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Setting Up Shop: A Checklist for New E-tailers
By Jennifer Schiff
March 20, 2008

Include an Opt-In E-mail List
Another low-cost, low-effort way to market your site and increase conversion rates and sales is to include an opt-in email list form on your home page (or better yet, every page), so you can keep in touch with and nurture your best customers.

• How you are going to handle fulfillment? In house or outsource? (For fulfillment tips read Make Drop Shipping Work for You.)

• What about shipping? First off, you will need to find a carrier (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL, and the USPS) and decide which shipping options to offer (e.g., standard, ground, two-day or overnight delivery), as well as establishing — and posting — a return and exchange policy. (For more shipping tips, read Package Perfect: Offering Free Shipping without Going Broke and Don't Go Postal: Shipping Rate Survival Plan.)

• As for customer service, consider getting a toll-free number and a live representative(s), as well as an e-mail address. And if you anticipate receiving a lot of phone calls, you may also want to invest in a virtual PBX with a queuing system.

• You will also need to create a privacy policy and obtain a privacy seal, through an organization such as TRUSTe and Trust Guard, to feature on your site, as customers prefer to buy from sites where they feel their privacy is protected.

1. Create an Online Plan
   • Assess the opportunity and check out the competition
   • Define vision and metrics of success
   • Figure out the cost of doing business online
   • Determine tasks and staffing needs
   
   
2. Establish your Merchandising Approach
   • Inventory
   • Merchandising focus
   • Promotions plan
   • Merchandising calendar
   • Integrate across channels
   
   
3. Figure out the Moving Pieces: Logistics, Shipping, Fulfillment, Customer Service
   • Set up a merchant account; establish payment method(s)
   • Determine shipping options and policies
   • Think about how you want to fulfill orders — in house or outsource
   • Establish customer service policies and get toll-free number and email address
   
   
4. Select the Right Technologies
   • Domain name
   • Hosting service
   • E-mail/list management
   • E-commerce engine/platform/storefront
   • Analytics & reporting tool
   
   
5. Develop the Web site
   • Product photography
   • Product copy
   • Product tagging/attributes
   • Site design
   • Site search
   • Online marketing program covering SEO, SEM, viral campaigns, online affiliations and public relations as well as online advertising.
   
   
6. Be Ready to Adjust

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