A Business Owner’s Guide to Setting Up an Online Company Store

Companies have uniforms, but what if employees had more options for workplace attire? They might enjoy a fun holiday-themed shirt or a cute hat with the company logo on it. Where can they purchase one? Online stores provide a unique access point for employees to get merchandise and boost workplace morale. Setting one up is a comprehensive process, but the payoff is worth it.

We partnered with Inkwell, a leader in the online store platform industry, to bring you this guide on everything you need to know to set up your own online swag store.

Why Set up an Online Store?

Online stores do many things for a business. For one, they boost the company culture. When everyone has fun merchandise to wear, they feel a sense of camaraderie and kinship associated with their workplace. A strong company culture fosters a positive work environment that enhances team productivity.

Good merchandise with the logo and company colours clearly visible promotes the business when someone wears it. Employees might wear it at work, but their commute to and from the office and that extra grocery store trip for dinner are all viable times for people to see the shirt and comprehend what company it promotes. Selling the merchandise via an online store makes it that much easier to get this promotion.

If the products are particularly desirable, they can serve as an incentive for employees to complete tasks. Say they need to meet a certain sales goal to be rewarded with a company coffee mug. Do they need to improve their efficiency percentage? A gift card might do the trick. An online store facilitates this reward system and helps unmotivated employees work harder.

Guide to Setting up an Online Company Store

Business owners must take several steps to set up an online swag store for a company and get it running smoothly with all the desired features.

Plan Everything

A thorough plan is essential to launching a successful online company store. Determine the target audience. It will likely just be employees, but if there is a demand for customers to shop there as well, take advantage of the opportunity.

Determine what products to sell. Apparel, name tags, dog toys, picture frames and others are all options to get started. Knowing what to offer will help promote the site in the future.

Determine the budget the company is willing to allocate for the website. There are numerous fees associated with maintaining a commerce site, so plan a budget and stick to it.

Select a Reliable Platform

Choosing a platform to host the website is critical. Selecting one that fits the company’s needs is best. The following features should be considered:

• User-friendliness
• Effective inventory management
• Reliable security
• Available analytics
• Mobile abilities
• Seamless integration

A dedicated company like Inkwell is a great option due to the numerous benefits it offers. It has a professional and friendly team ready to help with whatever comes up. Its facility stores and ships products, eliminating that responsibility from its customers. A dashboard is available to easily manage inventory, and it also offers a demo for potential clients to try.

It can send products to one destination or multiple destinations, depending on the situation, and international shipping can also be applied. Its platform offers seamless integration between company data and website features. Inkwell is simple and easy to use, and it provides a live chat for additional support if needed.

Set up Necessary Items

Securing a domain name relevant to the company is crucial for making it easy for customers to search and use. Because people will enter their personal information, such as addresses, names and payment details, robust security measures must be in place.

Set up performance tracking to monitor any drawbacks or successes once the website goes live. Single sign-on is a secure method that allows employees to log in to the website with a single credential. Employee purchases can be cleared with managers first if the company desires.

Design the Website

One of the more exciting parts of creating an online store is designing the website. Ensure the company logo and colours are abundant, clear and prevalent throughout the entire site. Utilise colour psychology when applicable, which is the idea that certain hues evoke emotions or associations with people. This can inspire more purchases if designers use the correct ones.

The navigation, readability and search functionality should be easy and accessible for all customers. Frustrating, difficult buttons and pages drive people away, so making everything simple goes a long way.

There should be a variety of products, and they must be marketed effectively. This means providing high-quality photos of each item, followed by a detailed description. The bottom of the listings should feature customer reviews. Customisation can make products more appealing for those who prefer different designs. Offer occasional sales or discounts to inspire quick purchases.

Test and Launch

Conduct tests to verify that the website functions as intended. Review all scenarios to identify any noticeable flaws in the design or operations, and train employees on how to use the site effectively. This can be done during the testing process to complete two tasks at once.

Promote the website’s launch via staff email threads, newsletters and social media posts to get the word out and inspire excitement. Some people might buy items simply because it is launch day.

Manage Inventory

Once the site launches, people will start purchasing products. Keep the online store thoroughly stocked, depending on demand. Offer different shipping options, such as international or ship-to-store if available. Allow package tracking so customers know precisely when their purchases will arrive.

Continuously Monitor

The job is not over once the website launches. Continuously monitor the store’s performance and adjust accordingly. Read customer reviews to see which items are successful and which ones might need improvement. Check the website traffic to observe when people log on and adjust advertisements to accommodate that time. Update the website periodically to keep the design and products fresh. Above all, analyse overall metrics and adapt marketing strategies to meet shoppers’ needs.

Launching an Online Store

Online stores are excellent marketing and incentive strategies for companies seeking to enhance their brand’s marketing efforts. Taking the necessary steps to get the website working takes time, but it usually yields great rewards.