Confused on how to start an online shoe store.Donu2019t be. Let me help you start a spiffy online footwear/ shoe store.Need to say that technology has radically influenced the way people interact with business and later enter into a commercial transaction. The internet penetration has lured a huge chunk of populous to adapt with the evolving e-commerce trend. People nowadays find it more convenient to buy products online. How could someone ignore the whole commercial space in the virtual space.Try Free Trial - Start an Online Footwear Store - Sell Shoes OnlineIn this technology driven world, technology enabled SaaS based e-commerce platform providers gives you the opportunity to start an online footwear store in seconds. The whole setting up an online store is simplified to that of creating a Facebook account. One small signup and you get a trial store. The fascinating part about most SaaS based ecommerce platform providers are that they give you a trial period of 14 days. You can use this trial period to fiddle around and set up a virtual store featuring footwears.When starting an online business most people fall for the fallacy of investing a huge amount and own a custom build ecommerce store. Itu2019s important that you consider your budget before making any decision. Custom build ecommerce platforms require dedicated resources to build the platform based on your requirement. As there is a requirement for dedicated resource to build and manage your virtual store, there is a high chance for budget overrun.Define your NicheItu2019s important that you map your products with the right customers. Based on the products that you are planning to sell your target demography can vary. Let's consider an example,Say you are planning to start a footwear store that sells high end premium products. Premium products that start at a price of INR 25,000. When your products fall into the premium category then you need to make sure that you target people who have the purchasing power to buy these high-end products. Unless and until you define your niche clearly and jot down your target customers it becomes a muddled task to justify your investment.Start with the Right Domain - Find the right Domain for your Footwear StoreEvery activity in the digital world has a purpose. So, selecting the right domain name for your business matters. Always look for a domain name which is,Easy to rememberHas less technical jargonCan buy all the TLDu2019s (Top Level Domains). Eg, .in, .com, .org, etcDonu2019t have any special charactersGives a context to the businessA unique/ catchy name people could remember.Make sure that you will consider these factors when deciding a domain name for your footwear business.Find the Right SaaS Based Platform ProviderAs I mentioned before there are a handful of SaaS based ecommerce platform providers out there you could look into. Almost all these platform providers comes with a set of pre-built themes and templates that people can make use of. These pre-built themes are created around a customer oriented strategy. Every brand that you come across has invested their time and resources in finding the right mix and to develop a theme that best suit the end user.There are a couple of themes/ templates listed under every platform provider. As a start up entrepreneur make sure that you invest the right time to find the template that best suites you need.Look for template that falls into your niche.Eg: In this case since you are planning to start an online shoes / footwear store look for a theme or template that's designed with the same intent. There are few pre-built platform providers like Shopnix, who has created themes that best suits the needs of needs of end customer.Few E-commerce Platform Providers to Look IntoShopnixQuicky:- INR 1000/ monthStandard:- INR 2023. monthPro:- INR 5000/ monthPremium:- INR 10,000/ monthBuildABazaarSilver:- INR 1000/ monthGold:- INR 2500/ monthGold Plus:- INR 5000/ monthWeeblyStarter Plan:- USD 8/ monthPro Plan:- USD 12/ monthBusiness Plan:- USD 25/ monthPerformance Plan:- USD 38/ monthShopifyBasic Shopify:- USD $29/ monthShopify:- USD $79/ monthAdvanced Shopify:- USD $299/ monthECWIDVenture:- INR 700/ monthBusiness:- INR 1500/ monthUnlimited:- INR 5000/ monthClueCommerceBasic:- INR 7,500 (first year)Advance:- INR 19,500 (first year)Business:- INR 39,500 (first year)Enterprise:- INR 59,500 (first time)VolusionPersonal:- INR 2030*/ monthProfessional:- INR 5530*/ monthBusiness:- INR 20,930*/ monthSquareSpaceBasic:- USD 26/ monthAdvanced:- USD 40/ monthLemonStandStarter:- USD 19/ monthGrowth:- USD 69/ monthProfessional:- USD 199/ monthWhat Features Should I Look for When Deciding to Start a Footwear StoreTo manage your online store seamlessly you need to make sure that you have all the basic tools/ featured required. Make sure that you check all the plans made available by the ecommerce platform provider and then make a decision. With plans the features and the benefits you get varies. Spent enough time to check all the features available with individual plans. Talk to the support team and learn how much does an additional feature cost.Top features to look for when planning to start a shoe store,Customers And Order ManagementCourier TrackingProduct notifications And Pre-OrdersProduct VariantsGift CardsDiscount CouponsStandard Payment options (PG,COD,DD,MO)Discount RulesUse these features to manage your online shoe store effectively. In-case if you need an additional feature/ plugin make sure that you talk to the support/ sales team and integrate that feature with your virtual store.Partner with the Right Logistics PartnerYou need to partner with the right courier company or logistics handler to make sure that the online orders you get are shipped and delivered on-time. Timely delivery matters, for any online business to be successful it needs to make sure that the products are shipped on time and the delivery is fulfilled at the best interest. As a business you need to make sure that the end customer is happy with their overall experience interacting with your online shoe store.There are a couple of logistics partners that you could look into.Come up with a Commercial Model for your Online Shoe StoreSetting up an online shoe store is just one part at the same as an entrepreneur you need to make sure that you footwear store is commercialized in the best possible way. Without promoting your business (online shoe store) it will be a painstaking task for you to generate revenue. And, without revenue a business cannot survive in the virtual world.Make sure that you invest the right time and resource in identifying the marketing channel for your online store. Few online marketing channels that you could look into.SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - Educate yourself and learn what are the best practices in optimizing your website. There are multiple factors that determines your organic ranking on Google. As a start up entrepreneur you need to make sure that you invest the right time to optimize your website for both users and google bots.Social Media Marketing - Social channels like Facebook and Instagram has evolved to an amazing marketplace to promote your products. When promoting your products on social media make sure that you wonu2019t see this channel as a broadcast media. Instead you should focus your effort on interacting and engaging with people of social media thus creating a community of loyal followers.Influencer Marketing - Find the right influencer to promote your products online. Start small find micro influencer in the initial days. Us the local resources and talent to promote your products. Letu2019s say, there was an arts and sports fest in your local community. Then find the candidates who has won the hearts of people who gathered at the fets. Use these local talents to promote your product.Try Free Trial - Start an Online Footwear Store - Sell Shoes Online