E-commerce, Step by Step for 2027

Stop guessing which parts of your online shop make or lose money: step-by-step methods for the model, store, range, traffic, conversion, fulfilment and a weekly trading review.

Who it's for

For founders, managers and small teams who run an online shop, or are about to start one, and want it to make money rather than just take orders. You do not need a technical background. If your shop is already running, the book suggests starting with the break-even figures in Chapter 4.

What you'll learn

• Choose a selling model – direct-to-consumer, marketplace, dropshipping or subscription – and a platform route by weighing control against effort.
• Plan a site structure and product pages that answer every buying question, and check speed, mobile use and accessibility before launch.
• Sort your range into heroes, core range and long tail, run an ABC analysis based on the Pareto principle and set simple reorder points.
• Work out your break-even ROAS and allowable cost per order from your own margins, and judge every paid channel against them.
• Map your conversion funnel, remove friction from the checkout and prioritise improvements with Sean Ellis’s ICE scoring.
• Choose between packing orders yourself, a 3PL or dropshipping, set a delivery promise you can keep and run returns that are clear, fair and lawful.
• Add marketplaces and other channels one at a time, and run a weekly trading review that ends in decisions on what to reorder, promote and clear.

What's inside

• 60 pages, 8 chapters
• Every chapter follows the same pattern: key concepts, a step-by-step method, an illustrative example from a fictional UK organisation, a ready-to-use tool, common mistakes, key steps and a “Try it” exercise
• Tools include a model and platform comparison table, product page checklist, range plan, break-even ROAS calculator, ICE scoring guide, conversion test backlog, returns policy checklist, channel readiness checklist and weekly trading dashboard
• Short UK notes on consumer rights and data protection, given as general guidance
• A 30-60-90 day action plan with checklists, plus a glossary
• PDF in A4 format — read on screen or print
• Instant download after purchase

Contents

1. Choosing Your E-commerce Model
2. Building a Store That Sells
3. Planning Your Range and Merchandising
4. Buying Traffic That Pays
5. Turning Visitors into Buyers
6. Fulfilment, Delivery and Returns
7. Selling Across Marketplaces and Channels
8. Running a Weekly Trading Review

Part of The Business Library

This title is one of the 55 ebooks in The Business Library, available together for £109 (worth £1,437 if bought separately: the total of the individual prices of the included titles in our store). It is also included in The Ultimate Business Bundle, which adds 8 checklists and toolkits and 10 workbooks — all 73 products for £147.