Building on e-commerce success
If you start out modestly—with an online marketplace such as eBay, for example—you may find that your sales volume expands rapidly. At some point, you may realize that you have outgrown your basic retail platform and need a more powerful solution. But how do you know exactly when to make this change?
Setting up a template-based storefront can be relatively straightforward. The process varies from vendor to vendor, but in general it will include steps such as selecting page templates, filling them in with text and images, adding product information to the catalogue, figuring out the payment process and perhaps loading the current order history. Most vendors offer help with this, either online or by telephone. But because everything is templated, with a restricted set of options for each template, the process can be largely easy to understand.
Ideally, using the storefront will lead to a steady increase in both domestic and international sales, until (it is to be hoped) you outgrow the capabilities. When that happens, it may be time to invest in a custom-built e-commerce solution.