Today I have something different for you.
It’s not just an article. It’s almost like a book. An interesting, profitable book.
If you have anything to do with eCommerce, read it. Or at least parts of it.
What is it about?
At a glance, starting and growing an eCommerce business seems simple enough.
But the gut-wrenching truth no one is telling you?
It’s not.
You hear a lot about the “overnight successes” or about viral “selling themselves” products.
But the boring, “dark” technical details rooted beneath the surface of eCommerce success, the type to undermine your efforts and topple your eCommerce business when underestimated?
You don’t hear about them.
- Who’s going to handle support tickets and deal with grumpy customers?
- How do you strike a balance for popular orders on multiple channels?
- What’s your product returns policy?
- What logistical options satisfy customers without sacrificing profit?
- How is fulfillment/shipping being handled?
- How to manage sales tax?
- If you’re manufacturing from overseas, how do you execute quality control?
- When the business starts to blossom, how are you going to hire your first employees without shooting yourself in the foot?
- After your success, how will you handle shady imitators scrounging for a quick buck off your back?
- How has your online store impacted your brick-and-mortar store?
Forget the shallow “3.5 steps to eCommerce success”. What follows is a (realistic) gritty guide on all the dynamic dirty details that culminate into a successful, profitable eCommerce business based on experience working with hundreds of eCommerce businesses in the last 17 years.
Be prepared, this is a long read aimed at revealing the truth. Covered: the good, bad, the ugly, and damn right uglier.
By the end, you’ll grasp not just the sensationalized eCommerce fruits, but understand the underlooked branches, trunk, and roots that collaborate to create an eCommerce tree ripe for profitable plucking.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. It Takes an Army to Start & Build a Successful eCommerce Business
Managing Your Product Inventory
- Maintain an Optimal Inventory Quantity
- Forecast your demand with data
- Determine Your Minimum Stock Levels (MSLs)
- Supplement With Dropshipping
- Centralize Your Inventory Management
Shipping: Strategies and Best Practices
Dimensional (DIM) Weight Explained
Order Fulfillment 101
VIP Customer Service
Customer Service Philosophy: Wowing Customers Isn’t The Only Key To Loyalty
Your Tools For Providing Awesome Customer Service
- Social Media
- Use a Friendly Tone
- Personalize When Possible
- Respond Rapidly
Live Chat
- Carefully Time Your Pop Ups
- Integrate The Chat Window With Your Design
- Use Fewer Chats Per Agent
Help Desk
Phone
Accounting and Taxes
Spying on The Competition
- Determine Their Traffic Sources
- Gauging Their Customer Satisfaction
Magnifying Profits With Multi-Channel Marketing
Chapter 2. eCommerce Marketing
Start With Accurate Analytics
Engage And Profit With Email Marketing
Wow Customers With User Reviews
Cut Through Noise With Content Marketing
Use Influencer Marketing To Skyrocket Exposure
Strengthen Branding With Social Media
Scale With Paid Ads
Chapter 3. Technical eCommerce
Offer Different Payment Gateways
Fraud Prevention: Why It Matters
Protect Customer Data With SSL Encryptions
Back-End Infrastructure
Chapter 4. eCommerce Organization
Optimizing Existing Operations
Magnifying Profits by Measuring Your Margins
Strengthening Your Store With Hiring The Right Staff
Keeping Positive Cashflow
Product Development: Expand Your Catalog
Product Returns: Don’t Let This Be Your Achilles Heel
Conclusion
This is massive. In terms of size, quality, and value provided.
Every imaginable aspect of running a successful eCommerce organization is covered.
Each point above has multiple sub-points, examples, screenshots, explanations.
If you have anything to do with eCommerce, you should read it. At the very least, read the chapters you’re interested in.
Growing and Scaling a Successful eCommerce Business: The Ultimate Guide
PS. If “Top 10 Tips to be great at eCommerce” is a Ford, then this is a fastest Tesla. Or a rocket. Or Tesla on a rocket.
