Starting your own online store can be very difficult, and not every e-commerce store is profitable in the long-run. When setting up an online store, there are many different factors to consider that can make or break your business. Before you launch your store, here are a few key factors that can make your new online store a success:

Social Media

This is the age of social media, and any company that is looking to start their business up online will have to get to know it. Social media is one of the best ways to increase exposure and reach target audiences. Set up a page for your business for each social media site, and do your best to update these at least once a week, if not more. Allow your customers to comment on your products, show them company updates, or even set up contests with prizes. Most social media sites allow businesses to track their sites, making it easy to see what type of content gets your customers interested.

Commercial Warehousing

Currently, commercial leases are at the highest demand since 2006. Retailers both online and offline will need a combined 25 million square meters of additional space over the next five years in order to store all the products they sell. Luckily, 4 billion square feet of warehouse space was built between 1990 and 2003, and in 2014 the U.S. markets absorbed an additional 70.2 million square feet of office space. A commercial warehouse will provide your store with a safe place to store your product. When determining warehouse space needs, think about the amount of product that needs to be stored, and how large the packaging is. Commercial warehousing helps an online company keep track of their product, and ensures that it will arrive to the customer on time.

Shipping

If your online store will be selling physical products, you’ll need to set up a shipping service. Keeping shipping costs down is key for an e-commerce store, as high shipping costs can force a customer to abandon their purchases. Find a system that offers flat-rate shipping, or try to absorb some of the shipping costs so your customers won’t have to pay as much. There are many different payment gateways you can use, such as Paypal, Google Checkout, or even Amazon. Shipping can be calculated on a per-item basis, rates for different zones, or a table rate based on the overall rate. Also be sure to check out the warehousing and distribution from your side, and ensure that your product can be easily shipped from your commercial warehousing location.