The best way to get started in the ecommerce industry depends on what section of the industry you would like to be part of. You may choose to start your own online store and sell products or services to consumers, or you may choose to design and update the sites that online retailers depend on. In either case, you should learn all you can about proper Internet marketing and ways to effectively advertise either your own website or those of your customers.
To get started with running your own online store, you should find out what licensing is necessary in your area for the ecommerce industry. You will likely need a business license to operate your store, and you may have to register your store name. The next step would be to hire an web designer who specializes in the ecommerce industry, and to pay for registration of your domain name. This is the name of your web site's address. For example: mysite.com.
You will also need to determine what products you will sell. Products can be items you make or buy yourself, or you can sign up with a drop shipping company. This is a company who allows you to buy products at wholesale prices and then sell at retail. The difference between these companies and a traditional wholesaler is that you do not have to buy the products ahead of time. Customers order and pay for items from your site, and then they are shipped from your drop shipper. This is the primary solution for those who want lower overhead fees, who don't have room for inventory, and who don't have time to worry about shipping products themselves.
If you would rather help other businesses with the design and marketing of their ecommerce sites, you will probably need to take classes in website design as well as in marketing campaigns targeted to the ecommerce industry. You may not have to learn these things in formal classroom settings, but make sure that you firmly grasp each concept before going in search of clients. Additionally, you will likely find that creating a few practice sites and marketing them yourself may prove to be beneficial in finding clients for yourself.
Learning marketing concepts unique to the ecommerce industry is important for both designer and store owners. These can include things like article marketing, blog posts, and social networking. Search engine optimization is another important concept that can be incorporated into online marketing campaigns, as well as into the site itself.
