Taking a shop in Cyprus online: where to start
Most shops that go online start in the wrong place: with how the website should look. The shops that do well start with what they will sell, how orders will reach them, and who will pack them.
Written by Yiangos Vitsaides, founder of NYV Digital · Published
Start with what you will sell online
You do not need your whole range online on day one. Start with the products that sell well, travel well and are easy to describe. You can add the rest once the shop is running and you know how online customers behave.
Get your product information in order
Good names, clear photos, honest descriptions, sizes and prices. For almost every shop this is the slowest part of going online, so start it early. Clear photos on a plain background in good daylight do more for sales than any clever feature.
Decide how orders reach the customer
Will you deliver yourself, use a courier, offer collection from the shop, or all three? Decide what delivery costs, where you deliver, and how quickly. Customers want to know this before they buy, so it needs to be clear on every product page.
Keep the shop and the counter in step
If you sell the same stock in the shop and online, both need to know when something sells. Otherwise you will sell online what has already left the counter. This is where connecting the online shop to your stock pays for itself.
Open quietly, then tell people
Open to friends and regular customers first, fix what they find, then announce it. Tell your customers in the shop, on your social pages and on your receipts. The people who already buy from you are your best first online customers.
If you would like help with any of these steps, from setting up products to connecting stock, NYV Digital builds online shops for businesses in Cyprus and can take you from the first list of products to opening day.