You’ve made up your mind; you now want to try your luck and start that business. Pursue that dream that you’re passionate about. It’s better to say “oh well,” than spend the rest of your life regretting that you didn’t try. It’s more bothersome to be puzzled for a lifetime by questioning the endless answers to your questions of “what if?” Keep reading and know how you can pursue that breakthrough. E-Commerce in the Philippines boomed during the pandemic, here’s how you can start your own eCommerce business.
Table of Contents
What is an eCommerce Business?
Steps in Starting an eCommerce Business
Why Join Shoppable
What Should I Prepare as a Business Owner
Securing Safety of Payment Transaction
Establishing My Business Brand Online
Reaching My Target Audience
The Gist
What is an eCommerce Business?
E-Commerce is an online system that people flock around to when they want or need to purchase goods or services. Often, eCommerce even becomes a seasonal event; when it’s December, people rush to their online shopping carts to buy this and that. On other daily occasions, shopping has become a habit among people all over the country and across the world.
“eCommerce” is where individuals purchase goods, services, supplies, wants, and necessities. Unlike the conventional way of purchasing goods and services from physical stores, shopping using eCommerce platforms can be done anywhere and anytime. Say you want to purchase something from a store abroad. Back in the day, when the internet wasn’t created yet or as enhanced as it is now, we would have to ride a ship or plane to get to the place where we’d like to make our purchase. Today, we have the convenience of purchasing goods and services online through different eCommerce platforms. One recommendable platform for eCommerce is Shoppable. The company is a Filipino-made startup eCommerce platform that specializes in digital procurement. For sellers and consumers alike, this is something that marks the bench because there aren’t a lot of places where you can get top-quality resources from. Luckily, we now have Shoppable! Becoming one of Shoppable’s sellers is like taking part in the economic shapers of the Philippines. With the rising popularity and revenue of the eCommerce industry, sellers have more opportunities to grow and expand their respective businesses in the market.
When you browse through the interface of an eCommerce platform, you’d immediately be presented with different options to choose from. The eCommerce system offers a spectrum of colors and logos on a screen, presenting different brands, products, services, discounts, and shipping options. Operating a shop online is a convenient way for sellers to reach their target market within seconds. For sellers, there’s no need to hunt and search far and wide to know where their prospective buyers are. This process goes the same way for buyers who are looking for the supplies, products, or services they are looking to purchase.
Shopping Online
Whether an eCommerce seller or buyer, the simplified platform makes your experience hassle-free. Back then, we needed cars that could travel here and there to get to the places where we could get the cheapest supplier for the things we needed to build and create, but now there’s the convenience of online shopping. We can buy the things we need at lower costs per unit when we make a good deal with the supplier we find through the eCommerce platform. For businesses, this is a great opportunity to curve the budget and costs of their respective companies and business industries. For example, you’re a café owner looking to purchase coffee beans from Baguio, and you also need furniture for your newly renovated place. You can conduct all your business transactions within the platform with the supplier you found, who is a certified coffee bean supplier from the local province, and you can also have all of the items you ordered paid for in one sitting.
Shopping online through eCommerce platforms makes business transactions smoother and faster. To mention some of the perks you get from purchasing online, you have the guarantee of payment security – something that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. You also have the guarantee of product quality – a trait not exhibited by some sellers, even in physical stores. When you transact online, you’ll receive the receipts of your transaction, serving proof of your order and as a reassurance that you know your business engagement is secure and protected.
To give you a better idea of what it’s like to shop or conduct business online, imagine a drive-through from a fast-food chain. It’s fast, convenient, and less troublesome. An eCommerce platform is an enhanced version of a drive-through by the thousandth. You find what you’re looking for within minutes or seconds. Through each of your transactions, whether it be one small thing that you purchased or a grand thing that weighs a ton, you are a hundred percent protected by the security measures and transaction guarantee of the eCommerce platform. Shoppable is one commendable eCommerce platform that exhibits all these characteristics. Try out this newest platform that will revolutionize the way everyone shops online.
Steps in Starting an eCommerce Business
Starting a business online is like creating your profile on social media. You need an email address, a few bits of information, a name, and a couple of security measures that will keep your account secure. It’s about five steps to get your business profile up and running. One of the best features that eCommerce platforms offer for buyers and sellers alike – is their characteristic of the establishment. Once you create your personal or business profile, you can easily be directed to the audience that matches your target market. You establish your business or personal profile through the online filtration system that keeps your account up to date-and running smoothly.
Step 1: Fill in the requested information.
In setting up your account, you need to fill in the information requested. This requested information includes your name, birth date, email address, business name, business industry, company name (if applicable), and interests (for the filtration of your initial timeline).
Step 2: Create a password.
To make sure that your account wouldn’t be infiltrated by phishing predators, you must create a password that will keep your account secure. Further security measures, including a secondary mobile number and email address, will be requested for instances where you need to intend to change your password.
Step 3: The verification process.
To ensure that you are the person creating the account under your name and the business under your company name (if you belong to one), you must follow through with the verification process that will be automatically sent to your registered email address within seconds. If you didn’t receive one, perhaps you experienced a technical difficulty. Don’t give up and lose hope; try the process again and click on “resend verification” to run through the process again. This is an integral part of creating your account, as you need to secure your account before you begin transacting online through purchases and engagement with clients. Once you have successfully verified your account, you can finally enjoy toggling around the eCommerce platform.
Why Join Shoppable
Earlier, we mentioned the new face in town – Shoppable. And since it’s a startup eCommerce company, we still have to hear who and what Shoppable is. What do they specialize in, and why should we join one of the country’s newest innovative eCommerce startup companies – Shoppable.
- It’s FREE – It’s free to start selling on the Shoppable platform. As long as you’re a legally registered business, you’ll be able to list products for free on Shoppable. You only pay a commission fee if an item sells on the platform, and you get paid.
- Expand your Customer base – Through Shoppable, you’ll reach thousands of new customers for free. Think of Shoppable as your marketing arm that you only pay when you have a sale.
- Get your Own eCommerce Store – Increase sales by digitalizing your product catalog and reaching customers worldwide. Print catalogs are dying, costly, and not environment friendly – digital is the future. Sellers can get their own eCommerce store on Shoppable Business that can be given to any client.
- Procurement Technology – Enable your customers to pay you online through Bank Transfers, Credit Cards, Over-the-Counter Payments, Recurring Payments, and more. Easily track and manage orders, payments, and shipping through the Shoppable platform.
- Shipping Technology – Shoppable has integrated directly with multiple shipping couriers, enabling you to provide same-day to next-day delivery to your customers.
- Compliance – Sales invoices and 2307’s required? Don’t worry; Shoppable has got you covered! The platform keeps sellers fully compliant, never worrying about missing documents.
- 3PL & Fulfilment Services – Need additional manpower? Shoppable can provide you with warehousing and fulfillment solutions to expand your brand to different locations enabling you to deliver products faster to your customers.
- Real Sellers, Real Buyers, and Real Products only – We vet and interview sellers that join the platform, so you will be assured that all of the products and transactions are authentic and legitimate.
What Should I Prepare as a Business Owner
Whatever business industry you belong to, you need to accomplish the documents that will legally allow you to operate. Included in this list are the government-required documents such as Business Registration, Bureau of Internal Revenue Registration, Social Security System, Security and Exchanges Registration if you are in a corporation, Barangay Clearance, and a long list of other governmental requirements.
We know from word-of-mouth how troublesome and stressful all these processes require and demand from our energy. We don’t want to bask in the heat of climate change, clustered in long lines and humidity. Nobody wants to be in that condition, which is why you can work on accomplishing all these requirements easily with this local startup company called Weremote, which does all the work for you. Take the advice here and leave it to the professionals.
Aside from governmental requirements…
Besides the requirements you need to accomplish because the government said so, you must also work on your logistics plan. It’s a good thing that eCommerce comes with the opportunity to showcase your products and services to your target market, but there’s also a challenge in keeping your target market engaged with all the things you’ve got to offer. If it’s easy for you to find your clients, you should know that it is also easy for them to go and look for a different company that offers better marketing strategies.
Getting your clients to the doorstep of your online store is a piece of cake, but making them stay is another thing. This is why one of the things you need to prepare if you will be operating your business online is a marketing strategy based on research and the recent trends online in the market. Make yourself stand out from the crowd, and don’t be afraid to take risks. Know that you don’t have to be a shell of yourself if you’re working on building your brand online. There’s a lot of traffic in the online market, and this gives us all the more reason to work harder to keep our clients loyal to our brand. Give your clients reasons why they would want to stay and be the one reason why they never want to leave.
Securing the Safety of Payment Transaction
Operating a business with no secure payment channel is one huge obstacle for your business. Fortunately, one of the best features of an eCommerce platform is its encrypted payment channels. When you or a client of yours runs a payment of whatever amount in whatever currency, your payment proceeds directly to your wallet or bank account – whichever location you decide. This fool-proof transaction is designed to keep each payment secure and well-monitored. Both parties will each receive receipts of the payment transaction made as proof of the successful and easy payment method.
Three Tips for Payment Security
- Never give your OTP to anyone.
It is a rule of thumb never to share your OTP or one-time password with anyone. Never! This verification method is solely created to ensure that your transaction will not be compromised or placed in the hands of wrongdoers. If you want a payment method guaranteed with utmost security, you also have to do your part in keeping your account secure. Don’t mindlessly go running around frolicking while your passwords are written all over your face.
- Use a distinct password for your bank/ wallet/payment-related accounts.
Some people use their birthday, or the birthday of people they’re close with; some also use one password for all their accounts – this is one of the primary causes of having accounts infiltrated. One of the leading observations about hacked accounts is having a password closely related to the personal information of the person who created the account. With this, you must keep a unique password that will only be used for that account alone. Do not use a password that you use somewhere else. If you’d like, you can create a password with a high complication difficulty, including a combination of alphanumeric figures and symbols.
To avoid losing your passwords because of how difficult it is to remember, maybe you can use encrypted applications that help you store your passwords. This is better than writing all your passwords on a piece of paper, then losing that piece of paper or mistakenly throwing it in the trash.
- Keep your receipts.
It may seem a bit much because that’s a lot of paper, and online, that’s a lot of screenshots and emails. And we all know that we want to help the environment by deleting unwanted emails. So, here’s the plan! Keep your receipts within a period – say about 365 days, also known as a year. Keep them stored in a drive where you can easily find them.
Establishing My Business Brand Online
Establishing your brand online has a lot to do with creating your brand identity and maintaining it with a gold standard. This critical process comes in the first few steps you will take as you mold your marketing strategy and introduce your name to the crowd. To guide you through establishing your business brand, here are a couple of pieces of information you ought to know.
Branding for business will have much to do with typography, packaging, customer service, tone, experience style, and client approach. You attract the same energy that you exude. So, if the energy you share with the world is slumped, you will attract the same feeling for your clients. And indeed, you don’t want to experience working with clients who give you more trouble than good. Although it’s inevitable never to experience working with clients who get on your nerves, you have to keep calm, and you must not lose your cool.
So now, going back, creating cohesive and consistent branding propaganda will rely closely on your effort to make it easy. Create your branding so customers will not forget about it because it’s easy to remember. Design it to be meaningful despite having an easy click in your memory. Keep it short and simple, and stay aligned with your theme. Don’t drift away from why you built your brand in the first place.
Some tips for establishing your brand online…
- Don’t just go with the flow – It pays better to know that your branding is anchored in your brand’s identity than knowing it was someone else’s intellectual property.
- Don’t be afraid to be different – There’s pride and beauty in standing out. Be the protagonist of your story, or better yet, let your business take the lead in the story as the protagonist.
- Be receptive to suggestions – Feedback is a crucial part of growing. If people praise you all the time and all you get are words of affirmation, you wouldn’t know which areas to improve. When given feedback, identify how you can improve and improve that area. If the feedback seems a little bit off, then take it with a grain of salt. And the next time you receive an opportunity to pass on feedback to someone else, take that opportunity to provide quality feedback too.
- Give yourself time to grow – Change wouldn’t happen overnight. Allow yourself ample time to grow and flourish; you’ll get there.
- Take well-calculated decisions – There’s big talk about taking risks here and there, but here’s where you should learn it, take the calculated risk, and don’t just free-dive. Sure, it can be fun, and you might just run into the most prominent business opportunity you’ll ever witness, but that’s on cloud nine; cloud nine is miles above the surface. So instead, take risks – but calculated ones.
Above are just a few tips and steps to build your branding online successfully. Branding is also different for everybody, so design your branding depending on the values you have in your business, and according to the goals you have set for your company.
Reaching My Target Audience
It’s ten times easier to reach your target audience online because you already know where to find them since they’re already there. You need to have what it takes to make them stay and give them the upper hand in deciding that you are the shop they should purchase from. Since eCommerce platforms bring clients directly to the doorstep of stores, your responsibility here is to keep these clients on their feet. To do so, here’s where your creativity will be at play. To run a few ideas into your mind, here are a few…
- Offer monthly discounts for loyal customers.
- Offer exclusive vouchers for bulk orders.
- Give discounts when it is their birth month.
- Provide freebies for frequent store shoppers.
- Offer referral codes for buyers who purchase from you frequently.
There are countless ways you can exercise your creativity in offering your products and services online. You have to pick one or a couple and set them in motion. If one doesn’t work, then it’s okay. Don’t be disheartened when your initial plan doesn’t work out as planned. This is a trial-and-error process, and the only way to move forward is to take the steps that will set you in motion. Explore different options, and research different methods that work on the same target market that is similar to yours. Or, better yet, ask your target market what they would like to receive from shops like yours. Get the answers directly from the source. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; it’s not an oral examination or a bar exam; you don’t need to be terrified when you ask your customers what they would like to receive from your shop – other than the products and services you offer. As you do so, if it still seems complicated, there’s no harm in asking for help from your team. After all, you’re not alone in building the brand you want to establish; ask for help, research, and look up videos on how to improve; these small things make up the bigger picture.
The Gist
There’s so much going on with building businesses and generating profit. For those who are yet to begin their journey, it already seems too much to handle and too little energy and time to do so. We’re told to do this and do that and produce this and sell that, and of course, it gets tiring – there’s no doubt about it. But you know, even if all this gets on your back and makes you tired, may you find out why you started in the first place. When you’re about to throw it down the drain and forget about it, may you find out why you wanted to be here first? May you be reminded of that reason, and may that push you towards building the business you’ve always dreamed of. Even if nobody or very few people believed in you, may you never lose faith in yourself. So, here’s to you, to the business you are building; cheers to all the graceful defeats and the victorious triumphs you are yet to embark on.
Check out Shoppable Philippines if you’re a consumer and Shoppable Business if you’re a seller. Maybe now is your chance to shine. Become a seller and start earning at a pace that is easy, effortless, and seamless, from transaction to shipment. If you have questions, feel free to hit up [email protected].
