So you want to sell goods online… great! Using Shopify you can create a mobile friendly, secure, well designed online store that offers a great user experience.

But hold your horses!  There are a number of things to consider before you get started.

Below is a basic checklist of things to consider when setting up your online store….

General Business Details: What is the Legal name for your store, do you have a bricks and mortar address, phone number, email etc.

What is your Refund Policy? Shopify has one to get you started if you get stuck

What is your Privacy Policy? Shopify has one to get you started if you get stuck

What are your general terms of business? Shopify has one to get you started if you get stuck and it also has this great guide to ensure your store complies with Australian laws.

Is Email Marketing something you will be doing to attract new sales? Will you be collecting email addresses for email marketing at a later date? Do you require an account to be setup to collect these addresses?

Shipping Costs and fulfilment  Who is your carrier? What is the cost? How will you be fulfilling your orders? Will you offer a flat rate for shipping or will it depend on the location. Shopify has a great article on selecting a shipping strategy here.

Do you have a Web Ready Logo? If so then EPS format or a decent sized JPEG is preferable.

How will you use Social Media to generate sales? Do you have any Facebook/twitter/Pintrest/Google+ accounts you would like to link to from the store?

What are your business goals and objectives? What are you hoping to achieve in terms of sales and exposure?

How will you pitch your products? Each product in the store will need a description and this is where many business owners get stuck. Some great tips for writing your product description are here: Write Product Descriptions that Sell

How will you present your products? Product Photography is important. Will you be shooting the products yourself or paying a proffessuibak? Shopify has a great video on creating stunning product photography.

How will people find out about your online store? Will you be using Search Engine Marketing, Facebook, or printed strategies to drive traffic to your website?

For help with any of these questions and making your online store look great, call 0401 674 461!