The term ‘success in business’ is an ambiguous one. Jack might be happy by simply making a profit, but Jill might only be satisfied with a few million in her pocket. Whatever your understanding is of success and however long it takes you to get there, you all start from the same place.

As a beginner of selling online, you have a steep learning curve ahead. Follow these Seven tips as a base to future work and you’ll be well on your way to ecommerce success.

1. Define a Marketing Budget, e.g. SEO, payperclick ads, magazine ads.

Too many merchants only include set up costs and can’t afford to market their store once it’s ready to trade. Marketing is one of the highest expenses to a business; as a beginner, watch your conversion rate so you don’t blow all your money in the first month.

2. Good Product Photography Sells

Buying a product online can be impulsive for customers. Don’t waste a conversion opportunity with a poor quality, dark photo with a busy background. Your photos should showcase your product. Set them on a white background, well lit without shadows. Let them convey quality in every way.

3. Cheapest Doesn’t Equal More Sales

There are strategies to achieve selling without losing profit margins. If you’re in a highly competitive market, find something you can do better than anyone else. Service, speed of delivery and loyalty programs are all examples of what can set you apart from competitors. Push this difference to your customers and your prices won’t matter as much anymore.

4. Unique and Detailed Product Descriptions

Don’t feed your visitors generic, boring information. Wow them with helpful and fun to read content that also serves to inform them about your product. It’s good for sales and good for SEO. Avoid using exact data provided by manufacturers or you’ll end up being identical to your competitors, just ranked lower.

5. Create a Customer Service Plan

There are many service and sales tools out there that help to present your business as a caring, lively, service oriented one. Use a live chat and support ticketing software to connect with your visitors and respond to customers promptly and professionally. Make sure you extend any service procedures to your staff for continuity and branding. List your privacy policy and terms clearly on your site.

6. Include Review Tools on your Products

Real customer reviews are what sell your products. It’s human nature to believe a solid referral over what a sales person promises. If you list both positive and negative comments on your product pages, this will serve better than any product description can.

7. Professional Design Equals Professional Store

Professional looking sites that have obviously put some investment into it, build trust and branding. It’s memorable too, so customers are more likely to return in future. If your site appears to look old, tired or set up overnight, it’s more likely to have a high bounce rate.

Selling online is competitive and sometimes cut-throat. Keep on learning and stay ahead of your competition using the latest strategies and focussing on niche markets.