We could all earn some extra money here and there – and building an online store is the perfect way to get extra income. It is expected that e-commerce sales will account for 17.5% of retail sales worldwide by 2021! How to setup your own e-commerce website?
Despite this staggering statistic, almost half of US companies still don’t have a website – which means it’s now the perfect time to sit down, get stronger and start building. Regardless of whether you already have a stationary store and want to expand your online business, or you are taking the first steps in the world of e-commerce using your first store, this guide will guide you through the process of creating an online store store from beginning to end.
What do you need to set up an online store?
There has never been a better time to start an online business than today. Anyone who has a computer can start working in a few minutes and without acquiring special skills.
Three things you need to set up an online store are:
- Idea for a domain name (this will be the name of your online store, e.g. Wpbeginner.com)
- Hosting account (here your website lives on the Internet)
- Your undivided attention for 30 minutes.
Yes, it’s really that simple. You can set up your own online store in less than 30 minutes.
5 steps to build an e-commerce site
Because Wix is the best tool for creating e-commerce sites, I intend to use this platform to show you the step-by-step process of creating an e-commerce site for the duration of this guide.
You can build your e-commerce site.
- Register and choose your plan
The first thing you need to do is create an account at Wix. Compared to other platforms, the registration process is as simple as possible. All you need to do is enter your email address and password – it will take a maximum of ten seconds.
You can start using Wix immediately. But the free plan doesn’t give you any e-commerce options.
2. Decide how you want to create the site
After registration, you can start in two different ways. You can use Wix ADI or Wix Editor to continue.
Thanks to ADI you will answer a number of questions about your e-commerce site, and the platform will automatically design it in a few minutes using artificial intelligence. Using the editor you will start from the template and do it yourself.
- Connect your domain
After taking the time to edit everything, you need to connect your domain to publish and launch your e-commerce site.
Go to the “Settings” menu on the left side of the dashboard and click “Domains”.
You will find two options here. You can buy a new domain name or connect to a domain name you already have.
- Set up your e-commerce site
After connecting your domain, you’ll need to set up e-commerce functionality on your site. These are the elements that will actually allow you to sell products online.
- Add products
- Set shipping regions
- Choose payment methods
- Publish your e-commerce site
The final step in this process is to launch your website on the Internet. To do this, you MUST have the domain connected (explained in step 3).
You must also have a paid Wix subscription. Technically, you can publish your site as part of a free subscription, but it will not have a custom URL.
