Hi The advice above is necessary. I wanted to throw out a bit of the things I considered while starting this business. It is a year and a half this month. I had a shop before, that failed. You can see the products I sold from that first shop by looking at my very first sales.
Decide what you want from your business, who your target market is, how you want them to perceive your business..
Answering those questions will help you start determining how to best brand yourself, determine packaging, pricing etc..
Views are great, and increase your chance of sales, but views don't guarantee sales. Think about how to keep people in your shop browsing. Are your products something that people can buy regularly, or luxury items that people need to save for.
One of the best things I did when trying to develop a strategy was ask myself why should people buy from me instead of my competitors, how do I help encourage first time sales, and how do I turn customersinto repeat customers.
I must admit I place a lot of emphasis on making trying to make it easier for first time buyers to take that leap of faith, and make their first purchase.
I figured in this economy, it is harder to part with your money. It is also hard sometimes to buy from an unfamiliar online shop. Sooo to make it a little less intimidating to first time buyers, I have some lower priced items in the shop. I figure it lets someone try me out without a huge commitment, and help prevent buyers remorse, but it allows me a chance to hopefully earn a repeat buyer.
There have actually been many occasions where someone will buy one charm, then they come back for a bigger purchase.
I understand that this is not always possible depending on what you sell, but I wanted to mention it, because it getting the customer to take that first chance on you helps build trust, especially when you are not a walk in store where they can meet you.
I am still learning everyday,and by no means an expert on business. Just wanted to share what has helped me
