So you want to open an online store...

Selling your retail products online can be one of the more daunting steps that a small business owner can take. It can also be very rewarding financially, if it is planned and implemented correctly. Starting an online store is much like opening a new store, and requires investments of time, energy, and money. Here are some things to consider:

It takes approximately a month from start to finish to design and implement a basic e-commerce site, assuming that everyone is communicating effectively and all of the pieces are in place before you start. Some of those pieces include:

• Your logo in digital format.
• A list of websites that you like who are selling similar products online, and notes on what you like about them.
• Images of your products.
• A clear understanding of who your customers are.
• A fulfillment plan: How are you going to get your products into the hands of your customers? Who will be responsible for order fulfillment, shipping, and reordering from suppliers?
• An online merchant account. You can't accept online payments without one; if you already have a merchant account for your physical location, you will still need to set one up. (Alternately, you can use Paypal to accept payments, but there may be more economical options available through a Virtual Terminal/Merchant Account provider.)
• A great e-commerce development company with a good track record

The last point can't be stressed enough; a company that knows the technology that you need to sell your products, and has the ability to design a website the reflects your store, is very important. A professional e-commerce company will have the processes in place to help you evaluate what you need to do to make your site a success.

Running a successful online store takes overhead. Take www.shopkitson.com; they have an extremely successful online store, which is managed well by the staff at Kitson. They aggressively market their online store on the internet using very savvy Guerilla Marketing techniques, Search Engine Optimization, constant product updates, blogs, and numerous other online promotion tactics.

Many retailers take the same steps as Kitson to promote their physical locations, but in some ways actually waste their marketing dollars by providing only an informational website. Potential customers are unable to fulfill their impulse shopping impulses, and go on to another site, where they can shop to their hearts content without leaving the comfort of their own home.