The amount spent on online shopping increases every year! Days like Black Friday are a real goldmine for webshop owners. Do you smell the opportunity? The startup costs of a webshop are relatively low, and you can manage it alongside your current job. Too good to be true? Certainly not, you can set up a webshop in a few steps, but how do you get started? We figured it out!
Choose your product and determine the target audience
The most important question you need to ask yourself is: what product do I want to sell, and to whom? The answer to this question forms the core of your business plan. Will you sell homemade products, or buy products wholesale? Who are your competitors? Will you go for a wide range or focus on a niche market? Think carefully before starting your webshop! Do thorough research and make sure you get a good understanding of the sector you want to enter.
Build your webshop
The webshop will be your storefront. A stunning webshop that sparks interest is essential for your webshop to succeed. We recommend hiring a web developer! This ensures that the webshop is built according to all standards and best practices. If there are any technical issues, you won’t have to rely on yourself, as the web developer will immediately step in to fix the problem. Imagine if your technical knowledge is too limited to resolve the issue, and your site goes down for hours or even days. The web developer will also provide hosting, taking away another worry. Looking for a web developer? Check out Digital Natives! Digital Natives developed our website.
Register your webshop
Of course, you mustn’t forget to register your webshop. To legally operate a webshop, you’ll need to be self-employed and have a VAT number. Visit a business counter like Xerius or Acerta. You also need to think carefully about the name of your webshop before registering it. Have you found a unique and/or original name? Immediately check if the domain name is available. If it is, you need to reserve it with a hosting provider or webshop system.
Tip: international ambitions? Reserve domains like .com, .be, .nl, .de, etc. right away so you won’t run into surprises in the future!
Find reliable partners
When starting a webshop, you will rely on several partners. Build strong relationships with all your partners to ensure your webshop thrives. Which partners should you consider?
Suppliers: good suppliers ensure high-quality products and clear delivery times. Make sure to build a strong relationship with your suppliers. How to find suppliers? By contacting wholesalers, networking at trade shows, or searching online through various websites and forums. Prepare well for your conversations with suppliers! They receive many inquiries, so make sure your concept stands out!
Shipping partners: If you’re selling products, you’ll need to find a shipping partner. Which shipping partners can you approach? It depends on the type of product you want to ship. Bpost, DHL, DPD, and UPS are just a few of the many players in the logistics world.
Fulfillment partner: Do you not want to manage storage, picking, packing, and shipping yourself? You can opt for a fulfillment partner. The fulfillment partner will take over these tasks for you! This allows you to focus entirely on developing your webshop. As your webshop grows, you’ll need to ship more packages, and you may have little time left for marketing. Plus, you can benefit from the economies of scale the fulfillment partner has with packaging materials and shipping companies, which helps reduce costs and increase profits. Need a fulfillment partner? Webship is here to help!
Digital partner: You need to impress your customers with your product expertise, but if you lack online business experience, there’s a good chance your expertise won’t be fully utilized. What can you do about it? You can hire a digital partner who will translate your expertise into converting ads. In this context, we again recommend Digital Natives. Once your webshop is online, online visibility is key to success!
What legal obligations do I need to consider?
You are subject to certain legal obligations. Which ones?
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
Return Policy
If you don’t include these on your webshop, you risk fines. The absence of a return policy could also allow customers to return their orders up to a year after receipt! Avoid uncomfortable situations and make sure your webshop is fully completed.
If you have any questions about starting a webshop or need a fulfillment partner, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help you set up your webshop and ship your products!
