The Saudi market in the field of e-commerce is growing strongly these days, especially with the increase of consumers eager to buy online, and the idea of creating an online store targeting the Saudi market has become attractive to investors and entrepreneurs around the world, due to the facilities and support provided by the government to them.
Market reports on e-commerce in Saudi Arabia have been very positive lately both in terms of growth and future prospects. This encouraged many young people and entrepreneurs to invest part of their money in creating an online store, especially after the emergence of online store design companies with the lowest possible costs such as Basket. You too can create a site for buying and selling at the lowest possible costs through a basket as it is the perfect way to bring in some additional income.
In this article, we will take you on a step-by-step walkthrough of how to create a professional online store that you can use to sell your products.
To help you easily follow this guide, we have divided it into 7 different sections:
1- What is an online store?
2- An online store business plan
3- Steps to create an online store
4- Design a professional online store for free
5- Steps to marketing your online store
6- How to activate the best Saudi payment gateways on your store
7- How to choose the best shipping companies for your store
1- What is an online store?
It is known in the English language as Online Store or Ecommerce Website, which is an integral part of online marketing operations, is a site for displaying services or products on the Internet in a dynamic and interactive manner.
People are able to view the products and learn about their details through attractive pictures and accurate descriptions; In order to induce consumers to buy them. The store also commissions shipping companies to deliver purchases to the customer.
Creating a professional online store for your commerce or business is no longer a luxury, but an effective way to improve your sales, and increase its revenue.
Advantages of the online store for the customer
He can buy anything he can think of while sitting on his sofa at home. The customer enters the online store, wanders through its various sections, chooses the right product for him, puts it in the basket, and then completes the purchase, all in a few minutes
It helps him to discover offers and best prices easily, the customer deals with more than one store or platform without moving from his place to find the best prices, and the best places. There are even sites now whose basic idea is to display the prices of one product from multiple electronic stores
It gives him the opportunity to review different options within multiple stores before completing the purchase
It offers a variety of payment options, which are secured, secure and easy
It shows him the previous customers' evaluation of any product before buying it
Facilitates the process of searching and shopping for specific products.
(Learn the difference between an online store and a traditional store and the advantages and disadvantages of each)
Statistics about e-commerce in Saudi Arabia
E-commerce sales are expected to make up 17.5% of retail sales worldwide by 2021.
Revenues are also expected to show an annual growth rate of 7.1% (2020-2024), resulting in a projected market size of $8,290 million by 2024.
Are you still hesitant about entering the world of e-commerce?!
I know there are a lot of people out there with great ideas about creating an online store and entering the e-commerce space, but they fail to implement,
Because they are ignorant of how to make a suitable site for buying and selling and not just for bragging.
“Knowing what you want to sell online is one thing, and knowing how to do it successfully is quite another.”
2- An online store business plan
With the development of events around the world, the changing patterns and behaviors of consumers, and their strong tendency to purchase online, especially after the Corona pandemic.
After the emergence of modern theories and trends in commerce and marketing, the work of creating a private online store has become an urgent desire for many entrepreneurs and young people who want to get rid of their boring and limited jobs,
And move towards the best investment of time, money and ideas.
But before you take the operational step, there are some steps you should think about first. It is worth taking the time to think about a business plan.
In this section we will cover the basic elements of an e-commerce business plan.
How to create a business plan for creating a professional online store
At the beginning of the planning stages, it is a good idea to develop a framework for your store. This business model will continue to evolve as each department is created, so don't strive for a complete and perfect plan on the first try.
You will make adjustments to the plan with certain steps along the way.
There are many ways to sell products online, and different business models as well. The exact business model that you and your team follow will make the most sense with your resources, skills, and interests.
In order to create the best business plan for your store, you need to determine the following things:
1- Overview:
This section includes detailed information about your business, covering some features such as:
The name of the brand (your store) and the name of the founder and partners
Store Link (Domain): This is the URL. It should be short, simple, and distinctive, preferably expressing the nature of your store, and not contain numbers.
Message: A short statement that shows how clear your idea is.
Objectives: The reasons behind the existence of your business.
Vision: The goals that you want to reach in the long term, must be realistic and ambitious to be motivating.
2- Market analysis:
Everything about the target market, its size, the nature of the target audience and its characteristics.
3- Products and services:
What you sell, and the most important features of your products or services, it is preferable to make a detailed analysis that includes:
-strength point.
Weak points.
Opportunities.
Threats/challenges.
The competitive advantage of your store and your products over the rest of the market.
4- Marketing plan:
How do you intend to introduce people to your store, what are the steps you will follow, what marketing channels will you rely on, advertising, and others.
(Learn the steps to build a marketing plan for your online store).
5- Pricing plan:
What plan will you rely on to price your products?
This guide will help you pricing products with professional pricing tools and strategies.
6- Operations and implementation:
The steps that will be taken from testing the quality of the product to delivering it to the customer and obtaining evaluations.
7- Financial plan:
It is important that you take a look at your current financial forecast. This section includes three main financial statements: the income statement, the balance sheet, and the return on investment.
3- Steps to create an online store
To create a professional online store, you must give enough attention to every step you take; To ensure that you have a marketplace capable of attracting consumers and selling your products,
During this process you will go through a number of basic stages, and sub-steps.
3 basic stages you go through while creating an online store
1- Preparation stage: In this stage, you prepare for the activity and type of the store.
2- Implementation stage: It is concerned with how to create an online store, prepare it completely, and then display your products there.
3- Testing phase: After setup and launch, you need to test every page and strategy you work on in your store to ensure your business is constantly developing.
In the next part of the article, we will try to cover some of these stages in as much detail as possible, and others we will devote to special articles, which you can refer to after reading this article.
Preparing to create a professional online store
Certainly at this point you are one of two people:
You are a merchant and you already have an offline business.
Take your first step into the world of e-commerce.
You are a merchant and already have an offline business
If you fall into this category, you are often looking for the best way to create an online store, or the steps to create a professional online store to move merchants.
Advantages of the online store for the customer
He can buy anything he can think of while sitting on his sofa at home. The customer enters the online store, wanders through its various sections, chooses the right product for him, puts it in the basket, and then completes the purchase, all in a few minutes
It helps him to discover offers and best prices easily, the customer deals with more than one store or platform without moving from his place to find the best prices, and the best places. There are even sites now whose basic idea is to display the prices of one product from multiple electronic stores
It gives him the opportunity to review different options within multiple stores before completing the purchase
It offers a variety of payment options, which are secured, secure and easy
It shows him the previous customers' evaluation of any product before buying it
Facilitates the process of searching and shopping for specific products.
(Learn the difference between an online store and a traditional store and the advantages and disadvantages of each)
Statistics about e-commerce in Saudi Arabia
E-commerce sales are expected to make up 17.5% of retail sales worldwide by 2021.
Revenues are also expected to show an annual growth rate of 7.1% (2020-2024), resulting in a projected market size of $8,290 million by 2024.
Are you still hesitant about entering the world of e-commerce?!
I know there are a lot of people out there with great ideas about creating an online store and entering the e-commerce space, but they fail to implement,
Because they are ignorant of how to make a suitable site for buying and selling and not just for bragging.
“Knowing what you want to sell online is one thing, and knowing how to do it successfully is quite another.”
2- An online store business plan
With the development of events around the world, the changing patterns and behaviors of consumers, and their strong tendency to purchase online, especially after the Corona pandemic.
After the emergence of modern theories and trends in commerce and marketing, the work of creating a private online store has become an urgent desire for many entrepreneurs and young people who want to get rid of their boring and limited jobs,
And move towards the best investment of time, money and ideas.
But before you take the operational step, there are some steps you should think about first. It is worth taking the time to think about a business plan.
In this section we will cover the basic elements of an e-commerce business plan.
How to create a business plan for creating a professional online store
At the beginning of the planning stages, it is a good idea to develop a framework for your store. This business model will continue to evolve as each department is created, so don't strive for a complete and perfect plan on the first try.
You will make adjustments to the plan with certain steps along the way.
There are many ways to sell products online, and different business models as well. The exact business model that you and your team follow will make the most sense with your resources, skills, and interests.
In order to create the best business plan for your store, you need to determine the following things:
1- Overview:
This section includes detailed information about your business, covering some features such as:
The name of the brand (your store) and the name of the founder and partners
Store Link (Domain): This is the URL. It should be short, simple, and distinctive, preferably expressing the nature of your store, and not contain numbers.
Message: A short statement that shows how clear your idea is.
Objectives: The reasons behind the existence of your business.
Vision: The goals that you want to reach in the long term, must be realistic and ambitious to be motivating.
2- Market analysis:
Everything about the target market, its size, the nature of the target audience and its characteristics.
3- Products and services:
What you sell, and the most important features of your products or services, it is preferable to make a detailed analysis that includes:
-strength point.
Weak points.
Opportunities.
Threats/challenges.
The competitive advantage of your store and your products over the rest of the market.
4- Marketing plan:
How do you intend to introduce people to your store, what are the steps you will follow, what marketing channels will you rely on, advertising, and others.
(Learn the steps to build a marketing plan for your online store).
5- Pricing plan:
What plan will you rely on to price your products?
This guide will help you pricing products with professional pricing tools and strategies.
6- Operations and implementation:
The steps that will be taken from testing the quality of the product to delivering it to the customer and obtaining evaluations.
7- Financial plan:
It is important that you take a look at your current financial forecast. This section includes three main financial statements: the income statement, the balance sheet, and the return on investment.
3- Steps to create an online store
To create a professional online store, you must give enough attention to every step you take; To ensure that you have a marketplace capable of attracting consumers and selling your products,
During this process you will go through a number of basic stages, and sub-steps.
3 basic stages you go through while creating an online store
1- Preparation stage: In this stage, you prepare for the activity and type of the store.
2- Implementation stage: It is concerned with how to create an online store, prepare it completely, and then display your products there.
3- Testing phase: After setup and launch, you need to test every page and strategy you work on in your store to ensure your business is constantly developing.
In the next part of the article, we will try to cover some of these stages in as much detail as possible, and others we will devote to special articles, which you can refer to after reading this article.
Preparing to create a professional online store
Certainly at this point you are one of two people:
You are a merchant and you already have an offline business.
Take your first step into the world of e-commerce.
You are a merchant and already have an offline business
If you fall into this category, you are often looking for the best way to create an online store, or the steps to create a professional online store to move merchants.
Summarizing the above:
Creating a professional online store is no longer as difficult as it was in the old era, today you can design a professional online store at the lowest costs and in the fastest time, the important thing is to focus on the minute details of working in e-commerce.
If you wish to use any of the professional e-marketing and social media advertising companies, you can contact the DIGITS MARK team where we provide
You have a group of specialists in professional web design services, social media and SEO services, and various digital marketing services.
Hurry up to contact us through our various digital platforms, or visit the official charset website on the Internet.
