Starting a business/e-commerce involves arduous efforts at different stages such as pre-launch, launch and post-launch. There are so many things needed to be kept in mind, to ensure success. Various new entrepreneurs have a same question i.e. things to consider prior to launching an online e-commerce store. Below is the list of important things you need to do before starting an online business.

1. Initial research and analysis

For this you have to find the answers to various questions such as:

• What service or product to sell?
• What should be your targeted audience?
• How much you should invest?
• Who are your competitors?
• How to track orders?

Analyzing the present marketplace is one of the most significant things to do prior to starting a business whether it’s online or offline. Getting an idea about the market reach, targeted customers and competition will serve you to create a successful business model initially.

2. Selection of Domain name

Every business holds unique identity so you also have to choose a name which reflects exact purpose and brand of your business. Just similar to the actual physical business, you should also get Employer Identification Number to open your bank account and for the taxation purpose. Doing this is crucial for the verification process and payment gateway integration.

3. Make comparison and select an ideal ecommerce platform

Once you are done with an effective business model, the next step is to choose an ideal ecommerce platform. Based on the analysis of today’s market dynamics, the most feasible and economical method to start an online business is through ecommerce platform. So, you must make comparison among the different platforms to select the most ideal one. What you need to do is, check out all available platforms for different specifications like, front end, merchant view, dashboard and admin etc. Some of the most popular ecommerce platforms are WordPress, Magento, WooCommerce, Ubercart and VirtueMart.

Additionally, you must also go through the features and additional functionalities of each and every platform.

4. Selection of Development Company

The biggest factor that determines the success of an ecommerce business is the right development of website. And, this is possible only with the right expertise and talent. Therefore, you must prudently choose a company having professional programmers, designers, developers and marketers. For this, you can check out their social media profiles, reading user reviews, testimonials, portfolio and cross-reference. Keep one thing in mind; don’t get lured by the economical services but focus on the quality.

5. Setup your ecommerce store

With the help of selected company and platform, you can setup your store in the online market. The entire process may involve including some logo images, custom banners and services that you will provide through your business.

6. Social media promotion

As you know, today there is huge hype of social media channels among the people. Creating multiple social media profiles for your e-commerce store can help you reach out the huge targeted user base. Make sure that you offer the exactly information across all the channels. For this, you can get some knowledge and tips on how to make effective social media promotion of a business.

All the things discussed above are important to consider before launching an e-commerce store. By considering these things, you can set a strong base of your business prior to launching it. So, you just keep these points in mind when you think of starting an Ecommerce business.