The e-Commerce Starter Checklist for Success

Do this before you do that—you’ll thank me later

By Parag Mamnani, Webgility Founder and CEO

Want to set up an e-commerce business as quickly and easily as possible? You aren’t alone. As tempting as jumping head-first may seem, if you take the time to properly set-up your business systems, you’ll have a serious leg up on the competition. Here’s my checklist for success:

1. Define your product catalog. Know what your differentiators are — the uniqueness of your products, competitive prices, free shipping, how your products are bundled — so that you can stand out from similar items.
2. Pick the right sales channels. If you’re selling from your own web site, you’ll need to “pull” customers to your products. If you’re selling on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, you’ll need to “push” your products, which means paying fees, and competing with pricing and shipping.
3. Create streamlined workflows. If you’re not integrating and automating sales information into your accounting, inventory, and shipping systems, you can lose dozens of hours each week on data entry alone.
4. Build ironclad fulfillment. A fulfillment system that is well-managed, accurate, and fast is the backbone of any e-commerce business.
5. Be accountable. Take steps to properly track, validate, and pay sales tax properly with a proper accounting software and data automation so it’s all timely and accurate.

Parag Mamnani is the Founder and CEO of Webgility. For more tools and tips, visit www.webgility.com.