There is no doubt that in recent months the commitment to online business has grown considerably. In most cases, this has been due to traditional companies adapting to the needs that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in others to a venture to respond to the demand for online services and products.

However, some of these companies that already had a traditional business are not getting the expected results. This is not surprising because these types of projects also have to comply with a series of formalities, processes and plans to be carried out successfully.

Tips for setting up an online business

It may seem easier to start up an online business to sell a product or communicate a service, but you should certainly take into account a number of keys to make it a successful business.

1. Conduct market research

Whatever your idea is, it is necessary to analyse your competition and carry out a SWOT analysis to find out your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats that exist in the market. In the case of a completely new business, different tests can be carried out to ensure that the product or service works, targeting the right audience that can later become a customer.

2. Choice of idea, name and registration

The next step is to further define the business idea and choose a name. First of all, make sure that the chosen one does not already exist, as ideally you should register an Internet domain name as soon as possible. And as you might expect, .com or .es are not always available.

On the other hand, the name should describe the essence of the online business and at the same time be easy to remember and spell. If the domain also contains the keyword, so much the better.

3. Web organisation and planning

The website is the showcase of any online business, so the main structure, the menu, the design and the content must be analysed in order to capture the potential customer who enters for the first time and to build loyalty among existing customers.

It is important to have a company or development specialist that is able to create an optimised website and offer support for any problems or changes that may arise.

4. Transport company

In case the business aims to sell online at home, it should be taken into account the convenience of working with an optimal transport company that delivers the product without any problem. Depending on the prices of each of them, there will be more or less margin to offer to customers. It is not the same to advertise free shipping as it is to advertise shipping with a minimum purchase when defining the communication strategy.

5. Customer service

In this sense, customer service is also one of the most important parts. In the event of an incident with any order or service, the first thing to be assessed will be the company's response in order to hire the service again or make the recurring purchase. For this reason, it is advisable to communicate and attend within a schedule and to activate a chatbot with automated but natural responses to make the customer feel that they are being served 24 hours a day.

6. Offer different payment methods

Each customer will have their own preferred payment method. Thus, those who are more reluctant to buy online will prefer cash on delivery, bank transfer or Paypal, while those who buy often pay by card and the younger ones prefer Bizum. Therefore, the ideal option is to give everyone a choice. Here, too, it is advisable to seek professional advice to help channel payment platforms without making mistakes.

7. Legality at all times

In addition to registering as a freelancer or S.L. in order to sell a product or provide a service in an online business, there are other legal parts that must also be present. The recently updated cookie policy and privacy policy must be adapted to each website. For the collection of data through a form, for example, the use of such data must be clear. It is advisable to have a company or specialist in this area.

8. Marketing and communication plan

The marketing strategy must always accompany the business plan. Creating a specific plan is essential. Some of the actions to be taken into account are:

• Corporate identity with logo: the corporate identity is the company's letter of introduction.
• Updating and dynamism in the web: content, promotions, banners, pop-ups...
• Web with booking and appointment systems on your website, Google and Facebook
• Submission and maintenance in +50 online directories: People are looking for businesses like yours on the internet, make them find it by appearing in Google, Google Maps, Alexa, Tripadvisor, Bing, Facebook... and more than 50 directories in which your business will appear with your details.
• Networks socialA fundamental channel for any online business. Depending on each target, it will be necessary to focus the conversation on one social network or another; LinkedIn users are not the same as TikTok users.
• E-commerceAn online shop window so that your business never closes and you will have your shop open 24 hours a day.
• Promotional campaignsis an essential tool for positioning your product on the market. It offers you the possibility to continue to win over your customer and attract new potential customers.

9. Online Reputation

The vast majority of customers will be looking for a rating or review of the service or product. Therefore, it is important to have a assessment tool o reply to each and every customer review, whether positive or negative.

From Zapiplay we monitor and collect your customers' opinions in a proactive way, we manage and respond to them so that your business continues to grow and you get a company you can trust.

Remember from Zapiplay we can help you right from the start with unlimited marketing and design for your business.