March 08, 2025 • By KWD
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With eCommerce sales increasing year over year, there has never been a better time to launch your business's online store. More than 70% of internet users make purchases online. What does this mean for you and your company?
To be sure, more people are clearly purchasing online, via tablet, or mobile device, rather than driving to a bricks-and-mortar store. Can you afford not to be online in light of this shift in purchasing attitudes? While creating an eCommerce website may appear to be a daunting task, it is not as difficult as you may believe.
Selecting an industry and a product.
Choosing the right product to sell in your online store can make or break the success of your eCommerce website. However, with millions of available products, how do you know which ones to sell to ensure yours is purchased?
When it comes to selecting an industry and product, there are typically numerous factors to consider. The following are some critical points to consider.
Price
What is the price of your product? If the price is too low, achieving a positive Return on Investment will be difficult (ROI). If it is prohibitively expensive, customers are likely to require additional convincing to make a purchase. They're probably going to want to speak with someone on the phone or via live chat prior to making a purchase, and may also want to check out review sites. This customer support requires additional resources, but can be profitable if your product is priced correctly. Inquire of others and initial purchasers what price they would pay for such a product.
Profitability margins
What is your profit margin on each sale, in other words, how much profit will you make after deducting the costs of selling the product? Many products sold online have a margin of around 30%–35%, but this varies significantly by industry. For example, while electronics typically have lower profit margins, phone accessories are frequently marked up by up to 200 percent or more. Prior to selecting your products, determine the profit margin for each. Often, this entails directly contacting the manufacturer or establishing a relationship with a distributor.
Local accessibility
Are consumers able to purchase your product on a local level? When a product is not available in local stores, it is much easier to generate sales through your website. The consumer is left with few options but to make an online purchase through your eCommerce site.
Dimensions for shipping
How large and heavy is the item? Larger and heavier products typically incur higher shipping costs, which can have a significant impact on sales. Many customers anticipate receiving free shipping. As a result, it can be challenging to sell a product that includes a shipping fee. To combat this, you could incorporate the cost of shipping into the price tag, while increasing the price and offering "free shipping." The caveat, however, is that price increases may result in decreased sales. A tip would be to offer smaller products that require less shipping.
Locating manufacturers who produce high-quality goods.
Once you've determined which products to sell, you'll need to determine who the manufacturers will be. There are numerous methods for locating manufacturers that can significantly save you time.
Shopping expeditions
Google Shopping is a powerful search engine that searches only for physical products available for purchase online. It includes some additional information about the re-sellers (which is useful for spotting competitors), but more importantly, about their suppliers. Simply enter your product into Google Shopping and click on the "Brand" section to see which manufacturers appear.
Directories
Why not conduct a search of several online supplier directories that make it simple to locate manufacturers?
The following are the two most popular directories:
Worldwide Brands distributes its products through nearly 10,000 wholesalers and has a catalog of more than ten million items. The cost is ~100KD for one-time use.
Wholesale Central has over 700,000 products and approximately 1,500 suppliers. The best part is that it is completely free and unlimited in use.
After compiling a list of manufacturers, you can begin contacting them in the hope of reselling their products. Begin by contacting manufacturers and distributors who have the simplest application and requirements. This is because many manufacturers avoid dealing with newer businesses with a limited track record of sales. Many larger manufacturers will want to know who you're working with first, so begin with smaller suppliers and work your way up.
Establishing a website and an online store.
After deciding on the products to sell and the wholesalers from whom to obtain them, the next step is to get them online. That entails creating a website and an online store.
To begin, while you wait for responses from manufacturers, it is best to create a simple "coming soon" page before adding your products. Knowing what products to sell will help you decide on an eCommerce platform or whether you require something unique and customized.
Choosing an eCommerce platform (alternatively referred to as a "eCommerce cart")
The eCommerce platform is responsible for the management of all products, categories, the checkout process, and other aspects of a fully functional online store. There are dozens of eCommerce platforms available, and the majority of them offer similar functionality and features. For many entrepreneurs, selecting a platform can be a lengthy process. Rather than spending days researching and testing various platforms, it is probably best to make a decision quickly.
Here are a few of the most popular ones to get you started.
Magento is one of the most rapidly growing e-commerce platforms available today. What users appreciate about this eCommerce platform solution is the breadth of available features, and the fact that it is now owned by eBay. This means that utilizing Magento can also benefit you in terms of selling some of your products on eBay and the exposure that this can provide for your business. This platform powers approximately 250,000 eCommerce stores and is ideal for anyone looking to build a robust and reliable storefront. Magento Enterprise Edition is available for larger businesses that wish to use the platform. This solution is approximately ~5000 to 6000 KD per year. On the other hand, smaller businesses need not fear, as the Community Edition is available to them. If you're interested in Magento's features but don't know where to begin, you can hire Magento developers.
If you're a true small business, Shopify is probably the most cost-effective option. It enables you to choose from a variety of available templates for your website. Integrating your products is relatively straightforward, and you can also optimize your store's design, add a catalog of products, and even create your own blog posts, all from a single administration dashboard. Shopify's analytics feature enables you to track visitor activity and also provides the option of integrating a secure shopping cart to accept credit card payments. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial period, after which it costs 5 KD per month. This is a reasonable price to pay in light of the numerous benefits.
Bigcommerce is a well-known eCommerce platform that costs approximately ~10 KD per month without a contract. Given its price range, it boasts a slew of noteworthy features. It is similar to Shopify in that it is extremely easy to use and is laced with numerous features. Considering all of this, it is well-suited for mid-sized retailers looking to create a fully functional and high-end online shopping cart without spending an arm and a leg.
OpenCart is a fairly powerful and simple-to-use free platform that comes packed with a slew of features. Unlike the others, OpenCart is open source, which means webmasters can make any changes to the website's design or functionality. However, this also means that hosting and website security will need to be configured manually, which can be challenging if you are not a web developer. Although OpenCart does include thousands of pre-programmed "extensions" that enable users to easily customize their websites without the need to hire a developer. Numerous extensions are free, while others require a one-time fee of between 5 KD and 10 KD.
Another excellent open source option, and possibly the most popular of them all, WooCommerce is used by over 500,000 online merchants worldwide. Designed primarily for small to medium-sized businesses that use WordPress, it powers 40% of all online stores worldwide. For many online businesses, its popularity is growing due to its ease of use in conjunction with WordPress. Whether you've done some WordPress programming yourself or hired a developer to build an online store for you, WooCommerce is an excellent eCommerce solution, thanks to its numerous themes.
WordPress is undoubtedly the most popular CMS (content management system), as it can be used to create virtually any type of website. Whether it's an opulent corporate website, a blog, or an e-commerce solution, we've got you covered. WordPress is also an excellent platform for those just getting started, as it enables the addition of hundreds of eCommerce extensions and plugins (including WooCommerce) to create a customer-friendly online store. Additionally, once the store is set up, it requires very little maintenance to keep it looking fresh and using minimal code. If you're looking to hire a skilled developer to get you started, there are plenty available.
Obtaining a custom-made solution is relatively straightforward nowadays; there are numerous web development firms capable of customizing and tailoring a solution for you. While this may take a little longer to setup, its custom functionality means that it is better suited for future website and product enhancements, allowing your business to scale more easily. This type of solution is more cost effective in the long run, and if you hire a top web development company to create your online store, they will be able to integrate it with other features, such as mobile apps. If you've used other platforms and enjoyed certain aspects of each, a tailored solution will enable you to take advantage of the best features of all of them.
Design of logos and websites
The design and branding of a website can have a significant impact on how frequently potential customers make purchases from it. While hiring a designer and having a website custom designed may be more expensive, it will give your brand an edge over competitors. If you're looking for a custom eCommerce solution, branding is typically included. If you are a startup with a small budget and wish to keep your startup's initial costs to a minimum, you could do the following:
Purchase a website template — Thousands of templates are now available for purchase online, and many eCommerce platforms include free themes. Even if you do pay, they typically cost between KD 30 to KD 100, which is significantly less than hiring a designer. However, you should keep in mind that other competitors may have the same idea, causing your theme to lose its uniqueness.
Purchase a low-cost logo — A logo is a critical component of any branding or marketing campaign. Hiring a professional designer is unlikely to be the least expensive option, but then again, good quality is not inexpensive. In either case, it may be prudent to consider alternative options such as 99Designs, 19 Dollar Logos, or Fiverr. 99Designs is more expensive than the others, but the quality is superior — in other words, you will pay for quality, so make an informed decision. After you've launched, changing your branding can be quite costly (the online store itself, all marketing materials, directory listings, and so on), so choose carefully.
Domain registration and hosting
Each website requires a domain name to represent their brand and a server to host their content. Bear in mind, however, that all eCommerce websites require an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate to encrypt sensitive data such as credit card numbers. There are numerous web hosting companies that can meet your needs; all you have to do is choose one that you like.
If you choose a hosted and managed eCommerce platform, you will not be responsible for hosting, SSL certificates, or any other technical details. Either your hosting provider or the developer of your online store can handle everything.
What would be the next course of action?
With the information outlined above, you are now prepared to launch an online store for your own business! For additional information, please contact us.
