How to Start.. An Online Shop

· Written by adstyles

How good would it be to learn from your favourite local entrepreneurs first-hand? Get a behind-the-scenes insight into how they run their business…see what advice they would give having tested their business model out already?

We recently launched our first ‘How To Start’  where we teamed up with Howkapow – A colourful online shop which is hidden to most in their unit based in Stokes Croft, Bristol. Although local, they sell online on a national level, with many followers all over the world. 

We are invited 20 people for exclusive access into their world for one evening – Learn how they started and how it evolved, and gain a valuable understanding of how to make the most of your business. Clem Balfour, Konichiwa’s events manager and owner of Yoga Brunch Club shares with us her experience of the event…

Last week I found myself sat in what has to be the most colourful office unit in Stokes Croft, sipping a Klanks craft beer at Konichiwa’s first ‘How To Start’ event with the dream husband and wife team Rog and Cat, the founders and directors of Howkapow.

Howkapow named “Best Online Shop for Stylish Homewares” by The Guardian as well as “Top Online Shop” in the Sunday Times, sell online to a national level, with many independent designers and illustrators.  The event offered exclusive access into their world for a one off evening to learn: ‘How To Start an Online Shop’.

The evening began with an informal networking session, many of the guests attending had already started their own fashion, jewellery online shops, while others were there to get the confidence and insider knowledge to take that leap. Rog and Cat led us through an overview of how the idea behind the shop had started and evolved during their time living in Melbourne.  With both bringing their own skill sets to the business, craft and design on Cat’s side and logistics, web developing and book keeping on Rog’s side.  They were able to keep costs and overheads down from the start, using their parent’s attic in Bristol as Howkapow’s first storeroom and getting well acquainted with the local post office ensuring their packages arrived safely.

 We moved on to discuss the first initial steps to take into consideration: are you going to make your own produce, or sell others? Who are your customers, and how do you to sell to them? What is SEO (search optimisation engine) and how do you best utilise this. How do you stay fresh, new and unique? With our heads buzzing with ideas and questions we went on to the workshop element of the evening, gaining a deeper knowledge into the importance of Press and PR contacts and participating in an insightful workshop on how to get that perfect product photo.

It’s clear this is no easy feat, so we have put together a list of some great tips we took away from the evening and Konichiwa’s next steps and goals to get you on your way:

Tips from Howkapow

Q.Are you going to make your own produce or sell others?

A.If your making your own, get your products out to as many people as possible, and think about the selling mark up.

If your selling others work remember your products wont be exclusive, so keep ideas fresh and constantly research for new stock. Sourcing from graduate fairs and trade shows is a good place to start.

Q:Who are your customers? How do you sell to them?

A: Know your customer, build up a character an image of the customer you are selling to so you know how and what they are thinking.

Q What is SEO= Search Engine Optimization

A.Your copy needs to be relevant to get traffic to the sites, and keep the text and tone of the copy consistent.

  • Play around with free google tools like adwords
  • Make sure your site is mobile friendly otherwise it will be demoted on search engines.
  • Try and get direct links to your site: online press and links can bring in traffic for years.
  • Start small, have a back-up or part-time job to keep you afloat and most importantly keep it SIMPLE!

Goal Setting from Konichiwa

1. If you have an idea or are in the preliminary stages of research for launching an online shop

Goal: Do research & test-ground

  • Website research – write down names of competitors – what inspires you what do you not like
  • Competitor benchmarking – what makes you different from them?
  • Make a list – 5 values you want to get across with your brand eg. authoritative, stylish, bold
  • Start aligning your values and brand with your target audience
  • Test-ground your ideas with a pop-up or one-off event

2. If you have a business idea you are about to launch

Goal: Think about how you want to launch.

  • Will you soft launch and tweak your idea accordingly until you are ready to announce or do you want to go out with a bang with a campaign.
  • How you can run a campaign on a budget – social media is a good place to start
  • How will you get the word out offline – could you run a launch event

3. If you have an online shop and looking to improve it

Goal: List down your strengths and weaknesses

  • Do a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) – this will help you look at where you can improve – is it your promotions and PR, or is staying on top of admin and line sheets!
  • Stay ahead of the game in terms of your marketing – look at best ways to promote yourself and make time for how you are connecting with your audience, don’t just get bogged down with the admin.

If you’d like a free consultation, regarding marketing, PR, branding or creative Konichiwa is offering all atendees a free 30 minute session: hello@konichiwa-pr.co.uk