One of the best things about the internet is that it has created a world of opportunities for any person who is tech-savvy. Whether you make costume jewelry, or create websites for small and medium-sized businesses, there are plenty of opportunities for you to make a lot of money through eCommerce.
One of the best businesses to start online is an electronics business. After all, people are always looking for the latest gadgets at the lowest prices, so if you can meet that demand, then your online store could quickly become a go-to option for electronics. Continue reading to learn some easy steps that you can follow to help you build a successful online electronics business.
Build a website and customer support infrastructure.
For your online business, your website is the equivalent of a traditional brick-and-mortar store. It needs to be attractive, easy to use, and helpful to potential customers. One of the great things about building an electronics store online is that it’s much less expensive than building or buying a brick-and-mortar storefront, and doesn’t take a lot of time to get started either. Some hosting sites allow you to build your website for free, but you will have to share a domain name with them. Depending on the keywords you use in your domain name, you may be able to lease the domain on a yearly basis at a pretty low cost. Obviously it would help to come up with a catchy company name first!
Even if you don’t know how to build a website, you don’t have to be a coding prodigy to create one that is engaging, and attracts new customers. With most hosting sites, there are templates that you can choose from to get a basic format for your page. Then all you have to do is add your company name, business logo, pictures and content. If you get a premium account with a hosting site, then you’ll have better, specific, and more-dynamic templates to choose from. Generally speaking, the website building experience is much more like that of a user than a programmer, and it’s easy for any person to try.
Focus on the customer.
No matter how beautiful or easy to use your website is, it won’t make a difference if your business doesn’t provide a good customer journey. One of the easiest ways to learn about how you’re doing in the world of customer service is to ask your customers themselves! Directly engaging with your frequent (or infrequent) buyers can make a world of difference when it comes to serving them more efficiently. Customer interviews, referrals and asking the right questions will help teach you the best practices of listening to the needs of your customers and conduct business the right way.
When it comes to survey-making and data collection, SurveyGizmo’s Voice of the Customer data collection tools make this process easy. Complete with context-rich question types and a robust array of features, Voice of the Customer data collection is streamlined and focused, allowing you to better customer experience immediately. The platform even comes with powerful visualization tools that make it easier than ever to see what your customer preferences are and what your customer feedback means. Plus, you can integrate it with other CRM platforms, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and HubSpot!
Purchase wholesale electronics people actually need.
Once you’ve figured out how to structure your business, it’s time to determine what products you’re going to offer. It’s important to recognize that you won’t be able to compete with major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, or Target overnight, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t carve out your own niche when launching your company. In fact, selecting a focus, such as memory cards and flash drives, may even be a better choice, since it is a more effective way to tailor and focus your marketing to businesses and individuals looking for a great deal on these specific kinds of items, rather than becoming a small competitor in a satuated market.
After you’ve determined what products you’re going to sell, start looking at and reaching out to wholesale distributors. Buying wholesale flash drives (or whatever your niche is) can be a great way to increase your profit margins, since you’ll be able to sell these products at, or slightly below the manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) and still be making a profit. Another benefit of buying wholesale is that you’ll almost always be able to fulfill orders, which in turn allows you to offer consistent service and build customer loyalty.