Being able to sell your products online can expand your customer base, increase your sales, and drive profits. E-commerce websites are a fantastic way to take your business to the next level, or they can serve as the first step in launching your business, long before you’ve thought about starting a brick-and-mortar operation.
But starting your own e-commerce website can be challenging. Many site builders require you to do some amount of coding or are highly complicated. They can also be so expensive that, as a startup or a small venture, you can’t justify the cost.
Luckily, there’s a solution that’s ideal for small shops working on limited budgets.
What Is Jotform Store Builder?
Jotform Store Builder is a no-code tool that empowers you to create your own online store. Since Jotform features a drag-and-drop interface, there’s no coding required, so you don’t need a technical background to get started.
An iteration of Jotform Apps, Jotform Store Builder is specifically for selling goods and services online. You can collect orders, process payments, and more, and there’s no need to hire a developer or a web designer.
How Jotform Store Builder Helps Small Shops
Jotform Store Builder solves multiple challenges that small shop owners face when trying to use other e-commerce site builders.
That first challenge is transaction fees. Many site hosts and builders take a cut each time you make a sale. While these fees might appear to be small percentages, they can quickly add up and eat into your profit margins. Jotform doesn’t charge any additional transaction fees, so your profits are yours to keep.
With Jotform, you can collect payments using more than 25 payment gateways. This is a major advantage compared to some other site builders, which might give you a choice of only a few gateways.
Jotform provides much more flexibility and allows you to choose the gateway that’s best not only for you, but also for your customers. When you choose a gateway that your customers already use and trust, you increase the chances of them making purchases and reduce the occurrence of abandoned shopping carts.
The platform will also save you time. There’s no complicated layout or tools to learn, and you won’t find yourself constantly turning to the Help or FAQ page as you try to build your site. Jotform is user-friendly, and the dashboard isn’t overwhelming. Even if you’ve never built a website before, you’ll be able to quickly get the store up and running so you can start selling.
Jotform accomplishes all of this without being restrictive. In fact, you can fully customize your site elements, including product lists, widgets, and more. Add your branding colors and logo, and you’ll have a custom-built site that performs exactly as you need it to.
How to Make the Most of Your Shop’s E-commerce Site
Before you start designing your store with Jotform, put some thought into the ideal store name. Jotform Store Builder lets you create a branded URL that’s unique to your business, so you’ll want to include that store name in the URL. Try to come up with a name that’s not only catchy and easy to remember, but also concise and easy to spell.
As you prepare to list your products in your store, do some careful research into shipping costs so that you can offer your customers the best deals without accidentally shorting yourself on shipping expenses. Consider offering only national shipping at first, which will give you a chance to perfect your shipping processes. Then, if you want to offer international sales, you’ll already have shipping processes in place.
When you’re ready to add your products or services to your online store, take the time to get some quality photographs. Photos are essential in selling products online, and this is one area where you don’t want to cut corners. Jotform Store Builder streamlines the process of listing your products and uploading photos.
Once you’ve created your e-commerce store, be sure to share it and make it easy for your audience to find. If you have an existing email list or social media audience, share your newly completed site with that audience and encourage them to check it out. This is a great time to ask for their feedback on the site, your products, and any issues they might run into while navigating the site. Engaging your audience in this way shows that you value their input, and it can be an important step in engaging with them and forming a relationship. That type of personal connection can lead to an improved brand perception and might encourage future sales and boost customer retention.
Creating Your Small Shop’s Website
Designing a website for your small shop doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. Even if you haven’t designed a website before, Jotform Store Builder is a user-friendly platform that can guide you through the process. It can help you create your store and bring your products to a whole new audience.
