| Steps |
Actions |
| 0. Define the business strategy |
First and foremost, what is your company's business strategy?
Is setting up an online store the right tactic to serve the strategy? |
| 1. Define the project |
- Objective: What are you selling?
- Target audience: Who are your customers? What are their needs, behaviors, preferences?
- Value proposition: How are you different? Why would they buy from you rather than elsewhere?
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| 2. Choose the products or services to sell |
- Validate if you want to sell all your products online or just a selection to start with. Think about existing product variations and how easy they are to transpose into a platform.
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| 3. Determine the business model |
- Direct sales, dropshipping, marketplace, subscription?
- Do you want to adapt your pricing policy for online sales?
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| 4. Choose an e-commerce platform |
- Hosted solutions: Shopify, Wix, Squarespace (simple to set up, all-in-one).
- Open-source solutions: WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCart, Drupal Commerce (more flexible but need to be maintained continuously).
- Tailor-made SAAS solution: Addio Commerce (flexible and hosted)
- Consider fees, customization, SEO, scalability.
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| 5. Expand the online store |
- User-centric design: simple, intuitive, accessible, aligned with your brand look and feel.
- Clear structure: categories, detailed product sheets, search engine.
- Security: HTTPS, GDPR compliance, secure payment.
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| 6. Organize operational management |
- Inventory management, warehousing, order processing.
- Choice of carriers and return policy.
- Integration with an ERP or management software if required.
- Think about the platform's management needs: product listings, customer service, etc.
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| 7. Prepare for marketing |
- Aligned with your existing brand image: logo, tone, visuals.
- Acquisition channels: SEO, advertising, social media, content marketing, emails.
- Implementation of a launch plan (e.g. pre-opening promotions, waiting campaign).
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| 8. Test Before Launching |
- Customer journey verification: browsing, payment, confirmation emails.
- Testing on different devices and browsers.
- User feedback.
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| 9. Officially Launch |
- Gradual or event-driven launch depending on the strategy.
- Follow-up of the first results: sales, traffic, conversion rate.
- Continuous data-driven adjustments.
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| 10. Manage, optimize and evolve |
- Performance analysis (Google Analytics, e-commerce dashboard).
- Continuous improvement: A/B testing, new products, optimization of the buying journey.
- Loyalty: customer service, newsletters, rewards programs.
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