Overview of E-commerce Business

We have all heard about giant companies like Amazon, Flipkart, and so on. They are all into the E-commerce business, making huge profits every minute whenever a seller or vendor makes a sale through their platform. However, they all started it somewhere, step by step, right from building their brand to deciding the name for their E-commerce business. Let us understand the concept of an E-commerce business and how can you start this business.

What is E-commerce?

E-commerce, also known as electronic commerce or internet commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet or the world wide web, and the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. E-commerce is often used to refer to the sale of physical products online, but it can also describe any kind of commercial transaction that is facilitated through the internet such as services, courses, an intangible product with value, and so on.

Advantages of E-commerce Business to Entrepreneurs

Before taking a look at how to establish your own E-commerce business, let us have a look at a few of the reasons that would show us, why we as an entrepreneur should start an E-commerce business.

Flexibility

You can operate your E-commerce start-up from your own house in the beginning. You can operate it for 24 x 7, without worrying about monitoring at peak hours. One of the major advantages of E-commerce is the flexibility that it provides.

Lower Start-up costs

As lengthy and costly as an E-commerce business may sound; it does not require huge start-up costs or a huge investment to be made. The major costs that you may incur while setting up your E-commerce business would be the website and software costs, and also the logistics.

Make Sales 24 x 7

As we discussed above already, your business would never stop for a single moment. The Internet never sleeps or takes a rest, so the chances are that be it a Sunday or be it a vacation month, you are still going to make money as long as the sales are coming in.

How to Start your E-commerce business

After taking all the advantages into consideration, the next thought is how to start a business. What would be the brand name? What are the various licenses and permits required for setting up your business? And so on. Let us break down each one of these points, one by one.

Decide your business’s scope, and type!

Amazon, an E-commerce giant deals in multiple products and sellers, however, did you know that an E-commerce business can also be carried out with just one range of products and sellers? The First order of business is to select the type of products you plan to deal with. The range is important, more variations mean reaching out to more people and more profits. If you opt for a single seller, you would not have to monitor and carry out lengthy transactions, in case you go for multiple sellers, you may also have to have software to carry out things efficiently.

Name and Logo

The brand name is very important. How are you distinguished from others? It is obvious, because of a name, it gives you uniqueness. It goes the same for your business, there are too many e-commerce businesses out there, and the competition is huge, in such a case your brand needs to be separated from others. That’s where a name and logo play the most important role. You should decide on the same very carefully.

Registering your business

Now, comes the part that is the most lengthy and confusing. Getting your E-commerce business registered! You need to acquire the common formalities such as the DIN, PAN, and digital signature certificate, and check the availability of the name you have decided. In the case an of E-commerce business, you should also register yourself with the GST certification. Various other formalities such as opening up Provident Fund with the respective Provident Fund organization.

Select your Brand’s Website

How easy it is today for consumers to access Amazon’s website right? The same should be for your E-commerce business. Remember, the first impression is the last impression, your website should be designed well and according to your content. Your template, the design should match the variety of products you deal in. Design your website with excellence and it would leave a good impression on the viewers, creating good trust as well.

Payment Gateways and Logistics

It should be very easy and accessible for your customer to check out the product they wish to purchase, they should have various payment options available for them. However, for that purpose, you need to have a decent payment gateway and permission for the same. To acquire a payment gateway, you need to submit various necessary documents, and once approved, it is all sorted.

When it comes to Logistics, you need to be very careful with the storage facilities and packing and handling of the products that are being ordered through your e-commerce website. Not just that, the shipping of the products to the customer in a safe manner, reaching every state, Pan India delivery should all be taken care of. It is a wise decision to outsource these to other companies.

Awareness and Marketing

Just because you have a website that does not mean your presence would be known to your customers. You need to create awareness of your brand, and your website, and make your presence known to all your potential customers. This is one of the major challenges faced by entrepreneurs. You need to have a solid marketing plan to make everyone aware of your website. Google keywords, Instagram ads, Facebook ads, and so on. Marketing will not only boost your presence but also grow your sales.

Conclusion

Here we can conclude, how the E-commerce business works, and the various advantages that it provides us with. In order to start your E-commerce business, you need to first select the niche, then you have to select a brand name and a logo. Registration is the next step, creating a good website design, taking care of payment gateway, logistics, and lastly good marketing strategy.

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