Online shopping has become part of everyday life. Customers buy almost everything online, from clothes and beauty products to groceries, and e-commerce keeps growing year after year. If you have not started selling online yet, now is a great time to begin.
In this article, we explore the different options for starting a business and selling online.
Why sell online?
Selling online has many advantages and very few drawbacks. The most important are:
- Global sales: e-commerce removes geographic barriers, so you can take your business across borders and reach a much wider audience.
- Income around the clock: customers can place orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Which platform should you choose?
The e-commerce platform is the foundation of your store: it lets you create product pages and process purchases. These are the most important options.
Magento
Magento is a powerful open-source system and one of the best-known e-commerce platforms. Thousands of extensions and professional themes are available, and it is used by stores around the world, from small businesses to large multinational brands.
WooCommerce
A free WordPress plugin that lets you build a complete online store and start selling. It is flexible and easy to use, with inventory management, secure payments, shipping integrations, attractive store themes and much more.
Bagisto
A modern e-commerce platform built on Laravel and Vue.js. It is free, open source and scalable, with an easy-to-use dashboard, a simple path to selling online and a large set of ready-made extensions.
Shopify
One of the best-known e-commerce platforms in the world. Shopify is a SaaS platform: you pay a monthly fee to use it, plus the cost of any apps and themes.
Salla and Zid
If you plan to sell in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, Salla and Zid are strong options.
Salla is the most popular e-commerce platform in Saudi Arabia. It helps you create an online store quickly and easily, without technical expertise or a large upfront cost. It supports common payment methods such as Visa, Mastercard and PayPal, instalment services such as Tabby and Tamara, and well-known shipping companies such as Aramex and SMSA, all from an easy dashboard.
Zid is a similar platform that is widely used in Saudi Arabia and another good choice for starting e-commerce in the Kingdom and the wider region.
Not sure which to choose? Read our comparison: Salla or WooCommerce.
How to create an e-commerce website
- Domain and hosting: register a domain for your store before you start promoting your brand, and choose a good hosting company that offers SSL certificates and fast page loading. Cloud hosting is one of the best options: secure, very fast and reasonably priced. Popular providers include DigitalOcean, Linode, Cloudways, Hostinger and InMotion.
- Theme: the theme decides how your store looks, and the look and usability of a store strongly affect whether customers buy. Choose based on your project’s needs, future plans and the design details you want.
- Shipping: the right shipping methods and company are key to success, because the customer experience really starts after checkout: on-time delivery, good packaging and friendly couriers build your reputation. In the Gulf, Aramex and SMSA are popular choices, while FedEx and UPS are among the best international carriers.
- Payments: methods such as PayPal and Amazon Pay are essential. For stores targeting Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and the region, gateways such as Payfort (now Amazon Payment Services) and Tap are good options, and Tabby and Tamara let customers pay in instalments.
Other essential steps
- Customisation: a ready-made theme may not include every feature you need, so make your changes and add the missing features before launch.
- Notifications: customers need updates on their order status. Email notifications are built into every platform, and SMS and WhatsApp are now common to make sure messages are seen. Providers include Twilio, Msg91, Jawalbsms and Unifonic, and many companies offer the WhatsApp API.
- Content: remove all demo data, then add your product details, prices and categories.
- Social media: be present on social media, the easiest way to reach many people and bring more visitors to your store.
- SEO: apply search engine optimisation so your store ranks higher, attracts more visitors and makes more sales.
- Analytics: monitor your store’s performance to see whether your strategy is working and what to improve to attract more visitors and sell more.
- Testing and launch: test every feature, then launch your store.
Things to keep in mind
- Some countries have specific rules. In India, for example, SMS templates used for notifications must be registered (DLT). In Saudi Arabia, invoices must meet ZATCA’s e-invoicing requirements.
- Later, you can integrate systems such as inventory and warehouse management.
- A large share of online sales now happens in mobile apps, so an app is also a good investment for an e-commerce business. Read why your online store needs its own app.
At Coding Home we offer a full range of professional e-commerce services, including consulting, design, development, system integration, training and support. If you need our help, get in touch.
