There are some important points that we recommend you to pay attention to when setting up an e-commerce site. Understanding the working logic of infrastructure providers, choosing the right infrastructure, having an effective website design according to the market and product are some of them. In this article, we have brought together what you should pay attention to when setting up an e-commerce site. You can start setting up your own e-commerce dynamics by making a work list or you can cooperate with an expert e-commerce consultant. Let's get started.

First Step for E-Commerce Site: Do a Good Market Research

You have decided to enter e-commerce but you don't know where to start? Although it may seem like there is a pile of work waiting for you at the beginning, actually having a successful e-commerce site does not involve a very difficult process. Your priority should be to determine what kind of market you are entering. In the first place, you should scrutinise your competitors you know and carry out a detailed examination.

The second stage is to distinguish brands that you do not yet recognise but can be strong competitors for you. You will realise that some brands in the sector are only in the e-commerce environment. This will give you new competitors as well as provide sufficient information about the digital size of your industry. After identifying your competitors, determine the road map by answering the following questions.

• What features does your competitors' website have?
• Which products do your competitors sell the most?
• What are your competitors' campaign moves?
• Which features do they emphasise?
• What are the advantages in terms of instalments, shipping, promotions?

After determining the answers to these questions, you will find out what you can do and what you need to work more on. Start processing the necessary information for your site in writing with a mind map method.

Create a site map of your own website in the light of the information you observe from your competitors and start negotiations to determine what advantages you can offer. It is quite remarkable and beneficial to start with good price and shipping advantage at the beginning. Complete what is necessary for your site by determining how much optimal advantage you can provide. 

Determine Your Infrastructure and Digital Identity

Now you know what your competitors are doing and you're past the stage of deciding what you want. Now it is time to create a website where you can process the information you have. When setting up an e-commerce site, it is very important to start with a good name and a good corporate identity. There are things you need to do to ensure brand awareness of your newly established e-commerce site.

In order to create a strong brand perception, it is essential to have a website that is positioned correctly in terms of UI and UX, creative and sales-oriented. In order to fulfil these conditions, you need to pay attention both technically and creatively.

Working with ready-made infrastructure sites offers you great advantages. You will have a professional team that will work with you on many technical issues that you do not master for the beginning, and you will be able to get technical support immediately when you encounter a problem. However, even if you have determined your infrastructure provider, there will of course be some processes that you need to be involved in for the start.  

• Domain Name
• Number of Products
• Page Contents
• Admin Panel
• Virtual Pos
• Marketplace Integrations
• Shipping Module
• Accounting Module

Domain Name:

You should have this information ready when meeting with your infrastructure provider to set up your e-commerce site. Your domain name is included in your e-commerce package, but you should determine its availability, if the domain name you want is full, you should submit a purchase offer or search for a new domain name.

This is one of the most important stages. Take care to choose an effective and appropriate domain name for your industry. Before deciding on your domain name, you can pay attention to the fact that it is short, easy to say, does not contain expressions that will create disadvantages in reading and writing, and preferably does not contain Turkish characters.

Number of Products:

The number of products is one of the important stages that you need to determine even as an estimate when setting up an e-commerce site. Even if you will start with X products at the beginning, you should be able to tell your infrastructure provider that you can reach Y products after 6 months. This information is important for both hosting costs and site preparation phase. The number of products will also affect your site design. If you have a certain number of products and this will remain approximately the same, you can ask for design and cost planning accordingly.

Page Contents:

In connection with your sector, your page content will change and even require special studies in some areas. In general terms, while the product pages of e-commerce sites include "best sellers, similar products, also reviewed this" products, you can request more niche studies. Be sure to determine this at the beginning and inform your infrastructure provider. You can add a video introducing your brand to your homepage and even strengthen the product descriptions with the usage video of the products.

Admin Panel:

The area you will use most when setting up an e-commerce site is the admin panel. From this panel, you will add products, provide revisions, set up campaigns and manage your designs. Confirm whether the trainings you need to fully master the panel, which is the kitchen of your site, are on the site of your infrastructure provider. Be sure to use and experience the panel without purchasing from the infrastructure company by requesting a demo version.

Virtual Pos:

You should get to know this system, which enables the virtual use of POS devices in physical stores, and learn which banks can be worked with. Of course, it is possible to shop from all cards, but be sure to review the instalment and commission values. Confirm SSL security, make sure that your customers' rights are protected for secure shopping.

Market Place Integrations:

Another topic that you should not neglect when setting up an e-commerce site is integrations. If you are not planning to enter the marketplaces and do not work with stocked products, you can skip this step. However, we strongly recommend integration to all brands that track stock and work with marketplaces.

It allows you to track your order and product tracking from a single panel, and with its simultaneous operation feature, it can automatically make changes such as images, descriptions and prices in many areas. This greatly relieves you on days with heavy orders.

Try to choose a good integrated system and try demo versions beforehand. Remember, having a successful integrated system means that one person can do the work of more than one person.

Cargo Module:

When setting up an e-commerce site, be sure to re-evaluate the cargo stage again and again. Generally, infrastructure providers can work integrated with cargo companies, but do not neglect to learn in advance that the infrastructure of the cargo you have agreed or will agree with and the e-commerce infrastructure you will use are compatible.

Accounting Module:

Determine whether the accounting programme that your brand prefers to use is compatible with your infrastructure provider so that invoice tracking and cutting can be done online. If you do not have an accounting programme that you are already using, we recommend that you choose brands that are compatible with your infrastructure provider.

As a result, it is important to work with a good market research and an effective infrastructure provider to build a successful e-commerce site. If you consider the advertising expenses you will make to sell the products on your website, it is very profitable to invest in the right infrastructure on time. If your infrastructure is not good, it will cause your advertising expenditures to be ineffective.

The e-commerce customer wants a site that runs smoothly. Especially if you are a new brand in the sector, losing customers because of your infrastructure can have irreversible consequences. Working with an expert e-commerce consultant on the road will both save you from unnecessary workloads and ensure the fast and effective growth of your brand. You can contact us for detailed information about our e-commerce consultancy.