COVID-19 has changed how businesses are operating around the world. To survive this pandemic, it has become essential to get on the bandwagon of opening up your online store. If you are someone who does not know the ABC of the digital world, we understand it might seem like a difficult expensive task. However, it is not. In this article, we will help you out to understand how to take your business online.

The eCommerce industry is obviously on a rise in 2020. It is exploding with businesses. Due to the pandemic that has essentially closed down all the brick and mortar stores, it has now become a necessity to get the gist of how to take your business online.

HOW TO SET UP YOUR ONLINE STORE?
Before starting any business, store, or product the key to success is to do your research. Therefore, before opening your online store do extensive market research. This research should include research about your products and services, product ideas, producing sourcing and manufacturing, create prototypes, etc. The goal is to build a foolproof online store that will not fail.

After the research is done then comes the actual process of building your online store. The following are the steps to take your business online.

•Choose a Platform for your Store: This is a very important step for building your store. Many make the mistake of not choosing the right one. Many ecommerce building websites help you build your online store, without coding and tech skills. This technique is recommended for people who do not know how to build websites.

The most common and trusted eCommerce building site in Shopify. However, it is an expensive one with limited flexibility. The second option is Wordpress. This requires technical skills but offers a lot of flexibility for the online store owners and is a better option keeping in view the long term sight.

In building your store, the key selection is to have a domain name. Pick the one that represents your store and is unique. Experiment with different platforms and templates to get the right one that appeals to you and then select the best plan for your store.

A lot of online marketing that generates sales depends on the outlook of your store. So invest in the best. The website builders offer a lot of options starting from basics to cheap options. Choose as per your budget but make the outlay of your site user friendly. Choose as per the number of products you will sell etc.

• Choose A Domain Name For Your Store: Domain name is a URL that identifies your store's name. Choose the one that best represents your store.

• Choose Your Ecommerce Template: Templates refer to the theme of your store, encompassing the design, layout, options, description, etc. Remember first impression is the last impression so choose wisely. The key is to make it appealing and concise for your customers.

Whether you are coding and making a site on your own or choosing the template, designing and layout of the store is your store's identity. Choose the best.

• Customize Your Store: After choosing the theme and template of your site, you have the option of customizing it as well. This includes several options for example; change the text, font, color scheming, features, positioning of products, etc.

•Display Your Products: After the template of your store is made which is essentially the building blocks of your store, then comes the step to add your products to the store. Make sure to upload a picture of your products, the picture should be clear focusing on the aesthetic of the product. Also list down the name, size, category, and weight of the product in detail.

A lot of online marketing will have images of your products. Therefore the key is to add quality product pictures, descriptions, and categories that will be appealing to your customers.

•Choose Payment Methods: This is a very important feature of the site that makes your store authentic. There are different payment options that your store can offer, including PayPal, amazon pay, bank transfer, western union, etc.

Here you have to make sure that all the payments made by your customers are secure. Invest in an SSL certificate from your online store building platforms. This will make payments secure.

•Shipping and Delivery Options: Mention different shipping and delivery options on your store with fees. Make it easy for the clients by providing them with tracking numbers to keep an eye out on their orders.

•Test Your Online Store: Before your publishing your online store, test it. Also make sure of your store setting which includes language settings, time zones, Store Name, Contact details, etc.