Cosmetics will always be in demand and will never go out of style. Every year, sales of cosmetics are growing by 5-10%, so the online cosmetics store is a promising business idea.
Currently, cosmetics is one of the most sought after products. The Russian market for cosmetic products is growing annually and by 2019 is projected to reach 211 million units sold. At the same time, the e-commerce sector is actively developing. According to market research, in 2018, about 50% of online shoppers made an online purchase of cosmetics. Monthly, the Yandex search engine processes more than 2 million cosmetic requests.
The main trend of 2018 was the gradual transition of cosmetics buyers online. At the same time, purchases were not made so often in online stores: the frequency of online orders was 3.7, and purchases in chain stores were 6.9. But on the Internet they make more expensive purchases (the average cost of online orders is almost twice as much as offline indicators). Therefore, experts believe that it is necessary to develop online trading by increasing the frequency of sales. And there are all the conditions for development: the cosmetics market is stable, over the year, online sales grew by 30% in monetary terms. A positive trend can be maintained through active work with loyalty and beauty enthusiasts.
What conclusion can be drawn from these statistics? The cosmetics market is developing actively and has the resources for further growth. The transition of cosmetics online will continue - and the task of entrepreneurs in time to occupy a niche in this segment. In addition, the Internet format is suitable for aspiring entrepreneurs. Online trading reduces opening costs, allows you to work at home and simplifies the process of creating a store.
Let's figure out how to implement the idea of an online store in modern conditions.
Step 1. Learning about competitors
Today, the online cosmetics market is a large-scale direction in which its leaders have formed. Your task is to study the proposals and enter the market with a new, relevant idea. In appearance, it may seem that most online cosmetics stores repeat the same scheme, but everyone relies on something different. Someone makes beauty boxes, someone provides services for the selection of cosmetics and advice ... some stand out with an exclusive assortment, while others sell proven, mass products. Having studied various offers, you will be able to determine what ideas to implement in your online store, and what to replace and improve.
Step 2. Definition of the concept and target audience
The development of online cosmetics trading is due to the fact that online stores were able to offer something that the buyer did not find in an ordinary store: a wide selection of products, reduced prices, convenient delivery service, profitable loyalty programs, etc. Therefore, immediately plan what your service will be like - both the assortment and the pricing policy depend on it.
If you offer convenient service: fast delivery, presentable packaging, additional options - it makes sense to concentrate on more expensive cosmetics. Keep in mind that often quality service involves additional costs or risks. For example, fast delivery means that you have products in stock and send orders by courier. These are expenses on assortment formation (and the risk of not selling some part of the product), as well as delivery costs. Beautiful packaging also costs money: it is one thing when products come to the buyer in a white bag, and quite another in a company box.
If you plan to focus on the cosmetics of the mass market, then the additional costs of the service will have to be optimized, otherwise you risk losing profit. Target audience selection and store concept are closely related. The main rule: they should not contradict each other. Therefore, think over everything in advance. Focus on your target audience and its financial capabilities. Since talking about the target audience, be sure to make her portrait. This will allow not only to determine in which price segment to work, but also how to form the assortment of the store.
Step 3. Making your business
Before you take action to open a store, you need to understand the legal issue. However, on the Internet you can often find small online stores that operate without any registration. In fact, an online store differs from an ordinary one only in the way it sells and stores goods. Therefore, if you are going to trade in cosmetics and make a profitable business out of it, it is better to go through the registration procedure and work as a law-abiding entrepreneur.
It is better to register as an LLC. In this case, you can only answer within the framework of the starting capital, which for the online store of consumer goods should not be less than 20, 000 rubles. When registering, you will need to indicate the activity code according to the OKVED-2 classifier:
47.91 - Retail trade by mail or on the Internet.
08/18/2019 Retail sale of cosmetics and perfumery goods, except for soap in specialized stores.
An important nuance! Since July 2012, the Technical Regulation of the Customs Union has been in force, which sets out in detail the procedure for mandatory certification of cosmetic and perfumery products, as well as requirements for paperwork for goods and marking products. It also indicates the packaging requirements, which should include detailed product information. Therefore, a declaration of conformity is required for cosmetics.
Any cosmetics store is required to have a full package of documents for each batch of products. Therefore, carefully check the documentation with the dealer before purchasing the goods. In the event of any violation, you, as the seller, are also responsible.
The main document that confirms the quality of the product and allows its sale in Russia is the declaration of conformity. But often, manufacturers additionally provide a certificate of conformity to increase confidence in their products. The certificate of conformity is an optional document that is issued at the request of the manufacturer.
What should I look for when checking documentation? First, check the validity date of the document. A cosmetics declaration may have a “shelf life” of 1 batch: 1 year, 3 years, 5 years. Secondly, be sure to verify the authenticity of the Declaration of Conformity. All declarations for cosmetics are entered into the register on the Rossaccreditation website, and certificates of state registration are entered into the register of Rospotrebnadzor.
Step 4. Work with suppliers
In parallel with paperwork, you need to search for suppliers.
The easiest option is to find dealers in Russia. There are a lot of them on the cosmetic market today. Just go to the search engine and look for suitable options. You will find suppliers who specialize in both wholesale and retail sales.
Try to conclude contracts with the possibility of using the supplier’s warehouse. Then you will reduce the cost of renting a warehouse. If you competently approach the choice of products and suppliers, you can avoid unnecessary inventory, reduce the likelihood of illiquid assets and increase turnover. Thanks to the right assortment, you will create competitive advantages and attract a potential buyer. Therefore, you need to carefully study feedback on suppliers and the quality of their products.
Step 5. Creating a website for an online store
When you have sorted out the suppliers and are sure that you can correctly fulfill orders, you can proceed directly to the opening of an online store. What is essentially an online store? This is a product catalog site.
Therefore, your main task is to create a website. There are several ways:
Rent a store. At first glance, this is a very profitable option. Especially if you are a budding entrepreneur and have a limited budget. The services of Insales, Wix, NetHouse will come to the rescue.
Use a boxed solution on the CMS. This program allows you to install and manage an online store. Boxed solutions have a built-in design and sets of templates. Functionality does not require customization, so they are used by novice entrepreneurs who do not have programming skills. The average cost of CMS in the market is 20-30 thousand rubles. depending on the popularity of the developer. (1s-Bitrix, Moguta, UMI, CS-Cart). You can choose a free CMS (for example, OpenCart)
Order development from programmers. You can order website development from scratch. On average, a standard online store site will cost 40-50 thousand rubles.
Create an online store on the designer. Today, the IT market offers many platforms. The most difficult thing is to choose the best designer of online stores with the necessary set of functions and an attractive price.
The table shows the comparative characteristics of each method.
Ways | pros | Minuses |
|---|---|---|
Rent a store | At the initial stage, you can do with minimal cost. You can get a working site for 500-1000 rubles per month. For this you do not need a programmer | Typically, stores for rent have limited functionality and are not suitable for all business models. With the development of the business, when the number of orders grows, so does the cost of rent. And in the future, this cheap option will turn into unreasonably costly. The rental price will be from 15 thousand rubles per month |
Use boxed solution on CMS | CMS is acquired once and for all. Further, you can pay only at your request for technical support. You can customize the functionality by creating such a store as you see it | It requires the help of a programmer, own hosting for the site, which will need to be paid annually |
Order development from programmers | You can develop absolutely any site | The development cost is quite high. In addition, there are additional expenses aimed at maintaining the work of the created site |
Create an online store on the designer | You can create it yourself without programming skills. Creating a website is quite simple: you do not need to solve the problem with hosting, domain, etc. It is enough to register on the platform. This is a fairly budget option to create a site. For a novice entrepreneur, website designers are one of the most affordable ways to open your online store. | In such designers, template designs are used, so creating something completely individual will not work. Often the result looks too cheap and does not inspire confidence. The functionality of sites in the constructor is very limited. Sites created on the designer are harder to promote. |
Thus, the minimum starting investment for creating a store can be arbitrarily designated as 500-7000 rubles per month as a service charge. However, working through constructors is not the most popular way. Due to the reluctance to spend time on such matters, many entrepreneurs turn to web studios for complex services, which may include not only the creation and content of the site, but also its promotion. To create something intelligible in this way, you will need 30-50 thousand rubles.
How to choose a platform for an online store
Evaluation criteria for online shopping platforms may vary. What to look for:
Cost per month is one of the main factors. The content of the site should pay off the profit that it brings. There are both free, shareware and expensive platforms on the market.
Free trial period. Well, if the platform provides an opportunity to first evaluate the work and functionality. So you do not risk throwing money away.
Can I connect my domain. Also an important question. The site address should be attractive. A site address like "kosmetika.kupi.net" is not the best advertisement for your online store.
Technical support service. This is especially important for those who work without programmers and need the help of professionals. It is advisable that you have a personal manager who you can turn to for operational assistance. But often technical support on such platforms is provided by chat with a bot, that is, in fact, there is no technical support.
The quality and quantity of the templates. The more design options the platform provides, the more chances there are to create an attractive website in accordance with your requirements.
The presence of a visual editor. If you plan to make the site yourself, the editor should be clear and simple. Otherwise, it’s easier to create an offline site, entrusting the work to the programmer.
Is it possible to make a full-fledged store on the platform, with all the necessary functions? Your task is not just to create a website - its very existence will not bring you money. It is important that he possesses convenient functionality that will suit both you, as the owner of the business, and the buyer. If the site is inconvenient and incomprehensible - the visitor will simply go to your competitor. People value online shopping for convenience.
What payment methods can be connected? This question also concerns the convenience of customers.
Are there any additional features: the possibility of mass price changes, stock settings, etc.
The ability to withdraw the site from the service to your hosting. Sooner or later, you decide to go to an offline site. But creating it from scratch when the site is running for a certain time is a new waste. Therefore, consider that your platform allows you to transfer the site from the designer to your hosting. You will be able to test a niche on the designer, and if the sales results suit you, move your site to a separate hosting.
How to choose from a huge number of platforms? If you are looking for the easiest and cheapest solution, Wix is right for you. If you want to "seriously and for a long time" - pay attention to multifunctional platforms such as Tiu, Advantshop and InSales. If you have programming skills, you can use UCoz. And the function of transferring the site to your hosting is supported by the UMI and Nethouse platforms.
Choose what is best suited for your business model: for the price, functionality, ease of management, your capabilities.
Step 6. Assortment formation
Only after you know the characteristics of your site, you can begin to formulate an assortment.
How to choose the right assortment for your cosmetics store? First, look at the sales statistics. The best selling products on the Internet are makeup and decorative cosmetics, face and body products, perfumes, and accessories. Secondly, focus on word of mouth, customer reviews from competitors, reviews from other sellers and the range in their stores. Explore thematic resources, monitor prof. sites and be in trend.
When to purchase goods
Most entrepreneurs purchase an assortment prior to launching the site. Then they are faced with the problem of where to store the goods. To avoid unnecessary expenses and difficulties at the start, you can use one tricky scheme:
We are preparing the site for launch. An online store should give the impression that it has been working for a long time and is actively processing orders.
We buy a limited amount of goods - the most popular, proven items.
We launch the site, we attract real traffic through advertising. We accept orders.
In normal mode, we sell goods in stock. If you order products that are not there, we contact the buyer, we say that at the moment there is no product, but we offer to pre-order without prepayment. This does not oblige the buyer to anything, so many agree.
So we accumulate statistics on views, orders, appeals. After analyzing these statistics, we decide what to buy. So we initially buy the most sought-after goods that we can sell in the future.
This scheme allows you to reduce the cost of buying goods at the start and reduces the risk of buying unclaimed goods, which often happens with newcomers.
Step 7. Question of payment for orders and delivery
For an online store, provide different types of payment and delivery to meet the needs of the entire target audience.
Most people prefer to pay online with credit cards. In addition, use popular payment systems: Interkassa, PayPal, EasyPay, YandexKassa, etc. Also provide the customer with the opportunity to pay for the purchase upon receipt at the delivery service or by mail.
As for delivery, it is usually provided by special courier services. The customer pays for this service additionally. The most convenient option is to connect to an existing delivery system such as Amazon, Boxberry, etc.
Step 8. Advertising the online store
It's time to ask a question, how to promote the store from scratch? Tools for promotion are selected depending on the budget for advertising. Вот какие способы можно использовать для раскрутки интернет-магазина косметики:
Используйте возможности контекстной рекламы. Если она будет эффективной, то ссылка на ваш сайт будет расположена в первых строчках поисковых систем. Так ваш сайт заметит огромное количество пользователей, и трафик сайта увеличится в разы. Будьте готовы вложить в данный метод продвижения немалый бюджет, чтобы в короткий срок привлечь как можно больше посетителей.
Закажите рекламу у блогеров . Выберите бьюти-блогеров или популярных личностей, на которых подписана ваша ЦА. Договоритесь о размещении рекламного поста со ссылкой на ваш интернет-магазин. Устройте розыгрыш продукции или предложите промокод на скидку для подписчиков этого блогера (это позволит отследить эффективность рекламы);
Размещайте рекламу на женских сайтах и пабликах. Охватывайте как можно больше площадок, чтобы собрать разную аудиторию. Обратите внимание на социальные сети “ВКонтакте”, “Инстаграм”, Youtube – на сегодняшний день это, пожалуй, самые активные сайты, где собрана огромная аудитория. Договоритесь с пабликами и блогерами о рекламе. Это может быть информационная или рекламная статья со ссылкой на ваш магазин, совместный розыгрыш, рекламный баннер, видео и т.д.
Заведите свой блог: или прямо на сайте, или в “Инстаграме” . А лучше – и там, и там. Пишите статьи в блоге. Люди посещают сайт, если видят в нем что-то полезное и интересное. Например, пользователь может посещать ваш сайт раз в месяц, чтобы заказать косметику. Но если на сайте будут выходить полезные статьи – то количество посещений значительно возрастет. Пишите интересные статьи с бьюти-лайфхаками, рассказывайте подробно о каждом средстве, находите интересные факты, составляйте подборки. Активно отвечайте на вопросы ваших читателей. Блог в “Инстаграме” позволит продвигать ваш магазин с помощью самих покупателей. Например, можно публиковать отзывы других покупателей. Ваша целевая аудитория – женщины. А они любят делиться мнениями и давать советы. Устройте акцию: «скидка 5% за отзыв». Отслеживайте упоминания о вашем магазине и обязательно давайте обратную связь: публикуйте отзывы ваших покупателей, отвечайте на вопросы;
Делайте скидки, устраивайте акции, дарите подарки. В сфере красоты отлично работают подарочные сертификаты. Пусть в вашем ассортименте появятся подарочные сертификаты на разные суммы, один из них можно будет разыграть.
Предлагайте уникальную услугу. Хорошее торговое предложение или полезная услуга – это тоже способ привлечь аудиторию. Подарочные сертификаты и оформленные бьюти-коробки станут отличным предложением. В качестве полезной услуги может стать консультация специалиста по подбору косметики. Это привлечет ту часть аудитории, которая не разбирается в корейской косметике, а потому не решается приобрести что-то в вашем магазине. Но если вы предоставите услугу индивидуальной консультации и подбору косметики, пассивные покупатели все же сделают заказ.
Выходите в оффлайн. Работайте с реальными покупателями. Подружитесь с офлайн-магазинами, предложите совместный проект, организуйте мастер-класс. Можно использовать и банальные способы продвижения: листовки, рекламные щиты, скидочные купоны и т.д.
Методов продвижения интернет-магазина косметики очень много. Главное правило любого продвижения – научиться работать со своей целевой аудиторией. Понимать ее потребности и слабости, выявлять проблемы и предлагать решение.
Шаг 9. Работа над ошибками
Как бы вы ни продумывали свой проект, что бы ни планировали, - избежать ошибок не получится. Всегда нужно быть готовым решать проблемы и подстраиваться под сложившиеся условия. Невозможно застраховать себя от ошибок, но можно обратить внимание на опыт других предпринимателей и учесть это в своем бизнесе.
Как избежать ошибок при открытии интернет-магазина?
Выбор неправильного товара. Товар должен продаваться, а не пылиться где-то на складе. Поэтому заранее проводите исследование рынка, определяйте хиты продаж, собирайте как можно больше данных. Заказывайте товар у поставщика только в том случае, если у вас есть четкий план по реализации (предзаказ, акции, реклама и т.д.).
Перфекционизм . Не стремитесь сразу сделать все идеально. Со временем вы наладите схему работы, учитывая свой прошлый опыт.
Делать все самостоятельно. Не пытайтесь охватить в одиночку все бизнес-процессы. Делегируйте задачи профессионалам, так вы сэкономите массу времени.
Чрезмерная экономия. Ставьте адекватные рыночные цены, не демпингуйте. Не экономьте на продвижении, но планируйте рекламный бюджет, чтобы затраты приносили результат.
Раздутый ассортимент. Не пытайтесь продавать все. Многие предприниматели предлагают посетителям интернет-магазина огромный каталог в надежде, что разнообразие поможет продать что-нибудь. Но здесь очень важно соблюдать меру. Раздутый ассортимент опасен по следующим причинам: вам придется работать с множеством поставщиков, обрабатывать большой массив информации, нести дополнительные расходы по хранению товара. Более того, чем больше ассортимент, тем вам сложнее отследить качество каждого товара. Поэтому выберите нишу, в которой вам удобно и прибыльно работать. Откройте магазин узкой специализации, но станьте в этом направлении лидером.
В заключении
На начальных этапах ваша цель - создать успешный проект, который будет приносить 100-200 тыс. рублей прибыли. Ищите свою целевую аудиторию, тщательно подбирайте платформу для интернет-магазина, придумывайте эффективную рекламу. В российском предпринимательстве много успешных примеров, когда маленький интернет-магазин вырастал в полноценный магазин или даже фирменную сеть.
08/18/2019