How to launch a successful e-commerce box? | RAJA

It’s decided: you have an ingenious and original idea for an e-commerce box to launch, and you want to take the plunge! Well done: you are indeed surfing on a promising trend, which more and more consumers appreciate.

However, when launching such a project, it is important not to miss any milestones. That is what this article offers you: a real step-by-step guide to launch your e-commerce box in an efficient way. Let’s go for a well-designed e-commerce adventure!

1. Carry out a market study for your e-commerce box
2. Dimension your internal costs to define the price of your offer
3. Find the ideal carrier for your e-commerce box
4. Organise your storage rationally
5. Establish a marketing and communication plan
6. Work on the packaging of your box, for a “wow” effect

Carry out a market study for your e-commerce box

The first crucial element in launching your e-commerce box is to carry out market research to find out whether the concept of your box can really meet consumer expectations.

What does such a market study consist of? It consists ofanalysing..

• Your potential clientele: Who are they? What is the budget they would be prepared to spend on your products? What differentiating elements would they expect from your box, compared to your competitors’ boxes?
• Your market. Who are your competitors in your sector of activity? What prices, what products, what differentiating elements do they put forward? How many potential targets can you aim at?
• Your potential suppliers, because when you say box, you mean products to be included in it. Who are your suppliers? What are their sales conditions, their prices, their delivery times? Do they frequently renew their catalogue, to ensure a diversity of products?

By analysing these 3 elements, you will be able to find a differentiating positioning in relation to the current e-commerce box market in your sector.

Knowing that in 2020 only 26% of French people were aware of the monthly box concept, you still have a large part of the French population to conquer!

Measure your internal costs to define the price of your offer

To be attractive, the price of your e-commerce box must be lower than the price of all the products it contains. This is why it is crucial to properly dimension all the costs that your project will represent.

Among the costs to be properly dimensioned, include

• Your costs related to the products in your box: find out the prices of the first products you would like to include, and think carefully about the possible economies of scale that you can make, in the long term, if your box is successful.
• Your logistical costs, including the cost of storing your products, transport costs and the cost of the packaging you plan to use
• Your marketing and communication costs: because it is important to make your new product known, you should size the budget to be invested in your overall marketing plan.

In short, it is advisable to draw up a real business plan, especially if you intend to find investors for your project.

Finding the right carrier for your e-commerce box

When you start an e-commerce business, it can seem complex to find the ideal carrier for your project. There is a plethora of e-commerce delivery solutions available, for various needs.

For an e-commerce box, you should focus on the following questions to select your carrier(s):

• Do you want to offer different delivery options to your customers? Consumers like to have the choice between several delivery methods: home delivery, point-relais, consignee… These different types of delivery will guide your choice
• What are the carrier’s average delivery times?
• How does your carrier charge? For example, for international shipments or express deliveries, carriers often charge by weight-volume, so don’t hesitate to ask for a very precise price list to be able to estimate your costs accurately.
• What tracking solutions does the carrier offer (both internally for you and externally for your customers) ? Parcel tracking is an essential part of the customer experience you offer your subscribers.
• What are the carrier’s insurance conditions? In case of damaged products or theft, do you need to take out additional Ad Valorem insurance (depending on the value of the products you are shipping)?
• Does your carrier offer a solution integrated into your e-commerce site (such as a plugin for WordPress or Prestashop CMS), which allows you to manage all your deliveries from your administration?

By answering these questions, you will be able to create a complete set of specifications to find your ideal carrier. If you want to know more about this subject, please read our article Which e-commerce delivery solution should you choose?

Organise your storage rationally

It’s important to know: the storage space for your products, before they are packed, must be organised to facilitate the picking and packing of your goods, as soon as you launch.

So think about :

• Set upa storage method that suits your business. The ABC method is particularly useful when starting an e-commerce business. However, if you offer perishable products in your box, it is wiser to use the FIFO method. To find out more about these methods, visit our guide dedicated to the subject.
• Provide you with the necessary equipment to facilitate the picking of your products, such as well-labelled shelves to delimit the different zones of your warehouse, bins to store your bulk products, or trolleys to accumulate the picked products.
• Look to the future: The storage method you put in place should be scalable and adaptive, to take into account the growth in your subscriber base, and therefore in the products to be stored.

Establish a marketing and communication plan

You are launching an e-commerce box that none of your targets know about at the moment. You therefore need to prepare a marketing and communication plan that invests in all the channels adapted to your target. The key advice lies in thinking multi-channel.

Of course, you need to design a well-designed e-commerce website that offers a pleasant user experience to your visitors and highlights the differentiating elements of your box compared to the current offer on the market.
Also, take the time to work on your natural referencing strategy to move up in search engine results.
And of course, make sure you design a user path that facilitates the act of purchasing. For example, your payment tunnel must be fluid, and you must also think about a strategy to re-launch abandoned shopping carts

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You also can’t do withouta social media communication strategy. Since more than 50% of e-commerce box consumers are between 25 and 34 years old, they are avid consumers of content on social media, so take advantage of this to create a real community of aficionados for your products!

The third crucial lever for the marketing plan of your e-commerce box is online advertising, which is crucial for making yourself known in the first instance, and creating fervent supporters of your new brand.

This first marketing and communication plan aims to acquire your first customers, but don’t forget to also include a part related to the loyalty of these new customers, who will become your first ambassadors.

Work on the packaging of your box, for a “wow” effect

As an e-merchant, the packaging is the first point of physical contact that you establish with the consumers of your e-commerce box.
Thus, the packaging of your e-commerce box will not only allow you to protect your products, but will also participate in the construction of your brand image… and in the loyalty of your first customers
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So start by choosing the right packaging, in line with the image you want to project. For example, is your e-commerce box focused on environmental values? If so, you can then turn to eco-responsible packaging.

Then pay particular attention to theunboxing that you prepare for your customers: unpacking the products in your box should make them want to participate in word-of-mouth about your brand on social networks!

To do this, think about..

• Offering customised packaging in your brand’s colours, why not with prints that make people want to share the packaging on social networks?
• Putin place a personalised, attractive and attractivecushioning system. Exit the loose particles, which annoy consumers; think instead of kraft paper or tissue paper, which are more aesthetic and can be personalised.
• Offer surprises and small attentions in your box. The surprise effect greatly contributes to the success of an e-commerce box! Do not hesitate to include additional product samples, goodies (stickers, gadgets, etc.) or even personalised messages for each of your first customers.

If you have successfully completed these steps, your e-commerce box is ready to be launched with great fanfare!