Starting an online shop is faster and more affordable today than ever before, but there are plenty of choices to make: the platform, payment methods, deliveries and marketing. In this guide we walk through the whole process and the two most common ways to build a shop.
What does starting an online shop require?
- Products and pricing. A clear selection, good product photos and margins that can absorb payment and delivery costs.
- A business or light entrepreneurship. Occasional, small-scale selling does not necessarily require a business ID right away, but established trade is best done as a business already because of the requirements set by payment providers.
- A domain name. Your shop's address, for example yourshop.fi. Registration takes a few minutes.
- A platform and hosting. The place where the shop runs. More on this below.
- Payment methods and delivery. In Finland at least online bank payments and cards (for example Paytrail or Stripe), along with deliveries via Posti or Matkahuolto.
Two ways to start an online shop
1. Turnkey, a professional builds the shop
The fastest route to being ready to sell. You tell us what you sell, and a partner designs, builds and publishes the shop for you. You get a working package complete with payment methods and without any technical learning curve, and maintenance is handled by the same partner. This suits you if you would rather spend your time selling than on technology. See Nordweb's online shop package and prices.
2. Do it yourself, WooCommerce and web hosting
WooCommerce is WordPress's e-commerce plugin and the world's most widely used online shop platform. It is free in itself. You only pay for the domain and web hosting, and the shop is entirely in your own hands without a monthly platform fee. In return, the installation, appearance and maintenance are your own responsibility. This suits you if you want full control and have the time to learn. WordPress web hosting includes a fast base suited to WooCommerce, with WordPress installed in a single click.
A third option is monthly-fee SaaS platforms such as Shopify or MyCashflow. They are easy to use, but the monthly fees and commissions continue for as long as the shop is up and running, and moving the shop away from the platform is laborious.
What does starting an online shop cost?
The costs break down into four parts:
- Platform or implementation. Doing it yourself with WooCommerce, the platform cost is zero. A turnkey build is a one-off investment, after which you only pay for maintenance. With SaaS platforms you pay a monthly fee and often a sales commission.
- Domain. An annual fee, typically around ten euros a year.
- Hosting. For a WooCommerce shop, a good web hosting plan is enough to start with. You can see current prices on the web hosting page.
- Payment processing. Providers charge a per-transaction fee, typically a few per cent of the sale.
The most common mistakes
- Too broad a selection at the start. Begin narrow and expand as demand grows.
- Marketing gets forgotten. A shop without visitors does not sell. Set aside a budget for visibility from the very start.
- A slow website. Loading speed directly affects buying. Choose fast hosting and optimise your images.
- Delivery costs only revealed at checkout. State prices and delivery terms clearly right away.
Start here
If you want your shop ready to sell quickly, take a look at our online shop package. If you are building it yourself, start by registering a domain and with WordPress web hosting.
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