10 crucial questions to ask when setting up an eCommerce site

Are you setting up an eCommerce business? You've got a lot of hard thinking to do. Here are 10 questions to boost your chances of success.



So, you're setting up an eCommerce site. Exciting! But before you toast your success, there are a whole bunch of things to consider.

At first glance, these can be dauntingly wide-ranging – everything from platforms to payments, from compliance to content.

It's a lot to take in. But by breaking it down into concrete questions with concrete answers, you can stay on top of a complex undertaking and maximise your chances of success when you launch.

Here at Minster WMS, we provide eCommerce warehouse management systems. A WMS can help you answer some of the questions in this article. But are you at the right stage of your eCommerce journey for a WMS?

More on that later. First, here are some essential questions to ask before entering the eCommerce space. We wish you all the best in your venture.

1. Who is your audience?

In some ways, this is the most critical question of all. Know your audience, and you stand a chance of selling to them. Court a cloud, and you're unlikely to make an impact.

For this reason, you should define your ideal customer and what they want. This will lead naturally to questions about your products – in particular, how many you'll launch with and what differentiates them from your eCommerce competitors.

2. Which platform are you going to use?

Next, you need to consider the "e" in eCommerce. Your online store needs a platform that fits your skill level. Simply put, if you don't know how to code, go for a no-code or low-code platform.

You should also pick a platform that can scale with you. Otherwise, your growth will cost you.

Finally, you should pick a platform that gives you a fast and mobile-friendly website. This last point is important. We do so much online shopping on phones that you need to ensure a smooth mobile user experience.

3. How much will it cost?

This is the million-dollar question. How much will you spend on subscription fees, hosting fees and payment gateways? Does your website platform have any hidden fees?

Doing the sums early puts you in a better position to make tweaks and bigger changes down the line. eCommerce is a competitive space, so you need to be sure you're on a good financial footing before you start shifting those units.

4. How will you stay compliant?

The UK has specific laws and rules for online stores. These fall under the banner of compliance – making sure your store obeys all relevant rules and regulations.

Compliance covers issues such as pricing, consumer rights, data protection and website transparency. Non-compliance can be punished with financial penalties, legal action and disruptions to trading.

For this reason, you should take steps to ensure – among other things – that your customer data is secure and compliant and you have privacy and cookie policies in place.

5. How will people find you?

If you're not on Google, you may as well be invisible. That's why eCommerce businesses rely on search engine optimisation (SEO) to be found.

This multi-pronged toolkit includes keyword research, content marketing and the mobile-friendliness of a website. The aim is simple: to ensure your site is visible when people search for your products.

6. Where will you ship to?

This is an important decision to make – although it's worth noting that it's never final. If you launch a business that ships only within the UK, for instance, you can make changes and ship to other countries in the future.

Choosing your shipping destinations necessitates other decisions: in particular, shipping costs, couriers, click-and-collect and returns policies. The tighter these are, the less likely you are to fall foul of negative online reviews.

7. What's your brand?

Every successful business has a distinctive design and branding. Taking time to define yours can be the difference between a successful startup and just another brick in the online wall.

Figuring out your brand is largely about vibe – in particular, what feeling you want the site to convey. This sense of identity then gets reflected in fonts, images and other branding markers.

8. When will it launch?

Do you know when your eCommerce site will launch? A strict launch deadline can be invaluable in creating focus. That's partly because it helps you clarify which features and services are essential and which can be added later.

9. What content do we need?

Product descriptions. Photos. Blogs. Buying guides. Short-form videos. FAQs. All can help you make sales – and all require planning and execution.

10. Should I get a WMS?

A warehouse management system (WMS) is an invaluable piece of software for managing inventory and warehouse operations. A cloud-based solution like ours improves visibility, accuracy and productivity – all without breaking the bank.

But is a WMS right for you? The answer will largely depend on the scale of your operations.

If you're only just launching and have fewer than a hundred SKUs, a WMS is probably unnecessary. The same goes for DIY operations where you're taping up parcels and taking them to the post office yourself.

In this situation, a spreadsheet or your eCommerce platform can do the job of accurately tracking orders and stock.

As things get more complex, however, you may want to consider transitioning to a WMS. The more SKUs and the more locations you have, the more difficult it can be to get full visibility. This is where a modern, cloud-based WMS really comes into its own.

When you're ready, take a look at CORE – our small-business WMS, which can be up and running in just 24 hours. Or, if you're already thinking about software, why not book a demo and let our UK experts show you the ropes?