Here are 7 Steps to Build an eCommerce Store from Scratch

Step 1: Pick the Products you wish to Sell

Although there are a variety of options, you need to choose products with high demand. Check out the popularity of the product before you decide to sell it. Opting for products that are low in demand or unpopular will make it difficult for you to sustain your business.

Will the product give me a decent amount of profit? Well, this is the question you have to ask before choosing the product. For instance, say you are planning to sell office supplies online. Find out how profitable it is to sell these products.

All in all, make sure the products you pick to sell online are a huge revenue generator and provide lucrative business in the long run.

Step 2: Finalize your Ecommerce Model


Want to quickly set up your online store? Then stay away from the traditional way of launching your eCommerce business that involves setting up your own server, having your storage and backup in-house.

Choose the dropshipping eCommerce model as it only requires a laptop and a stable Internet connection to run your online business. You can build eCommerce stores easily and in a minimum amount of time.

In a dropshipping eCommerce model, the product supplier/vendor takes the responsibility of storing inventory and shipping orders directly to the customers. As a reseller of the product, you have to only provide the order details to your supplier who will ensure that the product is delivered at your customer's doorsteps.

Step 3: Decide the Supplier


With whom will you strike a business partnership to run your online business? It is really not possible to succeed in eCommerce business if you choose the wrong vendor/supplier. Conduct thorough market research before picking any supplier.

The supplier you finally select has to be reliable and must offer high-quality products. Most importantly, the supplier should have a strong reputation for on-time delivery. The supplier's Office supplies online catalog should offer a range of products.

Also, instead of choosing an overseas supplier, pick a local one. For instance, a local supplier will provide faster shipping and will make it easier for you to deal with issues such as a replacement for defective products.

Step 4: Find a Suitable Business and Domain Name


Picking up the right business and domain name is very important to be successful in your online venture. Making the wrong choice can severely hurt your brand.

The business and domain name you pick has to be unique, catchy, easy to pronounce, short and most importantly it should match with the nature of your business. Make sure to include business-related keywords into your domain name.

Step 5: Building your Ecommerce Store


Do you wish to quickly design and launch your eCommerce store? If yes, choose a hosted eCommerce solution that is designed to significantly reduce your startup cost.

The biggest advantage of using a hosted eCommerce platform is that you don't have to worry about website hosting, security or maintenance. It is managed efficiently by a third-party company. A hosted solution eliminates the technical hassles of starting and running your online store.

A hosted solution comes with a range of built-in eCommerce templates to choose from. You can pick a template, customize it quickly using drag and drop functionality.

Step 6: Get SSL Certificate


Whenever running an eCommerce business, having an SSL certificate is a must. SSL certificate signifies the trustworthiness of your website. SSL stands for secure socket layer and ensures customer data is encrypted for secure data transfer.

If you choose a hosted eCommerce platform, you really don't have to worry about installing an SSL certificate separately as it comes along with the hosted solution.

Step 7: Setup your Payment Gateway and Shipping Methods


Decide what payment options you will adopt to receive payments online from your customers. To accept payments online via credit or debit card, integrate your eCommerce store with payment gateways like PayPal, Authorize.Net, etc.

As far as shipping orders directly to the customers are concerned, consider making partnership with shopping companies like FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc. These shipping companies are reliable and offer on-time delivery.