What is e-commerce

E-commerce is the collection of sales and purchasing activities for products carried out via the Internet.

It's the form of commerce that currently has the highest growth rate in the sector, indeed, more and more people choose to conclude their deals online.

The primary necessity for an e-commerce is, therefore, precisely a website through which to carry out the economic transaction.

The site, thus, provides a catalog of products and allows for payment and consequently online purchase.

It can be about a sales point from a single manufacturer, like a single-brand store, or sort of a virtual supermarket offering products from different brands.

We hear about it continuously, and many sellers already use it habitually because in recent years the internet has proven to be a perfect platform for selling and promoting products.

E-commerce has revolutionized the concept of "doing business" because its features have fostered the birth and development of new entrepreneurial ideas.

E-commerce compared to traditional commerce has many obvious advantages:

• You can shop online virtually at any time of the day, without time constraints or problems;
• You have the convenience of receiving goods directly at home;
• You can trade all over the world;
• The costs of starting and maintaining an e-commerce are lower than those of a traditional store. To carry on the activity, it is not necessary to rent a premise, pay expenses, or hire staff;
• To communicate a promotional offer or spread a new online advertising campaign just takes one click, making everyone aware in real-time of product news, new releases, and ongoing promotions;
• Increased visibility can be achieved, even if the e-commerce site has a strictly commercial function, oriented towards sales and revenue growth, it also contributes to defining the corporate image;
• You can monitor purchases: today the internet provides individuals and companies with numerous tools to have a complete view of sales performance. Indeed, through an e-commerce platform, it is possible to monitor user journeys, the most viewed products, transactions made, and gather valuable information for profiling the target audience. Through careful analysis of the acquired data and the target audience, it's possible to understand the effectiveness of each campaign and implement new, even more effective business strategies.
• There is the possibility of returns and refunds.

Despite the advantages of e-commerce, some complain about the fact that it is not possible to physically touch the product and establish a "physical" contact with the seller.

Obviously, it is undeniable that the online shopping experience is different from in-store shopping, but this does not mean that one is better than the other.

How to create an e-commerce website?

Are you thinking of starting a business based on buying and selling products online? Does it seem too complex for you and are you looking for advice on this?

You've come to the right site! I will give you some tips on creating a good e-commerce website.

Creating an e-commerce site is not easy and involves a series of actions and decisions to be taken in the right sequence. If done well, it can kickstart a profitable online business:

• First of all, download free or paid software, and enter your credentials;
• It starts with choosing the product: the first step to building a successful e-commerce business is to determine which product to sell. Often, this is the most critical part of starting a new online business;
• After selecting the product to sell, it's necessary to validate a business idea because it helps to understand whether there is a potential market for the new idea or not.
• Once the product has been chosen and you are sure that the business idea can work, it's important to identify competitors.

You can simply rely on Google search results or use paid tools for competition analysis.

Having completed the research on competitors, it is the perfect time to write your business plan to engage investors in your project.

Useful for gathering ideas and reflections, it will help you determine the route to follow and be more competitive in the market. Once the foundations are laid, you move on to choosing the company name with an appropriate logo. Thus being able to create your online store.

Once the store is opened and launched, it's ready for the first sales.