You may have a couple of friends who seem to be doing well since they quit their day job and set up an online store, which has never been easier, and providing you do your homework and approach the business with the right attitude, there’s no reason why you can’t be successful.
Overview
If you want an overview of the industry, you are basically sourcing products, packaging them in your brand and marketing them online, using a shopping cart website. You also need a logistics partner to package and deliver products to your customers, which is something to outsource to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider who has all the necessary resources to give you a great service. You will need digital marketing, and in Thailand, an SEO company can be easily found with a Google search.
Web Hosting & Management
If you have both the time and the skillsets, you can manage your e-commerce platform, which involves uploading product data and general site administration, but the majority of sellers outsource all IT needs to a third party. Such a company can do the following:
- Register your domain name.
- Host your website.
- Maintain the website.
- Provide cyber-security.
- Round the clock support.
- Site management.
A single provider can take care of all your online needs, and there are digital marketing agencies that offer all of the above, and that would allow you to use a single company for everything. Here is an article that offers ways to boost your business with digital marketing.
Logistics
The moment you make a sale, you are committed to having the product arrive at the customer’s address in a very short time, and with a supplier that can package with your brand, you can use a courier service to deliver. This is much preferred to you actually storing your products (that would require renting a warehouse with heavy duty cantilever racking), then packaging and delivering yourself, and this way, the product never passes through you, rather it goes from supplier to customer, which is the quickest way to have the product to the customer in a timely manner.
Third Party Logistics (3PL)
The alternative to having your supplier send the product, you could have your wholesaler deliver your products to a third-party logistics provider, and you then give them your packaging and they take care of everything. You only have to forward the orders and the 3PL specialist does the rest.
Digital Marketing
This is not something you can afford to be without, as the competition is heavy, and they will be using SEO services to boost their online presence, and you must do the same if you want your share of the market. Online consumers simply won’t be able to find you without SEO, and this should be an integral part of your running costs, as digital marketing needs to be ongoing. Their role is to drive traffic to your platform and they employ a range of strategies to achieve their goals, but it is up to you to present your store in such a way that people actually buy.
