In recent years, online shopping has become popular everywhere, and thousands of online stores have sprung up. Many people consider running an online store as their sideline – put their dreams into action, while hopefully earning additional income. Operating an online store may seem simple, but in fact it is no easy task. People encounter many questions in just the start-up phase, such as:

• What exactly do you need to prepare to open an online store?
• How to bring traffic to the online store when you have just started the business?
• How much budget do you need for the first advertising?

Hong Kong Chinese medicine merchant Regimeal has been running an online store via Boutir for two years and has accumulated a lot of experience in online business. We invited their Marketing Director, Jan, to share his insights and answer common questions from beginners.

Brief Introduction to Regimeal:

Regimeal is operated by Shang Shan Pharmacy (Number of Retailer License in Chinese Herbal Medicines: CR2013-00168). Shang Shan Pharmacy consists of professionally qualified Chinese medicine practitioners and herbalists, who insist on selecting high-quality herbs, strictly adhering to safe Chinese medicine processing procedures, using ancient Chinese medicine concoctions and providing services based on citizens’ needs. Their best sellers include Goddess tea, Ufa tea and more.

Link to “Regimeal” online store: https://regimeal.hk/

C: Charlotte, Boutir Editor

J: Jan, Marketing Director of Regimeal

C: What exactly do I need to prepare to open an online store?

J: First, prepare the products or services you want to sell to your customers, and then set up your online store as soon as possible. Once you have taken the first step, you will then further complete other tasks, like applying for a business registration certificate. You also have to consider things such as who your target customers are, what payment methods you want your customers to use, how to apply for these payment methods, whether the online store platform you use can support these payment methods, etc.

C: We all understand that new store owners usually encounter difficulties in payment and logistics. In fact, Boutir has already been working with many partners, for example, PayMe from HSBC, Octopus, Atome, etc. As for logistics, we also cooperate with ShipAny to provide Logistics Automation services.

For more information, please refer to:

J: Another thing to add is, of course, to know if your product has any prominence in the market. If not, how can you win? In other words, you have to do market research first to know the strengths of your products or services before you launch them in the market. This is a rather ideal approach.

C: This part Jan mentioned is Product Market Fit (PMF), which we often talk about in marketing. That is, to test how your product is differentiated from your competitors’ products in the market. After understanding competitors’ and your own strengths and weaknesses, then adjust your marketing strategy.

C: So, how did you drive traffic to your online store when you were new to running it?

J: Drive traffic through different platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Google. It means driving customers to your online store so that you have the chance to bring in business. No matter how good the products or services of an online store are, if no one comes, there will be no business after all.

C: But have you ever come across the situation of “gaining popularity but not wealth”?

J: Definitely. Although traffic is the indispensable factor contributing to the business, there is a gap between the two. Many people compare similar products before purchasing. And out of every hundred potential customers, there may be only one who places an order immediately. Therefore, you need to increase your customers’ understanding, trust and even loyalty to your brand through customer service. You also need to review the problems, for example, whether the products or sales strategies are not satisfactory, whether the visitors are your target customers, and then make improvements.

C: Jan just brought up a key point – in fact, to turn Attention into Conversion, that is, after attracting the attention of potential customers to the products, you have to make them place orders, it is necessary to go through some effort. So can you share with us how you deal with it so that beginners can take it as a reference?

J: Young customers may be attracted by beautiful promotional photos, but our target customers are older and even if the photos are beautiful, if they don’t resonate, they may not be attracted to the online store to learn more. We need to keep trying to see what kind of text, photos, videos or promotions can attract their interest, and then make improvements. Besides, Grace, a veteran merchant of Boutir, has taught us some knowledge and skills on promotion, for example not to make promotional videos too lengthy.

C: Hearing the name Grace, I believe Jan participated in our “Boutir Café” before. We invited Grace (below, the first from the right to left), a Boutir veteran merchant, to join this event to share some business tips with new store owners. During the event, participants could ask questions and then answer them together, helping each other. The main purpose that Boutir held this event is to let merchants share their own business tips, as well as help you all grow together.

C: Just then Jan mentioned bringing in traffic on different platforms, have you ever placed ads on Facebook?

J: Definitely.

C: What should a beginner pay attention to when placing ads?

J: First of all, you have to learn how to advertise by browsing Boutir Academy, Facebook Blueprint or some online instructors’ websites. Though this may seem complicated, it is actually simple because there are not too many things to set up. The most important things are to know your daily advertising budget, think about your target audience, ad content, ad format, etc., and also check how to meet Facebook’s requirements. Apart from Facebook, you can also consider placing ads on Instagram as well. In addition, you must advance with the times and learn the latest knowledge, otherwise you will lag behind others.

C: How much advertising budget do you recommend for beginners to start with?

J: It really depends on how much budget you have. Initially, you can spend HK$50-100 per day, but not too little, otherwise it will limit the traffic. Moreover, many instructors do not recommend using Boost Post because it has the simplest set up and they think it’s very useless. They recommend using Ad Manager because it can be more precise in setting up ads, such as selecting your target audience based on region and interests.

C: Thanks to Jan for introducing the difference between Boost Post and Ad Manager. If you feel lost or confused about placing ads, Boutir actually has a “Digital Ad Self-advertising Feature” for you. It is very easy to operate and allows you to place ads directly in the Boutir mobile APP.

For more information, please refer to:

J: The main premise is to connect Facebook assets with your online store.

C: That’s right. Boutir has partnered with Facebook to launch the Facebook Business Extension (FBE). We are also the first online store platform in Hong Kong that enables you to place Facebook ads simply through your mobile phones. By using this extension, you can link your Facebook assets with your online store, and then place Facebook carousel ads very easily. If you are interested, you can contact our customer service team and we will provide related tutorials.

For more information, please refer to:

J: To add on to that, as I said earlier, the advertising budget depends on your ability, but it should not be too little. In fact, our company had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars a month on advertising, so “play big, or play small, the most important thing is to know how to play”!

C: Ha-ha! Well said! Just now we talked about the preparation for advertising, how do you analyze the advertising data?

J: In fact, Google and Facebook will provide us with data to let us know the advertising audience’s behavior after entering the online store. We can see where the audience leaves the page and analyze the reasons before making improvements. Rather than data, I think the most crucial key is to have enthusiasm – to think about how the ad may resonate with the audience, instead of just following personal aesthetics. This is the only way to make them willing to stay longer on the website, or even make a purchase.

C: I agree, in fact, in the process of running an online store, store owners encounter frustration inevitably. The most important thing is to maintain your enthusiasm and keep your motivation going.

J: That’s right, don’t give up so easily. Indeed, successful online stores have gone through countless attempts and are still trying, so don’t give up after only 10 attempts. Besides, you’ll be more motivated once you see the results.

C: What is the best way to build a close relationship with customers? What are your customer service skills?

J: We emphasize communication with our customers – not like a vending machine without emotion, and not just in the form of a question followed by an answer. For example, some customers may ask us how to deal with noxious dampness or what to do when they are pregnant, and our herbalists’ team will provide appropriate advice on products or services for the situation. This makes them feel comfortable and willing to trust us. What’s more, we value long-term relationships and hope that our products can help our customers. We believe that if we maintain this attitude, business will come naturally. This is due to the support of our customers: not only do they continue to buy our different products, but they also introduce friends to buy. Therefore, I hope that all new store owners realize the importance of customer relationship management and are willing to devote more time and effort to it.

C: Also, I would like to ask if you have ever launched an exclusive offer for new members through our “Online Promotion Campaign” feature?

J: Definitely yes. I would also like to say that I have operated my own personal online store through other platforms, although they have a full range of features, for beginners, it is actually best to use Boutir. That’s because it has all the features that beginners need, and it constantly introduces new features, becoming more and more powerful, so I think Boutir is a good platform.

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We understand that everyone comes across difficulties when operating an online store. And you need professional assistance from us. Therefore we have prepared for you the following:

1. Online Store Set Up Workshop

We empower you to open an exclusive online store, and to be outstanding even under the fierce competitions in the retail market. Build your own online store, and join our 2-hour hands-on workshop now: boutir.com/seminar

2. 1-on-1 Online Store Set Up Consultation

Not only does our Professional E-commerce Team deal with a variety of problems regarding online store set-up, but we also provide consultations. We’d first get to know your business strategies in great depth, then give advice correspondingly.

Join now: https://www.boutir.com/consultation

Boutir Official Website: www.boutir.com

Contact Boutir Customer Success Team: m.me/boutir.hk