Originally published on LinkedIn, May 2023.
Mastering E-commerce: 36 Valuable Lessons From My Experience Working with 20 Shopify Clients
Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a successful e-commerce business? As a business owner who has worked with countless Shopify clients, I can tell you that it's no easy feat. But through their examples, I've learned valuable lessons that have helped me grow my own business.
From identifying profitable niches to creating engaging product descriptions, my clients have taught me the importance of attention to detail and persistence in the face of obstacles. They've also shown me the power of effective marketing strategies and the impact of customer service on brand loyalty.
Through my experiences with these clients, I've gained a deep appreciation for the complexities of running an e-commerce business, as well as the rewards that come with doing it well. Join me as I share the lessons I've learned and the strategies I've developed along the way.
- Okay Elektro from Shopsys to Shopify Plus
✅ Be hyper-conscious about your margins and budgets, before making any financial decision or investment.
✅ Invest significant time and effort into mapping out requirements, processes, and needs to achieve successful execution.
✅ Dream big! Don't let naysayers hold you back. Sometimes team members who are resistant to change will leave, and that can be a good thing..
✅ Learn to communicate in the language of corporate so you can effectively help large organizations reach their goals.
✅ Even large corporations can embrace change and step outside their comfort zone to pursue growth and expansion
- Helping another agency with the Ford Online Shop
✅ If speed is a priority, an MVP approach may be necessary, but expect more iterations to get things right; if stability is the priority, prepare for slow turn-around times and postponed deliveries.
✅ Shopify is versatile enough to accommodate any business's needs, no matter how big or complex, as long as you work with the right partners.
✅ Cooperation between multiple agencies can be challenging and risky, leading to competition for the client's respect.
- Replacing the whole IT team at Mana™️
✅ A Masterclass in branding and innovation: Mana prioritizes the customer experience, continuous product research, and absolutely beautiful design and content. That means they're sometimes willing to sacrifice speed, and web performance, and even ditch the currently trendy development frameworks. That's okay! They're not concerned with vanity metrics - they care about their loyal customers above all else.
✅ If you're ready to expand, consider having a different Shopify store for each region. Not only will you have 100% control over localization, but you'll also have a testing ground in smaller markets for bold experiments you eventually want to implement in your main store. When Mana released their subscriptions, we were able to test them in the US and Germany before penetrating their primary market, the Czech Republic.
✅ You don't need an army of developers to build an awesome online brand! Once Mana started working with us, and because they didn't want to become a tech business, they were able to close their IT department and do all the work they needed without in-house developers.
- Ledvance : Bright cooperation (pun intended)
✅ Streamlining your processes, leveraging the technology you use, and avoiding legacy systems that eat away at your productivity is key to success. After successfully launching the first Shopify store, it was important to build all other international stores on the same platform to leverage the work done so far without delay.
✅ Collaborating with people from different departments and countries to achieve a common goal is not only challenging but also a necessary skill when serving corporations.
- Tepe USA : Loyalty and Subscriptions
✅ If you find the right model for you, building an affiliate system to acquire new customers can have a huge ROI. It can become so good, that you may invest on that specific acquisition channel more than you spend on running the rest of the online store.
✅ Long-term relationships are the absolute best!
- Bloom Robbins previously known as Bloom Hair
✅ Small teams can achieve big dreams when they set themselves up for success.
✅ Focus is the best weapon any business can have. Whenever possible, drop what's less important for the sake of your main goal.
- Getting inspired with and by Žurnal
✅ A solid and well-educated internal team can boost your store in unimaginable ways. Don't depend solely on agencies, freelancers, and consultants for too long - build your in-house expertise as well.
✅ Let your customers inspire and influence you - they are your biggest fans. Don't build what you think they want; instead, ask them and involve them in the process. Make them co-creators of the amazing products that only you can build for them.
- Oxo Tea ❤️ Air&Me
✅ Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty! Bet on it! Bet on your customers. Build long-term relationships with them.
✅ Select software that is tailored to meet your company's specific needs and processes, ensuring that it is the best fit for your business.
- Kolkata Chai from the heart of NYC!
✅ Change is often better than staying in the same place. For any e-commerce business, finding the right partners to help you grow and improve your solution is a key step in not only avoiding technical headaches but also achieving your goals.
✅ Continual improvement is the way to go. You don't need to redo everything from one day to the next. Small, iterative steps go a long way. Google "Kaizen" for more inspiration on making iterative improvements.
- Dagsmejan - luxury sleep apparel
✅ Don't tire of explaining to your audience why you're unique. The more you prove that point, the easier it is for you to charge the right prices for your products (higher prices, that is).
✅ Sleep is super important. :D
- Non-profit e-commerce with Bottletop
✅ Non-profit organizations can be sexy and exciting too!
- Showcasing beauty with Galleria Armadoro
✅ Be hungry - don't be satisfied with the success you've had, but keep finding new ways to break the glass ceiling. Even if that means going out of your comfort zone or making tough decisions.
- Vitro Glazings : not your typical online store
✅ There's always room for improvement. Don't be complacent with the current state of your solution. Keep thinking about how to push it forward and allow yourself to be positively influenced by the partners you've created along your journey.
- IQAir - First in Air Quality
✅ Shopify as a checkout-only solution is a strong option for big brands selling worldwide.
- Working with the exciting startup Fabini
✅ Reinvent yourself and don't get stuck with your first ideas. Every startup has a game plan: sometimes you need to stick to it, and sometimes you need to break from it and instead do what the market wants from you. Listening to the customers and making the proper decision is the hallmark of a great and wise founder.
- Boyd Blade & Ferrule can't keep up with demand!
✅ The product is king. If you have a unique offering that satisfies an unfulfilled need or desire, it doesn't matter how fancy your website is. You'll sell more than you can handle!
- Kudrnaty Vlasy : from the drawing board to Shopify Plus
✅ Anyone can turn their side hustle and passion into a fully-grown business.
- Lumeo : smart and proper dropshipping
✅ Dropshipping can be a super awesome launchpad for your business. It doesn't have to be a scammy and low-quality bazaar at all. Be creative with the tools you have, and you can build a great business from anything.
- Just Care Group migrated from Magento
✅ Just because you run a B2B online store, it doesn't mean you can sacrifice user experience.
✅ Magento is a nightmarish overkill for most businesses. Shopify has made their life so much better and easier. Migrating over 12,000 SKUs was not much fun though. :)
- Rawckz everywhere!
✅ Sell online as much as you can, but don't ignore offline sales channels like conferences and exhibitions. For your specific niche, they can be crucial for collecting customer feedback, getting exposure, and building long-lasting relationships with your customers and fans.
Hope you found value in these lessons and key takeaways! Please comment on which ones resonated the most with you.
Do you want to know how I can help you achieve results with Shopify?
Please feel free to contact me at:
LinkedIn profile
agency in CZ and SK
