How to Boost Your Start-up E-Commerce Shop

Online retailing is one of the hot markets in Australia. According to Forrester, a global research and advisory firm, Australian retail sales will double from $16.9 billion in 2009 to $33.3 billion in 2015.

Australians are becoming more open to online shopping, and expect traditional retailers to offer the option along with their brick and mortar store.

Anyone can come up with an idea. The challenge is to transform it into a physical product and sell it. Here are helpful tips for Australian entrepreneurs.  

Embrace Change

Outsourcing web design for the e-commerce store, third party logistics (3PL) for order fulfilment operations, SEO for online marketing, assistance for routine tasks, and other processes that are better done by somebody else. Niche service providers have the talent and technology to deliver these tasks, resources that small businesses like yours wouldn't be able to afford locally.  By trimming the workload down to the bare essentials, you can have more time for your business.

Be Strategic

Determine what you do best, what you can afford to outsource, and what you're willing to let go. When the business gains enough traction and regular orders come in, leverage other options besides labour arbitrage.

Global banks established offshore operations not just because it's cost-efficient. Offshoring reduces risks of getting one part of their business exposed to unpredictable disasters. Outsourcing IT support, manufacturing, and customer services reduces downtime for a 24/7 operation.

Don't Feel Guilty

SMEs need a solution to get their start-up off the ground while staying within their means to stay competitive in a global marketplace. Outsourcing enables businesses you to do just that. Successful entrepreneurs are ruthless time managers who constantly prioritise. 

Don't feel guilty about prioritising money, too. Many businesses often say they want to “make a difference” because they can afford it. Financial institutions and venture capitalists are not looking for the next best philanthropist. They are searching for someone who can invest to generate and maintain cash flow. It's a harsh truth, but that's how business goes.

Building a business from a the ground up - especially nowadays - is difficult but not impossible.