How to open an online store from scratch - step-by-step instructions. Pick-up points for online stores How to open an order pick-up center

Since 2010, there has been rapid growth in the field of online commerce. Almost every second entrepreneur and those who want to become one think about the question of how to open an online store.

By now, online trading resources have begun to create real competition for existing stores, especially in regions with developed logistics and delivery.

There are actually many reasons for such success among a wide range of audiences. Each potential client makes a purchase in an online store, guided by their own arguments about the benefits of online shopping.

Positive aspects of opening an online store

Let's look at the main advantages of online commerce:

Cons and pitfalls

Along with many positive aspects, there are also disadvantages to opening an online store. Some of them can be overcome with good organization and a thoughtful approach to the business idea, while others will require careful work.

The main disadvantages of online trading are:

1. Serious competition in the field of online trading. From the point of view of sellers, the situation with competition is getting worse over time; large trading companies taking over the online shopping market are of great importance. Often, prices for goods in the store are higher than on the company’s website, which makes online promotion for newcomers to the market increasingly inaccessible.
2. The widespread dissemination of the practice of independent purchasing of goods by customers on such large online platforms as AliExpress, Ebey, TaoBao and others. It is useless to compete with foreign sites in terms of product range and pricing policy (even taking into account the cost of delivery, goods from China are still cheaper).

A good option for solving this problem (especially against the background of the regular introduction of protective duties on goods from abroad by the state) is cooperation with foreign Internet malls. For example, the well-known online auction TaoBao offers for a symbolic amount a ready-made trading website with a independently selected product category.

Maintenance and configuration of hosting is carried out by the selling company. Logistics services and internet support are also the responsibility of the organizer. A novice entrepreneur can only choose a pricing policy (taking into account his own) and actively engage in attracting a client base.

1. The need to carefully select an Internet provider, hosting company, and Internet security services. Even a short site freeze or an unexpected Dos attack on a weekend can lead to the complete loss of many clients.
2. The need for a serious approach to market analysis. An incorrectly chosen product category (for example, the idea of ​​​​selling scuba diving accessories in completely arid regions is unlikely to find success) can put a start-up business in a stalemate.
3. Despite the low costs of opening an online store, its online promotion requires serious financial investments. Additionally, funding a non-professional SEO company will bring nothing but disappointment and loss of money to the website owner.
4. If the operating system of an online store is based on redirecting search queries of a potential client to the supplier’s website, then there is a threat of strong dependence of the dynamics of trade development on the integrity of suppliers and partners.

Step-by-step creation of an online store

Any business requires the creation of at least an impromptu business plan before starting practical implementation. As for creating a business on the Internet, the step-by-step structure of getting started is presented below.

Studying the target audience

To move to the next stage, you need to analyze the target category of future clients of the site: young people, middle-aged people, perhaps the products will relate to certain categories of the population or take into account their individual characteristics, etc.

Determining the priority area for future trade

At this stage, you should decide on the product: what to sell and in what range. It should be borne in mind that even if there is a great desire to start selling a good but little-known brand, it is advisable to refuse it. It is best to start with selling goods that are well known to customers and are in constant demand: children's clothing, shoes, toys, jewelry, etc.

A good assistant at this stage is the online service Wordstat. It will indicate demand statistics for a certain type of product with reference to the region and will provide the most optimal offer for entering the sales market.

Of course, it is best to implement what you have the greatest interest in, but there are several successful universal options:

1. Food products are always and everywhere in demand. But, firstly, the modern buyer is not yet so accustomed to online shopping as to order sugar, bread and milk in an online store. And, secondly, products require a very serious approach in terms of storage, certification, sales and shelf life. Continuous work with suppliers, selection and payment for premises that maintain temperature and humidity conditions, inspections by control services - all this is too difficult for a beginning entrepreneur.
2. Automotive spare parts are a good choice for starting a business, until the world runs out of cars, there will always be a demand for spare parts. A successful start requires one of two factors - serious initial capital for the initial purchase of a basic set of spare parts, or a reliable supplier willing to ship parts immediately upon request at a discount. The best option would be a supplier from a region where supply exceeds demand, for example, from Vladivostok.
3. Construction materials are a very popular product. Currently, there are virtually no illiquid products in the repair and construction industry. Pricing is free, despite the oversaturation of the supply market, finding your niche will not be difficult even for a novice seller without a large initial capital and sales experience in the construction industry. The only nuance is the storage features of certain types of building materials, such as building mixtures, wood products and combustible materials. At the very beginning of business development, while there are no good premises for warehouses, it is better to refuse such products.
4. Mixed goods and costume jewelry are the simplest type of goods; in most cases, it is recommended to start with it. Costume jewelry is quite cheap - at low costs you can immediately make a good purchase of goods and the issue of forwarding orders to the supplier will disappear. They are sold well - many people use costume jewelry, which, unlike many other products, is more convenient to choose on the Internet. It does not require special storage conditions, does not deteriorate over time and does not lose its value even over long periods of time.

Supplier search

Once you have decided on the product category, you need to find a reliable supplier that meets the requirements of integrity, prompt delivery and pricing policy.

Depending on the initial capital, at the time of opening an online store, you can go in two ways - immediately purchase a small batch of goods and gradually buy what you need as the number of sales increases.

Or don’t buy anything, but find a reliable seller with a wide range of necessary goods within walking distance. You can negotiate with the seller the option of urgent delivery or work directly (to order). As a rule, sellers are cooperative; they are entrepreneurs and are just as interested in selling their goods.

Website creation and assortment uploading

Website creation can begin in several ways:

• independent development of a trading platform from scratch or using popular website builders (CMS);
• purchasing a ready-made template with the possibility of uniqueization and adding your own assortment;
• ordering the development of a template from a qualified specialist and concluding a contract for its further promotion;
• purchasing a ready-made trading platform on a specialized resource for selling websites.

As practice shows, at the initial stage, when there is still no understanding of the entirety of the future business, the most effective method is to purchase a ready-made template that is already popular on the Internet.

When purchasing a template, you should carefully review reviews about the site creator, hosting owner, and domain type. It is not recommended to purchase websites created on the basis of third-level domains. Such providers are not interested in maintaining the stability of the program code and, in exchange for a free domain zone, will place their advertisements on the created site (including those that are completely unsuitable for the theme of the site itself).

Website promotion and promotion

Depending on the state of your financial account, you can choose fast or slow ways to promote the created online store.

The fast method usually requires a fee. It involves concluding a contract with leading SEO promotion companies, which, in exchange for a fixed fee, guarantee to attract useful traffic to the site. The disadvantage of the method is its cost. If you want to start a business from scratch, you may not have such an amount at your disposal.

Slow and relatively inexpensive methods include setting up contextual advertising or independently promoting the site, for example, by writing feature articles or independently advertising your site on blogs and forums. Disadvantages are serious time costs and unguaranteed traffic, especially in the absence of the necessary skills.

Organization of delivery of goods to the buyer

For the final buyer, in principle, it does not matter where exactly the goods he paid for will come from. Taking advantage of this, at the development stage you can work as an intermediary - display goods physically located in the warehouses of the main supplier on your website. After ordering and paying for a product item, promptly buy it from the supplier, indicating the address of the head customer as the delivery location.

In fact, many trading services use a similar scheme, thus minimizing logistics costs and the risks of knowingly acquiring illiquid goods in the future.

Having launched a full-fledged online store and delegated the most time-consuming tasks to hired employees, you can think about expanding your business.

Choosing a name

The final stage of creating a website will be choosing a name for the future online store. In practice, services with short, catchy names that are easy to remember and at the same time carry a semantic load similar in theme to the main area of ​​sales of the site are gaining popularity.

An important nuance is the choice of a domain name that is consonant with the name. It will be strange when the domain address is completely different from the official name of the site. In an era of advanced Internet fraud, this can alienate many potential clients.

For example, when selling children's things, the name “Children's World” and the domain “KinderWorlds.com” would be very appropriate. It is unlikely that children's products will be popular at the Lucky Joe store.

If your imagination is really bad, you can use the services of professionals. The practice of ordering from a naming studio has long spread on the Internet. Employees will analyze the market for similar products, conduct thematic queries using key phrases and prepare several optimal proposals.

How to open an order pick-up point

An order pick-up point can bring quite a significant increase to the budget, but only if it is used correctly. The fact is that despite all its popularity, orders are simply not as profitable as they seem.

If we take into account a large city, then the concentration of such offers in it is already too high, and entering the market will be difficult. On the other hand, in a small town or on the periphery, a pickup point is unlikely to be able to recoup even the costs of its existence.

Let's look at this issue in more detail. There are several order delivery services that pay the organizers of pick-up points for their work. For example, the Boxberry delivery service pays the organizer of the pickup point about 30 rubles for one order and less than a percent for a payment made through the pickup point terminal.

Using simple mathematical operations, we find that for more or less significant income it is necessary to serve at least 50-80 clients per day. Is this possible in the periphery?

And even when such a flow of clients reaches the threshold, the real income of the organizer minus the costs of renting premises, salary to an employee (even one), Internet, telephone, utilities, purchasing equipment, registering a cash register, etc. will only be about 10-15 thousand rubles.

It follows from this that it makes sense to open a point for issuing online orders only if you have your own developed online store, and payment from services like Boxberry will only be an additional advantage. You can increase the income of a pickup point by merging (concluding agreements) with several geographically close online stores.

Legal registration

Despite the fact that many entrepreneurs implement their Internet ideas without any legal registration, it is still recommended to deal with this issue immediately after launching a business idea.

The point is not even that the lack of registration entails non-payment of taxes, which in itself is a violation of current legislation, but that many potential partners, security and outsourcing services do not work according to “gray” schemes.

The optimal choice would be to register an individual entrepreneur under the simplified taxation system. The method of calculating the tax rate at the initial stage is recommended to choose a system of 6 percent deduction from the income of the entrepreneur; the same amount can subsequently be reduced by the amount of insurance premiums.

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Every year, online trading offers more and more conveniences and guarantees. One of the additional features of many virtual stores is to receive your order at a special order pickup point for free or at a better price. It is not difficult to open it, and registration of activities does not take much time. The successful implementation of this business idea requires a minimum of financial investments, but it is important to ensure the relevance of the service and find a reliable partner.

Pickup point for orders from an online store as a business

By opening his own pick-up point for orders from an online store, the entrepreneur will find the optimal solution to the logistics problem for both the client and himself. For many entrepreneurs who have created an online trading platform, renting a warehouse in a small town, equipping your own pick-up point, or hiring a courier is not financially profitable, and the price list for transport company services often does not suit the buyer and makes online shopping less profitable. Therefore, the services of a private pick-up point for orders from many online stores will be relevant for both parties and will bring good income to the business owner.

For a business to gain momentum and develop dynamically, it is important not only to choose reliable partners, but also a transport company with reasonable rates and a good reputation. It is advisable not to agree to the supply of goods that require special storage conditions, since they are not ordered very often, and the costs will be significant. What kind of store is profitable to open? It is easiest for owners of online trading platforms to work with such product categories as cosmetics, children's clothing and accessories, car parts, souvenirs, and jewelry. In order for the point for issuing orders from an online store to be profitable, it is important to establish business contacts with one or two large (if the city is small) or a large number of partners. Parcels arrive quickly, and the cost of the service is usually lower or equal to the price list of private delivery services that take longer to deliver the goods or are located in an inconvenient location. Lower prices are achieved through consolidation of delivered cargo. If the cost of shipping its weight is divided by the number of recipients, then the final cost for each of them will be cheaper than in the case of individual registration of each parcel.

Advice: for the full and successful operation of the point for issuing orders from the online store, you will need to open a special payment agent account - account No. 40821. Tax must be paid on the amount of remuneration transferred by the partner.

The amount to be paid depends on the store’s pricing policy and the calculations indicated on the website, but the client sees this information before ordering. For some positions it is paid (approximately 150-200 rubles), for others it is free. As a rule, once a week the owner of the order issuing point deposits money with the bank and provides payment orders. The remuneration is transferred to him once a month, but the conditions of different partners may differ. To increase the number of sales, the creators of virtual trading platforms often hold interesting promotions to attract customers to the store: discounts, providing a second product from the same line for free, sweepstakes.

One of the formats for organizing a point for issuing orders from online stores is a show-room. It has a small area and contains product samples from various online resources. The buyer can personally evaluate the product in all respects before purchasing. But the implementation of this business idea requires more significant financial investments (about 50% more). You can also open a pick-up point for orders from an online store in the form of parcel terminals. To do this, you will need to purchase special cabinets with cells that will be opened with a special code, and hire an operator. It is advisable to provide video surveillance and security. It is not necessary to look for a separate premises; you can rent space in a popular hypermarket or shopping center.

Advice: to increase profits, you can add courier delivery and the ability to carry out small orders for a fee to the basic function of the point for issuing orders from an online store

On average, the owner of the item receives 1-2% of the cost of the goods. This is not a lot of money, but with significant turnover, an entrepreneur can make good money. This indicator is directly influenced by whether the owner works directly with online stores. If you use the services of an intermediary, the profit will be significantly less. Based on the experience of the owners of such pick-up points, it makes sense to open one only in large cities or where such a service will be in demand in order to achieve a large turnover of orders. The main thing is to immediately organize the work correctly, and then only control its quality. To get higher income, you need to open several points or combine its work with your trading platform. You can create an online store on VKontakte quickly and absolutely free. How to sell things online? To achieve good sales, it is important to find reliable suppliers, create a wide range and ensure quality delivery.

Where to find partners for successful cooperation?

1. Independently negotiate with the owners of online stores and trading platforms (cooperation in this format is already offered by Ozon, Wildberries, Aliexpress).
2. Work with delivery services for business clients and individuals who offer to open a pick-up point under their brand (for example, Boxberry, Hermes, Express Courier).
3. Cooperate with large companies that provide logistics services to online stores on a franchise basis; they will act as intermediaries, and the owner of the delivery point will act as a subagent.

How to open a pick-up point for orders from online stores?

The first step towards creating your own small business is registering your activity. When writing an application to the Federal Tax Service, you will need to correctly indicate the OKVED code (General Classifier of Types of Economic Activities). To indicate the type of employment of the point for issuing orders, use the value (OKPD 2) 47.91 - Retail trade services by mail or via the Internet information and communication network. The easiest way is to work as an individual entrepreneur. The opportunities of this status are quite sufficient for running a successful business. This will also simplify bookkeeping and save on the number of taxes and the amount of state duty.

Then you need to find a suitable room (the optimal size is 15-20 m², less is possible). There is no need for a large area, since parcels are picked up within 1-2 days, they do not have to be stored for a long time, and the arrangement and utility bills of a large room will not be cheap. It is advisable to open a point in the central part of the city or close to it. An additional advantage will be the creation of optimal conditions for self-pickup of goods, and, if funds are available, the arrangement of your own small parking lot. It is necessary to buy high-quality equipment for the work of the dispatcher, who processes orders and issues parcels: PC, printer, cash register, furniture. Its role can also be played by the owner. It is advisable to pay due attention to the facade of the building, the entrance or the design of the central counter (depending on where the point will be located), purchase a bright sign with a memorable name, make convenient steps and a ramp. Another advantage will be the opportunity to order courier delivery, albeit for an additional fee, and to create your own website with partners’ product catalogs (over time, the online platform will become a source of additional income, because after promoting the resource, the owner will be able to rent out space there for advertising). If you issue 40-45 orders per day, you will be able to return your investment within a few months. If you have financial investments, at least up to 300 thousand, you can, for example, try to open a travel agency from scratch or organize your own mini-production.

Creating a pick-up point for orders from an online store is not very difficult. The procedure for registering activities is standard and does not require much time. But for a business to be successful, it is very important to make sure that the service is relevant for the population; perhaps in this city it will be more profitable for the buyer to cooperate with transport companies. It is also necessary to thoroughly study the intricacies of independently opening such an item from scratch, by visiting specialized business forums, reading books, material from the Internet, or starting cooperation with a partner with a good reputation.

Today there are not many reasons why virtual retail outlets are losing out to real stores. So, before making a purchase, any buyer wants to hold the item in his hands, try it on, evaluate its quality or make sure it works. In addition, due to the imperfection of delivery services, goods purchased online sometimes have to wait several weeks.

That is why the question of how to open a point for issuing orders from online stores seems extremely relevant. Indeed, such a service not only reduces the process of delivering the parcel to two to three days, but also allows the buyer to clearly familiarize themselves with the advantages and disadvantages of the product, make a decision on payment or return the product that does not meet expectations, and receive all documents confirming the transaction. Entrepreneurs, in turn, are interested in the opportunity to earn money from a simple procedure for processing and issuing orders, as well as the prospect of using nationally known online store brands to promote their own business.

Business Features

Any entrepreneur studying can note that the stage of delivering goods from the warehouse to the final buyer is the weakest point of a network business. Indeed, there are few options here: the seller either reduces costs in the faint hope of the decency and integrity of the postal service, or eliminates risks and speeds up the transportation process by using the expensive services of transport companies.

Looking through the catalogs of competing trading platforms, you can find that their prices for similar products differ by no more than a few tens of rubles. Therefore, in the end, additional benefits and additional customers are received not by the store that sells cheaper, but by the one that is able to offer customers the best-cost delivery services in a reasonable time.

In such conditions, opening an order pick-up point looks like a reasonable solution to the problem not only for sellers who acquire their authorized representative in relationships with customers on the spot, but also for buyers who can:

1. Receive your parcel literally a few minutes after it arrives;
2. Choose the most convenient pick-up point from among those operating in the city;
3. Count on prompt notifications about the departure and arrival of your order;
4. Check the quality and completeness of the product before payment;
5. Expect to store the parcel at the place of issue for 7–14 days;
6. Refuse several items included in a composite order;
7. Receive a receipt for payment and a note on the guarantee sheet.

In order to understand the nuances of the pick-up point and provide customer service with maximum efficiency, the entrepreneur must clearly understand the mechanism of the business.

During the work cycle, you must:

• Receive a combined parcel directly from an online store (if it is located in the same city) or from a transport company;
• Disassemble the shipment into individual orders and pack them;
• Enter information about orders into the database and send notifications to recipients;
• Deliver shipments to customers personally or through a courier;
• Receive payment for the goods (if necessary);
• Transfer money to the seller's bank account;
• Expect the store to provide remuneration for customer service.

Franchise benefits

A novice entrepreneur who doubts his abilities can be advised to open a franchise point for issuing orders: today on the market there are offers not only from stores, but also from large intermediary companies. The activities of the buyer of a franchise product are organized as follows:

• A businessman studies the offers of franchisors and chooses the most interesting of them;
• A franchise agreement is concluded with the product supplier;
• With the assistance of the franchisor, the entrepreneur opens a delivery point;
• The parent company trains employees of the new service;
• The entrepreneur receives advertising materials from the franchisor, takes part in marketing events and consults with his leading manager on issues of ensuring the functioning of the delivery point.

Obviously, this method of opening an order pick-up point seems simpler than creating a business on your own. However, according to the requirements of the franchisor, the buyer of the product must fulfill certain conditions:

1. Register an individual entrepreneur;
2. Choose a room of sufficient size;
3. Install a cash register;
4. Provide space for installing a franchisor order pick-up counter;
5. Provide staff to process these orders;
6. Ensure the installation of a sign with the name of the corresponding brand.

The most famous franchisors on the Russian market today are Maxima-Express, Boxberry, Pick-Up, PickPoint, Hermes and Ozon.

Choosing a direction and finding partners

Many entrepreneurs have doubts about which pick-up point to open: the enterprise’s income is primarily determined by the popularity of the presented trading platform in the region and the demand for goods of certain categories. It is quite difficult for a beginner to make the right choice of direction and partners, so the service should initially represent three or four large stores with a wide range of products.

On the other hand, when determining the scope of activity, an entrepreneur must take into account his own interests and knowledge. Having qualifications and experience in any industry seems to be a significant argument in the question of whether it is profitable to open an order pick-up point, since such a specialist will be able to:

• Provide professional advice to clients;
• Freely navigate a wide range of products;
• Qualifiedly assess product quality and identify faults;
• It’s easy to find a common language with employees of specialized online stores.

Obviously, the popularity of a particular trading platform to a certain extent depends on what to sell in an online store: the ideas of 2020 can be divided into several large areas, each of which has dozens of companies of different sizes. The main players in the virtual trade market interested in cooperation with pick-up points are presented below:

Largest online stores

Direction	The shops
Women's and men's clothing	LaModa, WildBerries, Quelle, Otto, BonPrix, Witt, H&M
Children's clothes	LaModa, WildBerries, GloriaJeans, Mamsy, DochkiSinochki
Kids toys	Ozone, MyToys, DetMir.ru, DochkiSinochki
Household products	Ozone, Quelle, Top-Shop, BonPrix, Witt, H&M
Bijouterie	WildBerries, Ozone, KupiVIP, Avon, Rainbow of Gems
Cosmetics	YvesRocher, Ozone, LaModa, L’etoile, Faberlic, Avon
Bags, shoes, accessories	LaModa, Quelle, BonPrix, Witt, H&M
Appliances	Technopark, Citylink, Eldorado, Yulmart, 220Volt
Electronics	DNS, M-Video, Eldorado, Citylink, Svyaznoy
Handmade goods	Spinbo, Masters Fair
Books	Ozone, Labyrinth, My-Shop

As you can see, this list does not include. The reason is that the largest Chinese aggregator does not see any prospects in cooperation with private points for issuing orders in Russia, preferring to use the services of regular mail.

Official registration of business

It would seem that it could be simpler - open a pick-up point in your city and start earning money. However, in practice it turns out that all large online stores, being completely legal enterprises, require the same from their partners. In addition, buyers also want to have certain guarantees in the form of a cash receipt and a document with the seal of the entrepreneur.

Therefore, you will definitely have to register the point of issue. Like any service, the service can be registered either as an individual entrepreneur or as an LLC: the first option is not only profitable, but also more convenient, since the requirements for maintaining accounting records for individual entrepreneurs are somewhat more flexible. When registering, you must indicate OKVED code 47.91 “Retail trade by mail or via the Internet,” and also select the simplified taxation system with payment of 15% of profits.

Since the activity of the order issuing point involves regular receipt and processing of payments, you need to open a current account with a banking institution. Also mandatory for comfortable work with clients is the acquiring service - accepting non-cash payments using plastic cards. Finally, the cash register should be registered with the Federal Tax Service.

The list of other documents is standard for any type of small business related to customer service. This includes:

• Permission from Rospotrebnadzor to conduct activities;
• Permits from the SES and fire service;
• Agreements for the removal of solid waste, disinfestation and deratization, recycling of lamps;
• Work records of employees;
• Decorated consumer corner;
• Instruction log on compliance with fire safety measures.

Selection of premises

An entrepreneur who has firmly decided: “I want to open a point for issuing orders from online stores,” must weigh his capabilities with the offers of landlords and choose premises that are not too expensive, but well located and pre-renovated. The location is even more important here, so if there are particularly successful options without repairs, it is advisable to consider the possibility of putting the property in order on your own.

On the other hand, not every newcomer can afford an office in the city center or in an elite shopping center. In such a situation, one should consider the prospects of opening a distribution point at some distance from the central streets or in large residential areas consisting of new buildings and populated mainly by young people. However, the main conditions still remain the availability of convenient parking nearby for customers arriving by car, and public transport stops or metro stations for those traveling on foot.

Service hours should be set according to location. For example, in the center or in the business district you can serve customers from 9:00 to 18:00, while in a residential area it is advisable to issue orders before 20:00 - this is the time when the majority of people return home after a hard day.

There is no need for a very large premises for the delivery point, since most customers prefer to pick up parcels within one or two days after they arrive. It is quite possible to place a warehouse, customer service area and fitting rooms on an area of ​​20 m².

However, the office must be:

• Dry, equipped with ventilation and heating;
• Well lit;
• Equipped bathroom for employees;
• Located on the ground floor with a separate entrance.

Equipment of the delivery point

For entrepreneurs who are planning to open their own business, the point for issuing orders from online stores is also interesting due to the small investments in equipping the enterprise. First of all, you will need strong multi-tiered shelving, a reception desk and a couple of tables with chairs.

The administrator's and accountant's workstations must be equipped with computers, a network printer must be connected to them, and Internet access must be provided. It is also recommended to install special software for tracking orders and warehouse balances.

For settlement and cash services, you need a cash register and a special POS terminal that allows you to accept payments from plastic cards. Over time, it is advisable to purchase an additional barcode scanner, which significantly speeds up the order processing process and reduces the likelihood of errors.

Finally, the business plan for the order pick-up point must include ensuring the safety of goods for which the entrepreneur bears full responsibility during storage. For these purposes, the premises must be equipped with security and fire alarm systems, as well as video cameras to prevent theft among both employees and visitors.

Equipment for delivery point

Name	price, rub.	Quantity, pcs.	Amount, rub.
Laptop	14000	2	28000
Router	1200	1	1200
Printer	6800	1	6800
Cash machine	10000	1	10000
POS terminal	8000	1	8000
Video surveillance system	15000	1	15000
Security and fire alarm	25000	1	25000
Parcel rack	2500	5	12500
Reception desk	7100	1	7100
Electrical appliance testing table	3000	1	3000
Office table	1500	2	3000
Chair	1300	2	2600
Fitting room with mirror	5000	1	5000
Signboard	20000	1	20000
Stationery	5000	–	5000
Total:			152200

Staff

As a business, an online order pick-up point is characterized by loyalty to human resources. Theoretically, with a small amount of work, an entrepreneur will be able to independently serve clients, but this responsibility will certainly prevent him from doing other, more strategically important things - for example, developing the enterprise and finding new partners. Therefore, at least one hired administrator is still necessary.

The main characteristics for candidates for this position are honesty, accuracy and responsibility, since the reputation of the service is largely determined by the quality of the work of the employee processing orders. Errors in service, mixed up or lost parcels, refusals when processing returns can cause significant harm to the company's image and put the business on the brink of ruin, so the administrator must also be polite, extremely attentive and friendly.

Before opening a point for issuing online orders, it is necessary to resolve the issue of delivery of goods. This service is highly desirable, since many customers are already accustomed to receiving parcels without leaving their home. A courier is also needed if the service location is not the best - for example, away from the main pedestrian routes or at some distance from the city center.

Staffing of the pick-up point

Marketing events

According to reviews, the order pick-up point is a business that requires a specific attitude to promotion. Formally, the service does not need advertising, since the buyer, when placing an order in an online store, usually chooses the office closest to his home or place of work. However, if there are several enterprises of this profile in the city, competition for customers inevitably arises between them, since it is possible to make money at the point of delivery of orders solely by increasing the volume of deliveries.

How to take advantage of this market:

• The schedule should be as convenient as possible for customers, including those who would like to receive the parcel on their way to work or returning home in the evening;
• By negotiating with store management, you should try to get additional discounts or privileges that increase the comfort of cooperation for customers or help them save;
• Focusing on , the list of represented stores needs to be constantly expanded. First of all, you should pay attention to well-known companies with popular products in the region;
• Related services are often in demand - for example, delivery and assembly of purchased furniture, setting up electronic devices, installing household appliances and even gift wrapping of souvenirs;
• Unpacking products, checking the quality of items and the functionality of equipment on site is a mandatory and unconditional rule for delivery points. The service must also have the right to issue a warranty card from the store.

None can become one without marketing activities. However, in the case of a pick-up point, it is not online stores that should be promoted (they will take care of their advertising), but the service itself, its services and additional benefits. However, it is not forbidden to use the brand of a well-known and popular partner to attract the attention of customers to your enterprise.

An advertising strategy as part of a business plan for a pick-up point for online stores needs to be developed taking into account maximum coverage of the main target audience - young people who make purchases online. The most suitable sites for this are local forums, city and thematic groups on social networks, contextual advertising with regional targeting and your own website containing detailed information about the service, terms of service, work schedule, physical address and transport routes convenient for visitors.

Spending plan

When drawing up a business plan for opening a pick-up point, it is imperative to make some economic calculations in order to determine the payback period and the safety margin of the enterprise. How much will you have to invest in the business?

Initial costs

As a business, an order pick-up point will not be able to function without regular monthly costs, the largest share of which will fall on the wage fund of hired employees:

Monthly expenses

Now you can try to calculate how much a pick-up point earns, serving several popular online stores and receiving on average up to fifty parcels per day.

Revenues and profitability

First of all, an entrepreneur needs to understand how the order pick-up point makes money. The main source of income here is online stores, which pay for the parcel to be delivered to the client on the spot or delivered by courier to the specified address. The fee will be charged even if the buyer refuses the product or returns a defective product to the store.

However, delivery of goods is not the only way online order pick-up points make money. The entrepreneur receives additional remuneration for cash management services to clients, including accepting money from them in cash or non-cash form, issuing checks and subsequent transfer of the received funds to the account of the online store that supplied the products.

Finally, the service’s cash register is sometimes replenished by customers. The fact is that, according to the terms of service, the goods can be stored for free at the point of issue for an agreed number of days - for example, a week. After this period, a small fee is charged to the buyer for each day of delay for the safekeeping service.

Pick-up point tariffs

For those who are planning to open a pick-up point, reviews from other entrepreneurs and some statistics will help to get a correct idea of ​​the state of affairs in the industry. Thus, according to information provided by the owners of most large online stores, the average purchase price last year was:

• Less than 1000 rubles - for 2% of companies;
• 1000–5000 rubles - for 36% of companies;
• 5,000–15,000 rubles - for 46% of companies;
• Over 15,000 rubles - for 16% of companies.

These indicators indirectly help determine how much you can earn: according to the most pessimistic forecasts, an order pick-up point will work with an average check in the range of 3,000–5,000 rubles. Thus, for settlement and cash services for recipients of goods who wish to pay in cash, the entrepreneur’s remuneration will be 45–75 rubles for each parcel.

To determine whether it is profitable to open a point for issuing online orders, you should take into account the receipt of funds from the three sources of income described above.

Video on the topic

Pick-up point profit

Index	Meaning
Number of orders per day	50
Number of orders per month	1500
Average order bill, rub.	3000
Orders issued on the territory of the point	900
Orders delivered by courier	600
Profit from issuing orders on site, rub.	45000
Profit from delivery of orders by courier, rub.	72000
Remuneration for accepting cash, rub.	67500
Total gross profit, rub.	184500
Tax 15%, rub.	27700
Net profit, rub.	156800
Profitability, %	135
Payback period, months	1,5

Conclusion

The order pick-up point is exclusively an intermediary business, the profitability of which depends on many external factors. The reputation of such a service in the eyes of clients is determined not only by the actions of the entrepreneur, but also by the policies of the online stores represented. Difficulties in the work of virtual trade giants, hacking of servers, deterioration in the quality of goods, supply interruptions or inflated prices - any of these circumstances will immediately affect both the image of the virtual store and the number of customers at the point of delivery of orders. The entrepreneur will have to solve these problems on his own, as it is almost impossible for retail trading companies.

That is why you should not limit yourself to cooperation with one online store, no matter how attractive its assortment may be.
15 voted. Grade: 4,73 out of 5)

Arranging delivery is an integral attribute of a business specializing in online sales. The service claims to be an independent activity without having its own online stores. Its organization does not require large investments, so even beginning entrepreneurs can implement a business.

Pickup point

Relevance

Consumers with access to the Internet increasingly prefer distance shopping. Their essence is to purchase goods from a seller located anywhere in the world, from home. To increase sales, entrepreneurs sell goods not only through stationary stores, but also through online stores, which become an additional source of income. However, at the delivery stage, a business representative may encounter problems, since to organize it it is necessary to be able to use the functionality of courier delivery, which is not relevant in all regions, or to have a point of delivery of purchases.

The possibility of independently exporting goods purchased from an online store increases the attractiveness of the outlet.

An additional option allows the client to inspect the item of purchase before receiving it and, if necessary, test it. If a defect or discrepancy between the characteristics of the product and the declared parameters is detected, the buyer has the right to refuse the purchase and demand its replacement or refund. Pickup points are an additional source of income. Here you can not only pick up your purchase, but also get advice, order and pay for goods using the services of specialists.

It is profitable to organize a pick-up point for goods from online stores even in a small town, since most Internet users make purchases on the World Wide Web. The attractiveness of the business line lies in its demand among consumers, since purchasing using this scheme is characterized by saving personal time and reducing the cost of goods.

Business Features

When drawing up a business plan for a point for issuing orders from online stores, you should take into account the specifics of business activity in order to subsequently avoid difficulties in work. A feature of sales through global networks is the reach of a larger target audience than when selling goods through a stationary store. Therefore, the point of delivery of goods will be attractive not only to potential buyers, but also to owners of online stores who do not have their own point of delivery of products. The constant demand for services from all types of clients determines the demand for business, which guarantees its quick payback and profitability.

Parcel machines

The essence of the business activity of the point of delivery of goods purchased by users via the Internet is to formalize a transaction with the seller, who transfers the products for packaging, packing and delivery to the buyer. A business can be organized according to the scheme of independent points of delivery of goods purchased on the World Wide Web.

The size of the initial investment in the business, the payback time, as well as the list of measures to ensure the functioning of the activity and its promotion, depend on the popularity of the company. If you open a franchise point for issuing orders from online stores, you can receive income already in the first days of its operation. An unknown outlet will require additional investments in an advertising campaign.

When operating as a franchise, a constant influx of customers is guaranteed, but the entrepreneur will not be able to implement his own developments into reality.

When opening your own retail outlet, a business representative risks not recouping the investment and closing down as a result of losses incurred. For this reason, it is recommended to cooperate with a franchise with a well-known retail outlet, which will allow you to quickly develop and expand the network of distribution points. For example, the famous online store Wildberries, specializing in the sale of clothing, has many operating self-pickup points. Having formed a partnership, you can successfully work according to the scheme of selling similar products via the Internet.

Read also: How to open a tobacco shop: how much money do you need?

Where to find partners for cooperation

The result of the distribution point's activity directly depends on the number of partners committed to long-term cooperation. With their help, it is possible to organize coordinated work and get the expected profit.

Exterior design of the Wildberries pick-up point

To find companies that would agree to cooperate, you need to draw up a written business proposal and send it to potential contractors. It’s easy to create a list of them yourself by analyzing the responses to queries about sales portals in search engines.

You can advertise your offer to use the pick-up point or advertise it through viral online advertising. Entrepreneurs get high returns from promoting a landing page with lucrative offers of cooperation with promotions, bonuses and discounts displayed on it.

A good income can be obtained from joint activities with delivery services by opening your own point under their name. In such a situation, the franchisor will help in finding partners, since he is interested in maintaining his rating and receiving additional income.

You can find business partners by establishing cooperation with companies specializing in logistics services. Partnership relations with them will be formed according to a mediation scheme. In this situation, the intermediary will be a logistics company, and the subagent will be the owner of the pickup point.

How to choose a direction

All self-pickup points cooperate with retail outlets specializing in product sales. The business plan should indicate the areas of activity in which work is planned, as well as the category of goods of the online store, the interests of which will be represented. As you work, it is recommended to create a list of partner sites and strive to expand it. From all areas, we can highlight areas in which purchases are often made on the Internet:

• cloth;
• cosmetics;
• technique;
• electronics.

When opening a pickup point under a partnership scheme with well-known companies, for example, with eBay, you should study the terms of cooperation, which are usually displayed in the “Partnership” section on the official websites of trading platforms. When signing an agreement, you should take into account that delivery and organization of a point of delivery of goods may not be possible in every region.

To conduct business for issuing products ordered on the Internet, registration of a business entity is required. Depending on the planned scale of activity, an entrepreneur can register as a legal entity or individual entrepreneur. After receiving business status, you should choose the optimal tax regime.

Interior of the Ozone distribution point

Postal transfers, as well as work via the Internet, are possible upon registration of retail trade services under OKVED. For financial settlements, a business representative needs to open a bank account. Additionally, you will need to obtain permits from the fire department and the SES. Before starting work, it is necessary to conclude a contract for cleaning the area with a cleaning company for garbage removal and security.

Room

When choosing a room, keep in mind that it must be equipped with storage racks, as well as fire and security alarms. It must be reliable and exclude the possibility of unauthorized persons entering, since the warehouse is supposed to store valuable parcels.

The modern format of trade is a convenient and quick execution of any purchases via the Internet. The buyer and seller only have to decide how to deliver and receive the goods. One of the most popular options is order pick-up points. An incredibly profitable business idea can become the main source of stable profit, you just need to understand the nuances of its implementation. Do you want to know why you should open a pick-up point? All the answers are in our article.

Order pickup points are an excellent way to organize a small (usually limited to one city or region), but very stable business. Want to try? Then, first of all, you should decide which online stores will become your main partners.

The choice is incredibly large, but you should focus not on the popularity of a particular Internet site on the Internet, but on the demand for the goods it offers in your locality.

Here are a few practically win-win options for product areas from which it makes sense to start developing your own business:

• women's and children's clothing;
• educational products and toys for children;
• cosmetics from popular brands that prefer online distribution;
• electronics and craft supplies.

The cloud service Business.Ru Ecommerce is perfect for managing and automating the order pick-up point. Convenient work with orders and clients, full trade and warehouse accounting, all primary documents.

Step 1. Assessing the main risks

The main risks of this project include:

• problems with regulatory authorities as a result of insufficiently competent financial and accounting records. How to avoid risk: outsource accounting and personnel records.

• loss of reputation due to violation of customer service terms. How to avoid risk: set customer service standards and strictly follow them.
• high competition with transport companies. How to avoid risk: organize a wide and convenient network of distribution points with the maximum range of bonuses.
• financial losses due to improper organization of delivery, accounting and storage of goods. How to avoid risk: think in advance where the products will be stored, test the delivery mechanism in small batches.

Step 2. Paperwork

When registering as a business entity, it is best to choose the most popular and simplest option - individual entrepreneur. Its design requires a minimum of time and money. When choosing an OKPD, it is best to focus on paragraph 47.91; it most accurately reflects the specifics of your activity.

Depending on the set of additional documents required in your region, registration and payment of state fees may require up to 20 thousand rubles.

Activities are taxed according to the simplified taxation system. Additionally, you will need to open a paying agent bank account and purchase a cash register for accurate accounting and reporting.

Step 3. Selecting a location and premises

To save on office rent, you should focus on finding a suitable option in areas of the city that are remote from the center but have good transport accessibility. At the initial stage, 20-25 square meters are enough to organize a workplace and warehouse, because the parcels will not be stored with you for a long time.

Rich decoration is an unnecessary excess; it is enough that the room is clean and cozy, preferably located on the 1st floor, heated, equipped with a bathroom and high-quality ventilation.

Step 4. Technology and the Internet

As for the equipment of the premises, there will be no need for large expenses. All you need: racks for decorating the warehouse area and a stand for the operator handing out parcels to customers. In terms of equipment, you must purchase a computer or laptop, as well as a cash register that meets the minimum requirements.

Of course, since you work directly with online stores, you will also need a stable access to the Global Network. It is most reliable to use a fiber-optic connection from an operator that provides a wide range of tariffs and 24-hour technical support.

If desired, you can install CCTV cameras at the point to ensure security and control over employees; the system can be connected to a private security console.

Step. 5 Recruitment

To eliminate the risk of downtime and disruptions in the operation of the point, it is worth providing two operator positions with a shift work schedule. If you intend to deliver large or heavy cargo, choose stronger men, otherwise you will also have to pay for the work of the loader.

Your employees should be friendly and decent. After all, by organizing a pick-up point for orders from a specific online store, in the eyes of customers you become part of a specific brand or company. Your reputation directly affects the attitude of customers towards the store itself.

Ozon.ru is one of the largest online stores operating in Russia and neighboring countries. 18 years of work on the market, more than 1.2 million visitors and more than 4 million products. To start cooperation with Ozon.ru by opening an order pick-up point, you need to:

• have a certificate of registration as a legal entity or individual entrepreneur;
• rent a comfortable room in an accessible area of ​​the city with a daily work schedule of at least 19 hours, including weekends;
• purchase and register a cash register;
• organize stable Internet access and conditions for calling clients;
• provide for the possibility of returning unclaimed parcels and collecting profits.

You may be refused if your point of issue:

• is not on the first line or far from public transport stops;
• less than 10 square meters;
• not equipped with a security alarm and access control system;
• not well ventilated;
• does not have the furnishings and necessary equipment, as well as a place for the customer to check the contents of the order.

The CRM system for an online store from Business.Ru has the ability to integrate with delivery services, which allows you to track the status of sent orders by track number. And the open API and our specialists will help you set up an exchange with the delivery services your online store works with.

Wildberries is another one of the largest players in the online trading market. A million visitors and 120 thousand orders daily, more than 15 million products available for order.

The store management did not formulate any special conditions for those wishing to organize a point for dispensing goods from Wildberries. However, the list of main requirements for partners includes mandatory registration as a legal entity or individual entrepreneur.

Basically, the store focuses on the benefits of mutually beneficial cooperation, actively promoting the idea of ​​​​distributing a network of representative offices and expanding the customer base of wholesalers. At the Store Forum, those wishing to cooperate are invited to personally negotiate the terms with management.

Do you want to open a pick-up point for goods from this store? We advise you to contact directly a specialist from the Wildberries Customer Service Quality Control team and discuss individual terms of cooperation.

How to open a Lamoda order pick-up point

About 2 million products, a thousand brands, prompt delivery and a unique service: “try, choose, pay later.” The popularity of the Lamoda online store is due not only to the fact that foreign specialists founded and promoted the project, but also to the fact that the store is completely autonomous. How to open a point of delivery of goods from Lamoda? You will not find such information on the official website.

A large list of vacancies and a list of existing pick-up points along with courier delivery call into question the relevance of the idea of ​​cooperation. But, if you want to know for sure how possible this is, contact the management. Firstly, get first-hand information and discuss individual conditions, and secondly, you will be able to accurately verify the company’s customer focus and the effectiveness of the B2B format declared by it.

How to open an Aliexpress order pick-up point

The issue of organizing a pick-up point for goods ordered on one of the world's largest online platforms, Aliexpress, was discussed on the Aliexpress for Professionals portal. Considering the delivery system to the recipient, which is mostly used by Chinese online stores, the organization of delivery points looks, to put it mildly, impractical.

The portal’s specialists answer such questions as follows: “Aliexpress is a Chinese company and they are unlikely to be interested in this; a person writes his address and post office code on the website. You need to open your own post office, but you won’t be able to do it - this is state territory.” And, nevertheless, it is worth noting that one similar point still exists in Russia. It is located in Moscow.

One of the most popular and largest online stores specializing in book products and stationery is “Labyrinth”. A huge range of books, the possibility of pre-ordering or exchanging, a convenient affiliate program designed for cooperation not only with legal entities, but also with individuals...

And not a word about the organization of delivery points. And all because the company has a wide partner network throughout the country and a well-organized courier delivery system. In addition, in almost every major city, Labyrinth has its own pick-up points for goods, which sharply reduces the chances of obtaining individual terms of cooperation with the store.

The CRM system for an online store from Business.Ru provides extensive opportunities for working with your own couriers. In a few clicks you can create a list of orders for delivery to a specific area for a courier and print a route sheet.

Unlike most chain companies selling cosmetics of their own brands, Faberlic does not focus only on private distributors. However, managing your own Faberlic goods distribution point is not something anyone can do. To do this you need to be “in the system”.

That is, you need to be an ordinary distributor of these cosmetics in the status of a private person. You will receive permission to organize an HTP only if:

• your group’s catalog sales volume will be at least 600 points;
• you will be registered as an individual entrepreneur or receive permission from a superior mentor;
• rent an office in a place with good traffic (but not in a shopping center or in an apartment);
• your office area will be more than 10 square meters.

How to open an order pick-up point for several stores

When planning cooperation with several stores at once in order to open a common point of delivery of goods for them, you should take into account that:

1. Being direct competitors to each other, some companies may refuse to partner after seeing a list of supposed “neighbors”. You will have to select stores in such a way as not to create a conflict of interest.
2. Having received consent to cooperate with the stated composition, you will need to carefully study all the requirements of each store. Be prepared that some of them will contradict each other.
3. Trying to satisfy all requirements, it is worth taking the maximum indicators as a basis, otherwise. When expanding your business, you may encounter serious obstacles and refusals from further cooperation.
4. It is best to resolve organizational issues in this case directly with store managers or senior specialists; only in individual negotiations can a compromise solution to the issues that arise be found.

Opening a franchise pick-up point

Franchising is a very common practice not only abroad, but also in Russia. It is equally beneficial for both those who work as a franchise and those who allow them to use their brand. The first gets the opportunity to quickly and successfully start, the second gets an influx of new customers and expansion of sales geography.

The advantages of using a franchise include:

• the opportunity not only to see the product the client is interested in in the picture, but also to touch, try on, and evaluate it live, which reduces the percentage of returns;
• simplicity and efficiency of processing replacement and return of goods that did not suit the client, which have a positive impact on the company’s reputation;
• reducing the cost of delivering goods to the recipient.

As for the minuses, there are not so many of them. Perhaps, only the need for additional costs for delivering goods to the point, which is easily covered by the high level of demand for goods. Such well-known brands as Boxberry, SDEK, PickPoint, and maxima-express are actively using the benefits of franchising.

Is it profitable to open a pick-up point?

You want to open an order pick-up point - what income will this business bring you and is it worth starting at all? The experience of many successful entrepreneurs who once bet on just such a project suggests: it’s worth it! The project can be considered successful if every day the point issues from 10 to 15 parcels costing from 1000 rubles each.

Taking into account the fact that the percentage for transferring goods to the buyer is small, only about 1.5-2%, the payback period can range from 3 months to a year and a half.