Cosmetics and skincare products are in fact highly consumable items in Pakistan, and anywhere in the world. The global cosmetics and beauty market share was valued at $380.2 bn in 2019 and is expected to reach a whopping figure of $463.5 bn in 2027, registering a cumulative average growth rate of 5.4% from 2021 to 2027. This immense hip in cosmetic market growth signifies that beauty and cosmetic products are indispensable necessities of the modern lifestyle of people.
If you are someone with the passion and capital to set up an online cosmetic store in Pakistan, you have come to the right place. In this blog post, we will walk you through all the essential steps and strategies that you should be mindful of upfront while setting up your online cosmetic store in Pakistan.
List of Steps to Follow for Setup Online Cosmetic Store in Pakistan
Let’s take a look at every step in detail that will allow you to Setup Online Cosmetic Store in Pakistan.
1. Business Model Development
While selling beauty and cosmetics products is going to be your main way of making income, still it is important to narrow down things a bit. For example, whether you will sell imported cosmetic products or locally manufactured items.
These are the first things that must land on the sheet of your cosmetic business model. As, imported products need negotiations with brands managers, reaching out to reliable cosmetic products suppliers, and developing networking with other vendors and retailers that offer quality, reliable, and skin-friendly makeup products. Furthermore, it also needs business owners to figure out the shipping mechanism and how your suppliers and vendors are going to ship consignments to your store or inventory warehouse. Your business plan must also clarify whether or not you will allow customers for in-store shopping, or just stick to serving customers on the internet with no physical outlet of your business.
2. Inventory Acquisition and Management
Next, you must also find out how you are going to manage, maintain and display the inventory. It means how you are going to sell products and the mode of selling, i.e.
- In-store shopping.
- Online Shopping.
- In-store as well online shopping.
Either way, you will require to have inventory stock, so that you can manage and fulfill customers’ orders in a timely fashion.
3. Identify Your Target Audience
While selling beauty and cosmetics, it is important to find out who your potential target audience is going to be. In fact, women, but you may also like to encompass men and ladies of different demographics. Also be mindful that certain skin textures and complexions need specific skincare products that only skin doctors, skin therapists, and dermatologists usually prescribe and recommend to individuals.
4. Develop an Online Portal
Selling on the internet without an online website is not feasible. Therefore you are required to develop an eCommerce site where customers can come online, browse products and make a purchase virtually from anywhere in the country.
For eCommerce portal development, you need to hire a professional eCommerce web developer, either in-house or you can outsource it to a web development company or even a freelancer. Numerous eCommerce development technologies are used for online store sites. Depending on your budget, you can go for the most common content management system like WooCommerce which offers multiple key functions like cost-effectiveness, the ability to unlimited customization, security, and scalability option.
5. Security and Customer’s Trust
While selling online, you have to ensure that your site is fully secured for the content as well as online payments. It requires you to host your eCommerce site on a reliable web hosting service provider. In addition, your site must have a high level of security sockets level certificates installed.
Furthermore, your need to integrate a secure payment gateway that enables the protection of users’ sensitive information like credit card numbers, passwords, and account credentials from cyber and malware attacks.
6. Develop a Result Oriented Marketing Plan
Once you have an eCommerce website setup, it comes the phase to market your store to reach out to the target audience. Without a well-thought-out and result-oriented marketing plan, you will not be able to make your eCommerce store website visible to the target customers.
Mainly there are two methods that you can capitalize on while marketing your eCommerce business.
- If you have deep pockets with extra cash, you should go for running paid campaigns like Pay Per Click (PPC) to acquire instant and relevant traffic. Although, running PPC campaigns get your site quick and instant traffic as long as you fuel money into running paid advertisements, the traffic drops the time when your ads run out of credit.
- Another method is to go for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), a commonly practiced marketing strategy for small and medium level businesses that bring long-lasting outcomes. With SEO implementations, you can drive traffic to your website organically with a reasonable budget.
- Reach Out to customers in-person to build a more trusted bond and relationship with them. Install WhatsApp Chabot and Facebook messenger Chatbot extensions that allow you to interact and engage with your potential customers from your website.
- Cash on Delivery (COD) is also another marketing gimmick that many customers in Pakistan usually prefer to go for. With low banking penetration and limited use of online transactions gateways, COD can help you grab customers that otherwise feel reluctant to online
7. Build an Online Community
Make a community on various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest. These platforms have millions of users and can become key traffic sources for your business. Staying consistent on all your social media platforms is the key to making your audience remain engaged.
Advertise engaging contents that provoke people to take action and communicate your store’s identity with various marketing gimmicks like new arrival, sales on discounts, black Friday sales, and offerings on various festivals.
8. Define a Clear Return & Exchange Policy
Having a return and exchange policy is another key thing that you should be mindful of. In Pakistan, people shop for sites where they have to option to return or swap products for any foreseeable reason.
