How do I set up an e-commerce website in Australia?
How do I set up an e-commerce website in Australia?
Introduction
You’ve decided to set up an e-commerce website and sell products to Australians. That’s great! But where do you start? Here are the steps you need to take:
Pick a e-commerce platform
Now that you have decided on your business model, it’s time to choose a platform. There are a few factors to consider when choosing an e-commerce platform:
- What is the best solution for my needs? How much flexibility do I want? How much support can I expect? Do I need integration with other services like shipping providers or payment gateways?
- What are the pros and cons of different platforms? Is there a free version available that will work for my needs? How easy or difficult will it be to set up and run the site myself versus paying someone else to do it for me (and paying them monthly fees)? Will hosting costs be high enough that it makes more sense just using Shopify or WordPress instead of trying out something new like BigCommerce (which does have great features but may cost more).
Register your domain name
You can register your domain name with a domain name registrar. A domain name is what people will type into their browser to find your website (for example, http://www.example.com/ or http://www.yourwebsite.com). It’s important to choose a good one, as it often represents your business or product on the internet!
To start, you should make sure that the domain names are available for registration by checking that they aren’t currently being used by someone else who has registered them in advance of you registering them yourself. This can be done through a search at one of many websites that allow users to search for available domains (for instance www[dot]domaintools[dot]com). If this works for you then great! However if it didn’t work out as expected then don’t worry – there’s still another way around this problem which we’ll get into later on…
Get your website hosted
Once you’ve decided on a domain name, it’s time to get your website hosted. Hosting is the process by which a company’s computers store your website files and make them accessible to internet users. There are many hosting companies that offer e-commerce hosting plans. These typically include a web interface for managing content and product catalogs, but can also provide features like payment gateways for accepting payments online and shipping tools for managing inventory.
Some hosts offer secure e-commerce hosting with SSL certificates that encrypt data between your customer’s browser and their server, making it very difficult for hackers to access any personal information you collect from customers during checkout or registration processes. You should also look for 24/7 support as well as uptime guarantees (most hosts guarantee 99% uptime).
Pick a template for your site’s look and feel
In this stage, you’ll want to pick a template for your site’s look and feel. The template is the design of your e-commerce website.
While there are many different options and features available, here are some tips for choosing a template:
- Choose one that fits your brand. Your brand is what makes you unique. If you’re selling clothes, it’s best to pick something that represents the vibe of your store—something trendy or classic?
- Choose one that is user friendly. You don’t want customers getting frustrated when they can’t find their way through your site because it’s not well designed!
- Choose one with all the features you need (e.g., payment gateway integration) so that everything works seamlessly once launched online (i.e., no surprises).
Populate your site with product information
When you’re ready to add product information, it’s important to have an understanding of the types of information that should appear on your website. This includes:
- Product name, description and image (if applicable)
- Shipping costs (if applicable)
- Payment methods accepted by your store or company
Pick a merchant gateway
A merchant gateway connects your e-commerce website with a payment processor, which then processes and settles payments for your business.
There are many different options for merchant gateways, so it’s important to research each one and make sure it will support the payment processors you want to use on your site. The best way to do this is by using the resources below:
- [Merchant Circle]: A directory of some of the most popular merchant gateways in Australia
- [PayPal’s Merchant Guide]: A comprehensive guide from PayPal that covers everything you need to know about setting up an e-commerce store.
Set up tax information
With your e-commerce website set up, it’s time to get your tax information in order.
First, you’ll need to include your ABN (Australian Business Number) and GST (Goods and Services Tax) details on your website. You can do this by registering a new account with the Australian Tax Office (ATO). This will help you keep track of business expenses and make sure you pay any taxes owed. You should also be sure that the prices for products sold through your e-commerce site are displayed inclusive of all applicable taxes at all times.
You can pick from many e-commerce platforms to set up a website selling products in Australia.
You have a number of options when it comes to setting up an e-commerce website in Australia. You can use one of the many web platforms available today, such as Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce and BigCommerce to name a few. These platforms offer varying levels of complexity depending on your needs.
If you are selling a large number of products and/or want to offer more services than just selling products then you may want to consider using a more complex platform that offers features like product catalogs, payment gateways (e.g., PayPal) and shipping integration with third party carriers like Australia Post or DHL Express – all at once! However if you are just starting out then it might be better for you to get started with something simpler like Volusion so that all your focus can be on growing your business instead of worrying about technical issues such as integrating payment gateways or shipping providers into your store front end software solution which requires special coding skills not everyone has access too unless they spend thousands on training courses etcetera which isn’t always practical if they don’t know exactly what they’re getting themselves into beforehand…
Conclusion
With all the steps you’ve just taken, your e-commerce website is now fully set up and ready to go! Now that you have your site up and running, it’s time to start selling products. You can start off with a small inventory, or you can take advantage of the many free tools available for managing inventory levels and pricing. This will allow you to grow as quickly or slowly as desired depending on how successful your business becomes over time.
