Considering starting an eCommerce business?

The benefits are undeniable. Having an online rather than a physical business allows you to work from anywhere, reduce costs, and extend your reach globally. Over time, more and more brick-and-mortar stores are closing, and the eCommerce industry is booming. There’s never been a better time to start an online store.

Ready to learn how to start an eCommerce business? Discover the practical tips you can use to get started today.

Choose a Product

The very first step is to figure out what product you want to sell.

There are different types of eCommerce business, and you need to think about where you want to position yourself. Will you be B2B or B2C? Do you want to sell luxury items or lower-cost consumer goods?

When considering these questions, think about what products you might enjoy selling, because you will need to create a brand around your products and build a marketing strategy.

The next step is to think about where you will source your products from and then how you will manage eCommerce fulfillment, and make a financial plan around the costs of that.

Create a Brand

To be the best eCommerce business you can be, you need to create a brand for your products.

In today’s social media-oriented world, consumers want to understand not just what they’re buying, but who they’re buying it from, and what that represents. Coming up with a unique brand name, color palette, and brand identity are all great first steps here.

Pick an eCommerce Platform

So now you have your product and your branding, you’re ready to learn how to start an eCommerce business. To do that, you need an eCommerce platform.

There are a lot of things to consider before picking a platform. It should be easy to use, have low fees, and support the seamless integration of eCommerce plugins.

Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magneto have the top market share, but smaller platforms like Zyro are worth looking at too.

Market Your Business

To build an eCommerce business, especially a successful eCommerce business, having a solid marketing strategy is key.

How will you make people aware of your brand? How will you build authentic relationships with your target audience and your customers? Do some research and see what competitors are doing in your niche, and use that to learn what does and doesn’t work in terms of marketing.

How to Start an eCommerce Business: First Steps

We hope this guide helped you learn how to start an eCommerce business. The key first step is going to be research — figuring out what product you want to sell, how you want to brand it, and what platform to sell it on.

If you’re looking for more tips on eCommerce business advice or starting a successful business in general, take a look through the rest of our blog to find everything you need.