Britain is in the middle of an e-commerce boom. In 2013 alone, British websites produced a trade surplus of £720m, beating the US and Germany. Manchester in particular is seeing masses of success and is now being dubbed Britain's Silicon Valley.

From appliances to fashion, online entrepreneurs in Britain are joining the upper dotcom echelons. In Manchester for example, cheap fashion brand Boohoo floated on the stock market last year and ended the first day on £840 million.

So how did they do it? Founded in 2007, Boohoo.com was one of the earliest fashion brands to find success online. From a standing start they have gone to profits of nearly £11 million. With a good product and an eager customer base, they had a good foundation to stand on, but it was their business strategy and knowledge of their customers that really guaranteed their success as one of the most influential brands in 'high street' fashion today. Offering a combination of engaging, editorial content, and cheap but cheerful clothes, Boohoo.com is a brand that looks to stay for years to come.

The main thing to take away from Boohoo.com's success is their understanding of their customer. Aimed at financially limited 16-24 year olds, the brand gives them cheap but stylish clothes. However, knowing how, where and why your customer uses and interacts online is one of the most important parts of selling online. Use analytics tools, research studies and best practice to understand your customer to the best of your ability to make sure that your website and products meet their needs.

Tips for Success

  • Start Small But Look Big - you may be operating out of a box to begin with, but make sure your website is pulling punches.
  • Optimise Online and Off - the key to a successful e-commerce business is a combination of online and offline efficiency and optimisation. For instance, you might find that demand requires a bigger warehouse, and the flexible, best value option might be one of Safestore's storage rooms.
  • Get Found - invest in SEO, advertising, blogging, social media and diversify your traffic sources as much as possible - you can never have too much.
  • Offer Incredible Customer Service - ship quickly, follow-up, ask for feedback. Always try to over deliver.
  • Build Relationships - encourage a sense of community, turn that one-time customer into a repeat customer, and have conversations with your customer.
  • Constantly Improve and Update - always try new initiatives and don't be afraid to fail. Don't be left behind with new technologies.

What Are You Waiting For?

E-commerce is a rapidly growing sector, but because you don't have a lot of overheads to pay for up-front, it is relatively inexpensive to get yourself set up as a business.

Have you set up an online business?  Tell us about your experiences.

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