Create online shops: Detailed explanation and valuable recommendations

It's much easier to buy online these days. You don't have to make any effort and can order the products or even services you need directly from home. If you want to start your own online business, you need the help of qualified web developers. They will take over the development and creation of an online shop. This allows you to realise your own project within a certain budget. You should consider everything carefully in advance, because there are several pitfalls that can lead to serious consequences, such as expensive expenses.in this article you will learn about the most important points that should be considered before creating an online shop. You can then decide whether your idea is the right one.

What requirements should you consider before creating an online shop?

People start their business with some kind of goal in mind. Before creating a web shop, you should consider what requirements it needs to fulfil. This is a crucial point when choosing between a shop system and a shop provider.

You should pay attention to how many products are sold. For a smaller number of products, a shop system that is not particularly sophisticated will suffice. If the range comprises hundreds or thousands of products, complex software is required for shop management and product sales. This can be Shopware, for example.

You can find out more about the Shopware prices in advance.

You need to think about the following things right from the start:

• the monthly or annual budget;
• the type and number of products or services;
• technical basis (how good are the programming skills);
• on which market are products or services offered.

Once you have clarified the above points, you can determine which shop system is tailored to your needs. Then you need to look at a few providers, compare their offers and make a selection.

Definition of the business model

Before you create a web shop, decide on the sales strategy and the product range. These are important factors that influence the selection of a shop system.

To make the right decision, it is worth considering the following aspects:

Types of products or services offered

You need to clearly understand what range and in what quantity you will be offering. Some shop systems do not sell downloadable products or only sell a limited number of products.Focus and quantityIt is advisable to focus on a core product rather than offering a variety of products.

This way, a specific product is associated with your shop and the brand identity is strengthened.Target groupIf you want to set up an online shop, you need to clearly understand which target group you want to reach.

Whether the shop should appeal to a specific group or a broad mass is crucial from the outset. This allows you to create a suitable design.B2B or B2C salesIt is important to understand who your business is aimed at. If it is a B2B company, the webshop should be both formally and legally flawless. The hosting should be stable and secure.

Bestimmung der Größe und der Administration Ihres Onlineshops

Bevor Sie einen E-Commerce-Shop erstellen, bestimmen Sie den Umfang Ihres Projekts. Man sollte die Shopkomplexität, das Sortiment, das Budget und die von Ihnen aufgewendete Zeit klar definieren.

Für einen einfachen Webshop brauchen Sie kein hohes Budget. Man kann einen Online-Store mit wenigen Produkten erstellen und ganz problemlos betreiben. Es gibt auch kostenlose Möglichkeiten, die Sie nutzen können, und dabei nicht viel Zeit investieren.

Für den Webshop mittlerer Komplexität braucht man ein höheres Budget und mehr Zeit. So einen Onlineshop kann man doch selbst erstellen und pflegen. Darum greifen kleine Unternehmen und Händler häufig zu dieser Option.

Für einen komplexen Onlineshop sind die Anforderungen deutlich höher. Man braucht eine entsprechende Webshop-Software mit einem breiten Funktionsumfang und einer hohen Anpassungsfähigkeit. Dabei ist die Hilfe eines professionellen Dienstleisters nötig, der unter anderem auch für Hosting zuständig ist. Dadurch können die Onlineshop-Erstellungskosten steigen.

Create your online shop with a shop construction kit

If you intend to sell products or services on the Internet, you should find the most suitable e-commerce solution. With the right shop construction kit, the processes are automated. You can then concentrate fully on selling goods and services online and there are currently various platforms for creating a web shop. If you choose a shop builder for your online shop, you do not need any programming knowledge. You should sign up with a provider and pay a monthly fee, and in the backend of the online shop you define the settings (design, payment and shipping methods). Then you upload the product images and add descriptions and prices. shop builders are a good choice for retailers with a small product range and low capital. According to the comparison tests, these are the best shop builders - Wix, Squarespace, Jimbo, Ecwid, Weebly, Shopify, IONOS, Strato, WooCommerce, WebGo. They differ in their features. Before choosing, you should consider the advantages and disadvantages of shop builders.

The shop platforms on offer are characterised by the following positive features:

• Operation is simple. This means they can be used by beginners or people without specialist knowledge. Products and orders are easy to manage.
• There are many extensions and flexible customisation options. Functions such as order management and payment options are already integrated.
• There are a variety of design options and different templates.
• Customer service is good and is provided via various channels.

Further difficulties are encountered when using construction kits:

• The customisation options are limited.
• You can only use available templates, the number of which is limited. These cannot be changed even after publication.
• You have to pay monthly and transaction fees.
• Most of the extended functions are subject to a charge and some require integrations from third-party providers.
• The advanced services can be too complicated for beginners.
• There are limitations to SEO optimisation.

Content management system(CMS)

Websites are managed with the help of a content management system. This term refers to the process of creating, editing and publishing websites. It is used to manage large amounts of content. This includes text and multimedia documents.

CMS makes it easy to create and edit content on the website. There are various CMS. The best known of these are WordPress, Joomla, TYPO3, Contao, Drupal and GetSimple. They differ from each other in their positive and negative characteristics:

Advantages

• Several users can work together on the CMS-based websites.
• They are simple and intuitive to operate. That's why all retailers can use them and add customised functions.
• You can insert or remove content as required without changing the design. If a new layout is required for the website, the existing content is inserted into the selected template.
• CMS systems have tools for text processing and image management. You can customise texts and images in just a few minutes.
• No adjustments to the layout are required. You can add content to the website in a short time.
• You can create, maintain and set up your own website or online shop. This reduces the costs for website maintenance.

Disadvantages

• The CMS structure is fixed. The design of the website is therefore restricted. New widgets and features cannot be integrated. You can only use elements that are already available.
• CMS depends on the service provider. The updates and service depend on the CMS manufacturer.
• The introduction of CMS is time-consuming at the beginning.
• The paid plug-ins can be too expensive.

Set up your online shop professionally with the right shop software

If you want to create an online shop, it is better to choose a professional shop system. Although it requires higher costs, it offers many advantages (freely customisable design, several payment methods, options for individualising many functions) A complex shop system is operated with the help of an agency for online shops. The best-known shop systems include Magento, OXID and Shopware. These are modern platforms with individual functions, and if you decide in favour of such software, you can find highly qualified experts at Kenner Soft Service GmbH who will programme your webshop. This will enable you to establish close contact with your customers. If you define a business model, contact us. With our help, you can create your own online shop that sells products and services efficiently.

Take a closer look at the plus points of the shop software:

• The professional shop systems provide comprehensive functions. The online shop created with them is powerful, scalable and competitive.
• The e-commerce platforms are flexible and customisable. They are operated with the help of a Magento, Shopware or OXID eShop agency.
• The specialised shop system makes administration very easy. Orders are placed without any problems.
• The products and services can be sold via various channels.

Sometimes unpleasant situations happen that need to be considered in advance:

• You need a lot of server resources, which leads to high hosting costs.
• In order to guarantee good performance and security at all times, updates and maintenance should be carried out regularly.
• Some platforms (OXID eShop) are less well-known to customers and only offer German-language resources.
• In contrast to modular systems, professional shop software requires in-depth programming knowledge. This means that beginners or advanced users cannot do anything without the help of an agency.

Which is better: creating the online shop yourself or having it created with the help of an agency?

Before you answer this question, you should consider two factors:

1. What programming skills do the employees in your company have?
2. How complicated is the shop system you have chosen?

If you are looking to create an online shop and are not sure which is better for you, read the further information. We have compared the two options.

It is important to note that creating and managing an online shop is not easy. If you don't have specialised knowledge, you have to invest a lot of time until you understand everything. In addition, an e-commerce agency will help you define your goals. It professionally implements the individual wishes and also helps with the search engine optimisation of the webshop, and you will not regret turning to Kenner Soft GmbH. We know best practices and trends, develop specific requirements, work quickly and with high quality. All online shops developed by us are effective and successful.

FAQ

How do you create an online shop?

You select an e-commerce platform, register, add the products and create the design.

How much does it cost to create an online shop?

Prices can vary depending on the size of the shop: €5,000 - €14,000 for small, €15,000 - €30,000 for medium-sized, from €50,000 for large.