February 23, 2025
Ramin Popal
Setting up an online store is exciting, but the process can be overwhelming, especially for first-time store owners. There is a lot to think about, and without proper guidance, it’s easy to miss something crucial. For instance, you must meet various eCommerce requirements before launching your store.
These requirements cover legal, operational, and technical aspects of running an online store. This guide breaks down the key eCommerce requirements to help you prepare for your store launch and How to Find a Supplier for Your Product. 20 key ecommerce requirements you must fulfill before launching your store.
AI Store Builder can help you achieve your objectives. With easy setup and an intuitive interface, the AI store builder makes finding and customizing a store template easy. Then, it uses artificial intelligence to help you populate your store with content, product suggestions, and website copy.
Finding a supplier for your product is one of the most critical steps to take before launching your eCommerce store. You can have a beautiful website and an effective marketing strategy, but if you don’t have the right products to sell, your business won’t succeed. This is why it’s crucial to find and vet suppliers before you open your online store. Once you receive your products and ensure they meet your standards, you can start making sales and fulfilling customer orders immediately.
Understanding your ideal customers helps you tailor your marketing and product offerings to their needs. Consider:
Age, gender, income level, location.
Interests, values, lifestyle habits.
Where they shop, what influences their purchase decisions, and preferred payment methods.
What problems do they need solutions for?
If you sell luxury skincare products, your audience might be women aged 30-50 who are interested in self-care and have disposable income to spend on premium products.
Choosing the right platform is crucial because it determines your store’s functionality, scalability, and ease of management.
Why Shopify? Shopify is one of the most user-friendly platforms, offering pre-built templates, smooth payment processing, and a range of third-party integrations.
Running an eCommerce store means operating as a legitimate business entity. To avoid legal issues, you should:
Depending on your location, you may need to register as a sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation.
Some products (e.g., cosmetics and health supplements) require certifications or special permits.
Ensure you understand sales tax regulations based on where your customers are located.
Your website should include:
Many eCommerce platforms provide built-in tax calculation tools, and Shopify has automatic tax collection settings for different regions.
Your eCommerce business model determines how you source and fulfill products. Here are the most common models:
Before setting up your store, you must ensure that the products you plan to sell have high demand and good profit margins. Use Google Trends, Amazon Best Sellers, and competitor research to identify trending products. Analyze profitability by considering product cost, shipping fees, and expected retail price. Consider products with low competition but consistent demand.
AI Store Builder provides 20 trending products in every Shopify store setup, ensuring you sell what’s already proven to work.
Your store could face shipping delays, quality issues, and customer complaints without a reliable supplier. Choose between dropshipping, wholesale, private labeling, or print-on-demand based on your business model. Verify supplier reliability using supplier ratings, reviews, and communication response times. Consider local vs. international suppliers for faster shipping.
It provides trusted suppliers with every store setup, eliminating the guesswork in supplier selection.
Your eCommerce platform determines your store’s functionality, scalability, and customization options.
Best for ease of use and built-in features.
Best for WordPress users who need flexibility.
Best for scaling with an extensive product catalog.
Best for enterprise-level customization.
Why Shopify? AI Store Builder sets up your store on Shopify, which is ideal for beginners and experienced sellers.
Your website should be aesthetically appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized for conversions. Choose a high-converting theme with clear call-to-actions (CTAs). Ensure easy navigation so customers can find products quickly—display trust signals such as reviews, testimonials, and security badges. AI Store Builder ensures your Shopify store is built with a user-friendly, conversion-optimized design.
With over 70% of eCommerce traffic coming from mobile devices, your store must be mobile-friendly. Use a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes. Ensure fast-loading of pages for mobile shoppers. Optimize mobile checkout for a smooth buying experience.
Offering multiple payment methods increases conversions and reduces abandoned carts. Set up Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and credit card options. Offer buy now, pay later (BNPL) services like Klarna and Afterpay. Ensure secure payment encryption (SSL certification).
A slow website leads to higher bounce rates and lost sales. Choose a fast-loading theme optimized for performance. Use a content delivery network (CDN) to speed up load times. Optimize images and minimize unnecessary plugins.
It optimizes store speed automatically, ensuring fast load times for a smooth shopping experience.
A well-defined shipping and return policy builds customer trust. Offer transparent shipping timelines and costs, state return eligibility, and refund policies. Provide free shipping incentives to boost sales. AI Store Builder provides pre-written shipping and return policy templates to make setup hassle-free.
Each product page must be SEO-optimized to rank higher on Google and drive organic traffic. Use keyword-rich product titles and descriptions. Write unique product descriptions that highlight benefits. Optimize alt text for images to improve search engine visibility.
Customers rely on visuals when shopping online, so high-quality images are essential. Use high-resolution photos with multiple angles. Include zoom-in features for better product details. Create short product videos showcasing how items are used.
Excellent customer service increases trust and reduces chargebacks. Install live chat support to answer real-time queries. Use AI-powered chatbots for 24/7 customer assistance. Offer FAQ pages to address common concerns.
Efficient inventory management prevents overselling and fulfillment issues. Use tools to track stock levels in real time. Set up automatic restocking alerts. Ensure a smooth order fulfillment workflow.
Customers want to know who they’re buying from. Share your brand’s story on an authentic About Us page. Provide easy-to-find contact information (email, phone, social media). Display trust symbols like Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation.
Email marketing is essential for customer retention and abandoned cart recovery. Set up welcome email sequences for new subscribers. Automate cart abandonment emails to bring back potential buyers. Offer incentives like discount codes for first-time buyers.
Tracking website data allows you to optimize ads and improve conversions. Use Facebook Pixel to retarget visitors with ads. Install Google Analytics to monitor traffic and sales performance. Set up conversion tracking for better insights.
A complicated checkout process leads to high cart abandonment rates. Enable one-page checkout for faster transactions. Allow guest checkout to reduce friction. Offer multiple payment options.
A strong social media presence drives traffic and builds brand trust. Create Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest business pages. Schedule consistent posts and product promotions. Work with micro-influencers for brand awareness.
Customer retention is just as necessary as acquisition—offer points-based rewards for purchases. Provide exclusive discounts for repeat customers. Create a referral program to encourage word-of-mouth sales.
Protecting customer data is mandatory. Implement GDPR and CCPA compliance policies—Encrypt customer information with SSL security. Clearly state privacy policies and cookie consent.
Before going live, test your store’s functionality. Check product listings, checkout process, and email confirmations. Ensure shipping rates and payment processing work smoothly. Fix any bugs or technical issues before launch.
At AI Store Builder, we create a complete Shopify store for you in under 10 minutes. We include 20 trending products, trusted suppliers, and a dropshipping course that others charge thousands for. Plus, you get live support calls and community access. Skip the headaches of store setup, product research, and supplier hunting - we handle it all so you can focus on growing your business. Get your store built for you in less than 10 minutes today!
High website speed is a must for eCommerce success. If your site takes too long to load, customers will get frustrated and abandon their session.
A high cart abandonment rate is one of the most common struggles for eCommerce stores. Even Amazon — the king of online shopping — has a cart abandonment rate of 45%.
For eCommerce businesses, customer acquisition costs (CAC) can be astronomically high — mainly if you rely on paid ads to make sales. In fact, without a solid organic traffic strategy, acquisition costs can exceed profit margins.
Product-market fit means selling a product that a specific target audience wants. You will likely struggle with low sales if you don't have it.
Customers who don’t recognize your brand are less likely to trust you. Stores without brand identity, story, or consistency feel generic and forgettable.
Many new stores launch without a solid marketing plan and rely too much on paid ads. No strategy = no traffic = no sales.
Long delivery times = unhappy customers and negative reviews. Customers expect fast and reliable shipping options.
Poor inventory management can lead to overselling products you don’t have, causing refunds and customer frustration.
When customers have questions or concerns about their orders, they expect timely responses. Slow responses lead to bad reviews.
Acquiring new customers is 5x more expensive than keeping existing ones. Without retention strategies, you lose potential lifetime value (LTV).
Products don’t just materialize out of thin air. You need to source goods from somewhere to find a reliable supplier. To run a successful dropshipping business, you need to find a trusted supplier to partner with. This will ensure that your customers receive quality products promptly. Your supplier can make or break your business, so take the time to find the right one.
Start by looking for suppliers specializing in the products you want to sell. For example, if you sell pet products, look for a supplier that specializes in pet products rather than a generic wholesaler. Next, do your research to find out what their business reputation is like. Look for online reviews, and ask other dropshippers about their experiences with the supplier. Finally, order a sample to ensure the products meet your standards before selling them to your customers.
At AI Store Builder, we create a complete Shopify store for you in under 10 minutes. We include 20 trending products, trusted suppliers, and a dropshipping course that others charge thousands for. Plus, you get live support calls and community access. Skip the headaches of store setup, product research, and supplier hunting - we handle it all so you can focus on growing your business. Get your store built for you in less than 10 minutes today!
Get your free store in less than 10 minutes today