where your future customers already are
While working on the shop, I’d join the discussion forums where the target audience spends time. Let’s say I wanted to sell organic baby purée. I could create a profile on Min-Mave and start helping people asking about food for their children.
I’d use the future online shop’s name as my profile name and have a signature saying the shop is coming soon, with a link to the page. But the participation itself should be about helping.
I’d set aside at least half an hour every day to go through relevant discussions. I’d also set up Google Alerts for words such as baby purée, baby food and other words about babies and nutrition. Find various relevant keywords so you discover where the subject is being discussed.
If a column or discussion appears where I can contribute, for example, I’d join in and make sure people can find their way to my page. That brings traffic to the static page and a chance to get to know the target audience better.
You need to help sincerely, not just promote yourself
It’s important not just to point to your own products. If someone asks what to feed their baby, the answer isn’t to wait for your shop and say every competitor makes crap.
Give them your best recipe instead. Explain how to make it themselves. And if a competitor does a decent job, mention that option too until your own shop is ready.
That way, you’ve helped them properly. You learn about their questions and needs, become known and build relationships, credibility and goodwill. That can benefit you when you open.
Invite the first 50 in before everyone else
Gradually, the shop gets close to ready. Let’s assume you’ve now collected 500 email addresses from people wanting to hear more. The numbers are just an example of the sequence.
Take the first 50 and write that they were among the first to show interest, so they get access before everyone else. Give them a login and ask them to tell you about their experience.
For example, you could let them buy 100 kroner’s worth for free as thanks for helping. Or promise 25 per cent off for the first month. You can also simply ask them to help, but a small incentive can make it more appealing.
They feel special and involved from the start. Then hopefully they’ll spend time poking around, finding spelling mistakes, poor wording and shopping basket problems. I want that feedback before the shop gets a big stream of visitors.
Of course, before that I’ve also had friends, family and others try the solution. It should already be as good as possible. But the first interested customers can see things people close to the project haven’t spotted.
Fix the errors and invite the next small group
Once I’ve fixed the errors I can find, I invite the next 50 in the same way. Perhaps they get a slightly smaller discount, but they’re still told they’re among the first to see the shop.
They can help check whether the fixes work and whether new errors have appeared. I want manageable rounds that give me both feedback and time to use it.
Then I open the shop to everyone, but without making a big deal of it. No press release and no huge activity on discussion forums. I simply open so Google can start indexing the pages.
On opening day, I invite another 50 from the list and ask about their experiences. Now I also start taking orders, shipping products and testing the whole system with real customers.
Test what happens after the order too
Of course, I have Analytics running and follow what happens. I’ve set up tracking so I can see where people drop out as they move through the shopping basket. Now real traffic is coming in, including from Google and elsewhere.
I need to look at both the site itself and the work behind it. Can we handle the orders? Can we pack and ship? Is anything in the process failing now that it isn’t just us testing?
Once I’ve fixed the problems and feel things are under control, I email the entire list, including the first groups again. Now I can make a little more of it, say thank you very much and give the offer I promised, perhaps ten per cent off.
Of course, not all 500 will necessarily visit. Perhaps 200 come. But now I have another chance to see the shop working without immediately inviting all of Denmark.
Turn up the advertising cautiously
Once the first day is over, the products have shipped and I’m on top of things again, I’d start a very cautious Google AdWords campaign. People need to arrive at a pace I can handle.
I’d also keep in touch with newsletter subscribers, perhaps with weekly special offers, and treat the first customers really well.
After a month or two, the shop may not have sold a huge amount. But Google has started indexing the pages, some traffic is coming from there and some from adverts, and I’m constantly working to get more people smoothly through the process.
In the video, I use an improvement from half a per cent to two per cent buying as an example of a better conversion rate. It isn’t a promise of specific results. It shows why it’s important to get the shop working before spending lots of money sending people in.
Marketing too heavily before that’s in place is a bit like flooring the accelerator in a car whose wheels you haven’t properly fitted.
Save the big splash until you can handle it
Once the spelling mistakes are gone, the logistics work and you’re proud of the solution, you can approach the press. That could be three months after you actually opened the doors.
Imagine you’re talented and lucky and get on Go’ morgen Danmark. It’s bloody frustrating if the shop then crashes, stock is missing or you discover you’ve run out of corrugated cardboard. Instead of benefiting from the attention, you have a problem.
I don’t think the quiet run-in makes the story uninteresting to the press. It’s still a new shop to most of the target audience. But now you’ve tested the system in real life before creating the major publicity and forum activity.
So open gradually, learn from the first customers and get everything under control. Then you can make your splash. Good luck with it. Also read E-pusher about my experiences of selling online.
If you’re starting a new web project and want a good start, it’s important to do things in the right order… Remember, I’m currently writing Amino’s newsletter, which you can receive free every week – Click here
Hej Martin
Super fedt indlæg dette var lige noget vi kunne bruge.
Har nemlig "lige" (1 april) startet en ny webshop i sverige, som handler med hårprodukter.
Håber at det er ok at opfordre dine læser til at give et feedback på sitet. pt. sælger vi ikke til dk da frakten er for høj. Men vi er ved at kigge på muligheder.
Men giv endelig et feedback på http://www.fixatilldig.se alle ris og ros er velkommen.
Mvh
Kent Ellegaard
http://www.fixatilldig.se