How to Start a Successful OpenCart Ecommerce Business

Posted by JackBudd on March 15, 2024

Are you considering launching your own online store using OpenCart? Follow the key essentials for a successful launch in our guide below!

1. Choose a Reliable Hosting Provider

Selecting the right hosting provider is crucial for the performance and stability of your OpenCart store. Our hosting, backed by OpenCart experts, ensures optimised servers, robust security, reliable uptime, and scalable plans.

2. Install the Latest Version of OpenCart

Ensure you install the latest version of OpenCart to access the newest features, improvements, and security updates. Installing the latest version helps keep your store secure and ensures compatibility with third-party extensions and themes.

3. Select a Responsive and Customisable Theme

Choose a responsive theme that provides an optimal viewing experience across various devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Additionally, opt for a customisable theme that allows you to tailor the design to match your brand identity and create a unique online presence.

4. Customise Your Store's Appearance and Functionality

Personalise your store's appearance and functionality by customising the theme, layout, colours, fonts, and navigation menus. Utilise OpenCart's built-in customisation options and consider installing extensions or modules to add additional features and enhance the user experience.

5. Set Up Secure Payment Gateways

Integrate secure payment gateways to provide customers with a seamless and secure checkout experience. Choose popular payment gateways that support various payment methods, such as credit/debit cards, PayPal, Stripe, and others, to accommodate diverse customer preferences.

6. Configure Shipping Options and Tax Settings

Configure shipping options and tax settings based on your store's location, target market, and shipping preferences. Set up shipping methods, rates, and zones, and configure tax rules to ensure accurate calculations and compliance with local tax regulations.

7. Optimise Your Store for Search Engines (SEO)

Implement search engine optimisation (SEO) best practices to improve your store's visibility and rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). Optimise product titles, descriptions, meta tags, and URLs, and create high-quality content to attract organic traffic and enhance your store's online presence.

8. Implement Analytics and Tracking Tools

Integrate analytics and tracking tools, such as Google Analytics, to monitor and analyse your store's performance, visitor behavior, traffic sources, and conversion rates. Use insights from analytics data to make informed decisions, optimise marketing strategies, and improve your store's overall performance.

9. Test and Optimise Your Store's Performance

Regularly test and optimise your store's performance to ensure fast loading times, smooth navigation, and seamless user experience. Conduct performance tests, optimise images and code, and address any issues or bottlenecks to enhance your store's performance and usability. We offer our monthly support packages in order to address common bugs, issues, and provide general OpenCart support.

10. Provide Excellent Customer Service

Offer excellent customer support to address inquiries, resolve issues, and provide assistance to your customers promptly. Utilise various support channels, such as email, live chat, and phone support, to communicate with customers and deliver exceptional service that fosters trust and loyalty.

By following these essentials for starting up an OpenCart store, you can create a robust and successful eCommerce venture that attracts customers, drives sales, and grows your business.

Ready to launch your OpenCart store? Get in contact with us at info@antropy.co.uk and we'll help get you set up!

blog comments powered by Disqus

Testimonials

Very impressed with the quick service! There is nothing more we need help with right now but we would certainly use you in the future for other issues or alterations we may have. Thank you very much!

Jemma, Aquafayre

We recently started using Antropy for our OpenCart website as internal IT is swamped and we needed back up and they have been great. Work is quick and efficient, we never need to ask for something twice and communication is good. Gives us confidence that when we need something to be done, it will be and to a high standard.

Dominic Old, The Wasabi Company

Taken on both smaller and large projects to a very high standard. Delivered on time, with a professional level of service. Always better than we envisioned. Staff are always ready to help with any issues we have. Really pleased with the results of Antropy, and hopefully we can do more business together in the future!

Josh, Toyland Toyshop

We found Antropy to be very responsive and approachable to work with. They gladly took our own designs and transformed them into an easy-to-manage website. Communication was easy and any requests for change were promptly done. Many thanks for the work!

John Caiger, Matraxis

After many years of trying to update my website, dealing with problematic code, delays, etc, I found Antropy about 10 years ago. I can not say enough great things about the quality of their coding and stability of my website along with the professionalism of their staff. I now have a well functioning website that has stood the test of time. Our site is an e-commerce site so that having it up and running is crucial to our business. On the rare occasion that there is a problem with the site, Antropy's team is quick and responsive to finding the problem and fixing it quickly.

Lynn Reznick, Off The Mark

Merged two previously HUGE separate sites (website and webstore) into one streamlined website with integrated store, with improved social media and mailing list results. Joe helped communicate complicated jargon into simpler terms, solved issues/queries quickly, and the follow up support has been invaluable.

Jo, Cold Spring Records

Thanks for your hard work, it's very much appreciated.

Colin Farndale, CJF Motorcycles

Excellent work, delivered in a friendly and consultative way throughout the whole process. For a small company such as my own it was great to be guided through the process, and all my requests were responded to and I felt involved from start to finish.

Phil Saville, Rook Systems

Wow, I am speechless. Thank you so much, this is perfect !!!! Thank you, thank you !!!

Marios Pantelli, Sewing Machine Company

Firstly, thanks ever so much to you and your team for getting these two sites up and running. It’s a pleasure to work with people who are so helpful and responsive to our requirements. We’re very happy with both sites and all seems to be working fine.

Aidan, Nauticalia

Good to work with, very straight forward

Grant Berry, Home World

Excellent company with outstanding knowledge of opencart and how to get the best from it. If you are looking for a reliable and professional company to work with I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these guys.

Ashley Morrison, Lockertek

Always helpful and extremely responsive to any request and once the project has been rolled out they continue to assist you with great help and advice to make the most of your website

Jamie Chandler, Newvotek

Thanks again for all your hard work on the 3D renders … the results have been fantastic and I look forward to working together again in the future.

Kim, Kimberley-Jane: Design

Thank you all for the hard work, it has paid off, it looks good. The logo is great to promote the practice and the website we can be proud of. Thank you again.

Biddy Arnott, Group Analytic Practice Ltd

We are really delighted with the finished product, it has far exceeded our expectations... Many thanks again for your support and setting up what I feel is the best Alzheimer's website in the country.

Lynne, MK Alzheimer's

We worked with Antropy on our new webshop at kikgoes.nl in the past months. We have enjoyed working with them because of their extensive knowledge of Opencart and the rapid pace of development. We regularly added requirements to the projects and we've never had anything that couldn't be done. We look forward to working with Antropy again for new projects or adjustments to our webshop!

Joël van Daalen, Kik Cycleparts

Antropy not only gave freely of their time to talk with me, they had the patience to teach me as we went along. They came up with various ideas that allowed me to choose what I liked best and with their guidance we got exactly the website we dreamed about.

David, RC Geeks

Just wanted to say a big thank you for all your help and support thus far. You've been absolutely brilliant. You've given me absolute confidence that when there is a problem it is sorted which really gives me peace of mind.

Tracy, FLUX

The deliveries are now incredibly clear and there is no more admin work on this side which is excellent. It’s amazing really and I think our customers enjoy knowing exactly when they are getting it unlike nearly every other furniture company out there! Thanks for this.

Jonathan Haskins, Get Laid Beds