Feb 21, 2022
6 min read 
E-commerce and online retail have become an indispensable part of our lives. Today, having an online business is the smartest thing to do for both big and small companies. This trend is at an irreversible stage and will surely continue. In fact, according to eMarketer, online retail sales are expected to reach $5,542 trillion in 2022 and $7,391 trillion in 2025. This is a real opportunity for all entrepreneurs out there. So, this article will cover how to start an eCommerce business and how you can use order forms to get a tremendous head start!
Why do you need to start an online retail business now?
Today, you witness that eCommerce stores and online businesses in general really took off. If the enormous numbers in the estimation above are not enough for you, then get ready for another fact; %69 of entertainment purchases, such as books, music, and films, are made online in the United States (Statista). Just like popular platforms, it will get harder and harder to make yourself shine in a gigantic crowd. As the proverb goes, the early bird gets the worm.
Another reason is that it has never been this easy to start your business. From actually founding a company to buying supplies, from opening your website to creating order forms, each stage now includes a couple of steps. If you have your products ready, you can even start selling in minutes with an online order form on forms.app.
What do you need to start selling online?
Like starting any other business, you need courage and a great plan to open an online store. Whether you already own a retail business and scale your company by making it online or start an online store from scratch, these two are the must-have. In addition, you need a few simple things to open a retail online store, such as:
- Products🧵: If you want to start an online retail business, you'll need to have products to sell. You can find products to sell on online marketplaces, or you can source them from manufacturers and distributors. And if you are wondering if you need a physical store to start, the answer is simply, “no, you don’t need an actual store to open a shop online.” With some popular methods, like print-on-demand, you can even start selling without having the products.
- Shipping methods🚚: After you find a source for products or actually manufacture them, you need to work with some shipping services. There are several eCommerce shipping services you can choose from in almost every county. However, bear in mind that the nearest delivery service will likely be more convenient and faster.
- Website (optional)💻: When talking about eCommerce, the second thing that comes to mind is websites. Today, opening your website is so simple with a website builder. You can even create a WordPress site in minutes. Some basic details like website name, style, and page layout plays an important role her, so make sure to learn how to register a domain, create interesting pages, and add engaging content. But did you know that you don’t need websites to sell your products? As long as you have an order form, you can sell everywhere online. For example, you can use them as standalone forms and start selling on Instagram or embed them on a website.
- Order forms📟: A key component of your online sales will be order forms. With an eCommerce order form, you can reach your target audience directly (even without a website). And thanks to forms.app’s payment integrations, it is possible to offer several payment options to your customers. Additionally, unlike some other form builders, forms.app will not take any transaction fees from your sales. Lastly, you will be able to keep track of your online sales on the results page of your form.
How to use order forms to start an online retail business
No matter what your product is, you need a convenient way in order to sell it online. As it happens, order forms open up a world of possibilities for selling products on the internet that were previously unavailable or too expensive for most people. With order forms, you can open a retail business online and start selling right away without any upfront costs whatsoever.
You can also use templates, customize your forms to fit your needs, and open new stores effortlessly in minutes. What is the best part? You don’t have to worry about anything because we handle all the technical aspects of collecting payments automatically from customers over the internet with our secure payment gateway integrations (like PayPal and Stripe). Once your order form is ready, you can publish it on a website or share it on social media to start selling products right away!
Useful tips to attract more people to your online store
You have opened your store and started making sales. But, there is always room for improvement in the market jungle. No worries, forms.app brings awesome features together to help you create exquisite order forms (even in the free plan). By paying attention to a few simple things, you can easily increase traffic and make more sales after opening an online store.
- Be professional, look professional: One of the best things you can do is make sure your store looks professional and well-designed with high-quality images and text that’s easy to read. You should also make sure your open online store is easy to navigate.
- Welcome your customer before start selling: Customers will more likely to buy when they feel welcomed and feel sympathy for the brand/product. As Angela Ahrendts (Senior Vice President of Retail at Apple) puts it, “The thing is, I don’t want to be sold to when I walk into a store. I want to be welcomed.” This goes for online retails as well. It is best to make your customers feel comfortable with your form design, words, and so on.
- Update and respond quickly: Make sure you keep your store updated with the latest products and offers. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, also pay attention to updating the stocks online. Being responsive to any feedback or questions your customers might have will also be a good feature to have for store businesses.
- Follow proven marketing strategies: Depending on the types of products you are selling, you might use a few marketing strategies to boost your sales. For example, by collecting customer emails, you may have an email list and keep them updated about your store. Email marketing is a great way for all businesses and allows you to reach out to customers with new offers.
Free order form templates that will get you up and going
As a powerful store builder, forms.app does all in its power to make the process easier and faster for everyone. For this exact reason, forms.app has created a library of order form templates. These form examples include the common questions and form fields for online sales. So, everyone can select them and create their order forms with merely editing. Our order form templates are easy enough for beginners but powerful enough for entrepreneurs with big ideas!
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