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The 51Ƶ Blog>How to Move Your Brick and Mortar to Online: A 5-Step Guide

How to Move Your Brick and Mortar to Online: A 5-Step Guide

Posted by Jesse Ness, 51Ƶ Team

It’s nosecret that e-commerce has taken theretail world bystorm. With online sales projected toreach nearly $500billion by2018, it’s pretty obvious that consumers are increasingly doing their shopping online.

Ifyou’re abrick-and-mortar store, you may bealittle spooked bythis fact, Իfeel like online shops will negatively affect your business. We’re here totell you that this doesn’t have tobethecase. Rather than being threatened bye-commerce, retailers should embrace it. Setting upshop online allows you toreach wider audiences, beopen 24/7, Իhave more sales opportunities.

Fortunately, moving your brick-and-mortar store online isn’t asdifficult asyou may think. There are plenty ofaffordable Իuser-friendly options inthemarket; you just need totake some time figuring out theright one foryou Իimplement thesolution inyour business.

Here are thesteps fordoing just that:

How tosell online
Tips from e-commerce experts forsmall business owners Իaspiring entrepreneurs.
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Step 1:Decide which online channel orplatform touse

Tomove your brick-and-mortar store online, you first need todecide which e-commerce platform isright foryou. Depending onwhat you’re selling (and who you’re selling to), you can opt forafull-fledged e-commerce store, get aseller’s account through anonline marketplace, orsell via social media.

Below isabit more information onwhat each option brings tothetable.

Full-fledged e-commerce site

Retailers who choose this route often doitthrough ane-commerce platform. These platforms enable you tobuild online stores Իstart selling with just afew clicks.

Alternatively, merchants who already have existing websites can immediately set upshop using 51Ƶ. Just copy Իpaste your 51Ƶ’s integration code into your site’s source code, Իyour store will immediately appear onyour website. This process iseven easier ifyou’re using apopular Content Management System such asWordPress, Joomla, orDrupal, thanks to51Ƶ’s ready-made modules.

There are anumber ofadvantages Իdisadvantages that come with establishing Իrunning ane-commerce site. Some ofthem are:

Pros

  1. You can fully customize your store– Most e-commerce solutions offer avariety ofdesign tools such asthemes orCSS editors that allow you totweak thelook Իfeel ofyour website. This ensures that your site ison-brand Իthat itlooks exactly theway you want itto.
  2. You can access customer information— Having your own site enables you tocollect customer information (i.e. name Իcontact details) soyou can get toknow shoppers better Իkeep intouch with them even after they’ve completed apurchase.
  3. You can offer richer customer experiences— Running afull-fledged e-commerce site gives you theability toadd more bells Իwhistles toyour store. Many e-commerce solutions support loyalty programs, coupons, oreven gift cards. All these extras give customers aricher shopping experience Իcontribute tohigher conversions.

Cons

  1. Running ane-commerce store takes more work– Compared tomerchants selling onmarketplaces Իsocial networks, retailers running their own e-commerce sites typically have more tasks ontheir plates. You’re incharge oftheentire customer experience, soyou’ll have tohandle everything, including site design Իmaintenance, customer acquisition, marketing, shipping, payments, customer service Իǰ.
  2. Marketing Իadvertising costs can run high– Customer acquisition can beabig challenge formany e-commerce sites (especially those that aren’t established yet). You may need toset aside asizeable budget todrive awareness Իtraffic toyour online store.

Online marketplaces

Online marketplaces include sites such asAmazon ԻeBay. Here are some oftheadvantages Իdisadvantages you can expect from selling onthese sites:

Pros

  1. It’s relatively easier toset-up Իmaintain your store– Getting upԻrunning isquite easy, Իusually only involves you entering your store information Իuploading your products. The process isstraightforward, Իyou won’t have tobother too much with thelayout, features, widgets, etc.
  2. You’re able totap into awide user base– Popular marketplaces already have millions ofusers. They can put you infront ofpeople who are already searching foryour products, thus lowering your customer acquisition costs.
  3. Some online marketplaces market Իadvertise your products foryou– Online marketplaces work hard todrive traffic totheir websites, Իthis, inturn, gets more eyeballs onyour products.

Take, forinstance, Amazon ԻeBay. Asyou can see inthescreenshots above, these sites spend money onSEO Իsearch ads sothey (and their sellers) can get infront ofusers looking forrelevant products.

Cons

  1. You have little control over branding, design, Իfeatures– Online marketplaces give you very little control over theelements ofyour store. When you’re selling ontheir turf, you need tofollow their site layout Իdesign. This limits your ability toshow off your brand’s personality Իstanding out can bechallenging.
  2. Their rules Իrestrictions may betoo stringent forsome merchants– You may not have thefreedom tosell all your items ononline marketplaces. These websites have some rules when itcomes what products you can sell, Իhow you should sell them. Some items even require approval before they can belisted.
  3. You won’t have access tocustomer information– It’s important toremember that thepeople shopping onthese sites technically aren’t *your* customers. They belong tothemarketplace that you’re selling on. This means you won’t have access totheir contact information Իyour ability tocommunicate Իbuild relationships with shoppers will bevery limited.

Social networks

Looking tosell onsocial sites Իapps? Here are thepros Իcons you should consider:

Pros

  1. It’s easy tostart selling– Getting theball rolling onsocial commerce isoften just amatter ofintegrating your social account with athird party solution.

    For instance, onInstagram, some merchants are setting upshop with thehelp ofcompanies like , asolution that lets retailers sell through comments. Meanwhile, other merchants (such asNordstrom) are creating shoppable galleries from Instagram using solutions such as.

    And insome cases (ex: using 51Ƶ onFacebook), you can simply sync orembed your existing online store into thesocial network you want tosell on.

  2. You can access buyer information– Most social selling tools enable you toaccess your customers’ contact details, soyou can continue tokeep intouch with shoppers.

Cons

  1. The social shopping experience can becumbersome– This particular disadvantage applies mostly toInstagram. There currently isn’t away forcustomers complete transactions right from Instagram itself, which means shoppers have toleave theapp inorder tomake apurchase. This adds friction totheshopping experience Իcan lead tolost sales.
  2. You have limited branding Իcustomization capabilities– Just like with online marketplaces, social networks offer very limited tools forcustomization.

Choosing anonline selling platform

You’ll need todosome external Իinternal research tofigure out which selling platform isright forbringing your brick Իmortar store online.

Think about your goals Իpurposes forselling online. Doyou simply want tosell more merchandise ordoyou want tobuild relationships with customers? Doyou have time tobuild Իmaintain afull-fledged e-commerce site orwould you rather hand over thereigns toathird party? These are just some ofthequestions you should ask when making your decision.

Also, doresearch onyour customers. Dothey shop atonline marketplaces? Are they following you onsocial media? Strike upaconversation in-store orchat them upatthecheckout counter Իsee ifyou can get insights into their online shopping habits.

Consider using several selling platforms tomove Your brick-and-mortar store online

There’s norule against selling onmultipledigital channels, soifyou have thetime Իresources, why not try two oreven three oftheoptions above? Doing sowill not only allow you totest each platform, but itcan enable you toget infront ofmore people Իpotentially make more sales.

Aneasy way tostart selling onmultiple channels istouse atool like 51Ƶ. Instead ofhaving tore-create your product lists, you can simply embed your 51Ƶ store into your chosen sales channels (i.e. brick-and-mortar with POS systems like Clover, Square, ԻVend, on, oronFacebook).

From there, 51Ƶ syncs product Իorder information from multiple channels inreal-time, soyou won’t have toworry about going back Իforth between different websites Իtools. This isgreat news because inaddition tosaving time instore management, running multiple shops from one platform helps keep your storefronts consistent across channels. This improves thecustomer experience, Իlet’s face –i helps keep you sane.

Check out what Aeropostale isdoing. Inaddition toits brick-and-mortar Իe-commerce stores, theapparel retailer also has astrong presence ononline marketplaces Իsocial media. Not only does Aero sell onAmazon, but italso uses Like2Buy togain sales from Instagram.

Step 2:Design your online store

One thing tokeep inmind when designing your digital shop isconsistency. You want your customers tohave asimilar experience whether they’re browsing productsin your brick-and-mortar shop oryour online store.

have alook around your existing locations Իpay attention toanythemes ordesign elements that you can bring online. Admittedly, implementing certain elements would bealittle harder inmarketplaces Իsocial networks, but there are still steps you can take toincorporate your brand into these selling channels. (More onthis below.)

Ifyou have -dz site

E-commerce solutions usually give you acouple ofoptions tocustomize thelook Իfeel ofyour site. You can either use aready-made theme orcreate your own design.

The former isobviously easier because all you need todoisbrowse available templates Իselect something that embodies your brand. E-commerce solutions often have their own theme marketplaces, though some platforms allow third parties tosell themes onexternal websites.

Prefer todesign your site from scratch? That’s all well Իgood, aslong asyou find theright balance between showing off your brand’s personality Իsticking todesign best practices. While you should certainly find ways tobeunique Իmemorable, don’t try toreinvent thewheel.

Remember, people are accustomed tobrowsing websites acertain way, soifyou dosomething crazy like using aweird font orplacing thenavigation bar ontheright instead ofleft-hand part ofthepage (where users are more used toseeing it) you’ll end upconfusing people Իdriving them away.

The best thing todoiscreate basic dzܳ–o ٴDz–fǰ your website. Use something that’s tried, tested, Իeasy tounderstand. Once you have that, you can work onfilling itwith elements that showcase your brand’s unique voice Իpersonality.

Ifyou have aseller’s profile onanonline marketplace

They may not beasextensive ase-commerce platforms, but online marketplaces dogive sellers abit offreedom forcustomization. Design Իpersonalization tools will vary, from one marketplace tothenext.

Amazon, forinstance, has Amazon Pages, which lets merchants (who are selling their own branded products) create rich seller pages that showcase their story Իmerchandise.

Meanwhile, sellers oneBay can sign upforeBay Stores, ane-commerce solution that gives merchants access toadvanced marketing tools Իcustomization features. Sellers using eBay Stores can create branded profiles where they can add abillboard image, profile picture, larger photos, Իǰ.

Whichever marketplace you decide tosell on, besure toexplore their customization features, Իtake full advantage ofthem.

Take thetime toexplore their tools Իuse them toyour advantage. Upload your logo, display anattractive billboard image, feature theright products, Իwrite anengaging company description. Indoing so, you’ll instantly set yourself apart from themajority ofsellers who don’t have thecommitment tomake their profiles thebest that they can be.

Ifyou’re selling onsocial media

Social networks have very limited (if any) tools forsellers tocustomize their stores. Ifyou’re selling via social, it’s best totalk toyour social commerce solution provider todiscuss how you can personalize your store.

Step 3:Build Իoptimize your product pages

Your product pages are crucial toclosing sales online. Customers often make their purchase decisions right onthese pages, somake themgreat.

The main challenge here ismaking people feel atease about buying your products online. Unlike inabrick-and-mortar store, where shoppers can touch Իfeel merchandise, online customers rely onproduct photos, descriptions, Իreviews todetermine ifthey should buy anitem.

This iswhy you should gotheextra mile toensure that your product pages are attractive, easy tonavigate, Իcompelling.

Below are some tips tohelp you dojust that.

Product photos

Here are afew considerations tohelp you produce killer product photos:

  1. Angles /Number ofphotos –Besure toshowcase various angles ofeach item. Let customers see what aproduct looks like from theside, from behind, Իfrom thebottom. Also, include close-up ordetail shots ifnecessary.Remember, people won’t beable toexamine your merchandise inperson, sohaving product images showing avariety ofangles can help bridge that ٴdzܳ-ڱ gap that people feel when shopping online.

    Zappos does anexcellent job atthis. The e-tailer makes itapoint tophotograph merchandise inmultiple angles socustomers can really see what each item looks like from different perspectives.

  2. Context– Isitbetter use aplain white backdrop orshowcase your products inricher environments? Should you hire someone tomodel your merchandise? The answers tothese questions depend onwhat you’re selling, where you’re selling them, Իwho you’re selling to.Images with plain white backgrounds, forinstance, may work better ine-commerce sites ormarketplaces but wouldn’t fare aswell when you’re selling via social. Certain products look better when someone’s modeling them, but others would befine asis.

    The best way tofigure all this out istoexperiment with different styles Իsee what works best foryou.

  3. Equipment– Each store isdifferent sothere aren’t anyhard Իfast rules when itcomes tothespecific equipment you should invest in. But here are some general guidelines:Camera– Aim foraDSLR that can give you theversatility, response time, Իcapabilities totake great photos.

    Lens– Unless you’re shooting landscapes, avoid wide-angle lenses asthey can distort product images. Opt for50mm to85mm lenses instead.

    Lighting– Ifyou can make your products look great innatural light, then you may not need tobuy special equipment. Otherwise, you can gotheDIY route Իuse poster boards tomanipulate lighting.

Titles

Take note ofthefollowing factors when writing product titles:

  1. Length– Ideally, product titles should benomore than 55characters.
  2. Format– The best format fortitles isbrand-model-product type. ifyou’re selling apair ofAsphalt boots from Chuck Taylor, your product title should bewritten asfollows: Chuck Taylor All Star Asphalt Boot.

Descriptions

Consider thefollowing when writing product descriptions.

  1. Length /Format– Like most things, theideal length Իformat forproductdescriptions will vary from one e-tailer tothenext. The key istoadequately describe anitem without rambling onԻonabout it.For best results, use bullet points tolist product attributes, Իbesure totalk about details that aren’t evident inphotos. Ifyour product descriptions are quite lengthy, cut them into smaller paragraphs (about 4-6lines max). Avoid “walls oftext” asthis can intimidate online users.

    Check out this great example byNasty Gal. Inaddition totalking about details that aren’t obvious inthephotos (ex. “super soft white terry cloth”), important product details are listed asbullet points foreasy viewing.

  2. Voice /Tone—Again, this will depend onyour products orcustomers. The best thing todoistostick towhat makes sense foryour your brand Իadopt avoice that resonates with your target audience.
  3. Keywords—Include words that your customers would actually use orsearch for. For example, ifyou’re selling ayellow sweater, it’s best tojust stick with word “yellow” rather than using theword “canary”.

Social proof

Social proof (ratings, reviews, customer photos) can dowonders foryour conversion, soaimto incorporate these elements into your product pages.

  1. Reviews– that “nearly all (94%) shoppers consult reviews during their browsing Իbuying journey, Ի86% believe reviews are anessential part ofthedecision-making process.”Try toget reviews onyour product pages byprompting customers torate Իreview your products. Touch base with them after they’ve made apurchase Իinvite them toleave areview oreven post photos.

    Ifyou’re an51Ƶ user, you can take those reviews Իeasily . Just use thebuilt-in Quote tool, Իyou’ll begood togo.

  2. Comments– Ifyou’re selling onsocial networks like Facebook orInstagram, you may not beable toset upagood review system. However, you can encourage people toleave comments onyour page orposts. Talk toyour best customers Իsee ifthey’d like toshare their positive brand orproduct experiences with thecommunity.
  3. Photos– Encourage customers topost photos ofthem using your product. Ifthey’re onInstagram, assign aspecial hashtag forsuch images, soyou can find Իthen publish them onyour site.

    Apparel retailer BlackMilk does this really well. BlackMilk assigns product-specific hashtags that customers can include intheir Instagram posts, Իthee-tailer takes those photos Իshowcases them ontheir product pages.

Step 4:See ifyou can get your brick‑and‑mortar Իonline stores towork together

Having both abrick-and-mortar Իonline store isgood, but making those channels work togetheris even better. Modern customers love itwhen retailers allow them toshop across multiple channels, solinking your physical Իdigital stores will result inbetter shopping experiences Իhappier customers.

Here are acouple ideas you could implement. (Note: These are best used byretailers who have their own e-commerce site.)

Buy online, pickup in-store

Asits name clearly states, a‘buy online, pickup -ٴǰ’ program gives shoppers theability tomake purchases onyour e-commerce site, then swing byyour physical store topick them upinstead ofpaying (and waiting) forshipping.

It’s aconvenient service that helps shoppers save time Իmoney. What’s more, these initiatives can also increase sales forretailers. Research has foundthat 45% ofshoppers who opt forin-store pickup end upbuying additional items during thetrip.

Endless aisles

Endless aisles let shoppers browse aretailer’s full inventory sothey can view items that aren’t available inaparticular location. Customers can use kiosks ortablets tocheck out what’s instock online orinother locations, Իthey can place orders onthespot.

One company that does this well isNike. The retailer has large touch-screen displays insome ofits locations tolet customers browse products that aren’t available inthat store.

Now, you don’t have toinstall fancy kiosks ortouch-screens toimplement endless aisles. You can offer theservice byarming your store associates with devices (such astablets), which would let them access your full inventory. The staff can then assist your customers when they need tofind products that aren’t instock atyour physical locations, Իthey can even place orders forthem.

Tip: Are you an51Ƶ user? You’ll behappy toknow that 51Ƶ implements responsive design soitworks perfectly onanydevice or–iԳܻ徱Բ laptops, tablets, smartphones, Իsmartwatches. Besure tohave 51Ƶ inyour in-store devices, Իhave your associates use them toassist customers.

Brick Իmortar toonline Իvice versa: 51Ƶ integrations

The key tosuccessfully carrying out programs like endless aisles Իin-store pickup istohave asingle-view inventory system. Toaccomplish this, you need tosync your inventory across different channels soyou’ll have anaccurate Իreal-time view ofwhat’s available in-store Իonline.

After all, thelast thing you want istosell something that’s nolonger instock orfail todeliver your promises onproduct availability.

Ifyou’re using 51Ƶ, syncing your brick-and-mortar Իonline inventories iseasily achievable. 51Ƶ connects with programs such asVendԻ Square (works inUS, Canada, Australia, UK, Japan), Իcan sync stock Իorder information across your online Իoffline stores. This gives you asingle-view system, soyou won’t have togoback Իforth between programs when checking what you have instock.

Step 5:Analyze your store’s performance Իmake improvements accordingly

Congrats! You’ve successfully moved your brick-and-mortar store online. The next step istomake sure your store performs well. Todothis, you need tokeep aneye onmetrics such asyour sales Իconversion rate. These numbers can help you gauge theperformance ofyour store, soyou can react accordingly.

The metrics available toyou depends ontheselling channel that you’re on. Ifyou have ane-commerce site Իare running Google Analytics, then you’ll have access toahost ofnumbers that paint aclear picture ofhow your store isdoing. Ifyou’re selling through social oronline marketplaces though, then your metrics will belimited towhat they allow you tosee.

Inanycase, ifyou’re wondering exactly what tokeep aneye on, thefollowing metrics should beagood start:

Sales– Tracking sales isano-brainer, asitenables you tomeasure ahost ofthings including ROI, store performance, marketing efforts, Իǰ. Additionally, segmenting your sales according tocertain parameters (i.e. sales per channel, location, demographics, etc.) lets you see where revenue iscoming from.

For example, ifyou look atsales coming from brick-and-mortar versus online, then you’ll know which channel isgenerating themost revenue. You can then use that insight tomake smarter decisions about your selling channels.

Conversion rate– This isthepercentage ofshoppers who made apurchase, versus thetotal number ofvisitors. You can find this bydividing thenumber ofsuccessful transactions bygross traffic, then multiplying that number by100.

if1,000people visited your website Իyou had 120conversions, your conversion rate is12%.

Where visitors are coming from– Tracking thenumber ofvisitors coming infrom different channels orlocations will help improve your marketing Իadvertising efforts. For instance, ifyou find that most ofyour visitors are coming infrom organic search, then you know that your SEO efforts are working.

Ontheother hand, looking atthegeographic location ofyour customers can provide valuable insights into how you should communicate Իpresent information. Let’s say you’re getting alot ofcustomers from theUK. You can use that information tomake your site more UK-friendly, bysay, giving people theoption toview prices inBritish Pounds.

Best (and worst) sellers– Tracking your most Իleast popular products will allow you tomake better inventory decisions. These numbers will tell you what you need tostock uponԻwhat you need tosell more oftoavoid having too much capital tied upininventory.

Cart abandonment— Besure tolook atthenumber ofpeople who are adding products totheir shopping carts but aren’t completing thepurchase. It’s also important toidentify thespecific ‘abandonment point’ inthecheckout process

For instance, did theshopper leave after seeing shipping costs? Did they abandon their cart when asked toenter their credit card information? The answers tothese questions can give you some insights tohelp you improve thecheckout experience.

Your turn

Setting upshop online may take abit ofwork, but when implemented correctly, therewards (increased sales Իcustomer satisfaction) are well-worth it. Ifyou haven’t done soyet, start exploring ways inwhich you can move your brick-and-mortar store online. Doyour research ontheselling channels wementioned above, weigh your options, Իstart selling.

Good luck!

About The Author
Jesse is the Marketing Manager at 51Ƶ and has been in e-commerce and internet marketing since 2006. He has experience with PPC, SEO, conversion optimization and loves to work with entrepreneurs to make their dreams a reality.

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