By Daniel Murray

What does it take to make a successful ecommerce brand? On this 100th episode we find out with Ari Murray, who’s worked on some of the biggest brands on the planet.

Ari is currently Director of Growth at Sharma Brands, but also ran ecommerce for Poosh by Kourtney Kardashian, Aboutface Beauty by Halsey, Pressed Juicery, and Snacknation.

Daniel and Ari are a husband and wife team at the top of the marketing game and this conversation is a special one.

Hear Ari get into the weeds of what you need to think about before hitting the launch button, why performance marketing should own the website, and how Daniel and Ari met.

You’ll also hear Ari’s hot take on the role of teams in launching an ecommerce brand.

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5 Proven and Effective Ways to Launch an Ecommerce Brand

The ecommerce industry continues to grow through new players, new niches and new channels. But launching a successful ecommerce brand isn’t easy. It requires a solid plan  and a lot of testing before you launch your store to the public. 

However, with the right strategy and execution, launching an ecommerce brand can be fast and profitable. Follow these five steps to create a launch plan for your new ecommerce venture.

Build a Solid Foundation With Market Research

Every successful business begins with a solid foundation in research. Conducting market research will help you identify the needs of your customers, understand your competitors’ strategies, and create a profitable business model. By conducting thorough research, you’ll be able to create a solid foundation for your new ecommerce business. 

Depending on your budget, you can hire a market research firm to help you collect data, do your own digital research, or hire a research assistant. Whichever approach you choose, make sure to follow these steps:

• Understanding your customers and their needs – You want to understand every aspect of your target market. How old are they? What are their demographics? What are their interests? Do they have any special needs? Creating a persona of your ideal customer will help you understand their desires, goals, and pain points. 
• Analyzing your competitors’ strategies – You’ll want to know what your competitors are doing and why. Analyzing their strategies will help you better understand the marketplace, see where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and determine how you can create a better and more profitable product. 

You can do this in a couple of ways. You can conduct a market analysis by collecting data from your competitors. Or you can do a SWOT analysis.

Create a Product Roadmap

Creating a product roadmap will help you avoid the trap of creating a store filled with items likely to fail. Make sure that each product you stock in your ecommerce store is profitable and contributes to your bottom line. 

When creating your product roadmap, you want to consider several factors, including profitability, demand and competition. You also want to make sure that each product meets your customers’ needs and is a solution to a problem.

 A profitability calculator can help you determine whether a product is profitable for you. You can also use search volume data from Google to determine the demand for a product. And you can look at your competitors to see what types of items they are selling.

Develop Your Ecommerce Brand With an Accelerated Approach

Building your ecommerce site from scratch can be time-consuming and expensive. Luckily, there are a number of ways to build your site faster and more cost-effectively. You can use a DIY ecommerce platform, such as Shopify, BigCommerce or Squarespace, or you can outsource your development needs to a web development company. 

Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, so you’ll want to choose the one that best fits your needs. DIY platforms are great for beginners and small businesses on a budget, but larger companies may benefit from outsourcing their development needs. 

DIY platforms offer all the functionality you need to create a simple, effective ecommerce storefront. You can create an engaging visual experience, customize your checkout process and add helpful features, like a gift card section. You can even add integrations for tools like Google Analytics, Shopify’s Pixel and more. 

Outsourcing your development needs can be a great way to create a more customized ecommerce experience. If you are creating a B2B marketplace or want special functionality, like language translation, it might be best to outsource your development needs to a web development company.

Start Marketing Early – And Often

Marketing is the lifeblood of any ecommerce business. You want to make sure your marketing efforts are strategic, consistent and effective. Starting your marketing efforts early will allow you to generate leads and boost your brand awareness before you even launch your store. 

Start by creating a marketing plan that outlines your approach and your key objectives. Create an editorial calendar to guide your content strategy and make sure to publish on a consistent basis.

 Make sure you’re targeting the right audiences and using the right channels. Find out where your customers hang out online and engage with them through content and offers. Test different marketing strategies and track your results. If you aren’t seeing results, try something different.

Final Words

Launching a new ecommerce business can be challenging. But if you follow these proven and effective ways, it also can be fast and profitable. Make sure to start your market research early, create a product roadmap and develop your site with an accelerated approach. Start your marketing efforts early and often to boost your brand awareness before you even launch. Follow these steps, and you’ll be well on your way to launching an effective ecommerce brand.