1. Don’t be put off by the tech, it’s easier than you might think
You don’t need to be able to code or spend a fortune to add e-commerce to your site. There are lots of inexpensive, user-friendly platforms out there. Just as there are online platforms—known as Software as a Service (SaaS)—to help you build and manage your website, there are ones, like Shopify, to make selling online easier. There is a small fee involved, but in return a lot of the hard work will already be done for you.
If you’re a bit more tech-savvy or total customisation is important to you, an unmanaged option might work better. Some of these, like Magento Open Source, are free. They require more specialist skills, but there are lots of freelancers and agencies around that can help—and a quick Google search will bring up lots of online tutorials, many of which are free.
Once you’ve chosen an e-commerce platform, it’s important to look for a payments platform that’s easy to integrate and will enable you to offer your customers a secure and streamlined checkout experience. It’s also important to offer a wide choice of payment options—including local ones like Sweden’s Swish and Norway’s Vipps—and to add new ones as they emerge.
You don’t even need to build a store to get started in e-commerce. Many payments platforms offer the option of creating payment links. You could promote your products or services and then send interested shoppers a link with embedded pricing details via email or private message. Or you could put the links on existing pages of your website—this is particularly useful if you are selling memberships, subscriptions or a limited range of products.