Imagine having a patch of building land in a quaint village.
You've raised some capital, the loan with the bank is in place, the architect's plans have been approved by the municipality....
And now: build it!
But how do you get started? Are you a handy harry yourself, sketch out your own plans and find a plumber, builder and electrician to help you?
Or would you rather deal with a contractor company that takes care of everything for you? Or even liaise with the architect and offer a turnkey solution?
The answer is very simple: no size fits all.
There is no "better" or "worse" solution. You have to figure out for yourself which approach best suits your person and situation.
Therefore, a webshop is like building a house:
you start with a plan.
Starting your webshop or e-commerce activity is just the same. Depending on your specific situation, you might be better off with a "general contractor" or rather a number of specialists - each taking care of a piece of your project. More on that below.
But one thing is certain: you need a plan.
A solid document (in whatever form) that highlights all aspects of your webshop: think marketing, the financial side, the ease of use, logistics and so much more. Based on that plan, you will very quickly be able to decide for yourself the best way to start your webshop project.
Do you know a lot about web development, SEO and online marketing yourself? Then maybe you're just looking for a partner for the logistics of your business.
- Perhaps the situation is just the other way around?
- Are you an absolute layman in the field of web development?
- Do your products still have a small order volume?
- Does your business plan state that you are running low order numbers in the start-up phase?
Then you may want to do your logistics yourself first until store is running well - but have the web design done by specialists. Why? Because you want to be ready for the growth that is coming. And also for the logistics outsourcing for when you do run thousands of orders a year.
BME: general contractor and specialist in 1
BME offers a unique solution: we are a fully integrated e-commerce platform where you can go for all your concerns.
In other words, we act as a "general contractor" for many clients. From high-level consulting on web design to the complete outsourcing of your logistics operations. And if you want, we'll help you through your entire web shopping process. From A to Z.
...as well as with your next project! Cradle to cradle, in other words. In this case, we are a one-stop shop; from web design to e-logistics.
And at the same time, BME is also a specialist.
We have clients who work with us specifically for all fulfillment activities. Here we are part of a multidisciplinary team that includes graphic designers and web designers.
Points of interest for your web shop project
Who is your contracting party?
Once you take the plunge, you quickly encounter a number of challenges.
Because for the different aspects of a web shop project, you need different partners and suppliers. Each with their own expertise. Think hosting and payment providers, graphic designers, packaging suppliers, etc.
You are the lynchpin between all those parties. Are there problems? Then they can more easily pass the hot potato - and their responsibility. This takes time, money and energy.
And we understand exactly how that feels. That's why you'll find everything under one roof with us. We ensure that all parties work together seamlessly, so that your webshop works as it should from the go live - and your orders can flow in smoothly.
Deliverables and timelines.
And then, of course, they have to get to your customers just as smoothly. That's why we plan everything neatly for you. We integrate your webshop with our logistics interface. This ensures that you are always aware of what is happening with your stock. You can consult the quantities from anywhere. In addition, we integrate the entire return process - up to the crediting of your customer's account.
Project Management.
As we mentioned above, every project requires different parties. If you want to handle all of this yourself, you need to set aside enough time to do so. Or hire someone for it. Do you do it with a one-stop shop like we do? Then this falls away. And there are no surprises - because the price is fixed in advance.
