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How to Start an Ecommerce Business from Scratch? [2021 edition]

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In this post, we are going to talk about how to start an ecommerce business, how to sell on Amazon, and how to make an ecommerce website.

Starting an ecommerce business from scratch is as difficult as it sounds, if not more! There is a lot of groundwork involved in the process, before you get to the fun and glamorous side of ecommerce. Ecommerce is not about promoting what others are making through a handful affiliate links. If you have been thinking of selling stuffs online and turning it into an ecommerce business, you will be working to build an entire virtual storefront that will be populated with branded products, merchandise that people can buy, and a barrage of loyal customers. If you do this, you would be recruiting affiliates of your own!

Here’s a helpful video that can help you recruit affiliates to resell your products.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

Starting your own ecommerce business saves you a whole lot of money by eliminating the need to maintain a physical store in the brick and mortar format while letting you cater to the customers who are looking for options online, thus expanding your overall client base and increasing your revenue.

Here’s how you can start your own ecommerce business

In our experience of working with small businesses of a great variety and multiple niches, we have dealt particularly with ecommerce business owners who are just starting out or are planning to establish themselves better. One of the biggest hurdles is taking the first calculated and well-informed step. I have compiled a step by step guide that can help you get started on your journey towards finding success with your own ecommerce business.

1. Pick a product you want to sell online

You cannot begin your own ecommerce venture, if you have no clarity about the product or products you want to sell. Recently we did write a pretty informative post on how to import from China and start selling on eBay.

Here’s a video that can help you understand the different ways to get the products you want to sell.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

Finding a product is only the beginning, once you know what you want to sell, you would have to validate your idea, and then go on to source or obtain the products that you plan to sell through your eCommerce platform.

Here’s an interesting video that will help you test your ideas and figure out whether they are worth the effort!

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

2. Conduct an in-depth research of your competition

Market research is instrumental to the success of your product. Once you have found the product you plan to sell, have got your idea validated and have figured out where to source them from, you must then research the competition and the market you are stepping into.

3. Write your business plan

Now that you have all the relevant research at hand, it is time to sit down and write your business plan. This step is critical for the future of your business. The better your business plan is drafted, greater are the chances of the business getting any measure of success.

Here is a detailed guide that gives you 8 steps to write the perfect business plan.

4. Name your business

Once you have completed all this, it is important that you find an appropriate name for your business before you get a domain name for your ecommerce website. If you are having trouble coming up with a business name, we have a list of the best free business name generators you can try out.

In the process of naming your business, it is important that you understand what is a domain name and where to buy one.

Here’s an awesome video that will teach you how to choose a domain name for your business.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

5. Create a brand identity

Branding is particularly important when you want to stand apart from the thousands of other players in the market. We have an informative, detailed article that can help you understand what is branding and how to create a strong brand strategy.

6. Understand and apply the principles of SEO

As you proceed further through your journey to bring your ecommerce business ideas to reality, it is now the right time to understand and apply the basics of search engine optimization or SEO. We have talked about SEO and how it works, and it can prove to be quite a helpful resource for you.

Here’s a video that has all the basic SEO definitions and more!

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

7. Build your ecommerce store

At this stage, it is natural that you would be wondering how to make an online store or how to start an ecommerce website. You may have heard that creating a fully functional website takes hundreds of (maybe more) hours, a huge budget and more. However, there are many no-code ecommerce tools like Appy Pie website builder, using which you can make your own ecommerce website in just a few minutes, without any coding, and at a fraction of the cost!

8. Identify the best suited sales channel

It is important to choose the right sales channel. It only makes sense to sell on the channel where your target customers already are, instead of going to a channel randomly and invest in bringing customers there!

If you are wondering how to sell on Amazon, here’s a cool video to get you started!

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course,please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

9. Set up for launch

Launching an ecommerce business requires preparation for multiple shipping and fulfillment elements. Here, you would need to plan how to fulfill the orders, how to ship them, and how to take care of the overall logistics. However, if you are looking for a system that will help you get there faster, Appy Pie’s ecommerce app builder can help you get your stuff organized in no time!

10. Getting the first conversion

Once you have launched your ecommerce store, it is time to get working on getting your target customers to buy what you have to sell! This is no mean feat and requires a strategy of its own. There are multiple ways to promote your ecommerce store online and offline. We have an interesting post here that can help you learn what is marketing and how it can empower you to grow your business.

11. Promote your online store

Simply knowing how to create an online store is not enough. No matter how great your products or how intuitive your platform may be, it is important that you market it well. Apart from the SEO strategies, it is important that you have a strong advertising strategy in place.

Here’s a video that tells you how to create your merchant account with Google.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

Another important strategy is retargeting. Here’s a video that teaches you how to use Google Ads for retargeting ads.

(Above video is a part of a more elaborate course on Academy by Appy Pie. To access the complete course, please Click Here, or continue reading below.)

Conclusion

This post is a great guide to get you going on creating a plan for starting your own ecommerce business. However, it is important that you understand this is only the beginning. It is often said, “Well begun is half done”. Hence, with the help of this post, you are already halfway there!

Did you know that you can start your ecommerce store and boost the chances of meeting success with the help of your own ecommerce mobile app and a great website? Try it now!