If you want to start an online shop, it is not something you can rush into. You need to create a sound project plan for the online shop with all the important details, which will save you trouble later, because when starting an online shop wishes and requirements are often very different. Here is a small selection of some of the important points to note if you are starting an online shop.

What software do you want to use in your online shop?

There are a very large number of various shop solutions which are often focused on e-commerce specialised content management systems (CMS). Magento, which is free and independent, is the market leader in this area and currently runs on more than one per cent of all internet websites. The e-commerce pioneer Ebay stands behind Magento as an established provider who is perfectly well-versed in all facets of e-commerce.

Shop systems such as WooCommerce, wpShopGermany or Getshopped, are just as popular, and are based on CMS WordPress. To start an online shop you also use many other products, although Magento and WordPress are the most popular.

Type of product, logistics and warehousing

Not every shop system is suitable for every type of product. If you want to have your own warehouse you should have a corresponding back end with stock numbers, delivery dates and purchasing management which can be integrated, or built in as seamlessly as possible.  Starting an online shop may seem simple at first, but with high order numbers things can quickly get out of hand.

If you would like to work without a warehouse, you need to make purchasing especially efficient and fluid. Some systems let you have direct access to wholesalers and suppliers, which means your incoming orders will automatically be delivered to your partners.

Classification and category structure

If you start an online shop that only has a small number of products, this is less problematic. If you are planning a large shop with hundreds or thousands of individual products, then it is important to keep up with continuous maintenance of the various product types, categories and all of the associated data. The shop software should enable quick and detailed handling.

Product descriptions and images

There are online shops with simple, text-based listing views, with standardised product pages and simple images, and there are also elaborately designed shops with high-resolution photos, zoom effects or even videos.  There are also various display options for product descriptions and variations, as well as display options.  Which system is the right one for you?

Payment systems and security

Different payment systems can be integrated relatively easily into almost any shop system. Some shop systems offer solutions from a single source which is often better for security. Are credit card payments and PayPal enough? Do you operate on an international level and want to offer other payment options such as bank transfers or cryptocurrency like BitCoin?

CRM and Customer Service

Customer loyalty and customer service is an important factor for online shops. If you start an online shop you will quickly see that it is often harder to attract new clients than to get existing customers to make a new purchase. An efficient customer database with a built-in ticket-based helpdesk and marketing such as newsletter management is especially important for large shops.

Accounting: invoices and reminders

If you want to use other payment methods than upfront ones, an efficient accounting system is essential. You can choose if you would like to manage all the processes individually, which is more complex with many manual actions, or if you would use an automatic bank account with fully automated payment reminders and warnings.

Start an online shop and outsource development to India

Starting an online shop can be very simple or it can be very complex, as you can see from the many factors for consideration. If you start an online shop you should not cut costs in the wrong place.  It is better to rely on a more professional solution which will prepare you for the future.

A cost-saving trick is to hand over the often expensive creation to an Indian shop developer, either fully or partially. Outsourcing4work can provide you with professional service providers from India who will professionally implement Magento or other systems and, on request, develop further extensions for your online shop.

We can offer you an entire range of IT Outsourcing options, from a fixed-price, to dedicated or temporary employees, even up to an entire team that will work exclusively for you.