{"id":166,"date":"2020-02-05T11:04:35","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T11:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.storefrog.com\/?p=166"},"modified":"2022-06-13T07:01:42","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T07:01:42","slug":"starting-an-e-commerce-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.storefrog.com\/starting-an-e-commerce-website","title":{"rendered":"How to Start an E-commerce Website? (Beginner’s Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article is a guide for beginners in starting an e-commerce website. It mainly focuses on how you can set up the site and what goes into it. Before that, let us look at what is e-commerce and an e-commerce website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an E-commerce Website?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

E-commerce has changed the way people shop. Instead of stepping out and hopping shops to find their favorite products, shoppers can now do all that in the convenience of their home. It opened doors to so many opportunities that it is nothing short of a revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1994 when Phil Brandenberger of Philadelphia bought a Sting<\/em>‘s CD from the retail platform NetMarket using his credit card. It was the first-ever secure e-commerce transaction in the world<\/a>! Earlier e-commerce meant purchasing or selling products via email or phone, but the advent of the World Wide Web entirely changed the face of e-commerce. Now users could shop with just a few clicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are between 12 to 24 million e-commerce sites in the world today. That is how much the e-commerce industry has grown over the last two decades. Today we have popular online stores, such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Flipkart, and Alibaba, that are generating massive revenues. There is an e-commerce store for almost everything – apparel, electronics, food, healthcare – you name it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is estimated that by 2040, approximately 95% of all purchases will be via e-commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steps to Starting an E-commerce Website<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Starting an e-commerce website is a mammoth task. It takes time, effort, and often a dedicated team to build one. But it\u2019s rewarding when the store is finally up and running and open to customers. Let\u2019s break down how you can set up an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Research, research, and then some more research<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first step to starting an e-commerce website is to do in-depth research about its various aspects, such as customers, products, markets, and competitors. These analyses will help you in creating your business model. All you need (mostly) is a computer and internet to get it all done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get a clear idea of the below points before creating an e-commerce website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are you going to sell?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You cannot start an e-commerce website selling a product that no one wants to buy. That would be disastrous. Be it physical or digital products. Hence, do well-rounded research. So whatever product you sell must have good chances of getting revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out the latest trends or what is catching people\u2019s attention. Try and work around those products and see if anything interests you enough to sell it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could also check current best sellers in other e-commerce platforms. Analyze what type of selected products are selling the most on these sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, you would want to sell the products that you manufacture. In such a case, understand the demand or the area where it has better chances of selling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who are you going to sell it to?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You have narrowed down to the product(s) to sell. Now it is time to decide your customer base. You will already have the answers to a lot of queries surrounding the customer base if you get your product research right. After all, you have decided to sell what people want. Anyway, while researching potential customers, you could get answers to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n