UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMTION TECHNOLOGY

INF 405: E-COMMENCE

INDEX NUMBER: PS/ITC/18/0023

A REPORT TO SAM VENTURES
When it comes to making pottery, it helps to be inspired by others. Your creative process will
greatly benefit and you’ll become a better artist overall. “Art is not what you see, but what you
make others see.”- Edgar Degas
As one of the oldest human inventions, pottery (earthen waves) has been around since before the
Neolithic period, with objects dating as far back to 29,000 BC. While in the past, the pottery
industry has served marginal niches, today’s pottery companies are thriving thanks in part to a
resurgence in consumer demand for unique, handmade goods over mass-produced items. With
such a bright outlook for the future, pottery is perhaps more popular than it has ever been.
However, how pottery reached this point is a story filled with rich history.
Pottery is made up of ceramic materials and encompasses major types of pottery wares such as
earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. Earthenware is made of baked clay, and often finished in
a glaze.
There are two main ways in which a company can be set up nowadays: we have the traditional,
or brick and mortar one, and the online businesses which have started growing in popularity. But
there are main benefits of moving a traditional business in the online environment.
• Moving business online helps reaching customers worldwide. Many traditional
businesses are confined to a local market, which can mean a small town or a region.
Moving them online will attract customers worldwide. This will mean an increase in
revenues and, more than that, setting up a website for a business will practically mean the
company will be open 24/7 and visitors can make purchases at any hour if it is an ecommerce
website.
• Moving business online helps offering easier access to customers. Having a
earthenware’s business is a better way of promoting it online. Those looking for
earthenware’s will definitely first do an online search before going to the pottery(earth
ware) company. It will lead to costumer growth and increase in productivity.
• Moving business online helps online businesses imply lower administration costs.
One of the greatest advantages of moving your business online is reducing certain costs.
This includes costs of storage spaces: through an online business one can simply arrange
to have the products sent directly from the supplier to the client.
There are main requirements and steps to require in which company can transform from
traditional way to online business.
1. Buy a domain name -Domain selection is the first step in moving your business online.
Ideally, you’d want the domain name to be the same as your business name. For $15-$20,
you can register a domain name for a whole year. To purchase a domain, search the name
of your business through a domain buying platform. Shopify offers one that allows you to
buy and manage custom domains. You can also use it to research alternative names if
your offline name is already taken. Shopify’s domain buying platform also lets you
choose from standard, premium, and country domain extensions.
2. Create a website -Once you’ve registered a domain name, you’re ready to start building
your website. An essential step in setting up a site is choosing a platform where you’ll
host its content. Think about your expectations for selling online before deciding which
platform or software is best for you. Since you plan to sell earthen waves products
through your website, you’ll need to sign up for an ecommerce platform. Platforms
like Shopify are super easy to use and set up. Just create an account and you can start
building your website and selling right away.
3. Work on the site’s design -As you take your earthen waves business online, your
website platform will likely present you with a range of themes (or templates) to choose
from. Pick a simple, professionally designed theme and then add customizations over
time if you wish to. You want to make sure that the design not only reflects your brand’s
personality, but it’s also easy for customers to navigate.
4. Get your legal ducks in a row -Taking your business online doesn’t mean you’re
exempted from standard legal procedures. In fact, you may have to fulfill a few more
requirements depending on how you plan to run your operations. Below are some of the
key legal aspects of selling products and services on the internet. Business license, Do
business license (DBL), tax obligation, data privacy .
5. Add content to your website -Content is crucial to moving your business online.
Because people won’t be able to visit you in person, the only way to help them get an
idea of your business is to write good content. Add content on the key pages of your
website so that people can learn your story as well as get familiar with your products or
services. While you can create and add content on an unlimited number of pages, focus
on your home page, about Us page, product/service page, returns & refunds page and
contact Us page.
6. Set up your payments -In order to kick start your online sales, you need to be able to
take payments from your customers. While it’s possible to generate revenue with one
simple online payment method, many customers are becoming accustomed to seeing
various ways to pay across their favorite websites.7
7. Announce your move -Moving your business online is one thing; getting people to
notice it is another. One of the most challenging parts is to stand out from the crowd of
competitors who have similar offerings. So, after you go online, do everything possible to
spread the word about your business. Here are some channels you could leverage: Email,
Social media and Influencers.

For the budget, u must pay attention to;

a. Domain name – GH 113.5 – GH 151.2 per year
b. Website/Software cost – GH 1500
c. Legal ducks -GH 400
d. Advertisement (Influencers, Newspaper & Social Media) – GH 800
e. Maintenance – GH 150

Conclusion
As an offline earthen waves business, you can’t afford to fall behind your competitors. Looking
at your current setup and work out how going online can help you get more customers and
revenue. Switching from offline to online will help keep your business running.

Reference
https://deneenpottery.com/pottery/
https://www.thedrum.com/industryinsights/2019/02/08/five-advantages-moving-
traditionalonline-business
https://www.oberlo.com/blog/moving-your-business-online