These days, the idea that anyone can build an online store is not uncommon. But what does it really take to set up your own online store?
No Professionals Required
The easiest way to start an online store is to order it from a professional. Many IT firms and marketing companies build online stores for their clients’ needs.
However, buying an online store may cost thousands of euros or dollars. If you can build one yourself, it will naturally be less expensive.
In the 2020s, setting up an online store does not require specific coding skills. If you have enough time on your hands and you are willing to learn new skills, you can do everything yourself. Help is available from either online guides or hired professionals. If something needs to be done quickly, you can always hire a freelancer to help you out at a fraction of a store’s cost.
Choose Your Platform Wisely
Whether or not coding skills are needed depends on the choice of platform. Marknad and other WordPress-based platforms do not require the user to understand code. Instead, the store is created and maintained through a user-friendly dashboard. And while coding skills are not required, it is likely that an entrepreneur setting up his or her online store will pick up some coding-related skills along the way.
The best thing is that WordPress is so popular that the internet is full of guides and tutorials to help those without a coding background set up and maintain their sites and stores. The store owner can take care of everything, and if an insurmountable obstacle comes along, professional coding help is always readily available.
After creating the store, all you have to do is choose the colors, write the texts, and add the products. For the store to function properly, you also need to add the payment methods of your choosing. Once this is done, the store is ready to go.
Modern online store platforms have all the features you need to start and maintain a profitable online business. In Marknad, a store owner can also build a website and a blog adjacent to the store.
Pick Your Payment Methods
The biggest technological challenge of an online store is the safe and secure transfer of money. Fortunately, there are many reliable third-party solutions available that make online payments easy.
The choice of payment methods depends on the audience. What are the payment methods your target audience would like to use the most? For instance, in Finland, online bank transfers are a popular way to make payments online. International customers, however, may want to use credit cards that are uncommon in Finland.
Stripe, Marknad’s payment method of choice, is modern, reliable and easy to use. It is a good fit for both national and international markets.
What about Graphics and Layout?
The visual aspect of the store may turn out to be the hardest part of the process. This is true especially if the store owner has previous IT experience. Setting up the technical pieces of the sotre is easy; logos, pictures, and graphic design, on the other hand, require an artistic touch.
Of course, having a professional design the graphics is always an option. Using a professional service may be necessary if the store needs to have a high-quality look from the get-go. However, using free pictures as well as default fonts and colors is also a possibility, and you can have a professional design your logo later, if you don’t want to do it yourself. The most important thing is getting started.