. 7 steps to creating a captivating ecommerce business plan
E-commerce Marketing

7 steps to creating a captivating ecommerce business plan

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30 April 2024
7 steps to creating a captivating ecommerce business plan

Nearly 24% of retail transactions will happen online by 2026.

Today is without a doubt the finest time to launch an e-commerce business, as these figures indicate. But you’re going to have to put in some work beforehand if you want a piece of this $8 trillion pie.

I’ll walk you through the process of writing an e-commerce business plan in this blog. This will assist you in attracting investor investment as well as helping you define clear goals.

Now let’s get started 👇

What is an ecommerce business plan?

The goals, objectives, and operational specifics of your internet business are described in an e-commerce business plan, which is a strategic document. It facilitates understanding of the business’s direction, competitors, marketing tactics, and funding needs for you and your investors.

An e-commerce business plan is, in essence, a methodical approach to outlining your business idea. It facilitates communication with potential investors and company supporters. You will be able to achieve your objectives more successfully if your e-commerce plan is more detailed.

Benefits of an ecommerce business plan

Let us explain the importance of an ecommerce business plan before getting into the specifics of writing one. Having a strong e-commerce business plan enables you to reap the following advantages:

  1. Determine a clear course of action for your e-commerce business by gaining clarity on your overall strategy.

  2. Establish targets. By keeping an eye on e-commerce business KPIs, you can assess your development and maintain focus.

  3. Reduce risks: By carrying out in-depth risk analysis and market research, you can spot and deal with possible issues.

  4. Ensure that your online store doesn’t run out of steam before it reaches the finish line by allocating resources and creating an appropriate budget.

  5. Draw in investors: If you’re looking for capital, a strong e-commerce business plan will help persuade banks and investors to back your online venture.

7 steps to creating the perfect ecommerce business plan

1. Create an executive summary

The executive summary piques people’s interest in your company by outlining your vision, mission, goals, and important KPIs.

Vision and mission

Your vision is the direction you want to take your online store. It’s the ultimate aim or the broad picture.

Your compass is your mission. It focuses your everyday efforts on realizing that goal.

For example, your aim for an e-commerce site might be to become an online retail empire that transforms the way people shop.

Offering a large selection of superior goods and services and providing outstanding customer support could be your goal.

Business objectives

Your goals are the checkpoints along the way to success. Make sure they are time-bound, relevant, quantifiable, achievable, and specified (SMART).

For example, you may set a goal for the first twelve months of your e-commerce business to bring in $100,000 annually. To do this, you may use the SMART framework in the following manner:

S – To reach my target, I must record an average monthly revenue growth of 20%.

M: I have to monitor performance indicators such as customer lifetime value (CLV), average order value (AOV), and cost per acquisition. I want to be sure that the direction we’re going in is correct.

A: I have a thorough awareness of the clientele I serve and the issues I must resolve on their behalf.

R – To ensure the sustainability of my e-commerce business, I must increase the number of users.

T – In order to monitor my progress, I must divide my annual website visitor goal into quarters.

Key metrics

These quantifiable data points will demonstrate the success of your company. Customer acquisition costs (CAC), attrition rates, and user satisfaction levels are a few instances.

Throughout the trip, these metrics will serve as your guide, guiding your plans and decisions.

For your ecommerce business, you'd want to track:

  • CAC – aim for $20 or less
  • CLV – maintain an average of $100 or more
  • Monthly revenue growth – target a 20% month-on-month growth rate
  • Churn rate – keep churn below 20% per month

2. Company overview

Your e-commerce business plan’s section on operations explains your company’s specific functions. Here, you are presenting your company to possible partners and investors, outlining its unique selling points in comparison to rival e-commerce businesses.

You must also describe your company’s unique selling point, ownership structure, business plan, and management team.

This section ought to contain:

Company description

A company description outlines the services your business provides and how it seeks to close the gaps in the industry. Here is where you should highlight your company’s most alluring features and how they will attract clients.

Along with providing an overview of your target market, audience, and company history, your company description should also explain how you intend to adapt to shifting consumer preferences.

Business model

A business model indicates if:

  1. You intend to employ either a subscription business or a conventional sales approach.

  2. You will either source goods for other producers or sell directly to consumers.
  3. Your e-commerce store will be run on a business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-customer (B2C) basis.

Unique selling proposition (USP)

This section outlines how your company will differentiate itself from the competitors and your strategy for taking the lead in the sector. It also clarifies the issues you’re attempting to address and how your good or service will meet the wants of your clients.

Management structure

The ownership and management structure gives background information on the leadership of your company and specifics regarding the makeup of your staff.

3. Describe your product and services

It’s time to delve deeper into your e-commerce business strategy now that you’ve explained your company and its objectives. You’ll outline the variety of goods and services your internet store will provide in this section.

Give a succinct overview of each product line if you intend to offer a large selection of items. Alternatively, if your goal is to sell a small number of products, give more information about each one, such as the manufacturing and selling prices. This guarantees that prospective investors comprehend your product offerings and business philosophy completely.

Investors should be able to determine from the product and service descriptions if you produce the goods yourself, dropship them, or purchase them from a wholesaler. This is an excellent area to explain to them why your products are better than those of your competitors and what benefits they offer to your clients.

In order to give your clients the best possible shopping experience, don’t forget to include payment gateways, courier services, or third-party aggregators that you work with.

4. Conduct competitive analysis

Every e-commerce company has to know who its rivals are. A comprehensive competitive analysis aids in:

Identify direct competitors

Find internet retailers that provide comparable goods or services to yours. Next, evaluate their user base, market positioning, and strengths and shortcomings.

Amazon is a clear rival for an online retailer like this one. Following a SWOT analysis of your competitors, you may discover the following data:

  1. Strengths: a large assortment of products, effective shipping, and a powerful brand

  2. Weaknesses: limited personalization and fierce competition

  3. Prospects: venturing into novel markets and verticals

  4. Risks: include reputation management and regulatory issues.

Identify indirect competitors

Alternative alternatives can be vying for the time and attention of your target audience in addition to your direct rivals.


You should include brick-and-mortar retailers in your competition study for your e-commerce store. Following your investigation, you may discover the following details:

  1. Strengths: immediate pleasure and in-person experience

  2. Drawbacks: a small range of products and limited hours of operation

  3. Possibilities: improved customer service and e-commerce integration

  4. Threats include changing customer behavior and e-commerce competition.

Uncover competitive advantages

You can use this information to identify the unique selling points of your online store. It can be a more effective price plan or a niche focus on a certain user group. You may only become clear about the distinctive value proposition of your online organization by comprehending your competitive edge.

You could view the following as your competitive advantages, based on who your opponents might be:

  • Curated product selection
  • Personalised shopping experience
  • Superior customer support
  • Streamlined mobile shopping
  • A loyalty rewards program

5. Develop a marketing plan

Your marketing plan should outline four main topics:

  • Positioning strategy
  • Acquisition channels
  • Tools and technology
  • Goals and evaluation

Positioning strategy

A unique impression or perception that customers have of a good or service is known as a positioning strategy.

The purpose of a positioning strategy is to set your good or service apart from the competition. It seeks to provide customers with a distinct and unambiguous value proposition.

Developing a positioning plan requires that you:

  1. Define the personality and characteristics of your brand
  2. Position your products based on the perceived value they offer in relation to their price
  3. Develop messaging that communicates your unique value proposition

Ensure consistency across all touchpoints, including messaging, colours, logo etc.By using a positioning approach that works, you may make a lasting impression on your customers. It becomes more enticing and remembered as a result.

For instance, the footwear company Crocs was formerly seen as ugly. However, they changed their positioning over time, which changed the perception of their brand.

In an attempt to attract a wider audience, Crocs opted to partner with influencers and luxury brands in response to the growth of ugly-chic fashion trends.

With more than 850 million pairs of shoes sold, Crocs has emerged as one of the most popular fashion companies worldwide.

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