01 | Set up your online store
To get started, you’ll need to set up your online store. BeNimble offers easy-to-use, fully functional eCommerce websites that are designed and developed by eCommerce experts, to help you showcase your products at their absolute best. No developers required! You can do it all yourself in less than 15 minutes. SEE: register for an online store. Include detailed product descriptions to help customers learn more about your products, together with beautiful imagery and product videos. This helps instills trust in what you are selling. Every BeNimble store has a built-in inventory management system to help you keep track of what’s in stock ensuring customer satisfaction. And with a rich order process, and multiple payment options, you can wow your potential customers to start shopping from you! With the added bonus of South Africa's leading eCommerce courier already integrated, getting your first sale and fulfilling it, will be easy.
02 | Subscribe to go live
Once you have your online store completed, and the payment process in place, your online store is officially open for business. Make sure you’ve added a custom domain to your account. BeNimble can help you get your own custom domain name. Custom domains give your site a professional look, strengthen your brand, and make it easier for visitors to find you on the web. And remember, you can always go back and make edits to your online store later. Don’t let your pursuit of perfection stand in the way of your business’s big debut.
03 | Add Discounts
You may want to try offering discounts to new customers visiting your website. Set up a Promotional Banner encouraging them to take advantage of this special offer. Or, use a notice banner that welcomes new visitors to your store and offers them a discount to encourage them to sign up for your mailing list. With BeNimble's rich extensions, you can rest assured that your store will cater to the widest audience of visitors to your store.
04 | Boost your online store’s SEO
Now that your online store is open and ready for business, it’s time to find some customers. If you’re an established brand, you can announce your new store to your existing fan base. However, if you’re a newer business, you can start adding content to your online store to help boost your Search Engine Optimization or SEO. SEO is the process of improving your site‘s ranking in search results. While the factors search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo use to rank sites are kept secret and change frequently, we build all known SEO best practices into every BeNimble online store. As the host of some of South Africa's biggest eCommerce websites for over a decade, we’ve implemented various strategies to help your site appear in search engine results.
05 | Get the word out
Make sure you integrate your business’s social accounts with your online store so you can post about new products, sales, and special announcements. Building social proof for your website via your preferred social media will boost your chances of getting that first sale over the line.
06 | Start building an email list
Be sure your store collects visitor emails, via the Subscriber! extension, so you can start – or continue – to build your audience. Create an introductory email to welcome new customers to your brand. You can build powerful email marketing content with your existing products, blog posts, and logo so your messaging is consistent and effective. Once people sign up for your emails, you’ll be able to communicate with them about sales, discounts, special offers, and updated products.
07 | Drive traffic to your website
One way to increase the number of visitors to your online store is by running advertisements. Use Google Ads and Facebook Ads to help you target new customers by promoting products in your inventory relevant to their interests. The more people know and remember your product, the better chance you have of making that important first sale.
08 | Use analytics to gain insights
In order to continue to grow your audience, it’s important to understand where your current traffic is coming from. With Google Analytics and BeNimble extensions, you can get a clear picture of your visitors and their behavior through visual reports on statistics like page views, conversion, sales, referrals, and popular content. Knowing your visitors, and understanding their behavior will help you set up your store for potential customers to click on the Buy button.
09 | Knuckle down
Every new business lives for its first sale. It takes time and dedication to get the first one over the line. Once you are there, the second one is easier.
