How to sell online in 2021: 6 easy-to-follow steps

Not sure how to start selling your products online? Follow these six steps:

1. Choose what products to sell

Before you start selling online, you’ll need to establish a business plan and decide what items you want to sell.

You may already have an established retail location for selling offline. But if you’re just starting your business, you’ll need to carefully consider what you’re going to sell.

When deciding what to sell, consider demand, potential profit margins, and your own interests.

You can use various online tools to gauge demand and come up with ideas for products to sell. Here are a few useful tools to check out:

• Google Trends: Google Trends is a tool from Google that provides data on the popularity of search terms over time. You can use this tool to see which searches are gaining popularity, enabling you to hop on product trends while they’re on the rise.
• Other keyword research tools: You can also use other keyword research tools, like SEMrush and KeywordsFX, to help you determine which product-related keywords are most popular. These tools also show you related keywords, which can give you additional product ideas.
• Social media: Browse social media sites, as well as forum and review sites, to see what products people are talking about. Also, look for problems people are mentioning that a product could help with.
• Competitor research: Research the products other online retailers, especially big-name brands, sell to see what’s selling well. See if you can uncover any trends in product types. You can also browse sites like Amazon and eBay and explore the trending pages.

You’ll also want to research your potential profit margins. Look into how much products similar to yours sell for and estimate how much it will cost you to produce and distribute your products.

Don’t forget to consider your own interests as well! Selling products you’re excited about can keep you motivated as you figure out how to sell online.

2. Create a business plan

Every business needs a plan, including those that use online selling platforms. Creating a detailed business plan will help you determine how to sell your products online and help you reach your goals.

When creating your business plan, consider factors such as:

• Your goals: Determine what you want to achieve and create measurable goals to help you track your progress.
• Your competitors: Analyze the competitive landscape for your products. This will give you ideas for how to sell goods online in your industry and provide insight into the challenges you’ll face.
• Your audience: Determine who the target audience will be. You’ll want to tailor your products, website design, and marketing to your audience’s needs and preferences.

3. Decide where to sell online

After establishing your inventory, you’ll need to determine where to sell online.

Whether you sell on your own website or a top online marketplace, there are more options than ever for diversifying your selling channels in 2021.

Our guide outlines the pros and cons of selling on each platform, as well as your ecommerce site, so spend some time reviewing your options when deciding where to sell online.

If you need help determining which selling platform is best for your business, TSF can help. Connect with our ecommerce experts to learn more!

4. Build your online store

Next, you can start building your online store and listing products for sale.

If you chose to use an online marketplace, you’ll need to create an account and set up your page.

If you decide to sell on your own website, you’ll want to pick a domain name that reflects your brand and is easy to remember. Platforms like Shopify make it easy to get your online shop up and running quickly. So, keep that in mind when setting up your online site — especially if you don’t have a lot of technical expertise.

For platform-specific instructions on how to build your online store, check out the below section on where to sell online.

Selling on your online store requires ongoing maintenance and optimization — and we recommend partnering with an ecommerce agency like TSF to get the best results. 

5. Set up ecommerce functionalities and processes

Many different elements go into how to sell online, and you’ll need to set up various processes and functionalities before you launch your ecommerce store. These elements include:

Payment processing

To start selling online, you’ll need to set up payment processing.

You have numerous options for accepting online payments, whether you open a merchant account or use a payment processor like PayPal, Square, or Stripe.

Where you sell online will also impact the payment processing solution you choose.

For more info on choosing the best online payment system, check out this helpful guide.

Shipping

Next, you need to identify the shipping methods and rates you’ll offer.

Depending on your country, you may have access to USPS, FedEx, Canada Post, Royal Mail, AU Post, or other carriers.

Free shipping entices customers to buy but remember that you’ll need to absorb that cost.

Some online marketplaces — like Amazon — offer fulfillment and shipping options to help you sell more online.

So, be sure to consider all the options and rates available when determining where to sell online. 

Security

No matter where you sell, you’ll want to enable secure online payments so people feel comfortable shopping on your site and purchasing from your business.

Use a payment processing system with proven security and ensure your site has a secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate.

Policies and documents

You’ll want to have several documents available on your ecommerce website. These documents include:

• Terms of use document: A terms of use document lays out rules for using your site and helps protect your business legally.
• Privacy policy: Your privacy policy also helps protect your business legally and helps you establish trust with users.
• Return policy: You’ll also need a document that describes the rules and processes for returning products. A good return policy can help establish trust with shoppers and encourage them to make purchases.

Licenses

You’ll also want to make sure you have all the necessary business licenses. Check your local, state, and federal laws to determine which licenses you’ll need.

Customer service

Ensure your customers have a way to contact you, and determine how you’ll handle customer service issues.

For more essential functionalities and other items to take care of before launching your site, check out our ecommerce checklist.

6. Promote your online business

Finally, you’ll need to market your online business, so people can easily find your site and purchase.

You can have the most beautifully designed site and world-class products, but without proper optimization and promotion, nobody will be able to find your ecommerce store or your profile on a top-selling site.

Marketing is a crucial part of how to sell goods online, so be sure to invest in digital marketing services — like search engine optimization (SEO) and website maintenance — that set your site up for long-term success.