What is E-commerce / Electronic Commerce?

Purchasing goods and services online by people is called e-commerce / electronic commerce. E-commerce, which entered our lives with the rise of internet usage in 1995, began spreading worldwide by 2000.

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is one of the popular ways people buy and sell items in retail. Some companies sell their products exclusively online. E-commerce allows small and large businesses to easily make their products available not only locally but globally.

How to start E-commerce / Electronic Commerce?
To start e-commerce / electronic commerce, follow these steps:

1. Finding a business idea: Decide what to sell. Research the needs of potential customers to stand out from other e-commerce websites. Options:

   • Product sales: Sell specific products or categories (organic & vegan cosmetics, yoga materials, natural foods).

   • Custom products: Produce items according to client requests (shirts, notebooks with names/logo).

   • Subscription system: Send products to customers regularly, monthly.

   • Selling second-hand products: Be eco-friendly and earn income using online platforms (Shkaf, Letgo).

   • Training & consulting: Offer online courses, webinars, and consulting via LinkedIn.

   • Special design products: Sell products with unique designs (handmade jewelry, wooden toys, hairpins, knitted clothes).

2. Gathering product info & preparing presentation: Follow 8 steps:

   • Market research: Check competitors, their prices, characteristics, shipping policies, forums, social media, and surveys.

   • Product features: Weight, size, material, color, brand, warranty.

   • Product images: High-quality images from different angles.

   • Product description: Clear, original, informative.

   • Pricing: Competitive based on market.

   • Shipping policy: State delivery time and cost.

   • Return & exchange policy: Clearly define policies.

   • Product reviews: Allow customer reviews.

3. Creating an e-commerce website: Work with professional companies (e.g., Falcon X Programming) or use platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, OpenCart, PrestaShop.

   Website tips:

   • Security: Protect client data and payments.

   • Easy design: Simple navigation, visible search, product photos/descriptions, easy checkout.

   • Mobile compatibility: Website should work well on mobile devices.

   • SEO-friendly: Use SEO techniques.

4. Payment setup: Choose a payment provider and get an SSL certificate. URL should start with «https://» and show a lock. Payment methods: credit cards, PayPal, bank transfer. Test payment security.

5. Product supply & delivery: Provide product, contract with logistics. Ensure timely delivery.

6. Website marketing: Social media accounts, regular posts, SEO, email marketing, Google Ads, content marketing, collaborations, affiliate marketing.

7. Customer satisfaction: Respond to questions, solve complaints, consider feedback, improve service.

E-commerce business models:

• B2C (Business to Consumer): Sell directly to end consumers (Amazon, Walmart, Toyota, Airbnb).

• B2B (Business to Business): Sell to other businesses (Alibaba, IBM, Siemens, SAP).

• C2C (Consumer to Consumer): Exchange between consumers (eBay, Uber, Fiverr, Etsy).

• C2B (Consumer to Business): Consumers sell products/services to businesses (Upwork, Hometap, LendingTree, Fiverr).

• Dropshipping: Products shipped directly from supplier to client (Oberlo, SaleHoo, Doba).

• Subscription model: Regular payment for products/services (Netflix, Spotify).

• Freemium: Basic features free, advanced paid (LinkedIn, Dropbox).

Target audience: Define demographics, interests, social media & competitor analysis.

Brand & domain:

• Easy pronunciation, short, meaningful brand.

• Domain: short, unique, with keywords, proper extension (.com, .az).

Company registration:

• Choose company type (individual, LLC, joint-stock).

• Name, tax number, bank account.

Marketplace integration:

• Choose platforms (Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Alibaba, Rakuten, Hepsiburada).

• Register, upload products, manage orders, customer communication, payments.

Campaigns: Discounts, free shipping, gift certificates, social media campaigns, seasonal sales, remarketing.