With the growth and the continued use of the internet business are now been conducted online. From the comfort of your home or office, you can go online and google for a product you want, place an order, make payment and the product is delivered within the next day. This is how technology makes life simple for us. Even on social media platforms such as Facebook, you will come across post promoting products or services businesses are offering. You could also start an online business and sell products or services online.
Every new year, it has been a tradition where people make new year resolutions for things they would like to achieve. In the new year, 2020 one of your new year resolutions should be starting an online business. The internet provides a very good avenue to conduct business with minimal cost and reaching a wide market for what your business offers.
Imagine running an online business where you have zero stock, and no physical shop? But running a virtual shop where your computer or mobile is your business premises. People place orders via either a call, email, SMS or what’s app.You then source the products from sellers selling on wholesale price and deliver the product after adding your profit margin.
Online Business Case Study
Numerous businesses are operating online virtual shops where for instance a business sells clothing and utensils on Facebook and website. Customers view the products on the Facebook page or the website and make orders via message. The online business proprietor will then get the utensils from Kamukunji and the clothes at Eastleigh and deliver to the customer. In this scenario the person could be operating form home and only come to deliver the product to the customer.
Starting your business
The common questions people ask as they think of starting an online business include; The best profitable online business? Internet business ideas? Best online business to start? Best online business for students? Best online business for stay home mums? Best online business I can do as I work?
You can run any business online regardless the items your business is selling. Either a physical product or you are offering a service. The internet comes in as a system to help you market the business and also reach more customers as well as helping you in managing the business operations.
To start an online business, you will therefore, have to know what your business will be offering; Is it physical product? e.g. clothes or is the business offering a service? e.g. make-up services.
Logistics for online Business
After deciding on what your business will be offering you can then focus on logistics. You will need to get data for the products you want to sell such as the buying price of the items from wholesalers and where to get them. If you operate within Nairobi there several areas that are segmented with the products they sell. Kamukunji for household goods, Eastleigh for clothing’s, Luthuli Avenue for electronics, Kirinyaga Road for motor vehicle products, Nyamakima for Cereals, etc.
You will also need to do some mathematics to determine the best pricing for your products. The pricing should factor in the price you buy the product, the profit margin and overhead cost that you incur such as delivery fee.
For delivery logistics, you can deliver the product or liaise with delivery companies such as G4S, Wells Fargo and the upcoming delivery companies. Public Service vehicles (PSV) can also be used to delivering the product to your customers where they are upcountry, major Matatu SACCOs offer courier services as well.
Creating an Online Virtual Shop
Once you have worked on the first two steps and know the products you want to sell, and where to source them you can proceed to create the online virtual shop. One of the modes you can adopt is using social media, the other is using a website.
Running the business over social media
Social media is free, you can begin with this option as you advance to using the website. You should create business accounts on social networks such as a Facebook page and an Instagram account.
After creating a Facebook page, begin by inviting your close friends who may be interested in the products or services you are offering, then as you post the products, share the posts in Facebook groups so that it reaches a wide audience. With time the page will gain more likes. You can as well advertise the page on Facebook ads. You can go through our post on Using Social Media for a Business for more insights.
Once an interested customer sees the product on Facebook, they will either comment or send a facebook message asking more info about the product and ultimately, they will buy your product.
Running the business on a website
Unlike social media networks having a business website will give you more options such as automating the online business operation. On a website, you can have many products on one page, calculate the delivery fee based on the locations of your customers and even collect payments.
An online business website should, therefore, be designed as an eCommerce version, this is what we do best we can make one for you.
From a website customers place orders, the website shows how much they should pay, and where it’s connected to Mpesa, they can make the payment. The business can then deliver the product.
For service businesses that do not do supplies, the eCommerce website can be a platform for creating booking appointments. A client comes to the website and books an appointment at a specific time, pays the booking fee then come to the business premises to get the service e.g. a saloon
Registering the Business
As the online business will grow in the future you should register the business so that the business has legal documents. Business are registered in Kenya under the Companies Act and the Registration of Business Act, depending on the business your registering, a Company, Business name or a partnership.
The registration of the business can be done from one’s ecitizen account. Our partners Anziano Consultants have written a post on Business registration and they offer the service at affordable rates.
Registering the business will formalise the online business hence the business can get other documents such as Mpesa Paybill number or Till Number and a Business Bank Account for collecting the payments for the sales made. Remember most online business transactions occur between two parties who have not met before therefore having online payment modes will build on customers trust where they are not paying to an individual Mpesa number or bank account.
Marketing the Online Business
After getting the business registered you will have to do aggressive digital marketing for your products or services. Remember you don’t have a physical shop where people will walk in, you have to market your business online.
There are various strategies you can apply to market the business including:
- Facebook ads
- Instagram ads
- Ad-words
- Influencer Marketing
We have done a post dedicated to digital marketing which you can access here.
Our online Business Offer Package
As I began, starting an online business should be among your new year resolutions. We have an offer for you if you are interested in starting an online business.
Worry not about the hustle of creating social media accounts and websites. We will do that all for you.
Our package includes; an eCommerce website, social media profiles, digital marketing strategy for your new business and a one-month free mentorship. Isn’t that a good deal?
You will have a working system working for you. Customers place an order online; they make payment and all you have to do is to deliver the products.
Such a system would cost you a lot of money about 100K+ but we are offering it at an offer of a quarter the price for a limited time.
Conclusion
Many people have tried the online business and it worked, you can also be the next person. Take advantage of what the internet provides, an avenue to run your online business as well as reaching more clients. An online business could be your main business or a side business on top of your other job.
A website developer and digital marketing consultant.