Outline your Ecommerce Plan Guide

To help you plan your ecommerce store more effectively we look at the some of the stages you can expect to go through.

1. Analyse & Price - Take time to analyse that you have enough products and a good profitable pricing structure. Read as much as you can from the many advisory website's on the internet. See our Ecommerce Links page, Once you are happy that ecommerce is the right path, sketch out a rough plan of what your store will sale, who will be your potential customers and what budget you want to spend. Also list what internal changes or additions you will have to make to support ecommerce. Get prices from designers and decide who to use.

2. Bank & Courier - Shipping and Online Merchant Services consultation for supply chain: This phase is provided by your preferred merchant provider. Advise and consultation with your designer recommended.

3. Tools - Setup Broadband, Software and Hardware Where Required: To administer online sales coming into your company and for assisting your designer with the production of the ecommerce site. Inclusive of email set-up, stock control setup or accounts integration.

4. Products - Collate product images/text.
5. Build - Build ecommerce site and test site ordering and online payments.

6. Promote - Marketing the site: This will include search engine ranking, advertising, print and in-house editing and production. Registration with Directory website's and industry website's.

7. Sell - Print & Mail Order: All communications between you and customers are further opportunities for sales and should be utilized fully. This will support the ecommerce endeavours and company image by means of keeping the corporate identity in all printed promotional material.

8. Train - Training: This will give you the knowledge and experience to use the technology you need to take ecommerce orders, ship them out and process payments.

9. Launch – The Launch: The success of all investment and work depends on this important part of the project and is intended to promote the site at local and regional level.

10. Support – Maintenance, Updates and Support: Required to ensure that budgets, quality of service and issues are accounted for and planned.

To discover about planning for costs and finance please see our 'How Much Can I Afford to Invest in ecommerce?' page from our Finance & Legal section.