Shopify Store Roadmap - Recently updated!

Starting an ecommerce business is not an easy work because there are many steps and decisions that you need to put together at the right time.

This Shopify Store Roadmap will help you to clarifying your mind.

1. Choosing a Product

Finding A Product To Sell

The first step to building an ecommerce business is to know what products you want to sell.

Evaluating Your Idea

Once you have a product idea in mind, how do you know if it’s a good idea or not?. A critical first step in making sure you’ve picked a winner is evaluating the market demand, existing competition and viability of the product itself.

Obtaining Your Product

You must now figure out where and how you’re going to obtain your products. The four most common methods of acquiring your products and inventory are:

• Make
• Manufacture
• Wholesale
• Dropship

2. Research & Prepare

ResearchYour Competition

You’ll need to research your competition thoroughly so you know exactly what you’re up against. You have to gain a deep understanding of how your competitors operate to make intelligent decisions that will keep your current customers, and entice new ones.

Writing Your Business Plan

A business plan helps bring your ideas and thoughts together. This plan is also vital so that you can determine how to best move forward and most effectively compete.

3. Setting Up Your Business

Choosing Your Domain

Another difficult decision is choosing an appropriate and available domain name. It’s incredibly important to find the right name for your online store to help it stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, having your own domain name is more professional and makes it easier to promote your brand.

Creating A Logo

Now it’s time to craft a logo for your new business. Your logo says a lot about your brand. If it looks good, it leaves a good impression on your potential customers.

Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

You should understand the basics of search engine optimization so that you can optimize your site for Google and other search engines. One of the foundational tactics of SEO is keyword research. The keyword research is the simple art of better understanding the terminology your potential customers are using to find the products you’re selling, then matching your website and marketing terminology.

Building Your Store

With a better understanding of search engine optimization (SEO), it’s time to build out your store. There are many critical elements, for example, how to write captivating product descriptions, shoot beautiful product photography, and some useful tools to help you optimize those photos.

Preparing To Launch

As you prepare for the launch of your new business, there are several essential elements you need to prepare for like the Shipping and Fulfillment process and others. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to define your key performance indicators upfront so once you launch, you know what to measure of success to track.

4. Post Launch

Email Marketing

Email is one of the best channels at your disposal for marketing your online store. Emails drive traffic, supplement your content marketing, and outperform both Twitter and Facebook for generating sales.

Driving Traffic

Here are the ways to drive traffic to your site:

• Blogging
• video marketing.
• Instagram
• Polyvore
• Paid media (Facebook, Google and others)

Optimizing Conversions

A/B Testing: It’s a method for measuring two versions of one element so you can determine which one is more successful. Is the winner version A or version B?

Using Analytics

Google Analytics is a valuable ally in the ecommerce battle for consumer dollars. The insights it provides contains a wealth of information about your site, your visitors and where they came from. All this information can be used to find new customers and increase conversions.

Sources:

• https://www.shopify.in/blog/14459769-ecommerce-business-blueprint-how-to-build-launch-and-grow-a-profitable-online-store