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How to Start an E-Commerce Business?

How to Start an E-Commerce Business?

Similar to starting any business, learning how to kick-start an e-commerce venture is a little challenging. However, launching, setting up, and maintaining websites where creators, designers, and entrepreneurs can sell their wares is a lot more attainable now than ever.

Here’s how you can start an e-commerce business.

Pick an e-commerce platform

Selecting an e-commerce platform where you’ll be hosting your website is one of the fundamental considerations. With a plethora of platforms available, choosing one might not be too easy. However, our personal recommendation is Shopify. It doesn’t just help you grow by offering a range of customizations but is pretty affordable for a startup. But if you prefer some other, feel free to choose that. Next, decide the products and then build your website.

Choose the right products

Before starting with a product selection, find out what your product is going to be. Think of items you’re passionate about—remember, if you’re passionate about something, others would probably love them too. So, identify a need in your market and consider who will be your ideal customer. Plus, don’t put together a bunch of random items such as wine glasses and dog toys—unless, of course, there’s some underlying theme tying them together. Stick to a particular niche. This decision is going to be big. So, choose products that inspire you—something you’d like to share with other people.

Define your website’s look and feel

If you want your customers to recognize your e-commerce store across different channels, define your website’s overall branding. This includes product packaging, social media platforms, logo design, website design, and a lot of other elements. Again, use eye-catching fonts and pick colours that meet your message—your website must be readable. Your website should be in line with your target audience. If your website is about a children’s toy company, using bright colours will be alright. However, they wouldn’t be suitable for a beauty brand aimed at older women.

Build a memorable, intriguing homepage

If your website doesn’t attract your visitors, they’ll leave within a few seconds. Therefore, ensuring your website is eye-catching is of utmost importance. Your website should contain a recognizable logo, appropriate colors, and a pleasant feel. Deciding which products to feature on your page is also crucial. Select some products, get professionals photos of them, and display them on the homepage. This is very important because bad photography is a big turnoff for customers.

Plus, your website should be mobile-friendly. With a good e-commerce platform, your store will automatically work smoothly with tablet and smartphone devices. However, double-checking your website is still recommended so try opening it on different devices and see if there are any problems.

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As a freelance business plan writer, Kapil Munjal offers a customized business plan writing service for clients worldwide. He works with individuals and businesses to create professional business plans for bank loans, investors, landlords (retail property), government grants, and Canadian & US immigration. He has been writing business plans since 2011. Kapil holds an MBA from the University of British Columbia.