Selling online is a great way to increase your income and reach a new audience. Global e-commerce sales are set to exceed $ 3.5 trillion by 2020, according to market research firm eMarketer. And millennials, among whom consumption of “gourmet” coffee is up to 41% (National Coffee Association), are the most likely to buy online.An online cxoffee shop can generate your expected incom in 2021.
However, the number of hurdles you have to overcome to launch your online coffee shop can be daunting. What e-commerce platform will be the best for you?
Do you know how you should charge for shipping if anything?-Online Coffee Shop
Whether you want to get your existing coffee business online or start a new brand, this article will walk you through some of the main steps you need to take.
A PRE-LAUNCH CAMPAIGN-Online Coffee Shop
No business can start without customers! And it helps them there from day one.
If you already have a customer base in store, you are way ahead of the curve. However, you still need to convert those customers into online shoppers and then use their support to increase your reach.
Send out a circular and blast it on social media to get your followers’ interest – and to get feedback on your concept. Even if you’re starting your business from scratch and you don’t have those critical customers, you should send that circular and social media posts to your family and friends.
Landing page
You will also have to keep interested people updated on your business plans. Use a landing page to start an email collection campaign. These are simple one-page sites that explain who you are and what you offer.
When your launch page is up, you can pay for some advertising to send people to your website that generate income. Take advantage of this opportunity to also work on your brand: what do your potential customers respond positively to? Small cafe? Special toaster? Direct trade? Find out everything now, before you jump in.
ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS AND PAYMENT PROCESSORS
Before you can launch your online store, you must decide what technology to use to sell and receive payments online. There are many easy-to-use eCommerce platforms to choose from, all with their own pros and cons, so be sure to do your research beforehand. They are Shopify, Big Commerce, and WooCommerce just a few of the big names.
Choosing a payment processor can also be difficult. As the number of customers increases, the relatively small percentage that processors charge can turn into a large sum of money. Major companies like Stripe and PayPal take a (small) fee plus a percentage of each purchase, while other processors may have a monthly payment option available. It is up to you to do the math and decide which one will be best for your business – as well as whether you need to increase prices to cover this.
If you are starting a subscription business, your options will also be limited by the need to integrate recurring payments. It is important that you need to find a payment processor. And you have to work with them to figure out how to implement the system. Or – if that sounds too complicated for your team – go with an all-in-one platform like Cratejoy, which will take care of your store as well as behind the scenes .
SHIPPING-Online Coffee Shop
Don’t leave the shipping issue until the last minute: you need to know a realistic idea of how much it will cost to ship your orders before you start pricing your products.
Depending on what you are going to sell, you may consider free shipping. Ask yourself this: if your customers are all in your city already and can pay the exact price for their coffee in a store but without the shipping fee, why would they prefer to buy it online?
Since shipping is never free for you, however, going this route means you’ll have to work the cost of it into the price of your product.
You will likely want to work through a shipping partner – and possibly a separate shipping program – for both domestic and international shipping. They will help you print the shipping labels and postage for your purchase. For international shipping, they will also help you select features such as tracking and insurance, as well as support on other international shipping obstacles.
What’s more, in some countries – including the United States – they tend to offer you better deals than the national postal service or other large airlines. For example, APC Postal Logistics ships via USPS, but offers a vastly reduced rate, as well as custom delivery options.
MERCHANDISE PRICES
When selling online, there are costs that a physical and concrete store will not have. In addition to your payment processor, you will also have to consider shipping, packaging, shipping labels, and anything else that comes out with online orders. Do your research on how much you will spend on advertising and execution before pricing your product.
However, if you are moving your store online, remember that you are also increasing your competition. No matter how many coffee shops your city has, there are many more online. This means that the price of coffee can turn into a race to the bottom – but low prices and high costs are not a good combination.
You don’t want people to buy your products because of price. Instead, you need to highlight other qualities of your company, which brings us to our next point: advertising.
ADVERTISING AND COMMUNICATION
What is special about your product? Is it the most delicious, most efficient, or best for the environment? Or is it totally different?
Make sure you know what customers want and expect by gathering feedback and researching your competition. Then use this to create a message that you can get across clearly and consistently. This should shape your website, social media, mass emails, and any other communication with clients.
When starting out, various ad platforms like Google AdWords and YouTube will give you credit for free advertising as long as you spend a small amount on them. This is a great opportunity for you to try some ads without risk. And once you find something that works, don’t stop! Run that same campaign until its effectiveness diminishes, and then come back to create a new ad campaign plan.
Email Marketing-Online Coffee Shop
Emails still prove to be very effective in informing customers of new products, strengthening your brand, and opening lines of communication. Don’t neglect your mailing list, it will become a reliable source.
Some like to sing praises to social media; Others say that it is not good at finding new clients. At the end of the day, it depends on your store, what you are selling, and how much effort you are willing to put into it. But if you are planning to make social media a key part of your communications, a few posts a week just wo n’t make an impact . You should post at least once a day. Interact with your potential customers whenever you can and listen to their comments.
Conclusion
Joining the hyper-competitive online space is a great decision. It is a serious investment of your time and effort. But if you are able to find clients that your message resonates with, you can build a foundation that will stay with you. Understand your customers, keep your communications consistent, and make sound decisions about operations, technology, and pricing.
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