Launching a new store is a really exciting time for any growing eCommerce business, but it’s also when mistakes are the most likely to happen.
When you’re running a single store, it’s pretty easy to keep on top of things like orders and stock with manual processes. But the moment a new, separate store enters the scene, you suddenly have to think about everything twice over, with the added confusion of having to manage the same inventory across multiple sales channels.
Stock issues can be a nightmare, not only from a financial standpoint but also for your reputation. If you’re keen to launch a new store with as little stress as possible, we’re walking you through the steps you should take in this guide.
Plan What to Sell Far In Advance
If you want to differentiate your new eCommerce store from an existing store, think about how you could do this with your products.
The earlier you can decide on your stock, the smoother your launch will be. The last thing you want is to go live with only half your stock in place because you’re still making important decisions behind the scenes.
Remember, as a startup with limited funds, you don’t have to buy and hold stock in your own warehouse. Dropshipping is easier than ever before and requires much less commitment. Check out Syncio’s catalogue of luxury dropshipping suppliers if you’re looking for inspiration.
Set Up Real-Time Store Syncing Before You Go Live
To avoid the problems that can occur if you try to manually sync your stock at the end of every day, it’s well worth investing in an automated store syncing tool that’ll sync everything for you in real time.
These tools update when someone buys a product, as well as when a return is initiated, and many of them can also send you alerts if you’re running low on certain stock. That way, you know exactly what you have at any time, and you can order new inventory when you need it.
You’ll keep your customers happier and reduce your own workload by automating your stock-taking tasks, which simply don’t need to be done by a human.
Test Your Setup with Small Batches
Another task that’s worth doing before you launch is pushing a few orders through every connected channel.
When you do this, you’re mimicking the real customer experience, which means you can check that everything is running as it should and expose any syncing delays or platform errors that you can fix early.
This kind of testing might take time, but it’ll save you the hassle of support tickets from frustrated customers, and minimise the potential for associated refund requests, later down the line.
Make a Plan For Sudden Out-of-Stock Events
For any emerging eCommerce seller, facing unexpected demand for a certain product sounds like a dream. Customers love what you’re selling so much that you can’t keep up with demand. What could be better than that?
And while overselling is great, you want to be able to consistently give customers what they want at any time, so you can avoid harming your reputation with shipping delays and long stock shortage periods.
Make sure you’ve planned your systems in advance, so you can pause your listings and switch to pre-order when necessary, with automated messaging to help you build and maintain customer trust even during a stock shortage.
Takeaway
There’s no denying that expanding to a new eCommerce store can be the decision that turns your part-time side hustle into a thriving business. But, if you haven’t planned your expansion carefully, it can also spell the end of your startup before it’s even taken off.
That’s why it’s so important to do the work before you even think about launching your store. You want to get systems set up that allow you to easily manage your inventory across multiple platforms, with as much automation as possible.
Hopefully, this guide has given you the facts you needed to create a smart plan for your store launch. Follow these tips carefully for success—and good luck!