Starting an eCommerce Store – Concise Guide

Introduction To eCommerce

Starting an eCommerce store is a lot of work. You need to set up your merchant account, find a web host, choose your payment gateway and then build out your buyer personas. But once you've done that, everything else should fall into place easily enough. In this concise guide – eCommerce Set Up Service Providers – ByteSizeMe run through the basics involved in setting up your eCommerce Store correctly.

Create your eCommerce website.

Your eCommerce website is the first thing people will see when they visit your store, so it's important to make sure that it looks good and feels welcoming. You want people who are browsing through your site to feel like they're getting something of value, so think about how you can make their experience as smooth as possible.

  • Design: A great design will make customers feel at ease when checking out on their mobile devices or desktop computers (or even tablets!). If possible, have multiple versions of the same product with different colors or styles available in each variation. For example, if there's an alternative color for one item but not another (e.g., blue vs red), include both options in the design so shoppers don't miss out!
  • Branding: Make sure all branding elements—from logos down to fonts used throughout the site—are consistent across all pages using similar colors/fonts/styles/etc..

Set up a merchant account.

A merchant account is a financial institution that allows you to accept credit card payments over the internet. The fees and benefits of using a merchant account vary depending on the type of business you have, but most require an annual fee of $100 or less per year.

The most common types of businesses that use merchant accounts are e-commerce retailers (like Amazon or eBay), online marketplaces such as Alibaba and Etsy, and other companies like Uber who provide paid services for consumers.

There are two main ways to get a merchant account: through an existing relationship with your current bank or credit union; or by going through an application process with one at least three banks in order to find out which one will work best for you personally—and then signing up with them!

Find a web host.

Once you have your idea and a few items to sell, it's time to find a web host. Web hosts are companies that provide servers to run your website. There are many different types of web hosts, each with their own advantages; some offer more features than others and charge higher rates for those features. In addition, some companies have better customer service than others (and will even let you talk directly with someone if there's a problem). Finally, security is another important consideration when choosing a host—you want one that can help keep hackers from stealing your data or hacking into their servers while they're running yours!

Choose your payment gateway.

Once you've chosen your theme, you'll want to make sure it offers the features and payment options required by your business.

  • Choose a payment gateway that can process international payments. This is important because not all eCommerce stores are located in the United States, so having access to international markets is crucial for growing your customer base beyond just local customers who live near where you do business (and maybe even close enough that they could walk down their street and visit).
  • Choose a payment gateway that can process payments in multiple currencies. Again, this is important because not everyone has access to the same currency as everyone else—for example: if I'm selling an item online but my customers' credit cards don't support American Express or Visa (or whatever other type of card I'm using), then they won't be able to purchase anything using those cards unless there was another option available through my site's checkout process (such as PayPal) which would allow them access regardless of what kind of credit/debit card they have attached.*

Build your buyer personas.

  • Identify your target audience.
  • Understand their needs and desires.
  • Create buyer personas.

Get marketing and drive traffic to your store.

So, you've decided that an eCommerce store is the best way for your business to grow. Now what?

You need to get people to visit your site so that they can buy from it and then come back again in the future. Here are some tips on how to do this:

  • Use social media marketing. Social media is a great way for people who aren't familiar with your brand or product line to find out more about what's available and what they can buy from you without having any previous experience with similar products or services before making their first purchase decision (or even worse, buying something entirely different than what they intended). You'll also get feedback from customers through social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter - this helps improve customer satisfaction rates by providing them with detailed information about specific aspects related specifically tailored towards satisfying their needs at any given moment during usage cycle which ultimately improves overall satisfaction levels overall too!

Conclusion

The next step is to get your store up and running. Our eCommerce have covered the most important parts of this process, but you can still find a wealth of information in their article ‘How to Start A Small eCommerce Business in The UK’. If you need any help with these steps, we recommend starting by consulting with a local web designer or developer who specializes in eCommerce. You might also want to ask around for recommendations from friends or family members who have already started their own businesses online (or have seen firsthand how hard it can be).