After launching a few thousand printer websites, here are the top 10 things to look out for before getting onto a path of launching online design or ordering storefronts:
- Figure out if you are going after SMB or B2B market. The design online environment is different for both.
- Figure out what kind of file you want the system to produce
- Figure out if you want an open designer (allows for most customer mistakes but opens the funnel wider) or more of a controlled designer (least amount of mistakes meaning more profit per job)
- Figure out if you want to own the designer or if you are ok to rent it/subscribe to it
- Figure out if you want to do your own templates or if you want the system to come with readymade templates
- Figure out what shopping cart style you want, open source shopping cart, or a custom tailored shopping cart… what payment methods you would like to accept.
- Figure out the scalability… what happens if the site is too busy, can your servers or your vendor servers keep up?
- Figure out what product mix will work best, as every vendor has their own flavor from photobooks to signs to stationery items.
- Figure out how the reporting will work. Do you want the system to talk to your MIS or email you the data or to have administrative dashboards of its own?
- And finally figure out the marketing aspect. No matter how great the design engine is… if you don’t market it, no one will find it to use it. So if you want to look into top 10 marketing online channels for printers, connect with me offline.
Slava Apel, CEO Amazing 101.
1-800-355-4498
