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Ecommerce

How to sell online:

Tips from 8 ACTUAL
ecommerce experts
June 8, 2022

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So, you want to get your side hustle off the ground.
Maybe it’s a passion project you’d eventually like to focus on full time. Maybe it’s a
hobby you want to monetise to top up your income. Or it could be that word of
mouth sales are soaring, and you want to take advantage of increased demand.
Whatever your motivations, learning how to sell online is key to creating a
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successful
But any old guide won’t cut it. With up to 24 million ecommerce stores already in
business, you need expert advice from people who’ve been there and done it.
So we asked 8 expert online sellers to give you tips that actually work. They are:
Katheriin Liibert, Co-Founder of tech-empowered clothing brand, #muhoov,
and Head of Marketing at eco-packaging startup Woola
Sam Speller, Founder of Kenko Matcha, an ecommerce brand that focuses on
specialty matcha green tea
Daniel Barrett, CEO of Adwords Nerds, the world’s largest Google Partner
agency working only with real estate investors
David Bitton, Co-Founder and CMO at DoorLoop, a property management
software provider for the real estate PropTech industry
Lisa Benz, Co-Founder of food delivery service RemoteCanteen
Jake Smith, Owner and Managing Director of custom car number plate
provider, Absolute Reg
Allan Stolc, Founder and CEO of ecommerce bank loan comparison site,
Bankly
Abe Breuer, CEO and owner of VIP to Go, a rental company for portable
restrooms and shower trailers

5 things you need to do before you start selling

online
Just like you wouldn’t dive into the Atlantic without swimming lessons, you need
to prepare before you start selling online. Here’s how you can set yourself up 👇
1ON-THIS
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what you’re going to sell

Sure, you probably have a decent idea of what you’re going to sell already. But to
establish yourself in the market, you need to niche down.
If you’re a jewellery store, for example, it’ll be tough to build momentum with your
online sales if you only sell gold hoop earrings. That’s because there’s no incentive
for buyers to trust your store over one with a ton of brand awareness and reviews.
Instead, you could think about becoming the go-to retailer for something more
specific; say 14k gold nose rings. Here, you’ll experience less competition, allowing
you to build a customer base and start making money.
Next, you should validate your idea. Katheriin, whose ecommerce business has an
annual recurring revenue (ARR) of €200K, explains:
“Find at least 5 people (preferably not close friends and family) who’d be willing to
buy your product and find out why they’d buy it – this’ll be the foundation of your
product and marketing.”
Daniel, who manages over 5 million dollars a year in client ad spend at Adwords
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Nerds, also has a few words of advice here:
“You should get feedback from customers and potential buyers about what they
like about what you've created and what they'd change if they could—and then
listen! This information is invaluable when it comes time for updates or new
versions of your product line.”
But acting solely on their feedback isn’t enough. You should combine it with your
own research on macro market trends to further refine your idea.
In 2022, for example, baking sustainability and inclusivity into your products and
supply chains is a wise move—especially considering that 32% of consumers are
ready to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and 38% of consumers trust diverse
brands more.
David provides a practical way you can do this:
“Determine or estimate how much stock you need to keep on hand at any given
time. This guarantees that you just carry enough inventory to satisfy needs,
resulting in a lower carbon footprint.”

2 - Decide your target audience

As the old saying goes, “if you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no
one”. That’s why you need to create buyer personas, even if you’re selling
generalist products.
Buyer personas detail the key pain points, motivations and ambitions your ideal
customer has, allowing you to create products and messaging that align with their
needs.
Depending on what you sell and how many products you stock, you may need
multiple buyer personas, too. For example, even though the products are in the
same category, the target audiences for flat caps and top hats are completely
different.
As a result, you’ll need to serve them different messaging and ads (which we’ll
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later) to convert them into customers.

3 - Do market research
Remember when Google Glass was released in 2013?
Even though it was heralded as visionary technology and countless column
inches were dedicated to it, it flopped.
Hard.
The reason? Google tried to create a market need—but consumers simply didn’t
respond, with only a handful being convinced to part with their hard-earned cash.
And if a behemoth like this can fall so spectacularly on its face when trying to sell a
product, you bet you can too.
But proper market research will help you avoid getting egg on your face. To
conduct it, check that there is some demand for your product(s).
Free tools like Google Keyword Planner give you estimated monthly search
volumes per keyword, while Chrome Extensions like Ubersuggest tell you how
difficult they’ll be to rank for. This will set your search engine optimisation (SEO)
strategy up for success.
Next, identify your competitors and trawl through Trustpilot reviews to see what
they do well and what they do badly. Then square those reviews with reality by
reviewing their websites and downloading their apps.
All of this will help position you against your competitors and take advantage of
their weaknesses.

4 - Set SMART goals

Who knows:
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This time next year, you could be on the Forbes rich list, taking David Beckham as
your plus one to the Met Gala.
But setting this as a goal for your online selling journey isn’t advisable. Instead, use
the SMART framework.
With specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound objectives, you’ll
keep focused, stay motivated and ensure your new online shop is a success.

5 - Do comprehensive financial planning

As an entrepreneur, it’s your instinct to start selling right now and fill in the gaps
later. But you need to be proactive when it comes to sorting out your finances.
Allan, an expert in the field who helps ecommerce firms set up successful brands
and Bankly CEO, explains:
“An online business thrives better with comprehensive financial planning. Before
starting your online selling journey, you have to take into account the set-up and
base costs required to run the business.
“This advice may sound basic, but carefully looking into your finances gives you a
good head start when entering the ecommerce industry.
“Consider some administrative expenses like the costs of consulting a lawyer for
legal matters, an accountant for interpreting financial records, and any other
factors directly attributed to setting up the business.
“You also have to check on social media management fees, team software
licences & staff costs, and all marketing expenditures to promote your business to
the public.
“Things can get complicated as you go deeper into the financial aspect of
establishing your online business.
“For this, you better need to equip yourself first on how to handle complex financial
ON THIS PAGEYou can do this by attending beforehand financial literacy training or
situations.
conducting a thorough feasibility study to increase your chances of success.”

How to sell online: A comprehensive 6-step guide

Now you’ve laid the groundwork for your ecommerce store, it’s time to start selling
online. Here’s everything you need to know.

Step 1 - Decide where you’re going to sell

As DoorLoop co-founder and CMO, David says, to sell effectively, you need to:
“Determine which platform is most suited for the product you want to sell and
where your target market commonly looks for and purchases products like yours.
By doing this, you’ll be able to work out where you are most likely to reach them.”
This may be through apps, websites or online marketplaces.
Likelihood is though—at the beginning of your online selling journey—your
resources will be spread pretty thin, meaning you have to choose one channel and
nail it.
The question is, which option can deliver the greatest return on investment (ROI)
and support you as you scale?
Here are the pros and cons of each option 👇
Websites
Creating your own ecommerce website gives you the power to reach your ideal
customers wherever they are.
And if you use order fulfilment methods like dropshipping, you can do this cost
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effectively,
Websites are also discoverable by Google, meaning you can optimise them for
keywords. This means online shoppers can discover you for free when they input
specific search terms into Google.
On the other hand, ecommerce websites struggle to take advantage of
smartphone features like cameras and GPS, which mobile apps are built for. This is
especially important when you consider that over 50% of internet shopping traffic
comes from mobile devices.
They also can’t offer customers anything in offline modes, stopping the customer
journey dead in its tracks when there’s no internet.

Marketplaces
By selling on marketplaces, you can fast track your way to success.
Listing products on Ebay and Amazon, for example, gives you instant access to
millions of consumers who could be ready to buy.
You also don’t need to do much heavy lifting when it comes to marketing your
products or optimising them for search engines.
The main downside?
For their trouble, marketplaces take a cut of your profits. And the more you make,
the more likely this is to hurt you in the pocket.

Apps
If we’re basing this purely on conversions, creating your own ecommerce app wins
hands down. Because research shows online shoppers convert at a 157% higher
rate than they do on websites. But obviously, this isn’t your only consideration.
Building an app may not have entered your thinking because you have no tech
expertise and don’t know where to start. But it’s actually much easier than you
think.
With no-code app builders, you can create your app by dragging and dropping
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reusable features into your chosen template. One of the greatest benefits of doing
this is that you don’t have to profit share with marketplaces, meaning everything
you make stays in your bank account.
Of course, there are downsides too.
If you choose the wrong app builder, you won’t technically own your app. That
means if you encounter bugs or security breaches, only the app builder will be able
to solve them. This process is slow, which isn’t ideal when you’re tackling critical
issues that could see you lose trust with your customers—and a lot of money.
What’s more, the templates you choose from no-code app builders restrict you as
you grow because they’re not customisable. At least beyond adding your own
branding. For example, if you want to improve user experience (UX) to get more
conversions down the line, you won’t be able to.
That’s where Builder Studio Store comes in. (👈 Hit the link to browse our starter
packs!)
You start off with a pre-packaged app, but you can build complexity as and when
you need to. Meanwhile, Studio One automatically takes care of updates, bug fixes
and infrastructure monitoring.
So, which should you choose?
Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. But Absolute Reg Managing Director,
Jake, advises that you “sell your products or services using only one platform with
the highest concentration of your niche market.”
“This strategy is called micro-branding. It helps create a more successful and
personalised brand that you can easily manage, considering you don't have
enough experience in online selling.
“Doing so will allow you to exert your time and effort on one approach that will
guarantee success rather than casting a wide net and spreading your content
across all channels.”
Step 2 - Build your ecommerce brand
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Sadly, just listing your products doesn’t mean you’ll sell any of them.
You need to create an identity for your brand; one that allows your ideal
customers to connect with you on a deeper level. This is something Katheriin puts
a lot of emphasis on: “Brand building is everything, ESPECIALLY in the early
stages,” she says.
“These days, products and services can easily be replicated, so product-based
differentiation is pretty much dead. Only way you can stand out is with your brand.
“To quote my colleague Paula Pärnaste (Woola's Head of Brand): ‘Building a brand
that stands out is the way to win against the category leaders.’
“What we’ve seen is that if you use visuals and words to communicate your brand
in an entertaining way, giving people a story worth telling, it spreads.
“Case in point: our December '21 fundraising news had the following team photo
attached to it...

“Quite different from a typical startup fundraising photo (with logo-t shirts and
power poses), don't you think?
“Well, here's the result:
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“Mike Butcher of TechCrunch touted it on Twitter as ‘probably the greatest tech
founder team photo of all time.’
“Another example would be our ‘hiring campaign’ on LinkedIn, which really simply
consisted of a series of LinkedIn posts by Woola's CEO.
“The catch? They were posts that made it clear we do not take ourselves too
seriously at Woola. Ones like this:

“The result? Amazing organic reach, considering our CEO has not built up a
following or a personal brand on LinkedIn as such. (She's been busy building the
company!)
“We didn’t hire an agency to create this, there was no budget as such – simply a
👇
little bit of humour and an iPhone camera to get results like these
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Katheriin and Woola’s work show how you can effectively build your brand on a
budget, before you think about spending anything on ads. To establish a
framework that can replicate this success, Kenko Matcha founder, Sam says:
“When building your brand, it’s critical that you start by knowing your audience.
Who are they? What do they like? What do they hate? What do they need? How can
you help them?
You should also create a plan for what kind of brand you want to be—and then
stick to it!
“Don't try to change things up too much once you've established a clear picture of
who you are and what you stand for.
“Also, make sure everything about your business reflects the brand you've created.
This includes everything from product descriptions to customer service
interactions to photos on social media posts.
“If it's not aligned with how people perceive your business, then it won't work as
effectively at attracting new customers or retaining existing ones.”
If you need a helping hand to start building your brand, check out Builder’s
resources, including our guide to creating a successful business name and our
free logo maker.
Step 3 - Create a marketing plan
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Now you’ve built a brand and know where you’re selling, it’s time to create a
marketing plan. The idea being to become as visible as possible to your buyer
personas. Here, RemoteCanteen Co-Founder, Lisa has some advice:
“When selling online, the most important thing is to ensure that your products are
well-presented and accurately described.
“Good product photos are essential, as they will be the first thing that potential
customers see. Make sure to use bright, clear photos that show the product from
multiple angles.
“It’s also important to write detailed, accurate descriptions of your products. Be
sure to include all relevant information, such as dimensions, materials, and any
special features.
“Finally, it’s always a good idea to offer competitive prices. By following these
simple tips, you can increase your chances of making a successful sale.”
Keyword research will help you optimise these descriptions (return to point 3 of
the first section of this guide for more info) and support your content marketing.
Abe, CEO of VIP to Go, explains that all of this helps to create a buzz around your
brand:
“Take time coming up with videos, blogs, and social media posts that introduce
your offerings to the market because this will help you ease through your
ecommerce journey.
“Tell the story behind your brand and share a meaningful mission, vision, and
values that resonate with your target demographics. Create and share content
such as tips, how-to’s, and guides that give them an idea about your products or
services.
“It also helps to feature customer stories and testimonials because these establish
trust among your potential customers.
“Make sure that every content you develop links back to your website or
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ecommerce
Once you have all of this infrastructure in place, investing in ads will help maximise
your reach.
For example, Google Ads gets thousands more eyes on the products and content
on your ecommerce website, even if you don’t rank for them on the search engine
results page (SERP).
Display ads, meanwhile, will help you reach online shoppers who’ve visited your
website, marketplace store or app. This allows you to upsell similar products to
customers who like your products and convince new ones to revisit you.
As many ecommerce stores use social media to drum up business, you should also
explore Facebook and Instagram ads, which allow you to target customers while
they’re scrolling. This goes hand in hand with influencer marketing, which
improves brand awareness.

Step 4 - Set up payments

Research by invesp shows that 65% of online shoppers abandon their cart.
And there are a number of reasons for this. Chief among them are unexpected
shipping costs, having to create new user accounts and long, confusing checkout
processes.
The latter is what we’re going to talk about now.
Ultimately, you want to make it as simple as possible for customers to buy your
products. And you can do this by opening accounts with payment processors like
PayPal, Due, Stripe, Square or GoCardless.
With these processors, customers can use existing account details to checkout,
rather than creating new ones, reducing the likelihood of cart abandonments.
For mobile customers in particular, you should also think about accepting
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payments
gives visitors to your website, app or marketplace store the chance to pay instantly
without entering their details.
Meanwhile, having shop now and pay later options like Klarna can increase
conversions by 44%.
By providing a range of payment options like this, you’re removing purchasing
barriers for the customer, which means more money in your pocket.

Step 5 - Make shipping arrangements

As we touched on in the previous section, shipping options are a key part of the
customer journey. So key in fact that, according to Stitch Labs, sites that offer free
shipping get 10% more sales than those who don’t.
This may not seem viable for you, especially if you’re delivering items to far-flung
corners of the globe or large items domestically. But you can absorb the cost
simply by raising your prices, with many customers associating higher prices with
greater quality and value.
Striking a balance between shipping speed and reliability is another key issue to
address.
To go about this, you need to choose a shipping carrier. The likes of FedEx, UPS
and DHL are solid choices for international shipments, but the ideal option for you
depends on your requirements.
For example, FedEx specialises in delicate and fragile shipments, UPS hazardous
goods and DHL in small parcel delivery. Other providers cater to specific industries
like hospitality and jewellery.

Top tip
Including estimated delivery times in your checkout will help you improve
customer experience.
Step 6 - Iterate and optimise
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Setting up your store and not optimising it is like running the first 100 metres of a
marathon and asking for a medal.
While you’ve put all of the foundations in place to succeed, some channels and
strategies will work better for you than others. It’s your job to stay laser focused on
the numbers and see where there’s room for improvement.
For example, if you find that profit sharing on marketplaces like Amazon and Ebay
is hampering your growth, you should consider building an app or a website.
If your social engagement metrics indicate your audience responds to
informational content, include more of it in your marketing strategy.
If your cost per acquisition (CPA) is much lower on Facebook than it is on Google
Ads, prioritise your ad spend to reflect this.
Because you can bet your house that your competitors will be doing the same.

Closing thoughts
There you have it!
That’s everything you need to know before, during and after you start your online
selling journey.
Thanks again to our 8 ecommerce experts. Now it’s over to you to cut and paste
their advice and make your online business a stonking success!
If you need a helping hand getting your journey started, visit Builder Studio Store
or chat to our team 👈
Get the 6-step guide to building your app
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Now you know everything about selling online, it’s time to start building your app!
Using our guide you’ll learn how to make your app a success by:
Creating an app strategy
Staying focused on end users
Testing, testing, testing
Optimising for keywords
Launching your app
Keeping momentum
You will receive the guide via email - or hit the button below to get your copy now
👇🏼
Download the 6-step guide to building your app

FAQs
See below for advice on how to set up specific ecommerce stores with Builder 👇
How to sell clothes online?
If you create an app to sell clothes online, you could benefit from hugely increased
conversion rates. To do this, go to Builder Studio Store > Pick ecommerce template
> Choose your pricing plan > Customise your app with your branding > Start selling!

How to sell art online?

Creating an app is one of the best ways to sell art online as you don’t have to pay
marketplace fees. To do this, go to Builder Studio Store > Pick ecommerce template
> Choose your pricing plan > Customise your app with your branding > Start selling!
How to sell books online?
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An emerging way to sell books online is to create an app so you don’t have to profit
share with Amazon. To do this, go to Builder Studio Store > Pick ecommerce
template > Choose your pricing plan > Customise your app with your branding >
Start selling!

How to sell furniture online?

If you’re looking for ways to improve website conversion rates for your online
furniture store, you can create an app. To do this, go to Builder Studio Store > Pick
ecommerce template > Choose your pricing plan > Customise your app with your
branding > Start selling!

Recommended readings
Display advertising strategies and best practices (for
2022)
Learn how you can use display advertising to skyrocket brand
awareness.

Read the guide >

What is influencer marketing? (strategies and best

practices)
What is influencer marketing? (strategies and best
practices)
Expand your audience and get more conversions with nano and
micro influencers.
ON THIS PAGE
Read the guide >

Read the guide >

Go-to-market strategy: 7 steps to a killer product

launch
Here are your 7 steps to a successful product launch.

Read the guide >

How online stores can advertise (and sell) using

Google Ads
6 steps to selling on Google Ads (Online + Ecommerce Stores)

Read the guide >

Products Resources

Builder Studio App Builder

Studio One Ecommerce

Builder Cloud Guides

Studio Rapid Case studies

DevOps
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