The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching an E-Commerce Business

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The e-commerce market is booming and there’s no better time to sell goods and services online, especially as more and more consumers choose to buy their clothing, furniture, groceries, cosmetics, and other essentials over the internet rather than in stores. And fortunately for entrepreneurs, starting an e-commerce business is typically faster and cheaper than launching a brick-and-mortar store. 

If you’re a young entrepreneur who’s interested in launching an e-commerce business for the first time, this guide is for you. You’ll learn how to choose your e-commerce niche, get your online business up and running, and market your products to your target customers. 

Choose Your E-Commerce Niche

If you’re new to e-commerce, these resources will teach you the basics. 

• Start by enrolling in a few online courses to learn the basics of e-commerce. 
• Compare the four types of e-commerce business models, including business to consumer, business to business, consumer to business, and consumer to consumer.
• Some e-commerce businesses such as Amazon and Alibaba sell a variety of products, but it’s typically best for first-timers to start with just one or two items. Neil Patel shares some tips for choosing the right niche for your first e-commerce business.
• Several examples of lucrative e-commerce niches include home office equipment, fitness gear, meal subscriptions, and alcohol.

Launch Your E-Commerce Store

Once you’ve chosen your niche, you’ll be ready to source your products and get your e-commerce business off the ground.

• Determine how your products will be sourced. Several options for product sourcing include making them yourself, working with wholesalers or manufacturers, and dropshipping. 
• Choose your ecommerce platform. Popular platforms include Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. 
• Form your e-commerce business by choosing a legal structure, business name, and registered agent. 
• Create successful listings for your products that include a relevant product name, price, photo or video, and description.

Market Your Goods and Services

Here are some tips and strategies for marketing your goods and services to your target market. 

• Use e-commerce marketing strategies to drive traffic to your online store. 
• List your products on Google, Facebook Marketplace, and Facebook Shops. 
• Use free online marketing tools such as Circular, Three Cents, Adobe Voice, and Portent.
• Get help with running your e-commerce business. Many e-commerce entrepreneurs can benefit from hiring a social media director, copywriter, digital marketing director, and interns, freelancers, or contractors. 

Compared to brick and mortar stores, e-commerce businesses typically take less time to launch — and they’re a lot less expensive as well. Plus, e-commerce businesses make it possible to reach customers from nearly anywhere in the world — especially if you market your products across multiple social media platforms and optimize your online store for search engines. 

And better yet, you don’t have to be an experienced entrepreneur to launch a successful e-commerce store. These resources will help you to launch an online store no matter your age or entrepreneurial experience!

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