If you are a beginner and interested in starting an Ecommerce business. Here are the first things that come to your mind.
- How to start an ecommerce business without money?
- Is it profitable or not?
- Which is an excellent platform to start a business and more?
Well, this blog guide will help you with all your queries. We share steps for starting an e-commerce business with real-time examples, business ideas, and tips.
How to start an ecommerce business in India
Beginners can start an E-commerce business without initial investments, inventory, manpower, and in-depth Ecommerce knowledge.
Many business models help you start an Ecommerce business without investments.
But, before starting, we help solve the most important queries you face when starting a business.
1). Is ecommerce business profitable?
Yes, e-commerce in India is a thriving market with a large and growing customer base. However, to be profitable, it requires careful planning, execution, and effective marketing.
2). Is e-commerce good for small business?
E-commerce is an excellent option for small businesses. It offers many opportunities to grow your business, Such as,
- Low investments,
- Global reach,
- Wide customer base,
- Cost-effective marketing,
- and scale your business.
3). What is the future of ecommerce?
According to the Statista report, Indian E-commerce revenue is expected to grow 11.91%(2024-2029), resulting in a projected market volume of ₹8,594.00bn by 2029.
These statistics highlight a significant opportunity for entrepreneurs to venture into the e-commerce business.
With this growth, 23% of sales are expected to happen online in 2025.
Successful E-commerce business examples
Here are some successful e-commerce examples to help you better understand.
- Amazon
- Shopify
- Baapstore
- Nykaa
- Flipkart
- Meesho
- IndiaMART
- MakeMyTrip
- Snapdeal
- Myntra
E-commerce business models in India
Starting an e-commerce business for free requires choosing the best business model. Here are some top business models that you can start with low investments.
- Print On Demand
- Dropshipping
Print On Demand
Print on demand (POD) is an order fulfillment method that prints apparel and accessories only after an order is placed. This means that there is no need to keep inventory or store products. They are created and shipped as soon as they are ordered.
Advantages of Print On Demand
- No inventory Management
- Customization option
- Low setup cost
- Reduced risk
- Larger Product range
- Qikink
- Vendorboat
- Owl Prints
- Printrove
👉Check out our Print on Demand blog posts to learn more details about how it works in India.
Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method in which an online store sells products without owning or handling Inventory, packing, or shipping.
When a customer places an order, the online store(merchant) forwards it to a third-party supplier, who ships the product directly to the customer.
Anyone can start a dropshipping business in India without handling inventory and shipping.
- Low Startup cost
- Reduced risk
- Easier to experiment with different Products
- Dropshipping is scalable
- No need to hold inventory
- Qikink
- Shopify
- IndiaMART
- Meesho
👉Check out our Dropshipping blog posts to learn more details about how it works in India.
How to start an ecommerce business without money in India - 11 steps
To successfully launch an e-commerce business with low investments that are meant to make you money, you need to follow a guideline.
Here’s a breakdown of the initial steps to take when launching your e-commerce business in India
Step 1: Find your niche
A niche is a particular kind of Product or service. Examples include Sports, clothing, and products.
Find a niche where you can explore your creativity and sell unique products to a targeted audience. Here are some ways to find trending niches.
a) Find what you are Passionate about
Suppose you are passionate about something. You can check if your niche has a market. If it does, your knowledge about the niche you like and follow will be an added advantage.
Use TAM( total addressable market) to ensure your niche has a market. Tam is a way of finding the maximum revenue generated in the market.
Where can we purchase the TAM report?
- Statista
- Euromonitor
- The Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MCI) publishes various reports and data on Indian industries.
b) Analyze Market Places
Look for successful Ecommerce marketplaces like Amazon or Flipkart. They show you best-selling niches and analyze their products and offerings to find trending products.
c) Use Google Trends
Google Trends is the best free tool for tracking trends. This tool helps you see search volume trends for keywords related to your niche.
Identify niches with rising search interest, indicating potential growth. It even lets you compare two niches to understand which one is more profitable.
Step 2: Find Profitable Products
To start an e-commerce business, you have to collect profitable products to sell online. Use e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, as well as social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, to find product ideas.
Here are some of the most demanding products for your reference.
Which product is highly demanded in India?
- Cosmetics
- Toys
- Fashion accessories
- Clothing
- Headphones
- Skincare Products
- Home Goods
- Baby Products
- Smartwatch and more
What is selling in 2024?
👉Check out our Most Demanding Products in India blog guide to find out more product ideas to sell online in 2024.
Step 3: Find a reliable Supplier for sourcing products
Finding a trustworthy supplier is a crucial stage in the Ecommerce business. Find out who has a wide variety of on-demand quality products and service providers at reasonable prices.
Prioritize them with proven track records and positive reviews, as well as top e-commerce platform integration options.
How to find suppliers for Ecommerce Business
There are many methods available to select a reliable supplier.
- Search through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
- Utilise Online supplier directories like Inventory Source.
- Find Wholesale Suppliers through Online platforms like Salehoo and Doba.
- They can be found in marketplaces like Aliexpress and Indiamart, which offer a wide selection of suppliers from around the world.
- Find the best dropshipping and Print On Demand supplier through Google Search.
- Many industries host virtual trade shows and events. Utilizing this, you can find them and their offerings.
Step 4: Find Your Unique Selling Proposition ( USP)
After finding suppliers and products, you have to find a unique selling point to differentiate your e-commerce business from other competitors.
Because running an E-Commerce business is highly competitive, you must find a creative approach to maximizing your profit margin.
Some of the unique selling proposition examples
- Add extra values like customization options for products
- Initiate Fast shipping options and Free shipping options
- Offer exclusive discounts and cashback programs to your customers.
These are all about making people feel like they need to buy your products. So, finding your USP is essential to this competitive business.
Step 5: Design your Products
Creating a design for your online store involves various factors, such as finding a target audience, creating a brand identity and market trends, and knowing about design elements that resonate with customers, like colors, design size, and printing placements.
To create designs for your business, consider the following ideas:
- Look for design inspiration on social media, in magazines, or on other competitor brand websites.
- If you do freehand sketching on your tablet, you can use Autodesk Sketchbook (for Android users) and Procreate (for iOS).
- Explore design software programs like Canva, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop to create designs and mockups.
- Collaborate with graphic designers to develop unique designs.
- Consider hiring professional freelance designers through platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.
Note:
If you are not skilled at designing and are unable to hire professionals, you can use user-friendly tools like Canva. You don’t need much knowledge about design to use Canva.
Its simple drag-and-drop elements will give you the designs you want.
Your brand is more than just a logo; it’s the personality and identity of your business. A strong brand will resonate with your target audience and set you apart from the competition in the Indian ecommerce market.
Choosing a Brand name:
Choosing a brand name is a crucial step for an Ecommerce business. It represents the values, offerings, and brand experience of companies.
The goal of a brand name is to capture attention and connect with potential customers.
Note:
A successful E-commerce brand starts with a strong brand name. If your name isn’t memorable, it will be hard for your target audience to find your business online.
When choosing a brand name, think about your business, what you offer, and how your business name can represent your goals.
Once you have decided on a brand name, don’t hesitate to register your business name, domain name, and social media accounts.
👉Check out our How to Choose a Brand Name blog guide to choose a brand name for your business in simple steps.
Create a Brand logo:
A perfect logo design involves creating unique visualized symbols that represent a brand identity and brand values.
Remember, Simple, Meaningful logos create a great impact. Experiment with typography; choosing the right color palette makes a good logo.
👉Check out our What Makes a Good Logo Design blog guide to create good logo designs for your businesses.
Step 7: Register Your Business
It’s easy to register your business online. Indian governments offer multiple business structures from which to choose. Choose one carefully based on your business plans and requirements.
- Limited Liability Partnership (LLP),
- Private Limited Company,
- One Person Company (OPC)
- and Public Limited Company (PLC).
What are the Documents Required for the Registration Process?
For the registration process, you’ll need documents like
- A permanent account number,
- Any one of the identity proofs like- an Adhar card/ passport/driver’s license,
- Address proof documents (telephone bill/ electricity bill)
- And three passport-sized photos.
You need a GST number when you sell Goods in India. According to TaxAdda, any business entity that supplies goods or services with a turnover of more than Rs. 20 lakhs must register for GST.
Failure to register for GST can result in penalties and legal consequences.
👉Visit the Online Legal India website and get a consultation about how to register your company.
Step 8: Select an e-commerce platform to sell products
Choose whether you are going to sell your products on an E-commerce Platform or an E-commerce marketplace. Both have their benefits and drawbacks.
a) E-commerce Platform
If you choose an e-commerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce, you can completely control your online store. These platforms are also easy to use and provide customizable templates for your online store.
Pros | Cons |
User-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, ideal for beginners. | Monthly subscription fees. |
Wide range of built-in features and functionalities for managing your store. | Requires some technical knowledge to manage orders. |
Highly customizable, offering greater control over the look and feel of your store | Transaction fees apply. |
Examples of the Best E-commerce Platforms to Sell Products
Shopify
Here are two significant reasons you should choose Shopify to build your Ecommerce business.
- Shopify has everything beginners need to start an Ecommerce business. It also has all the necessary apps to install to contact the best suppliers.
- Shopify doesn’t only create an excellent and functional website or online store. It works to grow the store by providing exceptional marketing, sales, and payment features to entrepreneurs.
WooCommerce
It is a market-leading platform for developing an effective online store. It has several features designed to simplify small business owners’ lives.
With the appropriate WooCommerce tools, you can build a scalable, adaptable, and flexible e-commerce business.
b) E-commerce Marketplaces
If you choose marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and Flipkart, you have the opportunity to reach a broad audience worldwide. They also handle customer services and payment processing.
Pros | Cons |
Wide Customer Base. | Limited control over branding. |
Easy to set up and manage your product listings. | High competition. |
It simplifies order fulfillment and helps to advertise products. | Fees can reduce your margins. |
Examples of the best marketplace to sell products:
Amazon
Amazon is a business model in which sellers list their products on the Amazon Marketplace without holding any physical inventory.
Meesho
Currently, it is the third most used e-commerce platform in India after Amazon and Flipkart. And needless to say, they have a vast customer base.
With Meesho, you can share and sell a wide range of products from various suppliers directly through your social networks, like WhatsApp and Instagram.
Step 9: List your Products
After choosing an e-commerce platform, you must list products on your online store. Here are some tips to set up your Ecommerce store.
- Add high-quality images and product mockups to your online store.
- Add an impressive product description on your product page.
- Use optimized SEO product titles and relevant keywords on your product details.
- Use FAQ questions on your products page. It creates a better understanding of your products for customers.
- Add videos about placing an order at your store.
- Develop help guides for topics such as placing orders in your online store, price details, product details, and more.
Step 10: Setup Payment Gateways
Do you know that 7 out of 10 shoppers leave the shopping cart before purchase completion?
One of the reasons for cart abandonment is their preferred payment options are not available in your online store.
We have listed some of the top reliable payment gateways that you can consider for your online store.
- PayPal: Higher fees than Indian gateways
- Stripe: Limited adoption in India currently
- Amazon Pay: Seamless for Indian e-commerce customers
- Razorpay: Great for startups and SMBs, easy to integrate
- ApplePay: Limited adoption in India currently
- InstaMojo: Good for freelancers, individuals, and small businesses
- Cashfree: Used by many Indian marketplaces
- PayU: Caters to Indian merchants and consumers
- Paytm Business: Wide reach, popular with Indian consumers
- CCAvenue: For large enterprises and eCommerce sites
👉Check out the best payment gateway India guide to learn more factors about scaling your dropshipping business.
Step 11: Promote your products
Marketing strategies are the backbone of your Ecommerce business’s success. A well-defined marketing strategy helps you find a targeted audience, understand market trends, and increase brand awareness.
There are various marketing Techniques available to promote your products.
Types of Marketing Strategy
Email Marketing:
Email is an excellent marketing tool. It is a great way to increase brand awareness, increase traffic to your site, and improve sales.
This marketing channel enables you to keep customers on your email list informed about new product launches, services, and programs, such as sending Newsletters.
Content Marketing:
Content marketing is a powerful tool for attracting customers, building brand awareness, and ultimately driving sales in your Indian e-commerce business.
- Finding the Right Channels—To start content marketing, you need to find the right social media channels to share your content, such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
- Planning content – You can share educational and promotional content through Blogs, How-to videos, and infographics.
This method allows you to interact with customers, strengthen your brand, boost sales, and receive feedback about your products.
With social media marketing, you can run Ads that drive potential customers to your business, such as Instagram Ads and Facebook Ads.
You can partner with popular social media users to promote your products and services.
Also, 34% of Indians choose brands based on social media influencers’ suggestions and
43% of the audience are at least checking out recommended products/services by the influencers.
Pay-Per-Click Marketing:
Advertisers pay when customers click on their ads as part of this marketing strategy.
It is a cost-effective marketing strategy because you only pay when customers reach your products. It also helps to enhance brand exposure.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization):
SEO improves your website’s ranking in search engine results pages. It increases organic traffic and Optimizes User Experience.
It generates more leads and sales and a high return on investment for your business.
Streaming Service Advertising:
This service enables you to run ads about your products or store information, for instance, on music channels like Spotify.
👉For detailed information about promoting your online store, check out our 9 Marketing Strategies for Dropshipping blog guide.
Recommended Guide
Check out our How to Increase Ecommerce Sales? – 26 Tips in 2024 Guide to learn more details about increasing your E-commerce sales. In this blog, we shared top marketing strategies, tips, and possible ways to increase Ecommerce sales.
Key things to note
- Starting an e-commerce business without money is quite tricky; however, you need to invest in getting a domain name and running marketing campaigns.
- Qikink is an excellent print-on-demand service provider. You can start your e-commerce business for free with them.
- You pay only when customers place orders. If you get more sales, you can use this money for advertising.
- You can offer your customers prepaid orders, so the risk of losing money is low.
Why should you consider Qikink?
We offer a wide variety of dropshipping products in different categories. With Qikink, you don’t have to handle inventory and shipping.
We take care of everything from printing and packing to shipping to your customers.
Also, We does not charge a signup fee or minimum deposit. You can sign up and start placing orders by paying for them.
Product Range
Qikink offers India’s most prominent product catalogue with different categories.
No Minimums
There is no minimum quantity requirement with us. Feel free to place single orders without commitments and Experiment with different customization options without committing to bulk orders.
Ecommerce Integration
Qikink offers seamless integration service on top e-commerce platforms for excellent order processing and complete automation.
Custom Branding Service
Qikink expects your e-commerce brand to be loud enough to be experienced by your customers better. Qikink offers unique solutions to provide a memorable experience to your customers. Qikink offers distinctive custom branding services.
- Inside Neck Labels
- Thank you Card
- Hang Tags
- Free Logo Stickers
- Thank you sticker Card
Also, Qikink offers add-ons to your custom banding orders.
Custom letter—You can add custom letters to your orders. This is an efficient way to increase customer loyalty and reputation by adding a personal touch.
Gift Wrap – You can add gift wrapping to your products. All the products added to the order will be individually gift-wrapped on Qikink.
Ships Worldwide
Qikink provides international shipping services and partnered with FedEx, DHL, and Aramex for international shipments. Orders are safely transported and delivered in 6-12 working days.
👉Start your Print Demand and Dropshipping e-commerce business with Qikink
Recommended Guide
- Learn more about how Print On Demand works.
- Let’s understand How Dropshipping works in India.
- Connect your business with Qikink.
Read More
Frequently Asked Questions
Is e-commerce high risk?
Ecommerce has low risk when you choose reliable suppliers, payment gateways, and courier partners. When you select good business models like Print On Demand and Dropshipping, you don’t have to worry about inventory risks, unmoved product stocks, and investment losses.
How to grow an ecommerce business?
To grow your e-commerce business, you need to follow some steps.
- Build your social media community
- Explore new sales channels
- Offer Discounts, Gift cards, and cashback programs
- Invest in Content marketing
- Provide Excellent customer service.
How to start an ecommerce business on amazon?
Starting an e-commerce business on Amazon requires several steps.
- Register with Seller Central account
- Provide GST, PAN details, and Account details to create an account
- List your products on Amazon
- Launch your store
- Use Amazon advertisements to promote products
What is the most profitable ecommerce business?
Here are some of the most top profitable Ecommerce business ideas
- Start a dropshipping business.
- Start a Print On Demand business.
- Start a clothing line.
- Sell customized pet products.
- Sell handmade items like Art products.
- Home Decor.
- Create organic and natural products.
- Refurbish smart home products.
- Start private labelling beauty products.
- Become an affiliate marketer.
- Create online courses.
Content Writer, Blog Editor at Qikink
