With more businesses shifting their focus to digital purchases, it might be time for you to create an online storefront. It can seem like a daunting task to construct a store, especially if your small business doesn’t have a dedicated web guru to handle it. There’s no reason to worry, however, because the growth of online commerce has also spawned a number of easy-to-use creation options for you to choose from.

One of the more popular ways for small businesses to build a digital storefront is to turn to an older platform like Etsy or eBay. These sites not only provide businesses with a built-in audience, but they also allow business owners to create a store relatively quickly. Of course, with these benefits comes the drawback of limited customization. If you’re just starting out, you might not be so concerned with the branding of your store, but a more established business might require a more tailored solution than these sites can provide. Fortunately, there are plenty of newer options that give businesses more control over the appearance of their stores – and you don’t have to be a computer geek to utilize them.

Once you’ve decided which platform best suits your needs, begin constructing the store by brainstorming about the site’s layout. The key is to make the items easy to find for your customers, which you can achieve by grouping your products in ways that make sense. That could mean displaying related components at the bottom of a page on industrial machinery or suggesting a bag that would complement the pair of shoes you’re selling.

With a basic map of the site in hand, you can focus on establishing your store’s brand, both through the visuals of the site and the voice you use to describe your items. To convey your company’s identity to your customers, you need to know who your company is and who your customers are. For example, if you’re building a store featuring fashions for women, you’ll likely use a more playful color scheme and tone of writing, while a store selling industrial machinery might utilize technical drawings and descriptions that focus on specifications. Also consider following through with this branding effort in the real world with your product packaging. Although a non-descript box might be the most cost-effective way of packaging your product for shipping, remember that you want to make an impact on your customers in their sole tangible interaction with your business. Consider making your company stand out with unique boxes or by throwing in some free samples with the shipment.

Perhaps more important than the descriptions you provide for your items or the packaging you choose are the photographs that greet site visitors. Try to make room in the budget for professional photography of your items to give your customers a feel for the products even if they can’t hold them. Depending on what you’re selling, you may even need to include another item so the viewer can use it as a reference for size, whether it’s a quarter placed next to a piece of jewelry or a person standing beside a kayak. Of course, you’ll likely include the specific sizes in the product description, but a photo will convey the size of the item in a more concrete way.

Once your customer decides to buy a product, you’ll need to provide them with a way to pay you. There are many options available to you, such as PayPal and other newer online payment methods.

John Soland is an experienced writer who has written for a number of notable publications. As a lifestyle expert, Mr. Soland is able to offer advice and insight on a multitude of topics, including those pertaining to business technology.

John Soland is an experienced writer who has written for a number of notable publications. As a lifestyle expert, Mr. Soland is able to offer advice and insight on a multitude of topics, including those pertaining to business technology. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/laser-spine-institute-partners-with-marodyne-medical-to-offer-the-latest-in-low-intensity-vibration-science-2013-02-19

Author Bio: John Soland is an experienced writer who has written for a number of notable publications. As a lifestyle expert, Mr. Soland is able to offer advice and insight on a multitude of topics, including those pertaining to business technology.

Category: Business
Keywords: business technology, business news, online store, small business, small businesses