Do you shop online from e-commerce sites like Amazon, eBay, Coles, and more? If yes, you are not alone. Nearly 9.4 million Australian households purchased at least one product online in 2022, representing around 82% of the total population. It is also worth noting that Australians spent a whopping $353 billion on retail goods in 2022, which is nearly 9.2% more than in 2021. These numbers indicate that Australians are not shy about shopping online and the trend isn’t fading away soon.
The Australian e-commerce sector is booming, and there hasn’t been a better time to build an e-commerce website to tap into this rising trend. Gone are the days when designing an e-commerce website was time-consuming and a complicated affair. The entry of no-code and low-code web development platforms has certainly made it easier to build and develop an e-commerce website from scratch for non-technical people.
If you aspire to make money online, you need to create a website for your business. This blog covers all the key steps you should keep in mind while developing an e-commerce website.
Before we get into the details, let’s first understand why your business requires an e-commerce website.
Why do you need a website for Ecommerce?
Can you imagine a restaurant without a menu? A stadium without seats? No, right? Similarly, an e-commerce business without a website is akin to a storefront without a door. And hey, if you are planning to sell products online, it goes without saying that you will need a website.
Here are a few more reasons why you need a website for your e-commerce business.
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New market acquisition
As cliched as it sounds, running a business is no easy feat, especially in today’s crowded e-commerce landscape. You need to ask yourself; how will I stand out? Why will people buy my products or services? How can I gain an edge over my competition? Well, building an e-commerce website is a good start. The goal here is to increase your market share by directing your potential customers to your website and converting them into paying customers.
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Create a unique shopping experience
Building an e-commerce website enables you to create and provide a unique shopping experience to your customers. This is made possible by advanced analytics tools that provide valuable data regarding how your audience interacts with your website. These tools allow you to provide a tailored and unique shopping experience, increasing your chances of improving conversions and building customer loyalty.
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Strengthen your brand
Another blunt reality about the business realm is that you can flourish only when people know about your brand, highlighting the importance of building a solid online brand presence. Designing an e-commerce website is a powerful way to establish a brand identity, open the door for your audience to know who you are and what your mission is and showcase your product offerings.
Now, let’s get to the crux of the matter – ‘building an e-commerce website’.
How to Build an Ecommerce Website – A Step-by-Step Guide
“Wow, the Coles website looks amazing. I want to build a similar e-commerce website for my business. But, I do not know where to start.” If this sounds like you, you’re in luck.
Developing an e-commerce website seems like an uphill task with many technical challenges and several intricate elements involved. While that is partly true, the reality is much simpler than you think.
Follow this step-by-step guide to build your dream e-commerce website from scratch.
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Select a domain name
The first step is to pick a domain name for your website. Think of your website as a newborn baby that needs a name. Your audience will type the website name in their browser’s address bar to reach your website. A domain name primarily consists of two components; the name of your brand or website and the extension.
For instance, in eBay.com, eBay is the name and .com is the extension. It is a good practice to choose a domain name that is easy to remember and aligns with your business’s core theme.
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Find a developer or do-it-yourself (DIY)
Now, you can either hire a developer to create a website for your business or take the ‘do it yourself’ path if you are confident in your abilities. While the choice is yours, it is always a good idea to let the experts handle such tasks to ensure your e-commerce website meets the required standards and delivers an optimal user experience.
Additionally hiring a developer frees up your workload allowing you to focus on other important tasks including marketing, strategy, business development, and more.
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Select Relevant Ecommerce Theme or Template
Did you know that around 38% of internet users will ditch your website if it isn’t visually appealing? Ask yourself if you would engage with a website with an unattractive colour scheme, a dull theme, and a cluttered layout. No, right? Just like you, your audience also deserves a user-friendly shopping experience, making it important to select a relevant e-commerce theme or template for your e-commerce website.
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Customize your site and build web pages
While you can take inspiration from your competitors or other websites, you should customize your e-commerce website in line with your brand’s identity, target audience preferences, and how you want your visitors to perceive your brand.
Research is important to stay abreast with the latest UI/UX trends, design themes, and user preferences. This will also enable you to implement a blend of contemporary and traditional elements to improve the overall user experience of your e-commerce website.
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Create product listing
This is where you list down everything related to your product. From product descriptions, pricing, and place of origin to other specifications, customer reviews, and relevant product images, it is important to create a product listing to highlight the benefits, and features, and instill confidence in your audience. The onus is on you to ensure you do not mislead your customers, make false claims, and help your customers make informed decisions.
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Set up payment Gateways, inventory and Tax tools
This is important. An e-commerce website is incomplete without a payment gateway as it allows you to accept payments and your customers to make payments. Additionally, do not overlook the possibility of using different tools to track and manage inventory and taxes. While you may be tempted to opt for a more modest approach to save money when you are starting out, investing in cutting-edge tools to manage taxes and track inventory levels ensures your business is treading on the right path.
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Test and Launch E-commerce Website
Now that you have everything in place, we proceed to the final leg of developing an e-commerce website – testing and launch. Go through all the pages of your website to assess if all the links are working and directing you to the intended page, images and videos are loading properly, and the overall functionality is seamless. This is the right time to detect any issues and fix them.
Once you are satisfied, it’s time to launch your e-commerce website.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much does it cost to build an e-commerce website?
It can cost anything between AUD 5000 to AUD 15,000 to build an e-commerce website with around 200 pages.
Which is the best e-commerce platform?
Some of the best e-commerce platforms include Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and BigCommerce to name a few.
Are website builders secure?
Website builders are generally secure as they come with a secure site license (SSL).
Can I build an e-commerce website for free?
Yes, you can build an e-commerce website for free. However, you may need to upgrade to the paid plans of most website builders if you want to accept payments from customers.
What to consider when building an eCommerce website?
Some of the key factors to consider while building an e-commerce website are, search engine optimization (SEO), product filtering, website template, web security and compliance, payment options, mobile responsiveness, and content management systems (CMS) integration.
If you have any queries or suggestions, feel free to send an email us on [email protected]
