It sounds cliche now, but eCommerce is still the future of business. People love convenience. Especially when it comes to shopping, they don’t want to wait in line at the checkout, spend hours finding the right product, only to have the salesperson tell them it is not in stock right now.
That is why the trend of shopping online is picking up speed, not slowly but quickly. If you are thinking about starting an eCommerce store, it is high time you acted.
Don’t worry about the process. We got you covered. We are going to tell you how to start an eCommerce business with all the right steps.
Let’s dive into everything you need to succeed!
Why You Should Start an eCommerce Business in 2025
The world is shopping online — and fast.
Recent stats predict the global eCommerce market will surpass $8 trillion by 2027. Consumers now prefer the ease, speed, and convenience of digital shopping. This shift opens massive opportunities for entrepreneurs like you.
Starting an eCommerce business today means:
- Low startup costs compared to traditional businesses.
- Flexibility to work from anywhere.
- Access to global markets.
- Easy scalability using modern tools like Dokan Cloud.
If you want financial freedom and business growth in 2025, eCommerce is the way forward.
Factors to Consider When Starting an eCommerce Business
Before you rush into building your store, think about:
- What products will you sell?
- Who is your target audience?
- How much capital can you invest?
- Which eCommerce platform will you use?
- How will you differentiate from competitors?
Answering these questions early can save you time, money, and mistakes later.
Then, you need to follow these steps-
1. Identify Your Niche and Validate Your Idea
Choosing the right niche is crucial. A niche is a focused segment of a larger market — and finding the right one gives you a loyal customer base and less competition.
How to find your niche:
- List your interests and passions.
- Research market trends using tools like Google Trends or Statista.
- Analyze competitors: What can you do differently?
- Validate demand through surveys, MVPs (Minimum Viable Products), or crowdfunding campaigns.
Example:
Instead of a general “fitness store,” focus on “eco-friendly yoga gear for seniors.” Targeted = better chances of success!
2. Build a Business Plan
A clear business plan outlines your goals, strategies, and projections. Your eCommerce business plan should cover:
- Executive Summary
- Product/Service Description
- Market Research
- Sales and Marketing Strategies
- Financial Forecasts
- Operational Plan
Tip: A written plan will also help if you seek funding later from investors or banks.
3. Choose Your eCommerce Business Model
Different eCommerce business models serve different goals.
Popular models include:
- B2C (Business to Consumer) — Selling directly to customers.
- B2B (Business to Business) — Selling to other companies.
- Dropshipping — Selling without holding inventory.
- Subscription Services — Monthly/quarterly product deliveries.
- Print on Demand — Custom items printed only after a sale.
Pick a model based on your niche, goals, and budget.
4. Choose the Right eCommerce Platform
Your eCommerce platform powers your store behind the scenes. You can select Dokan Cloud (best for marketplaces and flexible stores)
Look for features like:
- Easy page builders
- Mobile optimization
- Payment and shipping integrations
- Scalability
Choosing the right platform now prevents painful migrations later.
5. Set Up Payment Gateways and Shipping Logistics
Make it easy for customers to pay and receive their orders.
- Integrate payment options like Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay.
- Set up shipping rates and options (local, national, international).
- Consider offering free shipping if possible — it boosts conversions!
- Automate order notifications and tracking.
A smooth payment and delivery experience keeps customers coming back.
6. Develop Your Products or Services
If selling physical goods:
- Partner with reliable suppliers.
- Focus on quality control.
- Set up inventory systems.
If selling digital products:
- Use secure delivery systems.
- Offer instant downloads or memberships.
Your product should solve a problem or fulfill a desire for your target audience.
7. Create a Marketing Strategy
Without customers, even the best products fail.
Plan a multi-channel marketing strategy that includes:
- SEO: Optimize pages for Google rankings.
- Social Media: Engage audiences on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook.
- Email Marketing: Build a list and send regular updates.
- Paid Ads: Use Facebook Ads, Google Ads to reach targeted buyers.
- Content Marketing: Start a blog or YouTube channel.
Focus on organic + paid marketing together for maximum results.
Dokan Cloud Shop: Your Perfect Partner to Start an eCommerce Business in 2025
If you’re serious about starting and scaling your eCommerce business, Dokan Cloud is your best bet for 2025.
It’s a cloud-hosted, all-in-one eCommerce and marketplace builder — built for entrepreneurs who want freedom, speed, and future-proof growth.
Key Features:
- Visual Drag-and-Drop Builder, no coding needed
- Marketplace addon
- Managed Cloud Hosting
- Pre-designed Templates for every niche
- Integrated Payment and Shipping Systems
- Advanced Analytics and Reporting Tools and more…
Here is how you can use Dokan Cloud Shop to create your own eCommerce business with ease.
Step 1: Sign up for Dokan Cloud Platform
First, you need to sign up for the Dokan Cloud platform to get started. Dokan Cloud offers a 14-day trial period. So you will get plenty of time to explore and test the available features before you make your final decision.
Also, after purchase, you will only need to pay $1 per month for the first 1 month. This will give you time to test whether your idea is market-fit.
While signing up, you need to add your email address and set a password.
Dokan Cloud will take a few minutes to set up the online store and you will get a message that your marketplace is created.
Step 2: Complete the Setup Wizard & Onboarding Process
A smooth onboarding process is crucial for setting the foundation of a successful eCommerce store. It helps ensure that your business is set up correctly from the start, minimizing errors and saving you time down the line.
A well-structured setup gives you clarity, boosts customer trust, and provides an organized way to launch your business efficiently.
To get started with your eCommerce store, complete the setup wizard by choosing the Standalone Shop option. You’ll then need to fill in essential details such as your store address, business name, and other required information to finalize the setup and begin your journey.
Step 3: Configure Your Business Details, Domain Name, etc
In this step, you need to configure your store name, business details, brand, custom code for your site customization, vendor onboarding settings, etc.
Go to Settings–> General to find these options-
Step 4: Create Categories and Brands for the Products
Creating categories for your products is an essential step in organizing your store. By setting up categories in advance, you’ll make it easier to upload and manage products later, ensuring that each item is placed in the appropriate section for smooth navigation.
Additionally, if you plan on selling branded products, it’s important to create specific brands so customers can easily filter and find their preferred labels. This will help enhance the shopping experience and make your store more user-friendly.
Go to Products–> Categories to create categories-
And Products–> Brands to create brands-
Step 5: Configure Shipping
Shipping plays a vital role in the success of any online store, but it can often be a complex process to manage. From choosing the right shipping methods to calculating rates and handling logistics, it requires careful planning.
Fortunately, Dokan Cloud simplifies the entire shipping process. With its easy-to-use shipping configuration tools, you can quickly set up shipping methods, define zones, and customize rates to fit your business needs.
This ensures a smooth experience for both you and your customers, saving you time and reducing potential shipping issues.
All you need to do is create a shipping profile and shipping types from Settings–> Shipping–
Step 6: Set up the Payment
Dokan Cloud offers a wide range of payment methods to ensure your store can accept payments from customers around the globe.
Some of the supported payment gateways include Stripe, PayPal, Paystack, Mangopay, Razorpay, Bank Payment, and more. The payment options available to you will depend on your store’s location, allowing you to offer convenient and secure payment solutions to your customers.
This flexibility ensures you can cater to a wide audience and provide a seamless checkout experience.
You can set the payment method from Settings–> Payment–
Step 7: Configure the Tax Settings
The Dokan Cloud platform comes with a powerful tax feature that simplifies tax management for your online store. Whether you’re selling locally or internationally, Dokan Cloud allows you to configure tax settings for any location, ensuring compliance with local tax laws.
You can easily set up tax rates based on regions, countries, or states, and the platform automatically applies the correct tax to orders.
This feature helps save time and reduces the chances of errors, making tax management hassle-free for your business.
You can find all the tax-related settings from Settings–> Tax-
Step 8: Design Your Online Store with Page Builder
Yes, Dokan Cloud comes with a robust page builder that enables you to create a truly unique eCommerce store that stands out.
With its easy drag-and-drop functionality, you can easily design your shop page, home page, header, footer, and single product pages without any coding knowledge.
The page builder includes all the essential blocks and customizable options, allowing you to tailor the layout, content, and style of your store to match your brand’s identity and provide an exceptional shopping experience for your customers.
Go to Design–> Themes and click on the customize button of your activated theme-
Step 9: Integrations
Dokan Cloud offers seamless integrations for essential business tools, including live chat, analytics, email sending, and SMS gateways.
These integrations are designed to enhance customer communication, track your store’s performance, and engage your audience effectively.
You can easily find and configure all of these options in the Integrations section, giving you the flexibility to set up everything you need to manage and grow your online store efficiently.
Step 10: Configure Other Settings and Launch Your eCommerce Store
You are almost there. Now you need to configure other settings like SEO, Notifications, Teams, etc and you are one your way.
Now you are ready to launch your eCommerce store.
After launching your eCommerce store, you need to-
- Put effort on promotions
- Use all the available sales channels
- Optimize eCommerce SEO
- Focus on branding.
This way you will get more eyeballs on your eCommerce store.
Start Your Dream Business Today
Now you have the whole blueprint on hand on how to start an eCommerce business in 2025. All you have to do is follow these steps and launch your business.
But remember one thing, launching a business and becoming successful are two different things. You may follow all the steps letter by letter, but still fail.
Why? Because you didn’t fully utilize all the channels and A/B tested enough. Also, you need to follow the trends and understand the market demographic. That way you will know where your business is going and what you need to do.
Also, use the data available to you as much as possible. This will help you make data-driven decisions.
Lastly, all the best for your business.
