Planning for e-commerce

The key tool for delivering e-commerce services is the business website. This must be specified, designed, hosted and maintained.

Specification

Your website specification should clearly identify what your objective are and the features you will need to achieve them.  Consider who your target audience is for both technical and marketing purposes. You should ensure this is all covered in your digital marketing plan. See develop a digital marketing plan. 

Domain name

You will need to choose and register a domain name. It should be memorable, easy to spell and indicate what your business does so that potential customers can find your site.

You should also use search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques to ensure your website appears high in search engine listings.

Check if the domain name you are planning to use has already been taken.

Website hosting

You can host your own website but most businesses opt to have an internet service provider (ISP) host it on their behalf. Read more about your website hosting options.

Software options

You can create your website using a 'shop' package or have the software built from scratch. Shop packages allow you to configure the look and feel of your shop but design options may be limited.

Read more about creating an online shop.