Skip to content

Setting up an online store

Setting up an online store means you deal directly with online shoppers. Learn how the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) approach changes the way your interact with customers. These guides cover how to start, and how to manage the commercials and operations of this sales channel. 

Learn the specific skills you need and how to deal with the challenges you’ll face. For example, how to build your online store strategy and how to start selling. How to build your business model and set up your website. We also cover the order to delivery process and how to manage your store. Read these guides to learn more about setting up your own store. 

Setting up an online store

There are 2 approaches to setting your online store strategy. You can go fast, start selling early and learn as you go. Or, you can do a full external and internal review, then set your strategy. Read this guide to see which approach best meets your needs. 

  1. Understand the 2 different approaches to building an online store strategy.
  2. How doing an external analysis and internal capability review sharpens your strategy.
  3. Learn how your strategy shapes your goal, business case and your overall activation plan.

Learn the 3 ‘must have’ parts of your online store launch plan. Something to sell. Somewhere to sell it. And a plan for payment and delivery. Learn how different sourcing and channel options meet these needs. Read this to get started selling online.  

  1. How to have something to sell with product options such as making, creating, trading and services.
  2. The pros and cons of channels like marketplaces and print on demand to selling your products.
  3. Read how payments and delivery work, and how to learn more about these areas.

Learn how to build your store’s business model. We cover how to forecast sales and build your store’s Profit and Loss, line by line. Learn the unique way D2C costs work, so you’re all set to make sure your store runs at a profit. 

  1. Learn how to work out your store’s total potential audience and forecast what your share could be.
  2. Read a line by line review of the online store Profit and Loss, so you understand key financial measures to track. 
  3. Learn the unique cost challenges that come with running an online store.

Learn how to build a great online shopping experience. We cover key activities to set up your online store website. Learn what’s needed in your marketing plan, and how to set up your customer experience to meet shopper needs.

  1. Learn how you define your online store website’s purpose and strategy.
  2. How to set up content, style and functionality to support customer experience on your store’s website. 
  3. An overview of the pros and cons of the 3 most common e-Commerce platforms – WooCommerce, Shopify and Adobe Commerce.

How to manage your store order to delivery. Learn all the key activities you need from when a customer places an order to it landing on their doorstep. Plus, we share common customer service issues, and how to prepare for them. 

  1. How to manage payments via a payment gateway.
  2. Learn about order processing with a focus on the picking, packing and dispatching of products, and the last mile of the delivery.
  3. Read examples so you can prepare customer service teams to handle enquiries and complaints.  

Learn how to manage your online store. What marketing activities you need. Learn how to set and track KPIs. And how to actually control the online store. Learn the value of putting the right team in place and having clear processes and routines. 

  1. How to identify the marketing activities which drive better connections with shoppers.
  2. Learn the key commercial measures and systems to set goals and KPIs and track performance.
  3. The importance of controlling your business by working with the right people and establishing processes and routines.

Three-Brains and e-Commerce skills

The Three-Brains team have worked on many successful e-Commerce projects. Our experience covers e-Commerce planning, how to work with online retailers and how to build online stores. We love helping businesses fix their e-Commerce problems. Either how to start, or how to improve their online selling. We help you optimise your marketing and creative skills to boost your e-Commerce performance. 

Check out our coaching and consulting services for more on how we can help you. Or get in touch, if you’d like to talk about a specific e-Commerce challenge. 

D2C Online Store Status dashboard - Four column headed strategy and plan, the store, order to delivery and operations
Click to download the pdf

Downloadable D2C status dashboard

There’s many jobs to do in D2C. You have to define your strategy and plan. Work out how sales and marketing will work. And also set up the whole operational side of the business. It can be complex.

That’s why we’ve used this project dashboard to great success in the past to have a simple one-page summary of the key actions required. Download it here or from our resources section. 

Powerpoint and Keynote versions of this document available on request. 

Latest e-Commerce blog posts

Subscribe to get Three-Brains updates