Imagine what it would be like if you were a plastic surgeon who happened to be booked for the foreseeable future. Yet, you know there are people who need your help. What else do you have to offer to potential clients who are looking for ways to take better care of themselves – or as an alternative to surgery – and how can you bring it to them easily?
Why not open an online store?
Anthony Youn, MD, is one of the country’s premier plastic surgeons. Nearly 90% of his patients are women over 40 who seek help to slow the aging process on their faces and bodies. He shows these women that they do not have to settle on the idea they are too old to command attention.
He teaches that, by making relatively simple changes to diet, skin care, exercise routine, and how they carry themselves, women over 40 can gain the attention and confidence they deserve.
However, as one of the busiest cosmetic surgeons in the US, as well as a much-sought keynote speaker, Dr. Youn has little room in his schedule for additional procedures. With such a busy schedule, he and Amber decided it was time to offer alternatives to surgery for these women by opening an online store: DrYounOnline.com
Building an Online Store Presents Serious Challenges for Designers and Store Owners
For anyone who does not know, setting up an eCommerce site is far easier contemplated than done! In fact, while designing and building a website can be complex, creating a fully functioning, automated online store can be challenging in the extreme!
While there can be a seemingly endless list of steps to take, building an online store requires these basics:
- Choose an eCommerce platform
- Design and build out the store within the platform
- Choose and buy a domain name
- Choose and customize your template
- Test the platform
- Add products with images and descriptions
- Choose a shopping cart
- Set up payment system
- Test the cart and payment system
- Set up shipping
- Test the store
NOTE: Whatever else you do when building your online store, remember to test… Test… TEST it!
Naturally, the more products you have to offer the more work will be required to set up your online store. However, once you’ve set up your product categories (for example: Skin Care, Nutritional Supplements, Books & Courses, plus online consultations for Dr. Youn), adding new products becomes much simpler.
As you can see though, high-quality imagery can make all the difference in the appeal of the product. You must also keep in mind that perceived value is critical to your success in selling product so, if you have the ability to offer special deals, such as savings for buying groups of products over single items, you should definitely do so.
If you have questions about eCommerce and setting up an online store for your business, please contact Amber for a complimentary 30-min call to discuss your project.
