Your Shop is Open for Business - Now What? 5 Things to Do Right Now

1. Give yourself a pat on the back

Building an online shop is no small feat, so you (and everyone else involved in the project) deserve a moment to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. You did it!

Enjoy it while it lasts, because now that the shop is live, there’s a whole lot more to do.

2. Share it on social media

The first step in getting people to visit your shop (and buy something) is letting them know it exists.

So tell people all about your new shop on social media, and don’t forget the links! Highlight specific products or promotions. Focus on your unique selling proposition (USP): the thing that nobody but you can offer, whether that’s outstanding quality, a unique solution to a customer’s problem or a feeling of luxury.

And if you don’t have social media accounts for your business or organisation already, now’s the time to make some! Ideally, you’ve already been working on your social media presence, teasing the launch or revamp of your shop so that people are ready to click from the moment the shop goes live.

3. Send a newsletter

Few things are more worthy of an email newsletter than the launch of your new shop. Don’t be afraid to express how excited you are – excitement is contagious!

Perhaps you’ve already got a mailing list, either from a previous version of your website or from teasing your shop opening on other platforms. Those subscribers are already interested in your brand and are probably keen to know when they can check out your shop.

If you don’t have a mailing list yet, it’s time to build one. Put a signup form on your website, and make sure you’re following all the ethical and legal requirements regarding personal information (like the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in South Africa).

4. Offer a promotion

Everybody loves a discount, so what better way to attract customers to your new shop?

There are various promotions you can run, such as:

• a limited-time opening sale or site-wide discount
• a discount or free shipping for all first-time purchases over a certain amount
• a unique discount code for newsletter subscribers (a great way to get people signed up so you can keep informing them of promotions and new products in the future)
• a bundle deal that encourages customers to purchase more related products at a discount

Even well-established brands may need to help their customers over the hurdles of online shopping, like ordering products they haven’t seen, touched, or tried on yet, or getting up to find their credit card. A great deal might be just the push they need.

5. Invest in some ads

You could get quite a bit of traffic via social media and email, but even if you are, you might want to invest in some paid advertising to boost your traffic.

Depending on where your audience is, you might want to run ads on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Or you could use Google Ads. Paid ads take some research and, of course, cash, but they can really pay off.

Once your shop is launched, it all comes down to:

1. letting people know it exists,
2. and convincing them to buy something.

These five things are a great way to get started.