If you’ve been thinking about starting an ecommerce business this year, but feel overwhelmed by the idea, welcome! Whether you want to build a side hustle or a six-figure brand, this guide breaks down the modern e-commerce landscape and how you can get in the action and make some serious profits. 💵
The Different Types of E-Commerce Models
Before we dive in how to start an ecommerce business, it’s important to understand what kind of e-commerce business you want to build. Here are the most popular (and beginner-friendly) models:
- Dropshipping: You sell products that are fulfilled by a supplier. No inventory required. All you do is create a storefront for customers to shop. Promote products of interest. And send the orders to a fulfillment center to ship to the customer for you.
- Print-on-Demand: Similar to dropshipping but with custom designs (think t-shirts, mugs, journals).
- Amazon FBA: You are responsible with sending inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers or directly to the customer yourself. Amazon becomes the storefront for your items being sold.
- White Labeling: Involves selling generic manufacturer-made products which you could have the option to sell under a trademark brand. You also have the option to make small changes to the manufacturer’s original product to make it stand out from other competitors selling the same item under their brand.
- Private Labeling: You research and manufacture your own patent and branded product to sell. You do this by partnering with private manufacturers to create your idea from scratch to be tested and sold out to the public. This method is a lot more involved, has the most risks but the greatest reward in the end.
Each model has its pros and cons. The right one for you depends on your level of risk, budget, goals, and the kind of customer you want to serve.
What You Need to Get Started
No matter what model of e-commerce you choose, the foundation of how to start an ecommerce business begins with these steps:
Step 1: Choose your Niche
Don’t skip this, please! It’s what separates successful stores from ones that fizzle. Your niche should solve a specific problem for a specific group of people. T
This will allow your store to make larger profits as you target a market of people actually looking for your products. General e-stores have no direction and are typically recommended when you are testing out multiple products in the beginning to see which one is successful.
Step 2: Select your Platform
Interestingly, you can pick Shopify, Etsy, Amazon or WooCommerce. Pick your platform to carry your storefront and get started.
Just make sure to check out their tutorials and free lessons about their platforms to see which one will work for your specific products.
If you are interested in:
Dropshipping & Print-on-Demand: Shopify and TikTok/IG store will be your best bet.
Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA)- Amazon’s storefront would be a great starting point to test out products and see what sells. However, to create a better customer experience, I would suggest allowing Amazon to handle your fulfillment so you can offer Prime to your customers.
Amazon FBA can also be great for those wanting to test their white and private-labeled products in a generalized market as well.
White & Private Labeling: Shopify is great for beginners. WooCommerce is for those a little more tech-savvy looking to do more customizations.
Digital Products, Homemade items & Provider Services: Try Esty, Teachable and Shopify. All three will provide you with a great storefront you can share with your audience in one place. Wix and Squarespace can also be a great choice when first starting out to cut costs.
Step 3: Set up your store
Get your domain, choose a theme, upload your products, and add the important pages to remain compliant and seen as a trustworthy site.
Pages to Include:
| About Me Page | Here you will work to promote the identity of your brand and its competitive edge. Answer these questions: What makes your store so great? Who are you selling to? Why should they trust you? (Brag yo’ azz off!) |
| FAQ Page or Section | Think of what questions your customers may have in regards to your store and product(s) and have them already answered to save time. |
| Contact Information | To show you are available to assist with any issues that FAQ can’t address. Use a professional email or phone number. |
| Disclosure Pages | Such as: AI disclosures Terms & Service Conditions Privacy Policy Affiliate Disclosure |
| Return & Refund Pages | So your customers see how your store handles returns and refunds (if applicable) |
| Cookies Preference Page | Address how you are tracking and storing information on the website. This is especially essential to have when selling within the state of California. |
| Accessibility Statement | How are you making your website accessible for those with certain disabilities and impairments? |
| Blog Section | To build authority and connection with your audience when they visit your storefront. Also makes a great place to do affiliate marketing! |
Step 4: Basic Branding
Now its time to create a logo, brand colors, and a vibe that reflects your ideal customer. If you are not entirely sure about what main and accent color to use, check out the color wheel (link) from Canva to get some inspiration.
Step 5: Business Basics
Consider in the very near future to apply for an LLC and set up a business PayPal/Stripe account for transactions.
You will also start thinking about marketing strategies for your business. I typically advocate for starting with 1 main social media account to build your ideal audience without feeling burnout. 👌🏼
Tools to make these steps easier to implement:
- Canva (graphic design)
- Storefront tutorials to start building where it all takes place (All platforms have them especially Shopify)
- ChatGPT (Assist with creating ad copy, outlines, disclosures and landing pages)
- Legal Zoom (For all the legal mess you don’t want to deal with- LLC, legal pages etc.)
Finding Winning Products
When learning how to start an ecommerce business, don’t just sell random items. Sell solutions. Customers want products that are either helpful and/or trending.
Ways to find product ideas include looking at:
- TikTok trends (#sawitontiktok, #viral, #trending, #iboughtitontiktok)
- Pinterest searches and shorts
- Etsy bestsellers
- Amazon Bestselling Sections
- Reddit and Quora group questions (FB groups are kind of dying at this point depending on your market age range. But give it a shot too 😮💨.)
- Manufacturer and dropshipping vender website to see what is trending on sites like Alibaba or Pietra
Once you’ve got a product, your store needs to make a strong first impression.
So, high-quality product photos are essential. Use AI mockups if needed. (Google will not hate you for it 😉).
Your descriptions for products should also focus on benefits, not just features.
Set prices based on your market research and make sure your site feels trustworthy. Add REAL reviews, testimonials, and secure checkout badges overtime.
Test everything on mobile and desktop before launch. 🚀
Some platforms like Shopify have a test purchase mode. You can activate this mode to ensure payment features are working properly on your store.
Building and Launching Your Store
Now comes the fun part when learning how to start an ecommerce business:
Launching your store! ❤️
So here is an easy checklist you can use to make sure your storefront is off to a great start:
Awesome job!
Marketing Your E-Commerce Business
Once you’ve got a product, your store needs to make a strong first impression.
Marketing is where the magic (and money) happens when understanding how to start an ecommerce business.✨
No traffic means no sales, so you’ve got to get visible.
Organic traffic through SEO, Pinterest, TikTok, and blogging can build long-term momentum.
Paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Google Shopping can bring in quicker wins—but only if you know what you’re doing.
And email marketing? Don’t sleep on it. 😪
Start building your list from day one. Offer a freebie or discount to get subscribers in, then nurture them with value and promotions.
Utilize UGC (User-generated Content) to have other content creators promote your products for you.
Whatever marketing plan you start, try it out for at least a month before trying something different. And don’t stop giving value to your Social media audience as well.
Show up every time even when no one seems to be watching. Because eventually, they will. 😎
Managing Orders, Fulfillment, and Customer Service
If you’re using dropshipping or Amazon FBA, fulfillment is mostly handled for you. Still, great customer service goes a long way.
Automate order confirmations and tracking updates. Answer questions quickly and efficiently (within 24-48 hours).
Tools like Zendesk or even just a clean Google Sheet can keep things running without stress.
The key is having a way to track it all so when customers come angry (and they will), you have a solid record of purchases, contacts and other information to assist accordingly.
Scaling Your Store to $5K+/Month
Once your shop is rolling, let’s talk scaling. If you’re aiming for $5K/month or more, you’ll want to do more than just sell one product over and over.
Start by upselling and cross-selling related items, raising prices on your bestsellers, and testing out subscription offers (like monthly boxes or access to digital content). Hello affiliates!
Retargeting ads can help bring back potential customers who didn’t buy the first time.
Seasonal products, sales events, and product launches are also great ways to bring in bursts of traffic and sales.
And don’t forget to keep an eye on your key metrics: conversion rates, email open rates, and your return on ad spend. Split test your product pages and keep tweaking based on feedback.
This sounds all daunting right now, but if you stick with your store and keep learning, all of this will make sense in the long run. I promise! 🙏🏼
Is Starting an E-Commerce Business Worth It?
No doubt! The beauty of learning how to start an ecommerce business comes with its perks. And the best part is its flexibility: you can sell physical goods, digital downloads, or a combination of both.
And with low startup costs, access to global customers and AI finally on the loose, there’s never been a better time to begin.⭐️
Start where you are. Choose one ecommerce type to start. Focus on solving one problem. And remember—every six-figure store started with one product and one person who decided to try.
I launched my first e-commerce store on Shopify. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I had no audience and just 3 items in my store to start. Three days after launch, I made my first sale, and it was history.
How did I do it? 😅
I did my research, devised a consistent, measurable plan, tested out the plan. Failed. But stuck with it. And if I can do it. You can seriously do it too.
So let’s keep figuring it out together, shall we?
—Liz