How to Start an E-commerce Business (9 Steps to Success)

All-in-one platforms (think Shopify) have made it all too easy for anyone and their grandmother to set up shop quickly.

Hear me out. There is a big difference between setting up an online store and launching a successful e-commerce business.

To be successful, you’ll need to research and develop a competitive product and create a professional website with fast shipping and helpful customer service—all while building a memorable brand.

I don’t want to discourage you with an extensive task list; that’s not what this isabout.

We’re here to help you succeed. In this article, you’ll find nine steps to start your e-commerce business on the rightfoot.

Before you start building anything, you’ll want to research the viability of your vision.

Do search query trends support that this product or store is something people want? What will your market position be, and can it be profitable?

Search query trends: Is this something people want?

You can get an idea of the level of interest using Google Trends and a good keyword research tool.

Google Trends is an online search tool that maps the popularity of broad queries in Google Search across various regions and languages overtime.

For example, say I’m interested in starting a children’s gift shop. Google Trends shows that searches for kids’ board games have declined for a few years—especially around the holiday season.

However, searches for wooden toys seem consistent.

Based on this, wooden...